In a small family, a father lived with his three sons. They tried to make a living by farming but every time their crops would not grow or turned out to be of poor quality, at last having no choice they earn a little money by making straw sandals. The money was only enough for them to stay alive.

After being fed up with the circumstances, the youngest son of the family went to find his, “I want to go and find the Jade Emperor in the Heavens.”

Father was confused, “Why”

“I want to ask him why do they have to live such way?” His son replied. The father tried to persuade to stop since he, a mortal can’t find a way to the Heavens, he felt that this act was no different from foolishness.

But his youngest son remained stubborn and set out for the journey with an iron rod. He did not know the way so he walked in one direction. He walked till he reached the sea shore. Then young man decided to take a short break when he spotted a beautiful house laid near the sea shore.

He knocked on the door and a maid opened the door. The young man asked if he could stay in the house for one night, the maid agreed and took him to the room near the entrance. Later, she brought a warm meal for the dinner and they began talking. Through their conversation, he learned that this place belonged to a widow and only two people lived in the house including the maid.

The maid said her owner wanted to meet him. The widow was a beautiful woman, she came out to meet him and asked where he is travelling to. The young man told her about his destination and the question that is puzzling him. The woman suddenly asked if he could ask the Jade Emperor another question.

The youngest son asked, “What is it?”

“I want to know why do my husband keep dying after marrying me?” The man agreed and continued on his journey. There no way so he found a small boat near the sea shore and let the rising wind take him towards a small distant island.

As soon as he stepped down from the boat, a large serpent appeared out of nowhere which frightened him. The serpent asked him, “What are you doing on my island, who allowed you here?” The youngest son was scared by the large serpent but he still answered.

On hearing the unexpected answer, the serpent forgot his anger, instead he decided to help to find the way to the heaven in exchange, the youngest son should ask a question for him. The serpent said, “I want to know why can’t I ascend to heaven even though my time has long passed.”

The serpent took him to the rainbow and said this rainbow will lead him to the heaven. The youngest son reached the heaven and entered the Jade emperor throne room. He bowed in greeting before asking what is puzzling him, “Why do my family has to live in such harsh conditions?”

The Jade emperor replied, “This is your fate and if this did not happen, you would have died early.”

The man was puzzled, “Why would I die early?”

The Jade emperor refused to tell him more as this would go against the fate.

The youngest son did not ask more, instead asked the question beautiful woman told him to ask.

The Jade Emperor replied, “That woman is destined to marry the man who owns a magic jewel so she could live a long and happy life.”

The youngest son moved to ask the next question, “Why can’t the serpent on the island ascend to the heavens?”

The Jade Emperor sighed, “That is his own doing, he could have ascend to heaven if he only owned one magic jewel but due to his own greed, he insists on keeping two.” The youngest son did not got the answer he wanted but at least he was able to get the answer for the other two people.

He returned to the island and met the serpent who was waiting for him, “What did the Jade Emperor say? Why can’t I ascend to heaven?”

“The Jade emperor said that you are trapped in the island because of your own greed. A dragon can’t own more than one magic jewel as it is against the Law of Heaven.”

“Since, that’s the case, you can take this jewel” The serpent gave his jewel to the man. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and instead of a large serpent, a majestic dragon stood in the place. The serpent successfully ascended to the heaven.

The young man continued on the way and took the small boat to go back to the sea shore. He arrived at the small house and met the beautiful widow. “Did you get the answer?” The widow asked hopefully.

“You are destined to marry the man who owns magic jewel, only this way you can be happy and live a long life.”

The widow felt dejected, “Where would I meet the man who owns the magic jewel?”

He suddenly smiled and took out the magic jewel he got from the dragon, “Will you marry me?” The woman was stunned at first but then she suddenly smiled and agreed. The two got married and returned home. The youngest son father and brothers were surprised and they happily blessed the couple.

“That is your fate,” the Jade Emperor replied. “Had I given you comfortable lives, you would all have died an early death.”

“But why would we have died early?” asked the youth.

“I can tell you no more. Even I do not control all the workings of fate.”

“If you will not tell me more about my lot, then I have two more questions for you,” said the youth. “Tell me why the woman who lives by the ocean must always be a widow. Why do her husbands keep dying?”

“She could live long and be happy if she only married a man who has a magic jewel,” said the Jade Emperor. “All other men who marry her will die.”

“And the old serpent who lives on the island—why can he not become a dragon and ascend to Heaven? He says his time had come long ago.”

“He is trapped by his own greed,” said the Jade Emperor. “A dragon may possess only one magic jewel, but that greedy fool insists on keeping two. That is forbidden by the Law of Heaven.”

The youth thanked the Jade Emperor. Though he had not received the answer he had come for, he had gotten the answers to the two others. He returned to earth on the rainbow bridge to find the serpent waiting for him.

“What did the Jade Emperor tell you?” the serpent asked.

The youth bowed respectfully and said, “Master dragon, the Jade Emperor told me that you must remain a snake as long as your greed makes you cling to the two magic jewels. It is forbidden by the Law of Heaven for a dragon to have more than one.”

“Well then, the solution is simple,” said the serpent. “Here, you take one.” And the moment he gave the jewel to the youth, there was a blaze of light. The old serpent transformed into a magnificent dragon and rode a rainbow bridge into Heaven.

The youth sailed back until he reached the shore from which he had departed, and he found his way back to the house of the young widow. She was overjoyed to see him again, and she ran to him to embrace him.

“What did he say?” she asked. “Why must I be a widow?”

“Your husbands died because they did not have a magic jewel,” he explained. “But you will enjoy a long and happy life if you marry a man who possesses one.”

“But where would I ever find such a man?” the widow asked.

The youth smiled and showed her the magic jewel the old serpent had given him. “Marry me,” he said.

The youth returned home with a beautiful wife, much to the amazement of his father and brothers, and all of them lived long and happy lives, having already suffered all the hardships Heaven had fated for them.