Chapter 208: A Dream of Being the Protagonist
Censor He couldn’t tell who was truly possessed by an evil spirit.
Would a normal person write such nonsense?
What was even scarier was that one dared to write it, and the other dared to believe it.
He felt as if he didn’t exist.
But come to think of it, Jiang the Second came from a background of Rebels.
It wasn’t strange for a Rebel to write such things.
But the problem was that the young girl acted so mysteriously, as if her true identity had been discovered.
Her terrified expression was not faked at all.
And there was yellow fluid coming from her nose, as if her brain was leaking?
It was impossible for a brain to leak fluid, right?
Although Censor He had no medical knowledge, he had a brain.
He didn’t know why Jiang the Second had invited him to participate.
Jiang Changtian invited Censor He to participate because he knew that even if he knew what was in Jiang Wan’s mind, it might not be of great use, but it would be different if Censor He knew.
He was actually just writing nonsense too.
Jiang Wan had always been in Ming County, living a carefree life, but Jiang Wan had previously tried to leave Ming County without success, and had been waiting ever since. Recently, she suddenly acted like a cornered dog, unable to wait any longer.
She had actually rushed to choose a stranger and followed that person away.
So something big must have happened.
Jiang Changtian had observed Jiang Wan.
Although she was a young girl, Jiang Changtian never dared to treat her as a real little girl, considering she wanted to kill him and had murderous intent.
There is no love without reason, and no hate without reason.
There must be a cause.
Reaching the point of life and death, his grudge with her was not small.
However, Jiang Changtian considered himself not a good person, but he wouldn’t torture a young girl for no reason.
Although it was strange and unbelievable, some stories had been passed down, and they were not non-existent.
For example, the Dream of the Yellow Millet.
That person relied on a pillow and truly dreamed of a life of great wealth and rank, with children, grandchildren, and official positions. How could a failed scholar know so clearly? He couldn’t have dreamed of it. But the story was written that way; there is no smoke without fire, perhaps there really was a reason.
Jiang Changtian wanted to know, did Jiang Wan also have a strange dream? Or was she reborn from death? Or did she have a strange origin?
Of course, wanting to know someone else’s dream or past life experience is usually not easy. How would you know if what she said was true or false?
Jiang Changtian only guessed based on the decisions and behaviors Jiang Wan made.
She was anxious recently, what was it because of? What changes were happening in the capital?
She seemed particularly knowledgeable about the people in the Seventh Prince’s household.
Chu Yi, whom he had killed, should have been a first meeting, yet she acted very familiar.
He only knew after killing him.
Observing her daily behavior, she seemed to have great confidence in herself.
She must also be a winner.
She had finally managed to leave Ming County with the help of Liu Tong, but then left Liu Tong without hesitation in Jingzhou. Who did she see?
Jiang Changtian just guessed the biggest possibility based on his speculation about Jiang Wan, but it was actually baseless.
But Jiang Wan was actually panicked.
Things were getting interesting.
Jiang Changtian was a patient hunter.
He had waited for a few years, and finally, the prey got anxious and crawled out on its own.
He looked at Jiang Wan like a juicy insect that could be stepped on and burst.
Jiang Changtian had studied the secret medicine of Shangqiu Temple, which was similar to a kind of psychological suggestion and control.
Jiang Wan’s mentality was definitely not like an ordinary young girl, and ordinary young girls wouldn’t be so calm and composed, nor could they run away from home alone.
Jiang Changtian brought Censor He in, of course, because Censor He was useful.
Jiang Changtian locked Jiang Wan up, using the method of a dark room + Shangqiu Temple secret medicine control, and he and Censor He interrogated Jiang Wan together.
Censor He was originally for supervision and correction, very sensitive to every contradiction, picking at every word.
Jiang Wan was groggy, sometimes even standing up or sitting down, changing positions, and discovering yellow clear fluid flowing from her nose. She thought she was going to die.
She was very terrified.
How could this happen?
Her brilliant life hadn’t even begun yet.
Her glory hadn’t started.
Was she really going to die like this?
Could it really just be a Dream of the Yellow Millet?
It couldn’t be.
In fact, she had observed that except for the variables of Jiang Changtian’s family, everything else was roughly the same as in the dream. She had repeatedly confirmed it several times.
She wasn’t stupid; she had already touched the truth.
She felt that the first person in the Jiang Family who should have died was Jiang Mianmian. Since Jiang Mianmian didn’t die, everything had changed.
Unfortunately, her strength at this moment was too weak.
She repeatedly entered the dark room, was repeatedly interrogated, and repeatedly had dizziness and headaches.
She finally couldn’t bear it.
She intermittently told her dream and what she saw in her dream.
The Former Crown Prince would die suddenly next month.
The one who would eventually ascend the throne was the obscure Seventh Prince.
But that was next year’s matter. Once the Seventh Prince ascended the throne, he directly announced the eldest illegitimate son, Chu Xi, as the Crown Prince.
How did the Emperor die? She didn’t know either.
She could only dream about things related to herself.
Late at night.
In the cellar.
It wasn’t like Jiang Wan’s room, which had a bed and a table.
Outside there were chairs and tea-making things.
There was a thick stack of paper.
In the corner, there was a pile of radishes and cabbage.
Jiang Changtian drank a cup of strong tea and poured one for Censor He.
Censor He was a bit sleepy, but he still braced himself.
He couldn’t imagine there could be such a strange and complete dream.
It seemed as if he were truly seeing a past life.
A real Dream of the Yellow Millet.
To tell the truth, Censor He was shocked by the few lines of Imperial Court turmoil Jiang Wan described. She shouldn’t be familiar with the Imperial Court; she only knew what happened, but she didn’t know the specific details.
He didn’t expect that she was originally Meng Shaoxia’s fiancée, and the current Madam Meng, Jiang Yu, was actually just Meng Shaoxia’s concubine and hanged herself.
Later, she became Crown Prince Chu Xi’s favored concubine.
Then she climbed to the position of Empress step by step.
During this period, the He family was actually her powerful support.
Censor He just wanted to bump into a wall and die.
The He family was later sentenced to be executed, and he had been wise all his life, but because his nephew was blind, he ruined a family.
But looking at this Jiang the Second in front of him, he was even more miserable. His whole family was dead, leaving only him.
It was like listening to an absurd, great dream, like a page full of nonsense.
Every word and sentence was repeatedly questioned, corrected, and recorded.
Jiang Changtian asked very carefully.
Mianmian died prematurely before she was one year old.
Jiang Feng died at about fifteen.
Xia Mei went crazy after Jiang Yu was lost and Jiang Feng and Mianmian died, caused a scene at the Jiang Mansion, and was beaten to death by the Seventh Prince’s guards.
Jiang Yu hanged herself at the Meng Family in the capital.
Jiang Wan was somewhat incoherent, being questioned over and over again. Every time, she felt like someone was pricking her head with needles, and every time it reached the most terrifying part, perhaps she forced herself to forget it, and her memory went blank at the end.
At first, Censor He thought that if this was a past life, then the Jiang the Second family was too miserable.
It made his heart tremble just hearing it, but later he didn’t expect that their He family was involved here too.
Just because his nephew, Young Master He Chen, admired her, his nine generations were executed.
He, Censor He, was also a top candidate among the nine generations.
He started by sympathizing with Jiang Changtian, but then he started to sympathize with himself.
An undeserved disaster. After returning to the capital, he must beat his nephew up.
He heard that he hadn’t even waited for the beheading, but died of anger, vomiting blood, and heart failure.
Censor He looked at the thick book of transcribed dream content, feeling both amazed and terrified.
Turning his head, he saw Jiang the Second still calmly drinking tea, but the hand holding the cup was trembling slightly.
The two of them had actually held out all night.
Dawn.
They finally came out of the cellar.
Outside, it was broad daylight, and the warm breeze was blowing slowly.
The leaves were very green, with dew.
The sunlight was bright and warm.
There were flowers in the courtyard, the petals thick and snowy white.
The air was fresh.
Jiang Changtian stepped out as if stepping into a new world.
And buried underground was another world.
Jiang Changtian’s body swayed a little.
Censor He was also a bit exhausted, bracing his body.
The two of them went to have breakfast.
Jiang Changtian saw the whole family was there. He sat down with a thud and looked at everyone with a smile.
Especially looking at his son-in-law, Meng Shaoxia, he looked very kind.
Meng Shaoxia felt uncomfortable all over, the hair on his back standing up, not knowing why.
Jiang Yu looked at Father in confusion: “Father, why are you staring at Brother Meng?”
Jiang Changtian smiled and said: “Just looking at little Meng, feeling close.”
Meng Shaoxia felt his spine crawl.
Jiang Yu said happily: “That’s right, a son-in-law is half a son. We’ve lived together for so long, we must be close. Father, eat this, the pancake is very fragrant.”
Jiang Yu picked up a piece of pancake for Father.
She also politely picked up a piece for the guest, Uncle He.
Then she ate it herself, but halfway through, she suddenly covered her mouth and retched.
Everyone was startled.
Jiang Yu’s stomach was iron; she never got sick from eating anything.
Jiang Changtian stepped forward, pinched Jiang Yu’s wrist, and felt her pulse for a while.
He suddenly scolded Meng Shaoxia: “How are you taking care of Yu’er? She has been pregnant for two months, and you didn’t even notice. What are you doing all day? You scoundrel!”
Meng Shaoxia was a bit stunned by the scolding, but upon hearing she was two months pregnant, his hands trembled with surprise.
Facing his Father-in-law, who was as beautiful as a celestial being, getting angry for no reason, he didn’t care at all, but was incomparably excited. He was finally going to be a Father.
Meng Shaoxia carefully stayed close to little Yu’er.
The whole family got busy, looking at Jiang Yu as if she were some rare animal.
The bowls and dishes made a crisp sound.
Busy and bustling.
Jiang Changtian’s eyes were red, with tears in them. He wiped the corners of his eyes hard with his sleeves.
But the tears rolled down like a bursting clear spring.
Meng Shaoxia didn’t expect his Father-in-law to be so excited. Learning that Jiang Yu was pregnant, he was actually crying with excitement.
In the future, he must be even better to his Father-in-law.
Jiang Yu was also startled. Father was really, how worried was he about her not being able to conceive? He was actually crying upon learning she was pregnant.
Jiang Mianmian looked at her tearful Father and hurriedly hugged his arm to comfort him: “Father, it’s okay. Sister will definitely be able to give birth safely, give birth to many, and then you can teach your grandchildren to read, so you don’t have to keep pestering me all day.”
Jiang Feng was also surprised by Father’s excitement, not knowing if something had happened.
Qin Luoxia stayed close to her husband and comforted him: “Brother Tian, it’s okay, don’t be afraid, we will take good care of Jiang Yu.”
Censor He sat alone on the side, feeling a bit superfluous.
The pancake was quite delicious.
It had green onions and flour, fried in an oil pan, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fragrant.
It’s good to be alive, to live a long time, to see one’s children’s children born, to live a life, to have a chaotic and lively household, to be vivid.
Thank you for reading + listening 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
