130: The Great Song Dynasty received its mandate, the soul of the Imperial Seal

The brocade box was opened.

There was no dazzling treasure light as one might imagine, nor any strange fragrance.

A square, rectangular jade seal lay quietly on the bright yellow silk cushion, simple, ancient, and substantial.

The jade itself was of the finest Hetian white jade, warm, smooth, and fine-grained, with its luster subtly contained. Under the flashlight's beam, it presented a creamy, congealed-fat-like sheen that calmed the mind at a glance.

On top of the jade seal was carved a coiled dragon knob. The dragon was sculpted vividly, its head held high, its body coiled, every scale clearly visible, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty capable of suppressing the realm.

Wang Dalong also hobbled over, craning his neck as far as he could.

When he clearly saw the object inside the brocade box, his entire body instantly froze, as if acupoints had been struck, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit a large meat bun.

"The... the imperial seal?"

His voice was even smaller than a mosquito's hum, carrying a tremor of utter disbelief.

This thing was absolutely no ordinary official seal!

Whether it was the material of this jade, the divinely skillful craftsmanship, or, more importantly, that innate, majestic aura that seemed capable of suppressing a nation's fate—all clearly told them: this was an imperial seal belonging to an emperor!

Lin Feng's gaze was nailed to the seal face of the jade seal.

On it, six ancient characters were carved in relief seal script, their strokes powerful and imposing, their presence vast.

【the treasure of mandate of the great song】

"Oh my god... the Southern Song Dynasty's imperial seal..." Wang Dalong was completely dumbfounded, plopping down onto the ground, muttering to himself, "Didn't the history books state in black and white that the Song Dynasty's imperial seal, after the naval battle at Yamen, was carried into the sea by Chancellor Lu Xiufu along with the young emperor, sinking to the bottom of the ocean long ago, its whereabouts unknown? How... how could this thing be here?"

Lin Feng did not answer him.

He simply couldn't answer him.

Because, the moment he clearly saw those six characters, the cold, mechanical prompt tone in his mind, accompanied by a faint buzzing, had already quietly sounded.

【Critical historical beacon detected: 'the treasure of mandate of the great song'.】

【Analyzing residual historical information within the beacon...】

Lin Feng reached out his hand.

His fingertip, trembling slightly in a way even he hadn't noticed, gently touched the cool surface of the jade.

Just that one touch.

Boom——!

Lin Feng's mind exploded with a roar!

The entire world before his eyes suddenly twisted and faded!

The surrounding cavern warehouse, the piles of wooden crates, and the stunned Wang Dalong beside him—everything transformed into dazzling, colorful fragments, madly receding backward and dissipating!

His consciousness was violently dragged by an utterly irresistible, terrifying force into a river of time spanning nearly a thousand years!

...He "saw" a massive, uncarved piece of raw jade.

It lay quietly beneath the snow line of the majestic Kunlun Mountains, bathed in the essence of the sun and moon for who knows how many years.

One day, a group of ragged jade miners discovered it, cheering and jumping for joy. Using the most primitive methods and expending immense effort, they transported it to the most prosperous capital city in the world at that time.

The scene abruptly shifted.

In a resplendent, magnificent, and extraordinarily imposing palace, a middle-aged man wearing a yellow dragon robe, his face stern and dignified, selected it at a glance from among a collection of top-tier jade materials.

"Use this one."

The man's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried an indisputable decisiveness.

"Issue Our decree: command the jade craftsmen to fashion this into a national treasure. Engrave upon it the six characters 'the treasure of mandate of the great song' to manifest Heaven's Mandate and pass it down to future generations!"

Lin Feng's mind was violently shaken!

He couldn't clearly see the man's specific features, but the folk tale passed down for a thousand years about "the military coup at Chen Bridge, the yellow robe placed upon his shoulders" exploded uncontrollably in his mind.

Emperor Taizu of Song!

It was the founding emperor of the Great Song, Emperor Taizu of Song, Emperor Taizu of Song!

This imperial seal was actually a national treasure personally commissioned by Emperor Taizu of Song!

The illusions continued to flow rapidly.

The jade seal took shape bit by bit under the meticulous carving of the most skilled jade craftsmen of the time.

It witnessed the political wisdom of "Relieving Generals of Their Commands over a Cup of Wine" and also the eerie and bloody mystery of the "Axe Shadow Behind the Candlelight" that remains an unsolved case through the ages.

Its owner changed from that brilliant and ambitious elder brother to a scheming and profound younger brother.

It passed through the hands of one Zhao emperor after another.

It was once heavily stamped upon the scroll of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," the symbol of the Northern Song's greatest prosperity, leaving the mark of the imperial house.

It was also, in a humiliating disgrace, stamped upon the shameful treaty ceding the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, soaked with endless frustration and resentment.

Suddenly!

The scene abruptly turned chaotic and frantic.

The fierce iron hooves of the Jin invaders trampled through Bianjing City. The once glorious imperial palace was engulfed in soaring flames, the air filled with cries and shouts.

A young emperor, clutching it in terror, fled southward across the Yangtze River in a disheveled state amidst a throng of people, eventually establishing the Southern Song court in Lin'an, a regime clinging to a corner of the land.

Time flew by.

One hundred and fifty years of precarious peace passed in the blink of an eye within the illusions.

Finally, the scene froze upon a sea of raging waves and blood-stained billows.

On a battered and broken dragon ship, a general with resolute features, clad in the armor of a Grand Marshal, received this jade seal with utmost solemnity from an official in tattered clothes, drenched from head to toe.

The official, tears streaming down his face, fell heavily to his knees before the general:

"Grand Marshal Zhang! This is the final symbol of our Great Song's legitimate succession! Before His Majesty and Chancellor Lu martyred themselves for the nation, they secretly ordered this humble official to deliver it to you, General! We beg you to preserve this national treasure, find a place to conceal it, await the opportune moment, and restore the Han homeland!"

Zhang Shijie!

Lin Feng instantly recognized him!

Zhang Shijie, the pillar supporting the last breath of the Southern Song Dynasty in its final years!

The truth of history was mercilessly unveiled at this moment!

On the eve of the decisive battle at Yamen, while arranging for the fleet's breakout, Zhang Shijie also secretly transferred this imperial seal, the true symbol of the Great Song's legitimate succession!

So, what Chancellor Lu Xiufu carried on his back when he jumped into the sea with the young emperor... was another seal! A "counterfeit" used to divert the Mongol Yuan's attention!

The final illusion was right there on this stormy, turbulent sea.

Zhang Shijie, clutching the brocade box tightly, handed it to another young general with a steadfast face and eyes burning with fire.

"Su Xian!"

Zhang Shijie's voice was hoarse, like two pieces of scrap iron grinding together, each word carrying the taste of blood and fire.

"The national treasury and the imperial seal are both entrusted to you! If Heaven's Mandate does not sever our Great Song, you and your men shall be the seeds of restoration! If Heaven wills our destruction... then let these, along with your three thousand loyal souls, forever guard this sea, and never let them fall into the hands of the Barbarians!!"

"This general... obeys the command!!"

Su Xian knelt on one knee, his eyes bloodshot. He extended his hands, calloused from gripping weapons, raised them high, and received that immensely heavy brocade box...

"Brother Feng! Brother Feng! Wake up! What's wrong with you!"

Wang Dalong's anxious and terrified shouts, like a heavy hammer, smashed Lin Feng back from the endless illusions.

He jolted violently, regaining his senses.

Before him was still that dim cavern warehouse. He still stood before the white marble pedestal, his hand still maintaining the posture of touching the jade seal.

It all seemed to have lasted only a second.

Yet, it also seemed to have lasted a thousand years.

"Brother Feng, don't scare me! You were just like you were possessed, trembling all over, eyes wide open, not moving a muscle!" Wang Dalong was truly frightened, his voice trembling. "Is there something wrong with this thing?"

Lin Feng did not speak.

He merely raised his hand and touched his own face.

His fingers met a cool wetness.

Unbeknownst to him, he had long been weeping, tears streaming down his face.

Those were not tears of sorrow.

They were the immense impact of having personally witnessed a great dynasty's rise and fall, of having witnessed those heroes and stalwarts issuing their final, unyielding cries in their desperate end.

Su Xian and his three thousand soldiers, what they guarded was never mere gold, silver, or treasure.

What they guarded was this nation's final shred of dignity, the last flicker of hope for the restoration of the Han homeland, the... final legitimate succession of a civilization!

Seeing the tear stains on Lin Feng's face, Wang Dalong was utterly bewildered.

"Bro... Brother Feng, you... you're crying?"

Lin Feng slowly turned his head, looking at Wang Dalong's face, which was filled with terror and confusion. His voice was terribly hoarse, carrying an immense weariness.

"Dalong..."

"We were wrong."

"From the very beginning, we were mistaken..."