After eating two apples, Grandpa Chen finally spoke, "You must keep that golden lock safe."
"What's wrong?"
What happened? Why would Grandpa Chen, who had always refused to talk about the golden lock, bring it up so abruptly?
"That golden lock is an heirloom from my family. Of course, with a lock, there must be a key."
Grandpa Chen slowly told Tian Jing the origin of the golden lock.
It was said that their Chen family were descendants of Chen Youliang.
Chen Youliang was shot and killed, his eldest son Chen Shan'er was captured, and his younger son Chen Li was escorted away by his subordinates.
But later, there was no news of Chen Shan'er, and everyone assumed he had been killed by Zhu Yuanzhang.
In fact, it was somewhat true. Loyal subordinates of Chen Shan'er had infiltrated the camp to rescue him.
How could they possibly rescue him from Zhu Yuanzhang's main camp?
In the end, some died, and some escaped.
Among those who escaped was Chen Shan'er, while a substitute, who resembled him closely in build and appearance, was left in his place.
When Zhu Yuanzhang discovered that Chen Shan'er had been replaced, he beheaded the substitute in his rage.
After escaping, Chen Shan'er wanted to return to Chu land, but he learned from his subordinates that his younger brother had already been proclaimed king. He then fled in the opposite direction.
What did it matter if his brother was king? At twenty-one years old, he already knew many of his father's secrets, such as the plundered wealth.
Each time he collected a large amount of money, his father would secretly transport a small portion of it outside to create a private treasury.
His father had kept this from his ministers, but not from him, and told him that an emperor must never be without a private treasury, and must never be restricted by his ministers in his spending freedom in the name of the national treasury.
The opposite direction was where his father's private treasury was located.
Before long, Chen Li surrendered, the Chen Han dynasty fell, and Zhu Yuanzhang was unstoppable.
Chen Shan'er, with his remaining loyal subordinates, went into hiding.
It was not until the fall of the Ming Dynasty that Chen Shan'er's descendants resumed the surname Chen.
Chen Shan'er had only two sons. Fearing that his descendants might become greedy and kill each other over wealth, he found a craftsman in his old age to forge a small golden lock, and hid the location of his personally drawn private treasury within it.
The golden lock was given to his elder son, and the golden key was given to his younger son.
The reason Grandpa Chen's branch lived here was because, according to the accumulated information passed down from their ancestors, the mountain range deep within Kushan was the location of the private treasury.
Tian Jing's mind raced with possibilities, but she never expected Grandpa Chen to be talking about this. She stood up, "I'll go get the golden lock for you."
Grandpa Chen waved his hand, "No need, Tian Jing, sit down."
Tian Jing really didn't want to listen anymore, but she couldn't. The more she resisted, the more guilty she felt, so she could only continue listening.
"When your Tian family first came to make a scene, I heard you tell Chen Yun that you could change your surname to Chen. I knew you definitely weren't referring to Chen Yun's Chen, because you disliked her so much."
"I know about the secret dealings between Li Erzuo and Wu Hui. There is almost nothing in Kushan that I don't know."
"Since we moved here, we have been constantly on guard against that branch holding the golden key, so we have always paid close attention to the dark corners within Kushan."
"I have compiled all the information, and your identity is clear. I brought the golden lock to you as a test."
"I didn't find anything out. I thought my conjecture was wrong. I personally went to Zhangshan and found out that Tian Yongren's father had his uncle make a golden key."
"Before you entered Kushan, why did you make this golden key? When I connected it with the fact that you knew you should be surnamed Chen, I understood."
"Then, considering your martial prowess, I understood even more. You tricked the Tian family, and the real golden key is in your hands."
"I also understand why you remain unmoved. The time is no longer right. Many things cannot be owned by private individuals. Moreover, our identities are not strong enough to suppress or protect them."
"But I am unwilling. I would rather it disappear into the river of history than let what my ancestors passed down vanish in my hands."
"Your inaction leads me to believe you are also unwilling. So I have continued to remain silent."
"Today, the reason I am telling you all this is because a distinguished guest surnamed Chen from the provincial capital has arrived at Li Jianguo's house."
"According to my great-grandfather's records, that branch with the golden key has settled in the provincial capital, your biological father is also in the provincial capital, and you have the golden key in your possession..."
"Since both sides have tacitly agreed that those things cannot see the light of day, we must coordinate our stories. My golden lock was confiscated long ago, and your golden key is merely the one given to you by the Tian family."
"Tian Jing, I am truly unwilling. Back then, Suo Zhu's parents starved to death because of my selfishness. I must pass on the golden lock."
"But Suo Zhu isn't bright enough, and Xiao Fu is also simple-minded, so I've given up. Even if I'm unwilling, I have to give up."
"The entire set of the golden lock is with you. You should pass it down well. If you are worried about causing trouble, let it be buried deep in these mountains."
"Finally, I have gathered all the information of our branch for the past several dozen generations. The location of the private treasury should be even deeper than here, because it takes a month to transport to the private treasury."
"Is that strange? Not strange at all. Kushan mountain range runs east-west, passing through Chu and Shu regions."
Tian Jing suddenly stood up, "Hurry down the mountain. Your information..."
"It's already burned."
Finally, all the words were out, the troublesome burden in his hands was passed on, and his unwillingness was trampled underfoot. Grandpa Chen felt very relaxed. He picked up another apple and took a bite.
"I locked up the vegetable shed. Before I went to find you, I went back and burned it. If that person was from the golden key branch, your family's branch, their intention in coming to Kushan is self-evident."
"Repaying a favor? Does it take three years to repay a favor? Three years ago, the clothes Li Jianguo's two children were wearing, were they the clothes of rural children?"
"I observed them carefully. Those two sets of clothes looked brand new, but they had been washed and ironed. They must have been hand-me-downs from other children. Then think about how Li Jianguo and his wife's appearance hasn't changed at all..."
"This shows that others didn't take repaying the favor seriously. They probably thought that a rural person like Li Jianguo becoming their benefactor was a result of the Li family's ancestors having burned high incense."
"Considering all this, and combining it with your experiences, it indicates that that branch has gone so far astray that they have lost their conscience. Could I have left any useful things behind? I burned them, poured the ashes into the toilet, and even stirred them."
Uh oh~
This Grandpa Chen has a really twisted sense of humor.
"Are you so sure that I would also tacitly agree not to touch those things?"
Grandpa Chen glanced at her sideways, "You are actively earning money."
"What a pity." Tian Jing sincerely felt pity for Grandpa Chen, "Grandpa Chen, if you had been born in Chen Youliang's era, he might not have been able to make Chen Han prosperous."
"Yes, wrong time to be born!"
Grandpa Chen sighed and took another bite of the apple, "I am confined to this era, and he in that era didn't strategize carefully. Alas~"
After finishing the apple, he stood up and looked towards the hot spring valley, "Take me down to see it, and then take me to see that lake, and then we'll go down the mountain."
"You're really not going to look for the private treasury?"
"No, since I can't have it, I won't go near it. Seeing it might make me feel unbearable longing, and you won't be able to find it either, right?"
"Right." Tian Jing played along with his self-deception. What was the point of him, an old man with only a sharp mind and a body that couldn't keep up, still worrying about things?
"I am not omnipotent. I can fight a pack of wolves, but that doesn't mean I can fight other fierce beasts. This is already my base camp."