Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 917 - 914: Doing One’s Best

Chapter 917: Chapter 914: Doing One’s Best

Bai Qingyan struggled to stabilize her emotions, her usually calm and clear eyes showing impatience: "How is Doctor Hong?"

"It’s too late..." Doctor Hong shook his head, "The Eldest Princess must have taken a day’s sleep yesterday and gradually increased it today. The poison has already penetrated deep into her organs, and medicine can no longer save her!"

Doctor Hong said nothing about trying his best, which meant there really was no hope...

Bai Qingyan’s palms tightened, and she lowered her gaze to look at the Eldest Princess lying on the soft couch, suddenly recalling her grandmother’s words.

Perhaps, back then, her grandmother had foreseen that today would come.

It was precisely because of her grandmother’s words that Bai Qingyan had been somewhat prepared in her heart, and had a premonition... that this day might come.

But grandmother clearly said so much to her on Luohong Tower, and she thought... grandmother couldn’t bear to see the Lin family’s imperial power decay, which is why she spoke of... ascending the throne. She hadn’t expected grandmother to choose to walk this path today.

"Eldest sister..." Bai Jinxiu stood beside Bai Qingyan, gently holding her hand, "Perhaps this is the best ending for grandmother! Grandmother is the Eldest Princess of the Jin Kingdom, with the surname Lin. It’s understandable that she wouldn’t want to see her most beloved granddaughter overthrow the Lin family’s dynasty."

Bai Jinxiu softly comforted Bai Qingyan, but didn’t know how effective it was, as Shen Tianzhi had also failed to completely persuade her.

At this moment, Bai Jinxiu regretted it; she shouldn’t have forcefully brought grandmother out from Luohong Tower, and shouldn’t have let her eldest sister know that grandmother was beyond help... shouldn’t have let her eldest sister watch grandmother pass away.

Perhaps grandmother remaining forever in Luohong Tower was grandmother’s best ending.

Even if her eldest sister knew where grandmother chose to stay, the wound would eventually heal after the intense pain.

But now, bringing grandmother before her eldest sister and watching grandmother still have a breath left, yet all of them being powerless, as time passed... her eldest sister would grow more and more pained, increasingly resenting her own powerlessness, like a saw cutting through her heart, leaving her in utter agony.

"Eldest sister... we’ve done our best!" Bai Jinxiu clenched Bai Qingyan’s hand, her voice choked with emotion, "Everyone makes their own choices. We chose to overthrow the Jin Dynasty, grandmother chose to die for Jin..."

Shen Tianzhi feared this silent, tearless state of Bai Qingyan the most.

The more sorrowful, the more expressionless one appeared... Shen Tianzhi understood this.

"Instead of forcing the Eldest Princess to live, torn daily between duty and family love, for the Eldest Princess... this might be the best ending," Shen Tianzhi stepped forward, softly persuading Bai Qingyan, "Living would be a daily torment for the heart, the pain of which... far surpasses life and death! Your Majesty understands this better than anyone."

Understand? How could Bai Qingyan not understand?

But she also had selfish desires, for she was her grandmother... as a child, she was raised on the knees of her grandparents, she was their legitimate eldest... grandmother, though strict, cherished her deeply.

The first step she took was holding her grandmother’s hand.

Her red-letter learning as a child was guided by her grandmother holding her hand.

Grandmother would painstakingly create stories and tell them to her every day, teaching her to play chess, teaching her... everything she could teach.

When she was ill, even her mother couldn’t approach her bedside, while grandmother watched over her day and night.

The year she returned from the battlefield gravely wounded, her grandmother, who wasn’t much of a believer in Buddhism, knelt before the Buddha for three days and nights, praying for her survival.

Her grandfather was gone, her father was gone, her uncles were gone, and of her siblings, only A Yu, Ah Jue, and A Yun were still alive...

The pain left in Bai Qingyan’s heart by the Southern Border battle had not yet healed, and now... even grandmother was leaving—how could she not be heartbroken?

"Miss, I’m really helpless!" Doctor Hong said softly to Bai Qingyan, "But... although this day’s sleep poison is severe, it is actually a very gentle poison, allowing one to die in slumber."

Doctor Hong glanced at the closed-eyed Eldest Princess and continued, "So even at this point, the expression of the Eldest Princess remains serene."

Doctor Hong couldn’t think of any words to comfort Bai Qingyan, his voice calm: "I followed the King of Zhen for so many years and understand the feelings between the Eldest Princess and the King of Zhen. If back then... when the Bai family faced hardship, if the Eldest Princess hadn’t taken care of the orphaned and widows of the Bai family, she might have followed the King of Zhen long ago! Now that Your Majesty has ascended to the throne, the Eldest Princess can set her mind at ease regarding the Bai family, without any worries! This... is a good thing, Miss, please don’t be stubborn and think the Eldest Princess didn’t want you to be crowned!"

It wasn’t easy for Bai Qingyan to reach today’s position...

Doctor Hong understood the deep bond between Bai Qingyan and the Eldest Princess, fearing that Bai Qingyan might think the Eldest Princess ended her own life to oppose her ascension. Bai Qingyan, like the King of Zhen, Bai Weiting, is deeply emotional, and if she truly thought this way, she might avoid ascending the throne for the Eldest Princess, which would spell trouble for the future of the Zhou Kingdom.

Grandmother had endured to protect them, she knew...

In the past life, when grandmother received the news, she fell ill and soon passed away.

In this life, Bai Qingyan was already grateful to have her grandmother survive until today.

But if grandmother could have died naturally, instead of being martyred for the Jin Kingdom in this way, she would have been happier.

Pain grew within her, entwining with guilt, gathering in her chest, and Bai Qingyan only felt something in her chest being heavily hammered, a sticky, blood-scented mass rising up relentlessly, but she forced it back down.

After a moment of calm, Bai Qingyan finally spoke: "I understand..."

Her voice was hoarse, her throat unbearably sore, "You should all leave... Jinxiu and I will keep grandmother company on her final journey."

Doctor Hong looked at Bai Jinxiu, and seeing Bai Jinxiu nod gently, he finally picked up his medicine box and left the tent along with Shen Tianzhi and the others.

The flickering candlelight cast shadows on the Eldest Princess’ face. Bai Qingyan sat beside the Eldest Princess, gently holding her withered hand, and looking closely, she could see tears at the corner of the Eldest Princess’ eyes, traces of tears still hidden in the deep wrinkles.

As Doctor Hong said, the Eldest Princess’ expression remained peaceful.

Bai Jinxiu knelt by the bedside, glanced at the Eldest Princess, then raised her hand to hold Bai Qingyan’s: "Eldest sister, this was grandmother’s choice, no one can be blamed!"

She didn’t know if grandmother could still hear at this moment, but she restrained her emotions, lowered her eyes, and gently caressed the Eldest Princess’ hand, speaking in a soft voice: "Grandmother, Kid knows... you never blamed Kid."

Bai Jinxiu nodded quickly, seeing her eldest sister’s eyes red, tears suddenly flowing like a broken string.

Thankfully... her eldest sister didn’t stubbornly blame herself entirely for grandmother’s death!