In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 1324 - 1232: Abnormal

Chapter 1324: Chapter 1232: Abnormal

Su Pan’er did not speak, but silently lit three incense sticks, bowed twice before the Plaque of the Qin Family’s ancestors, and only then did she rise to insert the incense into the burner.

Regardless of the Qin Family’s past lifesaving grace towards Qin Yi and the kindness they had shown in raising him over the years, the plaques in the ancestral hall represented those who had passed away. Abiding by the principle that the dead are to be honored above the living, these three incense sticks were also rightfully hers to offer.

The Clan Leader, along with several Clan elders, also offered incense, and then invited Su Pan’er to sit down on the other side.

Su Pan’er did not take a seat but instead broached the reason for her visit that day.

"Clan Leader," she said, "I’ve come today to walk around the ancestral hall alone, just to look around." She emphasized the word "alone."

What was there to see in the ancestral hall? Apart from plaques, there were only more plaques, right?

The two newly appointed Clan elders could not understand the Empress’s thinking and all turned their heads to look at the Clan Leader.

This current Clan Leader had taken up the mantle after the death of his predecessor, and Su Pan’er naturally understood the circumstances behind his ascension. Some things known by the old Clan Leader might not be known by the new one. That was why Su Pan’er had made such a request.

"The ancestral hall, you wish to walk around...?" The Clan Leader couldn’t help but turn back to look at the four elders. He had never expected Su Pan’er to make such a request. Truly, it was an unusual one.

However, two of the elders fell silent for a moment before the short, plump one spoke up.

"The Empress is a nobleperson of our Qin Clan. If you wish to walk around and take a look, of course, that’s no problem. Perhaps Old Man Ba and I could accompany the Empress to see around?" He referred to Old Man Ba, who was another elderly elder.

The Clan Leader found the suggestion entirely reasonable and promptly nodded his head, "Indeed! Although the ancestral hall might not hold much marvel, it does contain numerous clan records that have been passed down for so many years; even the slightest loss is intolerable. Moreover, it’s fitting that the Empress should have attendants by her side, so it’s reasonable for the two elders to stay."

With that decision made, the two elders were to stay.

Su Pan’er gave a silent nod in agreement with the Clan Leader’s view.

Once the Clan Leader took the other two younger elders away, the two senior elders got up, "Empress, the two of us will wait outside the hall for you. Should you have any commands, simply call out, and we will rush over immediately."

After speaking, the two elders retreated with discernment.

Su Pan’er had not expected them to leave so readily. However, thinking back to the old Clan Leader and recalling that these two elders had always been by his side, it would not be surprising if they knew something.

She took out a tinderbox to light the candles, then turned to go into the rear part of the ancestral hall. Here, the same Buddha statue draped in red silk still stood.

Su Pan’er slowly approached and stood before the imposing Buddha statue in silence for a good while, feeling no difference in its presence. She then reached out and slowly lifted the red silk from the statue.

The Buddha statue remained the same, its expression one of compassion for the world, with a small smile playing on the lips as it had been in former years.

Su Pan’er stared into the Buddha statue’s eyes, reflecting on all the anomalies she’d experienced the first time she saw it, quietly feeling for any differences.

But the unique charm that had once pervaded the statue was gone; it was now truly just an inanimate object.

Disappointed, Su Pan’er drew the thin, cicada-wing-like key, neither gold nor silver, from her bosom and inserted it once more into the crevice.

Just as before, a Mechanical Sound was heard, and the hole beneath the Plaque in the hall was once again revealed.

Without hesitating, Su Pan’er picked up the candlestick, bent down, and crawled in. A soft click followed, and the hole closed behind her.

Outside the ancestral hall, the two Clan elders listened intently to the sounds from within.

The soft mechanical sound that emanated triggered an exchange of glances between the two clan elders, both discerning a glimmer of hope in each other’s eyes.

"Do you think the Empress knows everything?"

The portly clan elder whispered, nudging the elder next to him with his elbow.

The other rolled his eyes in response, "If you ask me, who am I to ask!" After some thought, he added, "When the old Clan Leader passed away, his death was enigmatic, with many things left unpassed and taken to the grave with him. Who knows whether the object in the Empress’s possession was given to her by the old Clan Leader or acquired through some other means. But that’s not of importance. Our Qin Clan has preserved its legacy until now, but how many of the younger generations are truly of any use? Those things, if left inside, would eventually be squandered by unworthy descendants. It might as well be given to someone useful right from the start."

His words left the portly clan elder dispirited.

"Indeed, the younger generation is disappointing..."

Although the Qin Clan currently seemed to command the winds and control the rains in these parts, once His Majesty’s favor waned, then...

"What worries me is precisely this. Especially now—it’s unlikely our place will remain undisturbed for more than a couple of days!"

A sigh of resignation escaped both of their lips simultaneously.

After a while, the portly clan elder broke into a sudden laugh, "Forget it, we are both of an age determined by the Heavenly Mandate, how much longer can we live? As long as we live well in the present, the future will depend on the efforts of our descendants."

What else could they do?

They were getting old, no longer of use...

Su Pan’er was unaware of the two clan elders’ laments outside. At this moment, she was making her way through winding underground passages, returning to the chamber that once housed countless ancient books.

Setting the candlestick down on the table indifferently, Su Pan’er noticed the thick layer of dust, which made it clear that no one had come here since she had left.

Across the table was the immense map, still silently presented before her.

As Su Pan’er scrutinized it, she inexplicably noticed something seemed to have been added to the map, while something else appeared to be missing. She focused her attention, carefully examining the specific differences.

Yet, as she looked more closely, it seemed as if there were no discrepancies after all.

Having stared at the wall for too long, Su Pan’er’s eyes began to blur. She reached out to grab a chair to sit down, but as she turned her head, her gaze was captivated by a faintly gleaming object on the floor.

"Eh!"

With a light exclamation, she immediately went over, bent down, and picked up the object that had caught her eye.

This was...

A cobblestone from the wall!

She held up the cobblestone against the wall, then nodded her head in confirmation. Indeed, it had fallen from the wall, which explained why she previously felt that something was missing from the map.

No, that’s not right!

Right as she turned, she contradicted her own thoughts.

The cobblestone, embedded into the wall and part of the entire layout, was something she had tried to remove before, but to no avail. So how had these cobblestones fallen out?

Her gaze turned again, scanning the wooden cabinets that housed the Qin Clan’s lineage records. Suddenly, she reconsidered.

Had truly no one entered here since she left?

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