Chapter 148: Chapter 148: Two Dragon Marrow Jade Longevity Tokens
Tanya Usher was almost unable to stand anymore, trembling and standing to the side, fearful that Ann Vaughn might say something to Old Master Church, inviting trouble.
However, Ann Vaughn didn’t spare her even a glance, politely declining Old Master Church’s kind offer to enter the venue with him. Old Master Church didn’t take offense and happily entered the venue with Martin Eustace.
Within moments, Sutton Jennings returned there, handing a handbag to Ann Vaughn, and whispered to her, "I’ve arranged everything. After Old Master Saxon hosts the engagement banquet, he will have tea in the tea room. He has agreed to meet you."
Ann Vaughn’s eyes lit up suddenly, "Really?!" Immediately realizing she asked a silly question, she gratefully said to Sutton Jennings, "Thank you."
"What’s the need for thanks between siblings?" Sutton Jennings reached out to ruffle Ann Vaughn’s hair, his voice carrying a subtle fondness, then led Ann Vaughn into the Saxon Family’s venue.
As they passed Tanya Usher, who was trying hard to minimize her presence, Sutton Jennings’s eyes narrowed slightly, casting a piercing, sword-like look at her face.
Tanya Usher trembled inside, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, unable to shake off a ghostly fear that seemed to envelop her.
The butler was shrewd, aware that Tanya Usher had offended both Old Master Church and the man from the Yan sect. Not to mention entering the Saxon Family’s gate, it was uncertain whether she and her family could even continue to exist in The Imperial Capital.
Immediately, security was instructed to escort Tanya Usher out.
And, just as the butler predicted, overnight, the Underwood Family was expelled from the minor aristocratic circles of The Imperial Capital, disappearing without a trace.
Of course, that was a story for another time.
Inside the Saxon Family’s main hall, the engagement banquet had already begun.
Just as Sutton Jennings mentioned, Elder Saxon merely hosted and witnessed the exchange of tokens between the two youngsters, and after the engagement ceremony was completed, he was too exhausted and had to be helped out to rest.
Not long after Elder Saxon left, Ann Vaughn and Sutton Jennings went upstairs together to the tea room at the end of the second floor.
"You go in, I’m going to meet some friends." Without waiting for Ann Vaughn to speak, Sutton Jennings had already seen through her thoughts and spoke first.
"Alright." Ann Vaughn nodded, unconsciously clenching her handbag. Once she had adjusted her mood and was no longer so nervous, she knocked on the tea room door.
"Enter."
An old and frail voice sounded from inside.
Ann Vaughn’s heart moved slightly as she pushed the door open and entered.
As soon as she stepped into the tea room, a refreshing aroma of tea greeted her, invigorating her spirit.
The elderly man, sitting on the sandalwood sofa, slowly turned back around. His appearance was gaunt, his complexion not too good, and his cloudy eyes observed Ann Vaughn for a few moments.
"Are you the Annie that Zeke often mentions?" Elder Saxon pointed to the seat opposite, indicating her to sit.
Zeke was the courtesy name of Ann Vaughn’s grandfather.
"Hello, Elder Saxon." Ann Vaughn slightly nodded, neither obsequious nor arrogant, and sat up straight on her seat.
"I heard you wanted to ask me something?"
"Yes," Ann Vaughn took out the jade token from her bag and placed it on the table, speaking softly, "I heard this jade token was carved by you, so I wanted to ask what the patterns on this jade token signify."
Among the aristocratic families in The Imperial Capital, each had a distinctive family emblem, symbolizing their identity and were a mark of their noble status.
The Vaughn Family certainly didn’t have a family emblem; otherwise, Ann Vaughn wouldn’t be unaware.
And after researching various family emblems, she hadn’t found any matching patterns.
So Ann Vaughn was eager to meet Elder Saxon to clarify the origin of this jade token. Her instincts told her it didn’t belong to the Vaughn Family.
A caregiver beside her picked up the jade token and handed it to Elder Saxon.
Elder Saxon took it without paying much attention. But when he saw the true appearance of the jade token, his expression suddenly changed.
"Leave us," he told the caregiver.
As Ann Vaughn watched the caregiver leave, her gaze returned to Elder Saxon’s hands, her heart inexplicably tense. "Elder Saxon, do you remember this jade token?"
"Remember it? How could I forget?" Elder Saxon carefully stroked the edges of the jade token, his eyes full of reminiscence. After speaking, he seemed lost in some kind of memory, remaining silent.
Ann Vaughn did not urge him, patiently waiting.
After some indeterminate time, Elder Saxon spoke again, "Child, in life, it’s rare to enjoy simple ignorance. Some things don’t need digging for answers; sometimes ignorance can be a blessing."
"I don’t quite understand... what you mean."
"You’ve probably heard that in my youth, I was a jade carver of international repute," Elder Saxon coughed twice, his voice aged. "I’ve seen all sorts of exquisite jewelry—pearls, jadeite, agate, and gemstones."
"But the one piece that remained unforgettable to me was this Dragon Marrow Jade—a rarity in a century—that I split into two, carving them into two longevity jade tokens."
Dragon Marrow Jade?!
Ann Vaughn’s bright eyes narrowed, staring at the jade token Elder Saxon placed under the lamp. The fine threads of blood seamed through the snowy white stone, seeming alive, forming into a shape.
A dragon.
"You said this jade token was split in two, so what about the other?" Ann Vaughn clenched her fingers, perplexedly asking.
Elder Saxon did not answer immediately but remarked, "The man who commissioned me to carve it asked me to engrave his eldest son’s and youngest daughter’s names on the two tokens. Unfortunately, before the second jade token was completed, the man vanished."
Ann Vaughn’s heart skipped, subconsciously asking, "Why?"
At this point, Elder Saxon’s cloudy eyes looked deeply into Ann Vaughn’s, "That man, driven by power and ambition, heartlessly coaxed his wife and newborn daughter to their deaths."
"Therefore, although the first jade token was taken by that man, the second remained with me. And coincidentally, that year you were born, I gifted this jade token to your grandfather."
So that’s the story.
After listening to Elder Saxon’s account, these four words involuntarily surfaced in Ann Vaughn’s mind.
Yet a slight uneasy feeling lingered, an inexplicable tightness in her heart.
Perhaps it was the thought that a father’s initial love for his child turning into murderous intent tinged this story with blood and unease, making Ann Vaughn slightly uncomfortable.
"Thank you for telling me all this, I..." Ann Vaughn sighed lightly inside and was about to bid farewell to Elder Saxon, when she suddenly saw Elder Saxon’s body convulse violently, and he began foaming at the mouth!
Elder Saxon’s hands twisted, dropping everything except the jade token he still grasped tightly.
Ann Vaughn’s eyelid twitched with unease, just as she was about to feel Elder Saxon’s pulse, the tea room door was suddenly pushed open, "Grandfather!"
"The old man’s indicators have suddenly dropped sharply, his life might be at risk!" the caregiver said in a panic, looking at the monitor connected to Elder Saxon’s heart.
Ann Vaughn was pushed aside by the Saxon Family members who flooded in, not even able to reach Elder Saxon’s hand.
"Doctor, get the doctor, quick!"