From cute to empress

Chapter 340: Unveiling the Mystery of Life

The old monk ultimately didn't have the chance to tell me the answer, passing away forever with his unfinished words. I knelt beside him, bewildered, his last words echoing in my mind: "Your... life story..."

"Mengmeng, the old monk..." Youcai came back and saw the scene in front of him. The sad atmosphere prevented him from saying the rest of the words.

I shook my head, closed the old monk's eyes, suppressed the surging emotions in my heart, and asked, "Have you caught the man in black?"

Youcai shook his head, a hint of annoyance in his tone: "He ran away, but I saw him running towards the direction of the palace."

The Imperial Palace? Could it be that… I was shocked. Could it be that the person who attacked the old monk is related to my life experience?

I handed the old monk's body over to the monks at the temple and returned to the palace with Youcai. My heart was heavy along the way, and the old monk's words weighed heavily on my heart like a huge rock. What secrets did my life story hold?

Back in my bedroom, I immediately ordered all the books on ancient prophecies to be brought in. Youcai and I didn't even bother to rest, flipping through them page by page, hoping to find some clues.

"Found it!" I said excitedly, pointing to a record in one of the books. "Look, here's an ancient prophecy: 'When the stars shift, those with the bloodline of dragon and phoenix will emerge, and they will determine the fate of the nation.'"

"Dragon and Phoenix bloodline?" Youcai frowned. "This sounds like something out of legend. Does it really exist?"

"I don't know." I shook my head. "But the old monk said that our life experience is related to an ancient prophecy. Maybe this is the prophecy he is referring to."

I continued reading, and saw the book went on to say, "People with dragon and phoenix bloodlines can be identified by birthmarks on their bodies. Dragon blood forms a seal, and phoenix blood forms a mole..."

I subconsciously touched my shoulder and found a red birthmark there. Growing up, I always thought it was just an ordinary birthmark. Could it be...

"What's wrong?" Youcai noticed my actions and asked.

I took a deep breath, pointed at the book, and said, "Can you help me take a look at this birthmark on my shoulder? Does it look like the 'dragon blood seal' mentioned in the book?"

Youcai took a closer look and his expression became serious: "This shape is indeed very similar..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly seemed to remember something, grabbed my hand, and said anxiously: "Wait, I remember I also have a strange-shaped mole on my chest. From childhood to adulthood, I always thought..."

As he spoke, he was about to unbutton his shirt, but I quickly reached out to stop him.

"This is my bedroom, please be careful of the impact." I said with a blushing face, "Let's talk about it tonight."

He was stunned for a moment, then reacted, a blush appeared on his face, and he smiled awkwardly: "I'm abrupt."

As night fell, I dismissed all the maids and eunuchs, leaving Youcai and I alone in the bedroom. The flickering candlelight illuminated our anxious faces.

"Let me see it quickly." I said impatiently.

He nodded, unbuttoned his shirt, and exposed his chest. Following his gaze, I saw a striking black mole on his heart, shaped like a phoenix in flight... I covered my mouth, staring at the mole in disbelief, a wave of turmoil rising within me. Dragon blood for a seal, phoenix blood for a mole... Could the prophecy be true? Were Youcai and I truly the ones with the legendary dragon and phoenix bloodline?

"This...this is incredible..." I muttered to myself, my thoughts in a mess.

Youcai was also shocked and confused. He reached out and touched the mole, smiled bitterly and said, "It seems that we have more secrets than we imagined..."

In order to find out all this, we summoned the most knowledgeable meteorologist in the palace overnight and ordered all the books about ancient prophecies, mysterious legends, and historical figures in the palace to be moved to the bedroom.

The meteorologist carefully flipped through an ancient book, his brow furrowed, and he occasionally stroked his beard, seemingly lost in thought. Youcai and I waited anxiously, hoping to get an answer from him.

Time passed minute by minute, and just when we were about to lose our patience, the meteorologist suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming, and said excitedly: "Your Majesty, General, I have found some clues!"

He pointed to one of the books and said, "According to the records in this book, hundreds of years ago, there was indeed a mysterious organization in our country. They called themselves the 'Dragon and Phoenix Guardians' and guarded the secrets of the dragon and phoenix bloodline for generations."

"Dragon and Phoenix Guardians?" I repeated the name, my heart filled with confusion. "But why have I never heard of this organization?"

"Because this organization was wiped out in a palace coup hundreds of years ago, all records were destroyed, and only a few survive," the meteorologist explained. "It is said that the members of this organization are descendants of those with dragon and phoenix bloodlines, and they shoulder the mission of protecting the fate of the country."

Youcai and I exchanged glances, each seeing shock and confusion in the other's eyes. Could it be that we were inextricably linked to this mysterious organization? Were our ancestors also members of the "Dragon and Phoenix Guardians"?

The weather officer continued, "I also discovered that this book contains a method that can prevent the prophecy from coming true, but..."

He hesitated to speak, with an embarrassment on his face.

"But what? Tell me quickly!" I asked anxiously.

The meteorologist took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "But this method requires a huge price, even..."

He paused, as if trying to organize his words, before finally speaking slowly, "It might even cost the life of someone with the dragon and phoenix bloodline..."

Youcai and I were stunned for a moment. The air in the bedroom seemed to be frozen, and you could hear a pin drop.

"Your Majesty, General, I have something to say."

An old voice came from the door. We turned around and saw that the monk had been standing at the door without us noticing...

The atmosphere in the chamber grew even more solemn. The monk's words weighed on my heart like a huge rock, suffocating me. Sacrifice... Did it really require the sacrifice of one of Youcai or me to stop the prophecy?

"Master, is there really... no other way?" I asked in a trembling voice, with a glimmer of hope still in my heart.

The monk clasped his hands together and shook his head with a sad face. "Amitabha, it is hard to defy the will of heaven! I once observed the celestial phenomena at night and found that the prophetic signs have appeared. If we don't stop it in time, I'm afraid..."

He didn't say anything else, but I knew that what he left unsaid was that the entire country would be in an irretrievable situation.

Youcai and I fell silent, the only sound in the bedroom being the heavy breathing of each other. We both knew we had the responsibility to protect our country, but how could one of us sacrifice ourselves?

"Mengmeng..." Youcai held my hand. His hand was warm and strong, but it couldn't hide the sadness and struggle in his eyes. "We..."

"Stop talking, let me think about it, let me think about it again..." I interrupted him and buried my head deeply in his arms. Tears soaked his clothes and blurred my vision.

That night, we lay awake. Countless thoughts raced through my mind, each choice a path through thorns, fraught with uncertainty and danger. I gazed out the window at the gradually paling sky, my heart filled with confusion and fear.

"You're talented. Let's give it a try." I finally made up my mind, raised my head, and looked at him firmly.

"Have you decided?" There was a hint of surprise in Youcai's eyes, but more of it was relief and determination.

"Well, for the country, for the people, and for... ourselves." I took a deep breath, my tone full of determination.

That night, we secretly summoned our trusted ministers and made all the necessary arrangements. We all knew this was a huge gamble, one that depended on our lives and the fate of the entire nation.

"Are you ready?" I asked him, with a hint of determination in my eyes.

"Yeah." He held my hand tightly, and the warmth of his palm gave me infinite strength.

I took a deep breath and walked towards a secret room deep in the palace, where the key to preventing the prophecy from coming true was stored...