Chapter 31: It Won’t Open

"What?" Yu Zhaoyang could not believe it.

"If the Heir Apparent truly cannot shoulder the burden, the clansmen will demand that the Prince choose and groom another successor. Even the Emperor would make such a request. The century-old foundation of the Shangguan family cannot be ruined in the hands of an Heir Apparent who is incapable of standing on his own."

She had thought that obtaining the title of Heir Apparent meant everything was settled. She had not realized that even the Emperor was keeping a close watch on the heir to the Prince's estate.

"Is this because of that iron chest?" Yu Zhaoyang, sobering up from her excitement, suddenly thought of this possibility.

"That's right, it is because of this iron chest. It concerns the stability of the entire Great Wei. Both the Canglan Kingdom to the north and the Southern Shu Kingdom to the southwest fear this chest. They are terrified that someone in our Great Wei might open it."

"Oh? Why?" Yu Zhaoyang was even more puzzled.

In her previous life, she had never touched this chest, and the title of Heir Apparent had not been granted today, but only after the heir was married. Later, she learned that the chest was vital to the Prince's estate, and everyone had wanted to open it, yet no one succeeded before she died. In this life, because of her marriage swap, the Prince had granted both the title and the chest on the same day.

"The contents of this iron chest are enough to deter both kingdoms. I do not know what is inside. It was left behind by the third Prince Rong and his Princess, who left a final instruction: the descendants of the Shangguan family must guard it well. If a fated person appears, they will be able to open it. That person must be of the Shangguan bloodline, and it must never fall into the hands of another nation," Shangguan Zishu explained.

Yu Zhaoyang remained bewildered, unable to understand what could be inside that held such immense power.

"If it cannot be opened, is it of no use at all?"

"Indeed. But the other nations do not know when we might succeed. If they were to initiate a war, and we happened to open it, Great Wei could use whatever is inside to win. That is why, for all these years, although there have been constant minor frictions between the three nations, no large-scale war has ever occurred."

"Let's try to open it now," Yu Zhaoyang said excitedly.

Just as they were about to attempt it, the Second Old Madame and Concubine Luo arrived.

"Greetings to the Second Old Madame and the Concubine," the two immediately bowed.

"Yes, Zishu, from today on, you are the Heir Apparent. Excellent, excellent. Grandmother has been looking forward to this day, and today it has finally come to pass." The Second Old Madame smiled kindly, referring to herself as grandmother. She had done so countless times, and everyone was used to it; no one would intentionally point out that it was against etiquette. However, Shangguan Zishu never dared to address her as grandmother directly.

"My son is finally the Heir Apparent. It was not in vain that I, your mother, have worked so hard to raise you all these years." Concubine Luo began to weep as she spoke. Her bitterness was something no one could understand. Back then, she had entered the Prince's estate through unscrupulous means and never received a shred of the Prince's affection. If not for having a son, she would not have known how to go on. She had been drinking this bitter wine for nineteen years. Fortunately, the Prince at least acknowledged this son and had now granted him the crucial title of Heir Apparent. She was both happy and agitated. What did it matter that the Princess was the legitimate mistress? In the future, she would still have to live at the mercy of her son. Thinking of this, she finally felt a sense of vindication.

"It is a day of great celebration, why are you crying? If you must cry, go outside," the Second Old Madame scolded.

"Second Old Madame, I am just happy, these are tears of joy." Concubine Luo quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

"In the future, learn well from your father and do not lose face for the estate. You must try your best to open this iron chest. Whoever can open it will be a hero of the Shangguan family, and even a hero of Great Wei," the Second Old Madame said, looking at the iron chest on the table.

"We were just about to try. Previously, this object was kept in Father's study, and I do not know how many times my eldest brother tried without success. I do not know if we have that kind of luck," Shangguan Zishu said, lacking confidence. He feared that if generations had failed to open it, he might not have the capability either, and he worried that the Second Old Madame and Concubine Luo had set their expectations too high.

"Our Heir Apparent is the smartest; he will surely be able to open it," the Second Old Madame encouraged.

The four of them sat down together and began to study it. It was a perfect cube, seamless and tight; if one did not look closely, it appeared to be a single piece. On the top was a colorful painting of a blooming red plum branch. On the front, there was a raised ridge, a finger's width thick and four inches long. However, there was no actual lock, only small indentations. Beneath each indentation was a tiny, toothed wheel. If Yu Yuanzheng were here, she would have recognized it as a combination lock at a glance, but the four of them did not know what it was.

"Heir Apparent, there is no lock here at all. How do we open it?" Yu Zhaoyang wondered.

"This is called a combination lock. You turn these small wheels, and each time you turn one, a number appears. If the numbers are correct, it will open. But for so many years, no one has ever been able to get the combination right," Shangguan Zishu explained.

"There are fourteen numbers in total? That would be... there are ten trillion possibilities!" Yu Zhaoyang's shoulders slumped at the thought. Even if they turned the wheels day and night, she did not know how many years it would take. Her initial ambition withered away.

*But what if I am lucky?* she thought. *What if I just happen to turn to the right combination?*

Yu Zhaoyang pulled the chest toward her and began to spin the toothed wheels. She tried a random set of numbers, but there was no reaction. She tried another, still nothing. After trying dozens of combinations with no result, Shangguan Zishu took over, but he also had no luck. Seeing that the young people had been at it for a long time, the Second Old Madame tried it herself. She had only ever seen it in the old Prince's study and had never touched it before. Today, being this close was a first since she married into the estate. But after trying several times, it remained immovable. Concubine Luo, curious, tried as well, but it was useless. The initial excitement was doused with a bucket of cold water.

"Very well, this is not something that can be opened in a few attempts. Generations have failed, and you have only just received it today; you are not yet familiar with it. Do not be discouraged. Try more in the future; who knows? You might just open it one day," the Second Old Madame comforted.

"Yes, we will try more often in the future."

"Zishu, now that you are the Heir Apparent, you must look after your Second Uncle. He has doted on you all these years. And your brother Zifeng should also have something to do; he is half a year older than you." She did not care much about whether the chest could be opened; the crucial thing was that the title of Heir Apparent was in Zishu's hands, and he would one day be Prince Rong. That was her greatest wish.

"Heir Apparent, can't we just smash it open? Or use some other tool to pry it apart?" Yu Zhaoyang asked, growing impatient.

"No."

"Why?" Yu Zhaoyang did not understand. If it was just filled with items, surely it would suffice to just get them out.