"Uncle, before we talk about my responsibility to retrieve the keys, I think you owe me some explanation about the family heirloom. I am the heiress to the Zhang family so why wasn't I aware that there's such thing?" Zhang Xiuhui questioned Zhang Xing. It wasn't weird that Zhang Rongguang didn't tell her anything about the heirloom because her father lack ambitions and desires.
"Xiao Hui, it wasn't my intention to hide it from you but Brother Guang should be the one teaching you about the history of Zhang family. Although he failed to teach you, I have already tried my best but you moved out before I could even tell you everything about our family history." Zhang Xing explained. He did not expect Zhang Xiuhui to question him because he did have time to teach her but he chose not to.
Zhang Xiuhui felt that things aren't as simple as they seems to be. It isn't just retrieving the keys but to get it back without falling into anyone's possession according to Zhang Rongguang's letter. It was important to the family yet he sold it, meaning there's someone in the Zhang family planning to destroy them from within and it was safer for outsiders to have it.
"Uncle, aren't you going to start explaining about the twelve horoscope keys to me? I need to know more before I can take any actions. If it was just some normal keys, I don't think father would be able to sell it to those heirs. It must have some meaning behind those keys which makes them interested to buy it from father." Zhang Xiuhui is really unlike her incompetence father. Just based on few words, she can come to the conclusion that the keys have hidden meanings.
"Alright, I'll tell you. Don't be in a rush, Xiao Hui."
"I'm sure you already know how the Zhang family came into power and influence. It was during the period where we rise, the Emperor got an artisan to make twelve golden keys for our ancestors and gave them the title of Duke. That's why Zhang is considered the nobility and one of the oldest family around. We are also heavily involved with politics and it is only in the recent years we steadily expend into business. That's why other families-"
"Don't change the subject." Zhang Xiuhui interrupted. She knows Zhang Xing too well. He is trying to divert her attention. Zhang Xing did not want to get into the main point but rather, he start from where the keys originated from. she isn't as naive as he thought.
Zhang Xiuhui wasn't interested in where the keys came from. She just want to know the main purpose of having the keys. Based on what Zhang Xing said literally, she only have the impression that it has heritage value and that's it. But knowing Zhang Xing, the more he avoid, the more value it has.
"The twelve keys are passed down generations after generations to the heirs. But when a heiress is born, the keys are not passed down directly to her, but to be split between her parents and given to her potential husbands on her eighteenth birthday. The heiress is put to test to retrieve the keys back within the year and decide on her husband. Basically anyone with the keys are recognized as potential heirs to the Zhang family assets. The Zhang elders are now enraged by Brother Guang because there's still four months before you turn eighteen and they have no idea who Brother Guang have chosen."
"What if she failed to get the keys back within a year?" Zhang Xiuhui was curious. She knows that the Zhang family always let the eldest child take over even if it was a girl. That was the case for her mother. However, she didn't know her mother had went through such trail and was forced to choose among those that was picked by her grandparents.
"I have no idea because the last heiress we had was your mother and she is extremely capable. She got all the keys back and rejected all her husband candidates, choosing Brother Guang instead. Furthermore, your mother forbid us from telling you until the selection of candidates was done. It's a pity that she passed away... I still don't understand why she would choose someone from the branch family instead of forming better relations with other families."
Zhang Xiuhui was puzzled by Zhang Xing's words. First, he said that he didn't have time to teach her everything about Zhang family but she did stay in the main house until she turned fourteen. There was plenty of time for him to teach her all about the Zhang family.
The next moment he said Zhang Xiuhui's mother, Zhang Liting forbid them from telling her more about the trail. Problem was she had access to the study room where the records of all events in Zhang family are kept. There's a possibility that she might seen the records about the inheritance trail.
"Alright, thanks Uncle. I will go and investigate who the potential candidates are." Zhang Xiuhui left, walking to the underground study room where all the records are kept and she didn't find a single one about the inheritance process. But instead, she found out that Zhang family and Xu family have close relations when her mother was the head of the family.
"Maybe that Zhang Rongguang sold it to the Xu family…" Zhang Xiuhui whispered and decided that she'll stop thinking so much about the heirloom for today.