Chapter 37: The Problematic Jade Pendant

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A faint layer of black mist surrounded her eldest uncle, much like the blackness clinging to that pink jade, only lighter.

Before she could inspect the black and white numbers above his head or the fortune reflected at the center of his brows, her maternal eldest uncle turned around with her in his arms, and he vanished from sight.

Jiaoyue was deeply worried. Her eldest uncle’s fortune foretold the future fortune of the Meng family, and it also represented whether she would be able to enjoy a peaceful and pleasant life in the years to come.

Lin Motang had been watching Jiaoyue’s expressions the entire time. Seeing the wealth of emotion on the infant’s face, he found her fascinating. How could a baby who had only just turned one month old have such complicated thoughts? His curiosity about this little niece grew stronger. Could she truly have some extraordinary origin?

The rumors outside claimed that she was the reincarnation of a goddess. Could that really be true?

Hearing her uncle’s thoughts, Jiaoyue felt utterly helpless. She was no goddess. In her previous life, she had not even been able to cultivate. A goddess was an existence far beyond her reach.

Still, Jiaoyue did not dwell on the matter for long. What concerned her more was when her eldest maternal uncle would take her to her maternal grandparents’ home.

Then she would finally be able to see what the outside world looked like.

And what exactly was the black mist surrounding her eldest uncle? How was his fortune?

Once her fine hair had been shaved, everyone took their seats at the banquet. Jiaoyue was carried over by her father and placed beside her eldest maternal uncle. On the other side of him sat her eldest uncle, Meng Wenxi, who accompanied Lin Motang in drinking.

Although Jiaoyue could not eat the banquet dishes, her goat’s milk was brought over. It was still served in the silver bowl and fed to her with the silver spoon her grandfather had given her.

Meng Wenxuan fed Jiaoyue with remarkable patience and skill, leaving Lin Motang astonished. Clearly, Meng Wenxuan must have done this often to be so practiced.

He was a father too, and he loved his children dearly, but he had never personally fed any of them.

Her father and eldest uncle were separated by her maternal eldest uncle, so Jiaoyue had a perfect view of him. As she drank her milk, she studied her eldest uncle, eager to discover what was wrong with his fortune.

She looked at the center of his brows. It was bright, a clear sign that his fortune was exceptionally strong. Then she examined the numbers above his head: thirty-two in black and sixty-eight in white.

Although Jiaoyue still had not figured out exactly what the black and white numbers represented, she could be certain that her eldest uncle’s fortune was extremely good.

When Meng Wenxuan brought the goat’s milk to his daughter’s lips, she did not open her mouth. Her eyes remained fixed on one spot, and her gaze was solemn.

Following his daughter’s line of sight, he discovered that she was staring at her eldest uncle—his own elder brother.

What had happened to his elder brother? Why had it made his daughter look so serious?

He did not interrupt her. He simply waited quietly.

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At that moment, Jiaoyue was pondering why such a faint layer of black mist surrounded an eldest uncle whose fortune was so excellent.

Suddenly, she remembered that the blackness on the pink jade could absorb spiritual energy and a person’s fortune. Could there be something on her eldest uncle that was capable of draining his fortune as well?

Her gaze passed over each ornament he wore before settling on the exceptionally fine jade pendant at his waist.

It was black jade, lustrous and translucent, clearly of the highest quality. A cluster of dark bamboo had been carved into its surface, matching her eldest uncle’s temperament perfectly.

Yet a layer of black mist coiled around that piece of black jade, exactly like the blackness on her pink jade.

Could Zhao Chengye have tampered with her eldest uncle?

After all, Zhao Chengye, the jade-carving master, was the only person Jiaoyue knew who possessed such abilities.

At last, Jiaoyue understood. Someone was plotting to steal the fortune of the Meng family. Even if Zhao Chengye was not the mastermind, he was certainly involved—or, more precisely, he was the one carrying out the deed.

Judging from her eldest uncle’s fortune and the radiance between his brows, the tampering had begun only recently. Zhao Chengye was the prime suspect. After all, the pink jade he had given her also carried black mist, and the blackness released from his hands had been exactly the same.

Because it had only been a short time, the mist’s effect on her eldest uncle’s fortune and on the Meng family’s fortune was still negligible. But if it continued, the Meng family’s fortune would gradually be drained away.

If she had not discovered it and the process continued unchecked, the Meng family might well have marched toward ruin on its own, without any need for the person seated upon the imperial throne to take action.

What could she do now to help her eldest uncle protect his fortune? Helping her eldest uncle meant helping the Meng family. Helping the Meng family meant helping her father. And helping her father meant helping herself.

“Little Moonbud, are you full?” Meng Wenxuan asked when he saw that his daughter had been staring at his elder brother for so long.

Jiaoyue came back to herself, opened her mouth, and continued drinking her milk. Nothing could be allowed to delay her feeding.

She had to grow up quickly. In this tiny body, she could do nothing at all. She could not even speak, which made dealing with trouble exceedingly difficult.

After she had drunk her fill, Meng Wenxuan wiped her little mouth clean. She immediately stretched out her hand, pointed at her eldest uncle, and babbled urgently at her father.

Meng Wenxuan looked toward his elder brother. Clearly, there was something wrong with him. But what was it that had made Jiaoyue so agitated?

“Does Little Moonbud want her eldest uncle to hold her?” Meng Wenxuan asked, playing along.

Hearing his younger brother, Meng Wenxi turned his head and saw his little niece staring intently at him.

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Meng Wenxi smiled. “Does Little Moonbud want her eldest uncle to hold her?”

As he spoke, he held out both hands and patted them, preparing to take her. But Jiaoyue immediately pulled back her hand and pressed her little face tightly against her father’s chest, making it clear that she did not want her eldest uncle to hold her.

Meng Wenxi raised a brow. “You don’t want your eldest uncle to hold you? Then what do you want? You’re still little, so you can’t eat the banquet dishes, and you certainly can’t drink wine.”

Jiaoyue immediately pointed at the jade pendant hanging from his waist and began babbling insistently.

Only then did Meng Wenxi understand. It was not that there was something wrong with his elder brother. There was something wrong with the jade pendant he wore.

Lin Motang, seated beside Meng Wenxi, was astonished by Jiaoyue’s gesture. Was this truly a baby who had only just turned one month old? She had expressed such a clear desire for her eldest uncle’s jade pendant.

Seeing what Jiaoyue was pointing at, Meng Wenxi hesitated. “Little Moonbud, this pendant was given to me by your eldest aunt when we married. If you like it, I’ll find one just like it for you another day, all right?”

No. She wanted this one.

Jiaoyue immediately cried out at her father in protest.

Meng Wenxuan understood. His daughter possessed the ability to distinguish danger. If she wanted his elder brother’s jade pendant so badly, it certainly was not because she simply liked it.

After all, their father had used the finest jade in the family to carve six jade ornaments for her. She currently possessed five of them, and every single one was superior to his elder brother’s pendant.

Therefore, there could be only one reason she wanted that jade pendant: wearing it was harmful to his elder brother, and might even place him in danger.

They had to obtain the pendant. Since Little Moonbud wanted it, she must have a way to deal with it. Only after taking it into his hands could he examine what was wrong with it.

His elder brother had just said that the black jade was a gift from his wife when they were married. To obtain it, they would still need his sister-in-law’s consent.

Jiaoyue clearly understood this as well. Her little eyes turned toward the table where the women were seated. Since Lin Motang was the only outsider, they had not been separated into another room for the meal; the women’s table had simply been arranged off to one side.

Seeing his daughter searching so earnestly, Meng Wenxuan smiled. His little Moonbud was truly clever. He immediately set about solving the problem for her.

Turning to his sister-in-law at the women’s table, he said, “Sister-in-law, Little Moonbud likes my elder brother’s jade pendant. Let her play with it for two days, and she’ll return it afterward. Would that be all right?”

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