Read Novel Full Chapter 1003.1: Epilogue
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
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O R A N G E S T A R
[Alma S.] [Azurixa] [Christine G.-L.] [K.Rom]
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Y E L L O W S T A R
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G O L D S T A R
[Anne C.] [Rose Ky]
R A I N B O W S T A R
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T H E S U N
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State of Zhao, Renshou Palace.
These past few days, Empress Dowager Zhuang had not had much of an appetite, and although Eunuch Qin kept instructing the imperial kitchen to rack their brains and change up the dishes prepared for her, she still could not manage more than a few bites each time before setting her chopsticks down.
Eunuch Qin secretly tried to send a message to Bishui Alley, but Empress Dowager Zhuang caught him in the act and stopped him.
Empress Dowager Zhuang shot him a glare.
Eunuch Qin let out a sigh, knowing full well that she did not want the younger generation to see her in a sickly state, yet his heart still ached for her all the same.
“Empress Dowager, His Majesty has arrived.” A palace maid reported from outside the bedchamber.
Seeing that Empress Dowager Zhuang looked listless and unwell, Eunuch Qin lowered his voice and said, “Why don’t this servant go and reply to His Majesty and say that you have already retired for the night?”
Empress Dowager Zhuang lifted her gaze toward the crescent moon hanging in the night sky, pressed down the fatigue between her brows, and said, “If he has come at this hour, then it must be for something important.”
“Yes.”
Eunuch Qin went to invite His Majesty inside.
The Emperor stepped into the room, glanced at Empress Dowager Zhuang sitting upright on the official hat chair, and asked with concern, “Imperial mother, are you feeling any better?”
This son of hers might be a bit foolish, but his concern for the Empress Dowager was genuine.
Empress Dowager Zhuang, for once, did not roll her eyes at him and said in a flat, noncommittal tone, “I have long been fine; it’s you people who make a fuss out of nothing every single day. Speak then, what business do you have with me at such a late hour?”
The Emperor sat down beside his mother and said helplessly, “To be honest with imperial mother, this son does indeed have a matter he wishes to discuss with you.”
“The matter of establishing the heir?” Empress Dowager Zhuang asked bluntly, going straight to the point.
The Crown Prince had already been deposed for two years, and the calls within the court to establish a new heir to the throne were growing louder by the day; if no decision were made soon, it would likely spark factional strife and a struggle over succession.
The Emperor tacitly acknowledged this.
Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at him and asked, “What are your thoughts on this?”
The Emperor said, “This son believes that Rui Wang is capable of bearing this responsibility.” When he reached this point, he paused before adding, “However, Little Seven has reined himself in quite a bit over the past two years.”
Empress Dowager Zhuang gazed into the boundless night and said, “Little Seven is eighteen, soon to be nineteen, and Ah Heng had already placed first in the imperial examinations at that age.”
“Yes.” The Emperor sighed, “This son is wavering between Rui Wang and Little Seven, and wished to hear imperial mother’s opinion.”
Empress Dowager Zhuang said coolly, “I have no opinion; you are the Emperor, and no matter whom you establish, it is still the Qin Family’s realm.”
“Imperial mother!” The Emperor disliked how clearly she drew a line between herself and him, making it sound as though she were not part of this family at all.
Empress Dowager Zhuang snorted lightly and said, “What, I have toiled for the imperial house of the State of Zhao for my entire life, and now that I am old, I can’t even be allowed a couple of peaceful days?”
The Emperor frowned and said, “Imperial mother, what kind of words are those? You are going to live to a hundred years old!”
“Enough, enough, I don’t like hearing that sort of thing.” Empress Dowager Zhuang said as she waved her hand and opened the jar of candied fruits on the table, which contained candied fruits newly made for her by JiaoJiao, three a day, and she had already saved them up for five days.
She took out one candied fruit, stared at it, and said, “I will only ask you one question. If Rui Wang ascends the throne, will Little Seven truly accept it in his heart?”
“This…” The Emperor hesitated.
Empress Dowager Zhuang continued, “If he does not accept it and rises in rebellion, can Rui Wang withstand it?”
A trace of dejection flickered across the Emperor’s face as he said, “He definitely would not be able to.”
It was true that Rui Wang had the Duke Luo Estate backing him, but behind Qin Chuyu stood the entire Marquis Xuanping Estate, and with Princess Xinyang’s relationship with Xiao Ji having eased, she would also lend him her support.
He also had sworn brothers like Xuanyuan Xi and the youngest son of the Minister of War, Xu Zhouzhou.
The Emperor had not even counted Xiao Heng’s network of influence into the equation yet.
Moreover, there was one extremely important point: Little Seven was born of the central palace.
In truth, the answer was already self-evident.
This position was not something one could simply avoid competing for just because one did not wish to; even if Little Seven himself had no desire for the throne, how could Empress Xiao be willing to accept it, and how could the officials who coveted the merit of supporting a dragon ever let the matter rest?
Empress Dowager Zhuang said earnestly, “To be an Emperor, one does not necessarily have to be the smartest, but one must be the most suitable, the one who can keep the realm most stable.”
Only by placing Qin Chuyu on the throne would the other princes dare not harbor designs on the imperial seat, because no one possessed the confidence to believe they could successfully rebel under Xiao Ji’s hand.
Empress Dowager Zhuang shot him a sidelong glance and said, “Besides, Little Seven is not as bad as you think he is, so don’t underestimate him.”
A little rascal who grew up alongside Jing Kong would have been ruined long ago if he truly had no real ability.
The Emperor pondered briefly and said, “This son understands.”
After the Emperor left, Empress Dowager Zhuang ultimately could not bring herself to eat that candied fruit and put it back into the jar.
Eunuch Qin stepped forward and poured her a cup of warm water, and seeing that she looked distracted and absentminded, he could not help asking, “The matter of establishing the heir has also been settled, so is there something else weighing on Your Majesty’s mind?”
Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Zhuang looked at him deeply and said abruptly, “You’ve grown old.”
Eunuch Qin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, “This old servant isn’t some kind of monster, how could I not grow old?”
Empress Dowager Zhuang pressed her lips together, wanting to say that she, too, had grown old.
She swallowed those words and instead asked, “You and I entered the palace in the same year, didn’t we?”
Eunuch Qin smiled and said, “Yes, it’s just that in those first few years, this old servant didn’t have the good fortune to serve by Your Majesty’s side.”
Empress Dowager Zhuang sighed and said, “You didn’t take in an adopted son or anything? If I leave one day, that whole pond of little turtles of yours can’t truly take care of you in your old age or see you to the end.”
Eunuch Qin suddenly choked up and said, “Why have you been saying such nonsense so often these days?”
I am nothing but a lowly eunuch, not worth Your Majesty keeping in her heart.
Empress Dowager Zhuang had never been the sentimental type to grieve over spring and autumn; she spoke very calmly, “How long has Xiaoshun been in You Province? It should be time for him to return to the capital, shouldn’t it?”
Eunuch Qin wiped his tears and said, “If we count the days, it should indeed be time to come back.”
Empress Dowager Zhuang wanted to say something more, yet hesitated and stopped herself.
……
Gu Xiaoshun had gone to You Province shortly before the New Year; he had married three years earlier, and his wife was the daughter of a scholarly family chosen for him by Grandaunt, a household residing in the capital with ancestral roots in You Province, and this trip served two purposes: first, to accompany his wife back to her hometown to pay respects to her ancestors, and second, to carry out a commission from the Ministry of Works to assist in the construction of an imperial garden in You Province.
He took his wife on a visit to Qingquan Village.
He had long since severed ties with the Gu Family, so he was naturally not there to visit them, but rather to pay respects at the graves of his third uncle and third aunt.
Who would have thought that the moment he entered the village, he would run into his own birth mother, Liu shi.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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Summary:
Xuan Zhi transmigrated into a world where the cultivation of “Supernatural Talismans” was a central practice. In this world, Talisman Masters could use talismans to summon gods, exorcise ghosts, command demons, and control the five elements, making this profession universally acknowledged as the No.1 most promising career in the cultivation world.
When she arrived, she was dressed in red bridal clothes, sitting in a bridal carriage, holding her ancestral “Celestial Talisman,” and preparing to form a marriage alliance with the Yun Clan of Eastern Zhou.
According to the original plot, after marrying into the Yun family, she would be restrained and effectively placed under house arrest in the name of the “three obediences and four virtues,” her husband would change from the Second Young Master Yun on the marriage contract to the abusive Third Young Master Yun, and she would eventually be tormented to death.
Meanwhile, the Yun family would seize her “Celestial Talisman,” summon wind and rain with it, and leap to become the number one great clan in Eastern Zhou.
Xuan Zhi: “Wouldn’t it be better for me to summon gods myself? Why should I give good things to others?”
***
Xuan Zhi: “Great Sage, I’ve been your fan since I was little!”
The “Celestial Talisman” rumbled, releasing a swirling cloud that carried her one hundred and eight thousand li before she plummeted headfirst straight into the main villain's bath.
Xuan Zhi: “I beseech True Lord Erlang to save my life!!”
The next moment, a dog paw suddenly struck her face, barking fiercely as it tore apart every malevolent spirit and sinister creature that surrounded her.
Xuan Zhi: “I may not be able to summon the great gods themselves, but I can summon their little pets and treasures.” (Forced smile.jpg)
Other characters in the book: “Just what kind of gods is she summoning?!!”
Xuan Zhi: “Sorry, my mythology runs on different lore.”
***
One day, Xuan Zhi finally summoned a god everyone recognized.
The Northern Abyss Ghost Emperor emerged amid countless evil spirit followers, clad in a black flame-edged robe with dancing sashes, his dark red eyes radiating a commanding, kingly aura, so imposing it seemed he was a different person from the one chased and bitten by a dog naked that day.
He held a divorce letter in his hand and sneered. “Part ways amicably, and live our own lives in peace?”
His sinister gaze locked onto Xuan Zhi. She snatched the letter, tore it to pieces, then shyly threw herself into his arms and squeezed out tears. “Boohoo, you devil, why did you come so late? Look, they all bullied me!”
Shentu Tao: “……”
Everyone she pointed at backed away in panic. “Good heavens, who is bullying who?!”
==============================================================
Summary:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…