"Good! Good! Good!"
Old Liu held a jade seal with a five-dragon knob in both hands. Its texture was exceptionally translucent, its color green as blue, and its surface warm and lustrous. It looked as though it radiated the dazzling brilliance of a hundred ounces of gold. He kept exclaiming his approval.
That was not all. From the flush covering his face, the slight trembling of his entire body, and the veins bulging on the backs of his hands, it was clear just how excited he was at that moment.
"The Imperial Seal? Could this really be the Imperial Seal?" Liu Sizhe had come to Grandfather's house today because he had business there. He had never expected to encounter such a treasure, and felt as though he had fallen into a dream.
"What a pointless question." Liu Qinshu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Look at this seal. Its color is green as blue, it measures four inches square, and its knob has five intertwined dragons. The front is engraved with the eight seal-script characters written by Li Si: 'Received the Mandate of Heaven, may it bring everlasting prosperity.' How could this not be genuine?"
Wu Ke also nodded. "Everyone, look. One corner of this seal is inlaid with gold, which also matches the historical records of the Imperial Seal. Besides, the gold looks very old. I think that fits its ancient age as well."
The reason the Imperial Seal had a missing corner was that, at the end of the Western Han, Wang Mang was preparing to usurp the throne and demanded the seal from the Empress Dowager. When she learned of this, she flew into a rage and slammed the seal onto the ground, causing one corner to break off.
Wang Mang was both delighted and regretful