Chapter 229

The Crystal Coffin

Nie Jinxuan was stunned, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the crystal coffin. At this moment, Yin Fengzhan turned to look at her, then pulled her directly to the side of the coffin.

"This is it."

Yin Fengzhan's voice was calm. As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the beautiful woman inside the coffin. Upon seeing her, he pursed his thin lips, a faint, dark light appearing in his eyes that even he did not notice...

Yin Fengzhan was also entranced. But after her initial shock, Nie Jinxuan regained her senses and crouched down to examine the woman in the crystal coffin...

So, this was Noble Consort Ning!

Even as a woman, Nie Jinxuan had to admit that Noble Consort Ning was truly stunningly beautiful! Compared to her exquisite face, what surprised Nie Jinxuan even more was that Noble Consort Ning in the crystal coffin showed absolutely no signs of decay, as if she were merely sleeping!

This was a problem difficult to understand within the science Nie Jinxuan knew! But now was not the time to consider such things. After observing Noble Consort Ning for a moment, she reached out to touch the crystal coffin, trying to find an opening!

Yet, no matter how she searched around the crystal coffin, she could not find a single seam!

"Fengzhan... can this crystal coffin not be opened?"

Frowning, Nie Jinxuan was puzzled. But then she thought, that couldn't be right. If the coffin couldn't be opened, how was Noble Consort Ning placed inside in the first place?

Hearing Nie Jinxuan's words, Yin Fengzhan's brows twitched. He walked to the side of the crystal coffin and felt around the edges.

Likewise, Yin Fengzhan found no switch. He stepped back, observed the coffin quietly for a long time, and then whispered:

"This crystal coffin must have been completely sealed after the body was placed inside at the very beginning!"

"Sealed? Then... what do we do now? Can it really not be opened?"

"……"

Nie Jinxuan looked to Yin Fengzhan for help. He frowned slightly, and after a moment, whispered:

"Go to the side!"

Yin Fengzhan commanded in a low voice. Nie Jinxuan was confused but obediently hid in a corner not far away. She saw Yin Fengzhan step forward, purse his thin lips, and raise his hands to his dantian...

Yin Fengzhan's expression was grave. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan was stunned, and a bad premonition flashed through her mind.

"Fengzhan, what... what are you doing?"

"Shattering the crystal coffin!"

"What?!"

Nie Jinxuan's eyes widened in shock. Before he could finish, she rushed forward to stop him as he was channeling his Qi.

"Fengzhan, no! If you do this, you might get Noble Consort Ning's body out, but what then? The crystal coffin will be destroyed, and her body won't be able to be preserved. Have you thought about the Emperor's feelings? The Emperor will go mad!"

"Whether he goes mad or not has nothing to do with me!"

"You..."

Yin Fengzhan stood his ground. Seeing she couldn't stop him, Nie Jinxuan's eyes turned red with anger, and she kicked him.

"Yin Fengzhan, I told you to stop, did you hear me!"

……

Nie Jinxuan was truly furious. Kicked like that, Yin Fengzhan turned to glare at her, but before he could speak, she grabbed his collar and shouted:

"Yin Fengzhan, I'm telling you! If you dare to break this crystal coffin today, don't even think about talking to me for the rest of your life!"

Nie Jinxuan's stubborn temper was no less than Yin Fengzhan's. Hearing this, he was indeed stunned, and then his blood began to boil, his expression turning cold and stern.

"Then what do you want? You were the one who wanted to investigate the truth!"

"So what if I wanted to investigate?! I never said I wanted to break the crystal coffin!"

"If we don't open it, how can we investigate?"

"But if you open the crystal coffin, without its protection, Noble Consort Ning will no longer be able to maintain her current state. Will you feel better then?"

"You..."

Yin Fengzhan was so angry that his eyes widened. Nie Jinxuan glared back, refusing to back down. After a long while, she turned her head away in a huff.

"There is indeed only one way to break the crystal coffin, but even if we have to break it, we can't do it now. At the very least, we need to make preparations! It would be best to make an exact replica first so that we can preserve Noble Consort Ning's body afterward!"

Nie Jinxuan voiced her thoughts, then turned to glare at Yin Fengzhan again.

"Pig brain!"

……

In truth, Nie Jinxuan understood why Yin Fengzhan was being so reckless. After all, Noble Consort Ning was his mother. Even if he claimed not to care, she still held a great deal of weight in his heart!

It was precisely because of this that Yin Fengzhan became foolish the moment his blood boiled, forgetting even something as simple as finding another crystal coffin!

Afterward, under Nie Jinxuan's persuasion and forceful demeanor, Yin Fengzhan finally left the secret chamber. But just as they walked out of the secret passage into the outer room, Nie Jinxuan was startled and grabbed Yin Fengzhan.

"Fengzhan, listen, there's a sound outside!"

Leaning close to Yin Fengzhan, Nie Jinxuan whispered, her words filled with unease and tension. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan merely raised a sword-like eyebrow, walked to the window, and gently pushed it open a tiny crack to peek through.

"It's nothing, just an old eunuch cleaning the courtyard."

Watching the person outside the window, Yin Fengzhan spoke in a low voice. Nie Jinxuan was stunned, then squeezed over to look in the direction Yin Fengzhan was pointing. Sure enough, she saw an old man with a thin build, dressed in eunuch robes, bending over to tend to the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

"But isn't this a forbidden area? How could he come here?"

"Yes, this is a forbidden area, but it still needs to be cleaned by someone."

"Oh, I see. Is he the only one?"

"Yes."

Yin Fengzhan nodded and closed the window. Nie Jinxuan's previous tension vanished, and she pursed her lips in silence.

Time passed. After a full half-hour, the old eunuch finally finished his work and left. Once he was gone, Yin Fengzhan carefully led Nie Jinxuan away.

……

Yin Fengzhan and Nie Jinxuan left the forbidden palace grounds. Yin Fengzhan then sent people to make preparations. It took a full five days before Zhongli sent word that everything was ready.

Hearing the news, Nie Jinxuan was overjoyed. There were only three days left until the one-month deadline. That night, without hesitation, she had Yin Fengzhan take her back to the forbidden grounds.

Taking the same route, Nie Jinxuan no longer felt the tension she had the first time. They arrived at the secret chamber smoothly. Nie Jinxuan hid in the corner while Yin Fengzhan focused his mind, centered his Qi in his dantian, and struck the crystal coffin with his palm.

Instantly, a muffled 'Boom—' echoed, causing the entire secret chamber to shake. Several night-luminescent pearls hanging on the surrounding walls rolled to the floor.

A moment later, the chamber fell silent. Before Nie Jinxuan could recover, a faint creaking sound emerged from the crystal coffin! She hurriedly looked over and saw the previously flawless crystal coffin beginning to crack, and after a moment, it shattered with a 'Clatter!'

The crystal coffin was finally broken! Shards of transparent crystal scattered everywhere, leaving the room in a mess.

Yin Fengzhan turned to look at Nie Jinxuan. She nodded in understanding, stepped up to the crystal coffin, and began to remove the crystal shards scattered over Noble Consort Ning!

This was delicate work. Nie Jinxuan worked carefully. Yin Fengzhan stood to the side, watching her nimble and cautious movements, and watching the motionless Noble Consort Ning, without moving a muscle.

After a while, Nie Jinxuan finished clearing away the crystal shards and looked up at Yin Fengzhan.

"I'm going to start now."

"Mm."

With a light nod, Yin Fengzhan said nothing else. Nie Jinxuan pursed her lips and reached out toward Noble Consort Ning...

But just then, the moment her hand was about to touch Noble Consort Ning, a sound of footsteps came from outside. Before Nie Jinxuan could react, a 'Boom—' sounded as the stone chamber door was forced open from the outside, and a figure rushed in!

Nie Jinxuan looked closely and discovered the person was Emperor Shuncheng!

……

It turned out that the moment Yin Fengzhan struck the crystal coffin, the imperial guards secretly guarding the area were startled. Since no one was allowed to enter the forbidden area, they could only guard the entrance, but they immediately rushed to Emperor Shuncheng's bedchamber to report.

For the past few days, whether due to his health or other reasons, Emperor Shuncheng had been unable to sleep. Upon hearing the report that someone had broken into the forbidden grounds and hearing a loud 'Boom', he didn't hesitate. He didn't even put on a robe, but rushed over all the way!

So, at this very moment, Emperor Shuncheng appeared at the door of the stone chamber with disheveled hair and wearing only a single layer of clothing. His face was flushed from his frantic dash, his breathing was ragged and uneven, and his eyes were fixed intently on the now-exposed Noble Consort Ning, widening in shock!

Emperor Shuncheng was stunned. He stared unblinkingly, forgetting even his anger! After a long while, he moved slightly and stepped toward Noble Consort Ning...

Step by step, Emperor Shuncheng walked slowly. But after a few steps, before he could reach her, he stopped abruptly, turned to look at Yin Fengzhan, and in a move no one expected, reached out and slapped Yin Fengzhan across the face!

Special Note: In the previous chapter, regarding the issue of the pregnancy cycle, I couldn't check the data while in the 'small black room', so I just wrote something down. When uploading, I forgot to change it, causing a serious error! I ask for everyone's understanding! After the Qingming Festival, I will contact the editor to have it corrected.

Two chapters uploaded, one more to follow.