On the other hand, it took the Crown Princess nearly a year to secure her position.

Thanks to Songtang's "good fortune," favored by the world, the country was free of any trouble throughout the year. Under the exceptionally favorable weather, the people lived in peace and tranquility.

The Crown Princess also began to work on increasing the likelihood of women participating in the imperial examinations.

Song Tang took over the Song family's assets. She dismissed the old men who had been occupying the Song family, leaving only some young girls who had no one to rely on. Although she was not yet of marriageable age, she was already the de facto owner of many shops in the capital.

Zhang Yanzi, who had experience managing mountain strongholds, applied her past experience to the army. She led her people to build the Yanzi Army, dividing the old army from the inside out.

The eldest princess was finally able to enter the military camp she had longed for. With some of her maids by her side, she successfully began her journey as a deputy general, relying on her skills and her thorough knowledge of military strategy.

The mute girl, knowledgeable in the principles of Yin and Yang and all things in nature, was assigned to the Astronomical Bureau to learn its various affairs from the chief clerk. Soon, she will be in charge of the Bureau's operations.

The mugwort then became idle.

She spends her days eating and sleeping, occasionally bothering the mute girl to ask about the current state of the souls around her; and then, through the system, she finds male supporting characters and strips off their luck one by one.

She even learned how to use human faces as book covers, and used the face of the male supporting character's bodyguard, who hadn't been hurt at all, to make a gift for Song Tang.

Another year has passed, and Songtang, having finally finished her work, took Aicao to adopt a puppy.

I went to that restaurant again.

Of the three puppies that looked like snowballs, two have already been adopted. Only one remains, listless, lying on the doorstep peering out.

The pine tree, which had grown much taller than before, looked at it from afar.

She then went up to the restaurant owner and asked for the puppy.

She was holding the puppy, which had grown quite a bit. The strong muscles on her arms were slightly bulging.

This was the first time the puppy had been held so intimately. A subtle look of confusion crossed its face, and it even tried to struggle a little.

It quickly realized that Songtang meant it no harm, so it shifted its position in her arms and nestled in her embrace in a more comfortable way.

Song Tang held the puppy. A similar look of confusion appeared on her face. The puppy trusted her completely, and she felt entrusted with an important task by it, so she held it tightly.

Songtang whispered, "I can keep it now."

She held the puppy tenderly in her arms.

Ai Cao smiled and nodded. She patted Song Tang's head—after being well-nourished and fed during this time, Song Tang was now almost up to her shoulder.

Artemisia said, "Yes. You can stand on your own now."

Song Tang could already understand the unspoken meaning in her words.

Songtang asked, "Are you leaving?" She asked with her eyelashes lowered, "...I thought you would stay with me until I came of age."

Ai Cao smiled. She ruffled Song Tang's hair and said, "What's the difference between leaving now and waiting until you come of age?"

Song Tang silently stroked the puppy. The puppy's fur was soft, but slightly prickly to the touch.

The mugwort asked, "Do you want me to stay?"

Songtang whispered, "But you didn't really die young."

Ai Cao secretly told her that the mute girl's decree for her, "early death," did not mean dying young. She only told Song Tang this, because if the Crown Princess knew about it, the Crown Princess would only become wary of her, a strategist who wouldn't die young and had special abilities.

"Early death" simply means that the mugwort will leave this world too early.

Songtang had been preparing for this day for a long time, but when the farewell truly arrived, she still felt a little sad. During this time, she had regarded Ai Cao as her only family. She had been sad when she lost her parents, and now she had to be sad because of Ai Cao's departure.

Song Tang lowered her head, tears streaming down her face. Her tears fell onto the dog's wet fur.

The puppy looked up at her. He blinked his black eyes and slowly licked away her tears with his tongue.

Ai Cao said with a smile, "Now you will be sad because I'm leaving. The puppy will die decades later, and you will be sad then too." She gently tapped the puppy's head, "Life is full of so many sorrows."

Her fingers sank into the puppy's fluffy fur.

Songtang suddenly had a premonition.

...I have a feeling this is their last conversation.

Songtang asked, "Why can't we avoid being sad?"

She seemed to have transformed once again into that little girl who would try so hard to open the door and bring in the mugwort. She persistently asked, "Sadness is so terrible, why can't we avoid it?"

Artemisia smiled.

“Everyone is born to die,” she said. “So do you think we should avoid being born—that our birth has no meaning?”

Songtang shook his head.

“I can give a second chance at life to those strong women who are still struggling on this land,” Ai Cao said. “Is this all just me doing something unnecessary? Is their birth meaningless?”

Songtang shook his head again.

“The new life I bring is different from the new life a child is born from its mother’s womb,” Artemisia said slowly. “The new life I bring is a demon seeking revenge on its enemy; the new life a mother welcomes is the favor of the gods.”

“We’re all born children, but boys and girls have different futures,” Ai Cao said. “We’re all children, so what’s the difference? Just because we’re all children, does that mean we should avoid girls and only like boys?”

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