The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 142: Truly No Fate with the Buddha (2)

"It's got to work!" Yun Qianyue didn't hesitate, quickly pulling out the two hairpins from her hair and handing them to Rongjing.

Rongjing took them and, eyeing the ridge of the ceiling, slightly raised his arm, launching one of the pins toward a small indentation. With a soft "snap," it struck the spot but quickly dropped back to the ground, breaking into two pieces.

Yun Qianyue watched, unblinking, waiting for the door to open. After a while, seeing no movement, she said to Rongjing, "You didn't use enough strength. Use a bit more force."

"This is all the strength I have left," Rongjing replied helplessly. Even lifting his hand to toss the pin and accurately hitting that spot was already difficult. Not opening the door wasn't surprising.

"Feeble as a scholar, completely useless," Yun Qianyue mocked him.

"Then why don't you try? I might remain 'useless as a scholar' for quite some time," Rongjing retorted, handing the remaining pin to her.

Taking the pin, Yun Qianyue aimed carefully, putting all her strength into the throw. She felt like she'd used quite a bit of force, but the pin merely made a slight sound as it struck the target and, like before, fell to the ground in pieces, with the door still unmoved.

"A useless weakling," Rongjing mocked her back.

Frustrated, Yun Qianyue glared at the hairpins shattered into four parts on the ground. With their reduced weight, they had even less chance of pressing the button. How could they open the door now?

"Look for anything else on you that might work," Rongjing suggested.

Yun Qianyue immediately began to search herself. After a while, she fished out a jade pendant—one she'd "borrowed" from Rongjing earlier. Glancing at it, she quickly stuffed it back into her clothes and shook her head resolutely. "No way, this jade pendant is worth even more than a Buddha statue. I'm not using it."

Rongjing's expression seemed to soften with a faint smile. "Exchanging one jade pendant for twelve Buddha statues sounds like a good deal."

"Still not using it," Yun Qianyue shook her head firmly. "It's far more convenient to carry a jade pendant around, but those statues are just troublesome. Besides, I prefer minimal losses for maximum gain. So, the jade pendant stays—it's not up for grabs."

"Anything else?" Rongjing asked.

"Nothing left," Yun Qianyue sighed. "I'm flat-out broke. Not even a single coin on me."

"You do have a bracelet," he noted, his gaze falling on her wrist.

"Oh right, there's the bracelet! I'll just—no, wait, it's valuable too." Yun Qianyue was about to pull it off, then hesitated.

"Then I guess we're out of options." Rongjing shrugged. "You might have to give up on these statues."

Yun Qianyue looked around. Besides the twelve massive Buddha statues, the space was empty. Even if she wanted to break off a Buddha's hand or foot, she didn't have the strength. Finally, she glanced back at the bracelet, gritting her teeth. "Fine, I'll use it!"

"This bracelet has been passed down for about a hundred years. It was originally worn by the founding empress, who was once the daughter of the Yun family before she fell in love with the founding emperor. The emperor commissioned the most skilled craftsman in the land to create this bracelet from a rare Southern Sea tourmaline as a token of their love. Later, due to their deep affection, the emperor decreed that every empress would come from the Yun family. Thus, this bracelet has been passed down through every empress, until it was eventually given to you by your aunt," Rongjing explained, gazing at the bracelet with a complex, unreadable look in his calm eyes.

"Whoa, Southern Sea tourmaline! So it's really that valuable." Yun Qianyue examined the bracelet closely for the first time since arriving here. Sure enough, it was indeed tourmaline, and a top-grade one at that.

Rongjing nodded.

"So, is it worth more than your jade pendant?" she asked.

"Roughly the same in value, but this bracelet isn't about its monetary worth; it represents status. If you were to become the Empress of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, you wouldn't need to worry about these twelve Buddha statues at all—you'd enjoy endless riches for the rest of your life. This bracelet, then, can't be measured in gold or silver," he replied nonchalantly, adding, "By that measure, my jade pendant doesn't compare at all."

"I see," Yun Qianyue frowned. So, this bracelet was indeed an artifact worn by generations of the Heavenly Saint empresses. If she destroyed it, would she be in trouble? Would the old emperor have her killed? With her face scrunched in worry, she asked, "What would happen if I broke this bracelet?"

"There would certainly be consequences. If the emperor knew you'd smashed it just to unlock a door for these statues, he wouldn't spare you lightly. After all, it's a relic worn by every empress. He might even have your family wiped out," Rongjing replied.

"So, I really can't break it, then," Yun Qianyue's face fell.

"You might as well use the jade pendant. It's just a piece of jade and doesn't carry any historical weight. Compared to the wealth that bracelet could bring you, it's insignificant," he advised.

"Riches are fleeting; cold, hard gold and silver are the real deal. I have no desire to become an empress. Now that you've told me about the 'status' behind this bracelet, I'll feel uncomfortable wearing it from now on anyway. Let's just use it. If you don't say anything, and I don't say anything, who'll ever know I smashed the bracelet for Buddha statues?" Yun Qianyue made her decision and tugged the bracelet off her wrist, handing it to Rongjing. "You're the man, so you have more strength. Here, smash it open!"

Rongjing raised his brows slightly as he took the bracelet. "Are you sure? You don't want to use the pendant?"

"Stop dawdling! We're using the bracelet," she snapped.

Rongjing took the bracelet, a faint glint of amusement flashing in his eyes. In a low voice, he assured her, "Don't worry. If anyone asks, we'll say we accidentally broke it against the wall when we fell."