Chapter 37: Opening Her Heart
Jiang Xue hadn’t forgotten that tomorrow was the weekend, the day Xiao Luohan had promised to tell her about her past.
Since Xiao Luohan wasn’t good at expressing herself with words, she would draw the people and events of her past for her to see.
It was still Friday evening. Receiving the drawings in advance should have made Jiang Xue happy.
But looking at the drawing in her sister’s hand, especially the woman who looked exactly like her Wei Mommy, only differing in attire, she and Jiang Mei fell silent.
“It’s not surprising,” Jiang Mei said after a while. “If the two worlds are parallel, then the people in our relationships would have similar, or even identical, counterparts in the Third Princess’s world.”
“For example, I correspond to her elder sister, Sister Cheng corresponds to Shizhu, and so on. Then Ms. Wei should correspond to her mother.”
Jiang Xue listened, a little dazed, and followed her sister’s logic. “Then, what about Jiang Mommy, who gave birth to us?”
Wei Mommy wasn’t in good health, but she and Jiang Mommy loved each other very much, so they eventually had their “love crystals” (children).
When Jiang Xue was very young, she had heard Wei Mommy say that because the burden of childbirth had fallen on Jiang Mommy, who was always in good health, both she and her sister had the surname “Jiang.”
Wei Mommy wanted them to remember that Jiang Mommy had suffered a lot during pregnancy and childbirth, and they should be cautious about their own marriages and childbearing in the future.
“If you want to confirm, the easiest way is to show her a picture of Ms. Jiang,” Jiang Mei suggested. “It just so happens that she’s currently in a period where she’s willing to open up to you, and she feels indebted to you. If you ask, she’ll answer.”
Jiang Xue originally wanted to send her phone directly—there were many family photos in the album, including pictures of her two mothers, individually and together.
But on a whim, she went to the study and found Ms. Jiang’s solo hanfu photo album.
“Do you have a guess?” Jiang Mei asked curiously, watching her place the photo album on the diary.
“Yes, but it needs to be verified.” Jiang Xue nodded, watching the photo album disappear. “Actually… while I was looking for photos, I was thinking about two questions.”
“Tell me.”
“If interpersonal relationships really have counterparts, then can bad people also find their… counterparts here?”
“Even if they do, this is a society ruled by law, and our family isn’t afraid of trouble.” Jiang Mei calmly dispelled her worries. “If you’re not at ease, you can ask for the names and appearances of the people the Third Princess considers ‘bad people,’ and I’ll make some inquiries later. What’s the second question?”
Jiang Xue pondered for a moment. “I’m thinking… if the Third Princess really can come over and see these familiar strangers, will she… feel like she doesn’t belong?”
Even though the two societies were vastly different, there were people here who resembled those in the Third Princess’s memories.
These people were all good and would treat the Third Princess well, but what would the Third Princess think?
The original bonds wouldn’t exist here. Whether it was familial affection, gratitude, or shared experiences, everything would be reset, starting from scratch.
“You know that the premise of this hypothesis is already ‘if the Third Princess can really come over,’” Jiang Mei said. “If she’s willing to come, then deciding to leave the ancient world means she’s already prepared to start from zero.”
“Besides, isn’t she also living in a new environment now? At least if she comes here, she has us to rely on and doesn’t need to worry about food and shelter.”
“…” Jiang Xue pursed her lips.
She wanted to say that this wasn’t her biggest concern, but she felt her older sister’s words made sense. In any case, the Third Princess’s situation in this world would definitely be better than being married off.
Just then, the photo album was returned.
Jiang Xue hurriedly checked the diary.
【Judging by her appearance alone, this noble lady resembles my elder sister’s mother—the late Empress of Beiliao.】
…The late Empress?
Jiang Xue was startled. Just as she was about to write, she saw Xiao Luohan’s added explanation:
【After the news of my elder sister’s death arrived, the late Empress grieved excessively and passed away a few days later.】
【But observing my mother’s reaction during those days, I suspect there was something suspicious about the late Empress’s death. Otherwise… my mother wouldn’t have agreed to send me away for marriage, and wouldn’t have said those ‘treasonous’ words.】
【”A marriage alliance at least offers a chance at a peaceful life. It’s better than being trapped in this cold palace with my mother, waiting for the kingdom to fall and be subjected to humiliation…”】
Only Xiao Luohan could see the diary on her side, so she no longer hid her words.
【Thinking about it now, my mother might have heard some secret, seen Beiliao’s impending doom, and resorted to this as a last resort.】
These passages made Jiang Xue’s heart pound with fear.
A woman who could become a general in that era usually came from a powerful military family.
A woman from a military family becoming Empress meant that part of Beiliao’s military power was in the hands of that family.
If the Emperor of Beiliao had truly dealt with the Empress as Xiao Luohan suspected, to regain military power, or for other reasons, then Beiliao was indeed rotten to the core.
And the death of Princess Zhemei, Xiao Linghan, didn’t necessarily mean that her army was no match for Daying.
Jiang Xue didn’t know how to respond.
She wanted to write “Leaving Beiliao is a good thing,” but no matter how bad Beiliao was, it was still the Third Princess’s home country. She also wanted to write “Let bygones be bygones, don’t dwell on it,” but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt she was the least qualified to give such advice.
Just as she was about to ask her older sister for help, new words appeared:
【I’m not afraid of you laughing at me, but whenever I think of this, I sometimes feel that leaving Beiliao is a good thing.】
【Now that the dust has settled, I will just focus on investigating the matters I care about and finding a way out for Shizhu. The past and Beiliao’s fate are not things I can interfere with.】
Jiang Xue: ?
Wait, she didn’t remember the diary having a transtemporal mind-reading function!
Xiao Luohan was much more at peace now.
Or rather, she had never had many attachments—with a short lifespan and a difficult life, she had only hoped to live peacefully with her mother while she was still alive.
Unexpectedly, in the “final stage of her life,” she had experienced so many changes, losing her elder sister, leaving her mother, and destined to die alone and unnoticed in a foreign land.
But now she saw a glimmer of hope ahead, her elder sister, who seemed to have become a red fox after death, was also protecting her, and she wanted to try to follow her mother’s final instructions, let go of the past, and just move forward.
So the story that was supposed to be told over the weekend was moved to tonight.
She talked about herself, about her elder sister and mother, and about the late Empress, whom she had rarely seen, but who had always shown her kindness whenever they met.
As if she wanted to pour out all the words she hadn’t been able to say last night.
【Ever since I can remember, I’ve lived with my mother in the cold palace. Although our supplies and money were often withheld, and we had no support from our maternal family, life was still manageable. During festivals, when my father held banquets, my mother and I were also included. But places like the summer resort only existed in stories told by others.】
【I met my elder sister very early on, and it was she who first recognized me.】
【My elder sister is nine years older than me. When I was still in my cradle, she would often come to see me, happily call me “little sister,” and hum songs to lull me to sleep. By the time I could remember things, she was already a young woman skilled in martial arts, joining the army and fighting enemies at a young age.】
【Because of my elder sister’s favor, my mother and I had a much easier life. Those concubines and servants who wanted to bully us had to think twice, considering my elder sister’s weapons.】
She smiled silently.
Actually, her elder sister advocated “peace is precious.” She didn’t want to resort to violence for matters that could be resolved with words and money.
—”Hurting and killing become easier with practice. Elder Sister doesn’t want to become a heartless killer!”
She still remembered her elder sister’s words, so she added them, then started a new line.
【When I was young, I sometimes thought, if only Mother was the Empress, and the Empress was my father. Although the Empress and my mother weren’t close, she always took good care of my mother, just like my elder sister treated me.】
【My mother once said that only women understand women’s suffering. The Empress was a mother to the nation, magnanimous and tolerant. Even when my second brother’s mother schemed against her for favor, she would just laugh it off and rarely punished her.】
【I felt that the Empress lived a tiring life. But in our world, being connected to the royal family meant reaching the pinnacle of power. Besides being the Empress, I didn’t know where else she could go…】
She paused, then continued, half-jokingly, half-seriously: 【If she hadn’t met with misfortune, with the support of her maternal family, becoming the Emperor herself wouldn’t have been a bad choice.】
She remembered that in Jiang Xue’s world, there had been a long period of “female emperors,” and it was because of the efforts of women in that period of history that the world of “gender equality” existed now.
Women studying, becoming officials, and engaging in business had become the norm. They were no longer rushed into marriage just because they “reached a certain age,” no longer faced life-threatening situations when going out alone, and one “deep mountain” after another had become a heavy and dark part of history.
Top female scientists had even developed technology for same-sex couples to have children, and female rulers had enacted new laws… Every “reform” and change she had read about in textbooks was unimaginable to her.
She had imagined more than once what would happen if her elder sister, mother, and the late Empress could be reborn in that world.
And after seeing the album filled with photos of the “late Empress,” she felt that her imagination had become a reality.
However, there was no need to tell Jiang Xue about these secret thoughts for now. She would ask them in person when she truly went to that world.
Even if the people in that world weren’t the reincarnations of those in this world, just their similar appearances were enough to represent a beautiful wish.
The heart-to-heart conversation ended when Sister Cheng called them for dinner.
Until the very end, Jiang Xue didn’t reveal her suspicion about her two mothers having counterparts in the ancient world. She and her sister quietly finished reading Xiao Luohan’s story.
But she was still unsure of Xiao Luohan’s plan, so she could only hope for her older sister’s ability to discern emotions from handwriting.
“She’s determined to come over,” Jiang Mei said, flipping through the diary. “Her handwriting was hesitant before, but now it’s completely different.”
She paused. “Did you say anything to her privately? During lunch break that day?”
“Uh… I just pointed out her fears and asked about her preferences, so I could prepare in advance, and she could use them as soon as she arrived, without having to buy them on the spot.” Jiang Xue recalled. “She probably figured it out herself. For such important matters, she can only rely on herself.”
Taking the diary, she wrote a farewell message to the Third Princess while saying, “But before that, I also have to work hard and help her realize her wish as soon as possible.”
She had to investigate quickly and try to bring the Third Princess over before the wedding date set by the two countries!
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