Chapter 129: Jiang Sijin's Obsession (Part Two)

Jiang Sijin got to experience the feeling of being pampered by her parents.

The emperor was still young at that time, and this was his first child. Every time he finished court, he would come to the empress's palace to play with the child for a while.

The palace servants whispered among themselves, saying that His Majesty, His Highness, and their young prince were no different from a family of three in the common people.

Jiang Sijin thought to herself, "It's a good thing I wasn't born into an ordinary family. Ordinary people are busy making a living, and they might even sell their children during years of famine. How can they compare to the joy of being a princess? Not only am I supported by the whole world, but my father and mother only have me as their child, and I am the recipient of all their love and affection."

The emperor would often talk to her about his ambitions for governing the country, as if he really regarded this daughter who was temporarily filling in as his only heir.

The Empress occasionally chimed in with a joke, "Your Majesty, how old is the child? How could he possibly understand these things?"

Jiang Sijin was unconvinced. Other babies couldn't understand, but she could understand everything. She was sure she could govern the country well in the future and make the Jiang family dynasty last for thousands of generations.

Although, this body can't even open its eyes now.

Jiang Sijin was full of hope for the future, waiting to grow up so that she could govern the dynasty with great boldness.

Unfortunately, three months later, she suddenly developed a high fever, and Jiang Sijin became so ill that her whole body was burning up.

This illness came on without any reason, inexplicably and rapidly.

The emperor had no choice but to hastily summon the imperial advisor.

Jiang Sijin felt as if a mountain was pressing down on her head, making it impossible for her to open her eyes. She could only vaguely make out a red robe with black details, and she couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman.

Damn it, I was hoping to have a chance to see the Imperial Advisor and ask him about that prophecy. Why did the Empress take the place of a son even though her first child was a daughter?

Jiang Sijin's mind was racing with a jumble of thoughts when she suddenly felt a cool sensation on her forehead, and the oppressive mountain had vanished.

Immediately afterwards, a voice that seemed to come from another world rang out, ethereal and unreal, as if heard in a dream, each word light and airy.

"Wrong, too late."

The voice was unreadable, revealing neither joy nor anger, nor age, and even gender was unclear.

There was a sense of vicissitude that was imbued with the marks of time, like a prophecy echoing deep within her soul, making Jiang Sijin unable to distinguish whether this was reality or a hallucination before her death.

Wrong? What went wrong? Too late? Where was it too late?

"This woman was born with a grudge from the underworld, which clashes with the fate of the phoenix and the dragon. Therefore, she is weak and short-lived. Only by being placed in the womb of someone whose fate is yin, and being nourished by the yin, can the evil energy be resolved. I can also forcibly defy fate and keep the princess in the world, but there will be no more children born in this dynasty."

In the end, he still took the position of that unborn prince, and now he's getting his comeuppance.

Jiang Sijin thought that since she had already had parents for a few months, she had already gained something.

Suddenly, a warm touch came from my forehead, and a faint voice entered my consciousness.

"A leaf before the eyes does not obscure Mount Tai; a stream separates us, does not sever our ties forever. Our bond is as deep as the sea, ordained by Heaven long ago. Let us proceed and wait, for our return will surely come."

Good heavens, what is that saying? It's so profound!

Jiang Sijin was a little angry. Couldn't they just talk things out properly? Why did they have to make it all so mysterious? If you're so capable, why didn't you make sure the Empress gave birth to a son with her first child? It would have saved me from dying so many times.

"Imperial Preceptor," the emperor said with a hint of worry, "am I destined to have only one child?"

The ancestors of the Jiang clan made a deal with Heaven, exchanging the possibility of having only one child per generation for the dynasty to last for thousands of years.

Historical records state that emperors were born in single-lineage heirs, but he knew that not every empress could give birth to a son in her first pregnancy.

I ask this question today in order to seek clarification from the Imperial Advisor.

If the Empress gives birth to another daughter next time, then...

"Throughout a thousand years of history, fortunes have risen and fallen. Your dynasty has relied on the practice of having only one heir per generation to prolong its existence, with bloodlines as the shackles, and the shackles as the fate of the nation. But now, royal power is waning, powerful families are in turmoil, and the strength of the old covenant has waned. Although the empress's lineage is solitary, how can the six palaces not have other branches? Dynasties have lasted for a thousand years, and their rise and fall are predetermined. Today, the shackles have decayed, and the fate of the nation is about to end. Let nature take its course, and do not defy destiny."

The emperor was unsure whether to be happy or sad. He was happy that the empress was destined to have only one child, but the other concubines could still give birth.

What worries me is that if things are left to their own devices, won't the legacy built by our ancestors over thousands of years be lost in our hands?

Absolutely not!

The emperor wanted to ask more questions, but the imperial advisor had already disappeared.

Jiang Sijin vaguely remembered that it was said that this national advisor was an immortal, whose whereabouts were unpredictable, and whose words were full of divine secrets.

If she could summon this person while she had a fever, does that mean she has some connection with the divine?

Jiang Sijin felt a sense of satisfaction. Although she was not in as much pain as before, her vitality was constantly being drained away.

Death is inevitable, sooner or later.

The Imperial Advisor has already sentenced him to death, and no matter how much medicine the Imperial Physicians use, it will be to no avail.

The Queen held her daughter in her arms, wanting to spend her last moments with her.

The emperor went nowhere and stayed by his wife and daughters' side.

Jiang Sijin felt very regretful. Such a good father and mother, it's a pity that she can't grow up and be spoiled in their arms. She should have known better than to have accumulated so much resentment.

The baby, only a few months old, was whimpering in her arms, but the empress didn't find it annoying at all. Even when her arms went numb, she couldn't bear to let go.

This is her daughter, flesh of her own flesh.

The emperor muttered to himself, "My child, can you hear your father? After you leave, may you be reborn into a good family. If you are willing to come to the palace, your father will find you a good womb. But you must be careful not to go into your mother's womb again. Your fates clash, and you will suffer again if you are born."

The Empress couldn't stop wiping away her tears. "Yes, child, no matter which consort you are born into, you will still call me Mother. Mother will definitely recognize you."

"Waaaaah... Waaaaah..."

Jiang Sijin wanted to say that even if she died, her soul would still be in the palace, but they just couldn't see it.

However, the words that came out were nothing but cries of sobbing.

Finally, after midnight, the body completely lost its vitality.

Jiang Sijin's spirit floated out again, watching the emperor and empress holding her body and weeping silently.

The funeral was not held in a grand manner. According to custom, children who die young cannot be listed in the imperial register or buried in the imperial mausoleum.

The empress chose a spot in the palace to serve as her tomb, and fortunately, her small body didn't take up much space.

No tombstone was erected, for fear of gossip among the palace staff. This way, no one would know the exact location of the young prince's burial, and no idle people would dare to dig up his grave.

It was only then that Jiang Sijin understood the meaning of those four words.

No, it means that she had stubbornly devoted herself to the Empress without first assessing her character and integrity, just like a moth stubbornly flying towards its own grave.

It's too late, meaning that she was already entangled in overwhelming resentment that could not be dispelled, so much so that even now, having met a kind mother, she could not be born from her womb.