Chapter 457 - 456: Nathan Foster’s Secret (Double-Length - )

Chapter 457: Chapter 456: Nathan Foster’s Secret (Double-Length Chapter)

South Grant’s eyes lit up with curiosity at this point; she didn’t interrupt but listened quietly to Nathan Foster.

"That general was famous from a young age, having countless battle achievements at a young age. However, a ruler’s greatest concern is a general whose success threatens the throne, and the current emperor instructed his ministers to oppose him.

At that time, the general’s family was persecuted within the court, his father and brothers died tragically in prison, his mother and sister-in-law were humiliated, and his sisters were demoted to low status, leaving only him alive.

Just then, there was turmoil with foreign tribes, and no matter how many generals were sent, they were killed. That’s when the emperor remembered him, but having just released him from jail, he feared he might not be loyal enough, so he baited him with his family’s lives and prospects, enticing him to serve the country once more.

But by then his heart had grown cold, and he had seen through the emperor’s true nature. How could he willingly lead troops again?

He became famous at a young age and his tactical abilities were exceptional; this country was not his match at all. The reason the foreign princess took so long to be captured was because they reached an agreement—a pact to jointly seek dominance over the world.

The general later captured the leaders of the foreign tribes, including princes and ministers, and also the princess. Given the princess’s beauty, the general presented her to the emperor.

The day the princess entered the palace was the day they conspired in rebellion together. The princess assassinated the emperor, and the general seized control of Aethelgard. He became the rebel, leveraging his troops to crown himself emperor.

Everyone originally thought he would make the foreign princess his empress once he became emperor, but to everyone’s surprise, his empress turned out to be his childhood sweetheart.

The princess naturally was dissatisfied with his decision, but the decree to confer the title of empress had already been issued and couldn’t be changed. The princess was reduced and made a noble consort, but her resentment towards the general never faded.

Both became noble consort and empress simultaneously, and later both became pregnant. The empress’s family lacked influence and she was gentle and virtuous, never interfering in court affairs, but the foreign noble consort was different.

She led her entire tribe in helping the emperor ascend the throne, and half of the court ministers supported her. Initially snubbed during the empress’s conferment, the ministers harbored resentment, stirring trouble at the succession ceremony as both were pregnant.

The empress was further along, and the imperial physician diagnosed it as a boy. The emperor promised in front of the ministers that whoever gave birth to a son first would become the crown prince, evidently intending the succession for the empress’s child.

But who knew at childbirth, the empress bore a daughter, while the noble consort shortly after gave birth to the eldest prince.

According to the emperor’s promise in front of the ministers, the current eldest prince should now be the crown prince.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, the emperor’s words were not easily overturned. As time passed year by year, the eldest prince grew up.

His bravery in battle and literary and military talents impressed the ministers, but due to the noble consort’s dominance, the empress had become a mere figurehead, and when mentioned, people only said it was due to a woman’s backing that the current emperor ascended the throne.

Whenever he heard such remarks, he felt disgust towards the noble consort and the crown prince. Later, the empress also had a son; although the second son wasn’t as talented as the crown prince, his position in the emperor’s heart was different.

To smoothly pass the succession to the favored son, the emperor endured for years before taking action on a particular matter.

As it’s said, even a tiger wouldn’t eat its cub; the noble consort always knew that the emperor disliked her, merely because many claimed he relied on her during his ascension.

But the noble consort never expected him to harm their child. The eldest prince was wrongfully imprisoned, and before she could react, the court swiftly purged the crown prince’s faction.

The emperor had prepared for more than a decade to eliminate the noble consort’s faction today. When the wings were mostly clipped, he charged the crown prince with treason.

By the time the emperor went to the noble consort’s palace, she had been placed under house arrest. Despite her previous dominance, without allies, she, a lone woman, could do nothing within the deep palace.

The noble consort asked the emperor why he did such a thing to frame his own son, leaving only four words: ’Not of my kind.’

Afterwards, everyone at The Crown Prince’s Residence was charged. Having rescued her son, the noble consort entrusted him to the Death Warrior and divided the treasure map into four parts, giving them to four separate warriors to guard.

That treasure map contained the entire wealth of the noble consort’s country—wealth from an ancient kingdom, vast and inexhaustible.

This was a loyalty entrusted to the warrior, which the noble consort didn’t question. But she knew it wouldn’t be easy for her grandson to use the treasure to avenge his father.

These four pieces of the treasure map—who knows whose hands they’d end up in—and if faced with immense wealth, how much loyalty would remain? The noble consort dared not gamble.

If even a father’s bond could be like this, then what of others? The map was divided into four, and regardless of who possessed a piece, they couldn’t smoothly locate the treasure.

Many years later, the crown prince’s bloodline was abandoned, yet their descendants reached an agreement to search for the treasure, only to find they couldn’t unlock it despite having found it.

The key to unlocking the treasure lay with the noble consort’s descendants, hence, four families divided roles: two guarded the treasure, and two ventured out to find that previously abandoned Imperial Grandson.

The families protecting the treasure grew fearful the secret might leak, and someone might come to randomly dig and destroy the underground riches.

So they planted cacti upon that treasure and fabricated a story.

Be it travelers or merchants, all faced death in those Cactus Forests. Gradually people believed the tale, staying far away from the Cactus Forest.

Generations passed, and the secret of the treasure was known only to the heirs of those four families; nobody else was aware.

Holding onto the treasure’s secret, they awaited the moment to gather their people and unlock it together."

South Grant listened to Nathan Foster’s words as if hearing a fairy tale.

Oh my gosh!

She cupped Nathan Foster’s face with her hands, "Uncle, I didn’t realize you have quite a knack for storytelling; I almost believed it!"

"This isn’t a story." Nathan Foster looked at South Grant with a very serious expression.

South Grant nodded, speaking earnestly:

"Right, right, it’s not a story; it’s a fairy tale." Not a word of it did she believe.

"Entering this Cactus Forest without using the map leads to scenes like the quicksand collapse just now. Anyone entering risks being buried alive or lost inside."

South Grant had personally witnessed this scene; she couldn’t deny it.

At this moment, somewhat at a loss for words, she took a while to respond and asked Nathan Foster.

"You said that only the heirs of those four families know about the treasure; uncle, how did you come to know?"