His sickly body looked as if he would collapse if the wind blew.

"Father, there is no need to blame yourself. My granddaughter no longer blames you." Lu Zhaoyi seemed to be choking. She helped him sit up, pinched his pulse with one hand, and calmly felt the pulse while comforting him.

"A few days ago, when the weather got colder, my health became worse day by day. I always felt that some things had not been explained clearly. It was not until recently that I remembered some things." Lu Huaide leaned on her shoulder and spoke slowly, speaking quickly.

very slow.

Every time he uttered a word, there would be a low muffled sound in his chest, as if he was suppressing pain or trying to hold on.

Lu Zhaoyi put her fingers on his pulse, and listening to his voice, she didn't dare to let go.

"Do you still remember what your father said to you before he went to Shangluo?"

"Remember." She lowered her head and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Your father said that he wants the Lu family to return to the peak of the gentry."

Having said this, Lu Huaide lowered his head and coughed violently, looking even more weak.

"Ever since your father, the Lu family has been on the verge of revival. However, your father died early. In the three years before Chengye was granted the title of Marquis, no one could support the Lu family." Lu Huaide closed his eyes.

eyes and a sad smile on his face.

"Are you tired? Lie down and take a nap first."

Lu Huaide shook his head, sighed, and said slowly: "Don't be in a hurry to sleep, I still have many things to tell you!"

When he said this, Lu Zhaoyi did not force herself and sat obediently in front of the bed.

Lu Huaide opened his eyes and looked at her intently, "After you were kicked out of the Lu family, your father asked someone to send something back to you. But you had already left Jizhou at that time, so I had someone lock you in

In the warehouse."

After saying this, Lu Zhaoyi's eyes tightened. How could she not know that her father had asked someone to come back and also gave her something?

"When did it happen?" she asked in a deep voice.

"Probably, within a few days after receiving that thing, news came that your father was dead."

Hearing that, her heart was in turmoil. She didn't know such an important thing until three years later. She couldn't sit still anymore. She let go of her hand that was holding her pulse and said in a low voice, somewhat plaintively, "Dad, you, morning

You should tell me..."

The things Lu Yong specially sent to the Lu family before his death may contain key clues as to why he encountered an unexpected incident, but such an important thing actually remained silent in the warehouse for three years.

"Father, you are really...confused!"

Lu Huaide didn't notice her reaction, and just continued to talk slowly, "I only remembered this recently. It seems that this year, the Lu family moved to Beijing, and I brought him with me."

With that said, he was about to get up again, and rolled over shakingly from the couch. Fortunately, Lu Zhaoyi supported him with one hand, saving him from the danger of falling.

"You're not feeling well, don't move around."

Touching the bridge of his nose, he smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay, my eldest father is not dead yet."

"I'll help you over."

Lu Zhaoyi insisted on supporting him, but he couldn't resist, and finally gave in. With the support of his granddaughter, he walked towards the counter step by step.

There was a hidden compartment on the counter. With an easy push, the hidden compartment could be popped out. He found a mahogany box placed inside. Lu Huaide shook his hands and took out the object and handed it to Lu Zhaoyi.

"I have kept this thing in the warehouse and have never opened it. Recently I thought about taking it out and it has not been touched. I am just waiting for you to open it!"

She lowered her eyes and saw that it was a very elegant and valuable box. Although it was a long time ago, the mahogany wood was still as good as new.

Lu Zhaoyi took it doubtfully and opened it gently.

What catches the eye is a white jade sign with a pattern of the Lu family seal carved on it. Combined with the white phoenix pattern, it looks like a white phoenix spreading its wings and about to fly, lifelike and vivid.

"This is the Lu clan seal!" She looked at it in shock.

This is the emblem of the Lu family, the ancestral motto of the Lu family. Only the heirs of the family head can possess this object, which has the effect of mobilizing the tribe.

"this……"

Lu Huaide saw this

The thing also had a look of surprise on its face and was in a daze.

"I didn't expect that Erlang would choose you in the end."

Dragging his old body, he staggered towards the cabinet beside him and whispered.

"Erlang, my father has been guarding the family business for you all these years. I only hope to continue your wish, but in the end...everything went wrong..."

As he was speaking, he couldn't help crying again, and almost fell down if he wasn't paying attention.

Fortunately, Lu Zhaoyi had quick eyesight and quick hands, and immediately rushed over to help him.

"Great Father, why are you doing this? Everything is over."

But this old man, like a child, cried without any scruples. The noise, depression and guilt in his heart seemed to be suddenly released at this moment.

Over the years, in order to barely maintain the former prestige of the wealthy family in Hebei, Lu Huaide allowed Lu Zhaoyi to be expelled from the back house; and then after Lu Yong's death, he resolutely supported Lu Chengye as the head of the family; he accepted tenants and suggestions, with the intention of colluding with the courtiers...

Every single thing was completely contrary to Lu Yong's idea, so that he made more and more mistakes in the future.

If Lu Zhaoyi hadn't come back this time and urged the court to make the Cui family the center of the big clan in Hebei, and the Lu family would have gained some advantages, otherwise the Lu family would have had no chance of turning around.

Seeing him crying so hard, Lu Zhaoyi lowered his eyes and comforted him for a long time before asking, "Dad, did my father only leave this family seal?"

Now that she has the clan seal in her hand, half of the people who have left the Piaoxue Tower and are still in the Lu family can be dispatched by her. This is equivalent to having the power of two Piaoxue Towers.

Judging from the family seal, Lu Yong had the opportunity to explain something to the Lu family before he died, but he did not explain anything in the end, which made Lu Zhaoyi very confused.

Lu Huaide wiped his tears and nodded, "Besides this box, there is another box. No one has ever opened that box."

With support, he slowly stood up and walked to the cabinet in the other corner. He pressed some button, and the front wall collapsed inward until a small space appeared. Inside was a box.

Stretching out her hand, Lu Zhaoyi took the box in her hand. It was indeed a delicate and small wooden box. She thought deeply for a moment, and there was a voice in her heart telling her,

There must be very important clues here, clues that can help her find out the truth.

After removing the sealing paper from the outside of the wooden box, I found that the box was equipped with a mechanism that required a specific method to open. If it was opened by force, the mechanism would be triggered and the box would be burned. The person holding this object would also be killed.

Life is not guaranteed.

But in Lu Zhaoyi's opinion, such a mechanism is not difficult. The style of the mechanism on the box is something she played with Lu Yong when she was a child.

"Gongshu Imperial Technique, Luo Saiping Jianghu, Heavenly Selection Selects Kyushu, Casts it into Ming Bronze!"

She muttered these few words, frowning slightly, as if she was trying hard to recall things in her memory.

The Gongshu family of Shangluo has always been a very unnoticed family, but their ancestors once created the art of government for the imperial edict and became the ancestors of the Luban sect. After that, their ancestors served as officials in Guanzhong for generations, and then gradually declined as time went by.

, and the public losers gradually retired from the world.

But no one dares to underestimate the public losers. They once produced a batch of machine weapons and were very prosperous in the world.

only……

Lu Zhaoyi looked at the pattern on the box and murmured to himself, "This mechanism should be easy to crack."

After about a moment, the entire box was in her hands, continuously separated along the lines, and gradually unfolded, and then the contents inside were revealed to the light.

Inside were a silk book, a simple brochure, and a black iron plate.

First, he took out the iron plate and saw a black dragon engraved on it. On the back of the iron plate, there were four words clearly engraved, "Order of Longling".

Taking a closer look, her pupils suddenly shrank. This iron plate was exactly the same as the Xiling pattern of the previous imperial master.

How can this be!

She recognized it carefully again, and it was indeed true.

She remembered that when they were at Duke Wu's Prime Minister's residence, Duke Wu also gave it to her.

A similar iron plate, only the one with the Order of Xiling engraved on it.

"What's going on? Zhaoyi..." Lu Huaide looked at her face, which looked a little gloomy, so he asked.

"Father, do you know the origin of this iron plate?"

"This..." He shook his head, "I only know that your father once held this iron plate before he took office in Shangluo. He never mentioned its purpose."

Lu Zhaoyi nodded. She had had this feeling herself. She had seen this iron plate before, but she didn't know who owned it.

After thinking about it, her face instantly became paler.

"Dad, my father's death is really strange."

Lu Zhaoyi's tone was very certain.

"I know."

Her eyes moved slightly, and she glanced at the silk book in the box, took it out, and after unfolding it, she saw that the fonts on it were familiar to her.

It's Lu Yong's calligraphy.

"Lu Yong, the prefect of Shangluo County in Sili Prefecture, told..."

When he saw these words, his heart skipped a beat. Lu Zhaoyi quickly calmed down and read them all without any hesitation.

Only now did she come across the core of this whole thing...
To be continued...