Chapter 121: Luban's Secret Box

Lin Xuan ran his fingers along the edge of the wooden box, feeling its texture, and asked, "Then hadn't you considered using brute force to pry it open?"

The man slapped his thigh. "How could I not have thought of that!"

"Someone suggested using a chainsaw to split it open, or strong acid to corrode it."

"But I was afraid of damaging the paper documents inside, so I never dared to act. If the will were destroyed, my trip here would have been in vain."

Lin Xuan did not rush to take on this job.

Holding the wooden box, he turned and walked into the inner room of the workshop, then wheeled out a small industrial-grade X-ray scanner with a display screen.

After placing the wooden box into the scanning chamber, he pressed the scan button.

Beep—

A few seconds passed. This book debuts here; for error-free chapters and non-misordered reading experiences, follow 𝘵𝘸超靠譜.

The Personal Computer screen displayed a high-contrast black-and-white X-ray image.

Lin Xuan leaned close to the screen.

After clearly seeing the structure inside, his brows immediately knitted tightly together.

"Mr. Zhang, please come take a look."

That man hurriedly stood up and leaned over.

"This is not an ordinary Luban Lock," Lin Xuan said, pointing at the dense, spiderweb-like shadow lines on the screen, and continued, "Inside are all double-layered, offset wooden tenons, one nested within another. At the very core position, two extremely fine traction wires are connected."

"What does this mean?" The man couldn't understand these engineering drawings and only felt his head tightening.

"Pull one hair, and the whole body moves."

"This is a mechanical device with anti-theft self-destruction features. As long as you force it open, or if the sequence of pulling the wooden boards is off by even one step."

"The spring mechanism inside will release the stress, a hidden blade will spring out, and instantly shred everything inside."

The man's face instantly turned pale. He collapsed into the chair and asked, "Then this—doesn't this completely become an unbreakable knot? An impossible hard knot?"

Lin Xuan remained silent, saying nothing.

Conventional physical methods had indeed reached a dead end.

Even if the finest medical-grade endoscope were inserted, it would be impossible to simultaneously unlock all ten-plus interlocking mortise-and-tenon structures.

Forcing it open would definitely destroy the contents.

Just as the atmosphere in the workshop froze.

Light and familiar footsteps came from outside the door.

"Brother Lin Xuan!"

Xiao Sizi ran through the main gate with a pink backpack on her back, still clutching half a piece of rice cake in her small hand.

"School's over?" The solemnity on Lin Xuan's face instantly vanished, and a smile appeared at the corners of his eyes.

He took the dry tissues on the table and wiped the crumbs stuck to the corners of her mouth.

"I got a hundred on today's math test; Xiao Ya only got ninety-eight."

The little girl told Lin Xuan about things at school as if presenting a treasure.

After speaking, she turned her head, glanced at the strange uncle sitting nearby, and very obediently bent down to greet him.

"Hello, uncle."

"Mm, hello, little one. You're so cute."

Mr. Zhang forced a slight smile and nodded.

His mind was entirely on that unopenable box, so he casually brushed off the reply.

Xiao Sizi placed her heavy backpack on a nearby chair and intended to go to the sink in the back to wash her hands.

Her peripheral vision swept across.

She stopped in her tracks, and her large eyes immediately fixed on the redwood box placed right in the center of the workbench.

Taking a small bite of the rice cake in her hand, the little girl curiously leaned toward the front of the workbench.

Her gaze locked onto a spot at the bottom-left corner of the wooden box.

There was an extremely faint scratch mark there.

Because the patina on the box was too thick, mixed with the wood's own natural grain.

Without a magnifying glass and careful inspection, it simply could not be discovered.

Lin Xuan noticed this action of hers.

"Mingda, step back a bit. Don't touch that box. It has a mechanism and will easily pinch your hand."

Xiao Sizi shook her head and did not step back.

Instead, she extended her white, tender index finger and pointed at that scratch mark, which is hard for ordinary people to notice.

"Brother Lin Xuan, this is a lotus pattern."

Lin Xuan was instantly stunned.

He hurriedly turned on the high-brightness eye-protection lamp on the workbench and adjusted the light source angle to shine directly on that corner.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow.

That was indeed not a scratch caused by a bump.

It was a half-open lotus hidden pattern, concealed extremely deeply and carved with very restrained technique.

Memories long hidden in Xiao Sizi's mind began to surge forth continuously.

The Tang Dynasty, Zhenguan era, Taiji Palace.

At that time, the Emperor was very busy with state affairs, often discussing matters in the front court until late at night.

He worried that the princes and princesses staying in the rear palace would get bored and cause trouble.

He specially issued an imperial decree, ordering skilled craftsmen from the Zuojiang Jian, the top handicraft institution of the Great Tang, to craft a batch of puzzle boxes for entertainment and mental stimulation.

Every royal child who received a puzzle box had a unique hidden pattern carved onto its surface.

This half-bloomed lotus flower was the exclusive mark of her fourth brother, Li Tai, the Prince of Wei of the Great Tang.

Fourth Brother had been chubby since childhood and disliked sports like horseback riding and archery.

He loved nothing more than staying in the study to fiddle with these intricate gadgets.

Fourth Brother found the mechanical boxes originally made by the Directorate of Palace Buildings too simple.

He often modified the mortise-and-tenon structures inside himself, adding all sorts of unopenable dead knots.

Afterwards, he would use them to tease his younger brothers and sisters.

This redwood box in front of them was clearly a new version of the Tang Dynasty's palace educational toys.

Lin Xuan lowered his voice and asked, "Mingda, do you recognize this?"

His tone carried a hint of expectation.

Xiao Sizi nodded, swallowing the last bite of rice cake.

"Fourth Brother—my older brother before—had many, many such boxes. To amuse me, he taught me how to unlock this kind of lock."

Mr. Zhang, sitting nearby, heard the children's words and sighed helplessly.

"Little girl, you are mistaken; this is no ordinary puzzle toy."

"This is a genuine antique mechanism. Several old masters with decades of craftsmanship have examined it and still cannot figure it out."

Xiao Sizi turned her head and looked at Mr. Zhang with clear, pure eyes.

"Uncle, is what's inside the box very important to you?"

"Very important. It is the last remnant my grandfather left our family, and it concerns the future of our entire household."

Hearing this, Xiao Sizi pulled a disinfectant wet wipe from the table.

She very carefully wiped all ten fingers clean, leaving not a single stain.

After tossing the waste paper into the trash bin, she lifted her small face.

"Brother Lin Xuan, I can help Uncle open it."

Lin Xuan looked at the little girl's determined and bright eyes.

Others might not know, but he saw it clearly.

This little girl was the legitimate Jinyang Princess of the Great Tang.

Since childhood, she had played with the toys from the Directorate of Palace Buildings every day, which once represented the highest level of craftsmanship.

"Mr. Zhang, let the child try." Lin Xuan shifted to the side, making room for her at the main position of the workbench.

"I guarantee you, we will absolutely not force it; she will open it with her hands only.

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