Chapter 164: The Making of a Noble Lady

Knowing she had finished comforting Li Xuanji, Su Zhenzhen quickly brought him back to the main topic.

What does it matter if one is born? What does it matter if one dies? It all depends on one's own mindset.

The people's hearts are not at peace, and mountains and seas cannot fill the void.

Everyone is forced to make a choice, yet yearns for the path they haven't taken. In truth, even if they had made a different choice, they would still feel resentful.

Su Zhenzhen did not hide these thoughts from Li Xuanji.

Li Xuanji saw through Su Zhenzhen's true thoughts, and the last bit of stubbornness he had left vanished.

"You really are born to make a living from yin and yang."

Su Zhenzhen shrugged and said indifferently, "Some things don't need to be taken too seriously. You envy Jiang Yichun for being chosen by her parents, but who knows if Jiang Yichun envies you for being away from the court's intrigues? People shouldn't romanticize the path they haven't taken. It's all about timing and fate, and everything is the best arrangement."

Wow, I feel like the female lead is practically glowing right now!

[Don't call me "heroine," call me "sister"! Sister lives such a enlightened life. I often wonder why people live so long; it feels so meaningless. Turns out, I'm just a mindless walking corpse, not really living at all. I've decided to start doing something meaningful from today.]

Does anyone even remember this was a live stream? Isn't the point of watching live streams to relax and de-stress? Why are people suddenly coming here to reflect on life?

[I'm so envious of you having pressure. Generally speaking, people who are under pressure must have their own goals. As for me, a good-for-nothing who just drifts through life, I don't even know what I'm capable of.]

Okay, okay, now we're back to the Versailles circuit, right?

Su Zhenzhen tried her best to ignore the barrage of comments in her mind. She originally just wanted to put on a little show, but she didn't expect the effect to be so good.

Suppressing the urge to smile, Su Zhenzhen calmly asked, "So you were adopted by the High Priest?"

"The high priest said that I was destined to be with him, and my own parents couldn't bear to kill me, so they simply handed me over to him."

Su Zhenzhen became interested, "Is the High Priest male or female?"

“I don’t know.” Li Xuanji shook his head. “I have never seen his true face. Whenever we meet, he is always dressed in black robes. He gave me the name Li Xuanji. I once asked him if it was because his surname was Li that he gave me the surname Li. He said that the surname is destined for me.”

Wow, everything can be explained by the phrase "fate".

Su Zhenzhen continued, "How did Jiang Yichun force you? Did he always know about your existence?"

Li Xuanji became sorrowful again, "He didn't know at first. Later, the Grand Preceptor of the Jiang Dynasty, who was also the High Priest, disappeared, and even I couldn't find his trace. Emperor Chang pretended to be dying of old age, and as a subject and a son, I naturally had to come to see him off on his final journey. I never expected it to be a deception against me, and Jiang Yichun discovered my existence because of it."

Su Zhenzhen clapped her hands and said, "So after that imperial advisor disappeared, it was you who divined for the royal family that a noblewoman was destined to live among the common people."

Li Xuanji nodded. "Even if I don't calculate it, any Taoist priest with a little skill can figure it out. Let's just use this to repay the debt of life."

"What can Jiang Yichun use to threaten you?"

Li Xuanji pursed his lips, seemingly hesitant.

At this moment, Hensheng realized what was happening and said with barely suppressed agitation, "He's using his own life to blackmail you, isn't he? You've already been handed over to the Imperial Preceptor for upbringing, so you're no longer of royal blood. And when the Crown Prince dies, the Jiang Dynasty will surely be thrown into chaos. You'll probably become the sinner who cuts off the Jiang Dynasty's lineage, so you'll have no choice but to be used by him."

Li Xuanji closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his gaze icy. "Those who have transcended the mortal realm should not be entangled in worldly karma. If the Jiang Dynasty were to perish because of this, I would not only be a sinner for all time, but also a rebellious traitor who broke the covenant with the immortals. Jiang Yichun asked me to help him find a noblewoman, or he would commit suicide. At that time, the Empress had already passed away, and Emperor Chang could not have a legitimate son even if he remarried. I also could not return to my secular identity."

"So, has this noble lady been found? It's said to be a woman destined for nobility. An ordinary person's fate can be extremely noble, but it probably can't reach the level of a 'destined for nobility,' right?" Su Zhenzhen pondered, stroking her chin. "Jiang Sijin's birth mother should be that noble lady, then..."

Li Xuanji laughed sarcastically, "It's just what you think. Jiang Yichun's desire to find a noblewoman wasn't to share his father's burdens, but rather to become the father of a benevolent ruler for all time. After all, if Emperor Chang had given birth to a benevolent ruler for all time, what would be the point of him being the crown prince? Unfortunately, the peasant girl's fate wasn't noble enough, and she gave birth to a daughter, so Emperor Chang abandoned her."

"Um..." Su Zhenzhen's eyes blazed with gossip, "Whose bloodline is Jiang Sijin exactly?"

The story is quite clear now. In order to secure his position as crown prince, Jiang Yichun threatened Li Xuanji to find him a noblewoman, thus establishing a connection with her beforehand. This noblewoman then entered the palace for the imperial concubine selection and became Emperor Chang's concubine, all in preparation for a scheme to steal the throne from him.

It's a pity that this noblewoman was born a daughter, otherwise he really would have succeeded.

Li Xuanji slightly lifted his eyelids, even with a hint of disdain, "Does it matter?"

Well, it seems it really isn't important.

After all, she was just a princess. No matter whose child she was, she was still of the Jiang Dynasty bloodline.

Hensheng's face was completely drained of color. He had originally thought that his biological father was a good king who cared about the people.

But I never expected that he would be so despicable behind the scenes.

Li Xuanji comforted him, "Think about it from his perspective, isn't this a way to protect himself? The path to power is like this. Perhaps one day when you are in that position, you will make a similar choice. After all, a sage can bring virtue to the world, but it is difficult to become a true emperor who rules over the world."

Su Zhenzhen glared at him, "If you don't know how to comfort people, don't just open your mouth."

Li Xuanji smiled politely in return.

Su Zhenzhen supported the swaying Hensheng, trying to give him strength, but the words she uttered were a heavy blow.

"It's not time to collapse yet. We've only talked about Jiang Sijin's birth mother, and we haven't even talked about yours. If I'm not mistaken, they used a fortune-changing array to transfer the other noble destinies to the Song family woman to make up for her fate. And this unlucky girl is Jiang Sijin's birth mother."

“That’s right.” Li Xuanji clapped his hands in agreement. “It is precisely because the direct line of the Jiang family is bound by the ancestral contract that the bloodline is difficult to pass on, and even illegitimate children are pitifully few. That peasant girl was originally destined for a first-class noble life. If it weren’t for Jiang Yichun’s interference, she should have had a peaceful and smooth life. Seeing that she was useless, Jiang Yichun plotted to extract her destiny and tried to create another ‘destined noblewoman’ for her own use.”

Hensheng, his face deathly pale, asked weakly, "How do I make it?"

Li Xuanji raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Naturally, we first calculate the opportune time and place, and select a noble lady to be born on a certain day, month, year, hour, and hour. Then, we use a fortune-changing array to transfer the precious destiny that was taken from others to this lady. With the combined power of the two destinies, she will naturally be incomparably noble."

"After that, all that is needed is to keep a close watch on her, help this 'noble lady' grow up smoothly, and guide her away from filth and evil so as not to damage her fortune. In this way, she will be nurtured into a noble lady of destiny, just like a puppeteer."