She never expected that the box contained things she had used or played with as a child.
Even more surprising, her mother had kept them for her all this time!
Even though the things inside were items she had played with for a while and then discarded for newer toys.
The top of the box held an exquisite cricket cage, engraved with patterns incomprehensible to most, though the cricket inside was long gone.
She learned this from the playful noble children in the capital at the time.
Underneath the cricket cage was a delicately made round fan, about the size of an adult’s palm. The only blemish was the greenish embroidery on the fan’s surface, stitched so carelessly that it was hard to look at directly.
This was the result of her awkwardly learning needlework under her mother’s pressure, making her mother shake her head and eventually give up in resignation.
Jiang Lingxi resisted the urge to cover her face and continued to look to the side.
A bamboo sword the length of a child’s arm, a similarly scaled bow, and other plant-based, harmless weapons.
These were made by the craftsmen in the household because, as a child, she was frustrated that only her brothers were allowed to practice martial arts with the instructors. When her mother found out, she not only didn’t stop her but also argued on her behalf with her father.
Further down were some rolled-up papers. Although she couldn’t open them to see as the staff quickly stopped her, she guessed they must have been some of her more presentable works from her childhood calligraphy and painting practices.
Praise from elders could make a child happy for days, and she was no exception as a child.
But now, upon discovering these things, Jiang Lingxi felt that her reputation for being wise and brave was likely to take a hit in the eyes of future generations.
However, what she felt most at the moment was sentimentality.
Since she had her brothers either placed under house arrest, exiled, or demoted, coupled with the busy court affairs, the longer she held the throne, the colder her relationship with her mother became.
She had always thought that her mother must believe the clever and sensible daughter who once surrounded her knees was long gone, replaced by a ruler full of ambition and authority, especially since she could deal with her own blood brother with an unchanged expression.
But looking at these well-preserved items, she wondered if things would have been different had she been less stubborn and expressed her feelings during her visits to her mother’s palace.
After all, they were once such a close mother and daughter!
It’s a pity that it’s too late for her to think about these things now.
Shen Yunqing stood quietly by Jiang Lingxi’s side, watching her unconsciously stroke the patterns on the box, somewhat empathetic to her feelings at the moment.
Since he entered the court, he’d also seen the reclusive Empress Dowager at some large palace banquets, sensing the tension in the relationship between this imperial mother and daughter.
He had thought the Empress Dowager resented Your Majesty, but seeing the items in the box and the sadness in Your Majesty’s eyes now, he realized that this mother and daughter both held each other in their hearts, yet reconciliation eluded them until death.
The startled shout from behind broke the silence in the hall. Jiang Lingxi instinctively closed the box with her hand and turned with Shen Yunqing to look.
They saw Fu Yunchen striding over, bypassing them and heading directly to the box. Carefully opening it, he asked, "Did Assistant Jiang open it? I didn’t expect Assistant Jiang to have such skills; I am impressed. But since it’s open, why close it so hastily? Even if closing it, do it gently. If the items in the box really belonged to Emperor Yuan Zhao, they’re incredibly precious."
He sighed, "There are so few relics of Emperor Yuan Zhao, especially in comparison to other emperors. Their rarity is stunning."
Jiang Lingxi had come to terms with reality, knowing that the box and its contents couldn’t be hidden any longer. She planned to just let it be, but hearing Fu Yunchen’s words, she raised an eyebrow.
"Are there really so few relics of Emperor Yuan Zhao?"
"Few? They’re extremely scarce. Not to mention that Emperor Yuan Zhao’s tomb hasn’t been found to this day; the playful items collected, even the writings and paintings, make me suspect they were all used as burial goods, for none have been found."
Jiang Lingxi frowned as she listened.
At her deathbed, she had instructed for a simple funeral, allowing cremation if possible, as it was preferable to rotting bit by bit and forbade any precious items as burial goods.
Having seen too much death on the battlefield, she cared little for these matters, knowing only that death ends all affairs.
Could it be that the next Emperor didn’t follow her wishes?
Fu Yunchen was focused on the box, and Jiang Lingxi was lost in thought, so neither noticed that Shen Yunqing discreetly touched his nose from the side.
"Let me see just what’s inside this box..."
The final words, "what’s inside," faded into silence when Fu Yunchen saw the contents clearly.
He replaced them with, "What are these?"
Jiang Lingxi looked up at the ornate carvings and paintings of Cuiwei Hall, then down at the polished goldstone tiles beneath her feet, indicating that she also didn’t know.
Though she said this, Fu Yunchen still carefully removed and examined the items until he reached the paper scrolls at the bottom, hesitating to touch them.
"I’ll take these back and first analyze their composition so as not to accidentally damage them. Once processed, we can check them out. Consultant Shen, Assistant Jiang, I’ll get busy with this first, you two..."
These delicate items could easily be damaged if not properly handled, and he didn’t want to keep the two of them waiting.
Shen Yunqing smoothly replied, "Coincidentally, there’s other work we need to do. Let Director Fu go ahead and get busy."
Fu Yunchen promptly packed up the box and called for his staff, "Consultant Shen, continue with your tasks; I’ll excuse myself for now. I’ll message you once the papers are processed."
Without being able to confirm the ownership of the box and items, and given the haphazardly embroidered fan inside, he pinned his hopes on the paper scrolls.
As Fu Yunchen and his team hurriedly left, Jiang Lingxi and Shen Yunqing exchanged a silent glance in the hall.
Finally, Shen Yunqing lowered his eyes slightly, "Shall we go out and start from the main gate of the Imperial City, or start from this Cuwei Palace?"
Whenever she used to come here to pay her respects, it was always in haste, barely enough time for a cup of tea or a piece of pastry.
Thinking about it now, it’s been a long time since she took a good look at the palace her mother had lived in for years.