Chapter 8 — A Paper of Reconciliation, Breakup of Love and Breakup of Meaning

The best doctor next to you was also invited to come and diagnose me again. Precious medicinal herbs are delivered non-stop, straight to my room. Under the dedicated care of your whole family, my condition gradually changed for the better day by day. As for news about Vinh An Hau's palace, it also continuously spread. First is the child's background. Co Van Pham sent someone to find To Kien La's cousin who had joined the army from the border. The results of blood extraction were not beyond our expectations. The baby is indeed the biological son of that cousin. Tham Tu Vien—a righteous Marquis of Vinh An—wore a huge horn and became the laughingstock of the entire capital. He was so angry that he vomited blood on the spot, dragged both To Kien La and the child outside and beat him, chasing them away without mercy, regardless of life or death. Immediately after that, Ngu Su Dai presented a decree, accusing Tham Tu Vien of being an incompetent housekeeper, corrupt morality, spoiling his wife, and tolerating his illegitimate son, disrupting the clan's bloodline. Each crime is as heavy as a mountain. The emperor had originally wanted to take advantage of the Gu family's return to the court to rectify the servants who had been living in comfort for too long—Tham Tu Vien was no different from putting his own head in front of the sword. The decree was quickly given: Tham Tu Vien was stripped of his title, demoted to a commoner's position, his estate was confiscated, and was not allowed to enter the court as an official for three generations. Vinh An Marquis Palace, once of infinite glory, collapsed completely in just one night. The day I recovered from my illness, the capital fell with the first snow of winter. I put on the new bright red coat that my mother made me, standing in the hallway, watching the snow fall across the sky. Thanh Truc brought a bowl of hot ginger tea.

"Miss, it's cold outside, let's go inside."

Now she has changed her way of addressing me, no longer calling me "ma'am". I smiled softly, took the tea bowl, the warmth from my fingertips spread to my heart.

“Not cold.”

At that moment, a servant rushed over.

"Miss, there is someone outside the door... said his name is Tham, please meet him once."

My hand stopped, the tea cup tilted slightly. Tham Tu Vien. Does he still have the face to come?

“No see.” I said leisurely.

"But... he said, if you don't come out to see him, he will kneel outside the door forever and not get up."

I frowned slightly. Co Van Pham had just returned from the training ground. After hearing that sentence, he frowned.

"Is he not dead yet? Let me chase him away!"

“Ca.” I call him back. “Let him in.”

Co Van Pham looked at me in surprise.

"Why do you meet him? That kind of person, just looking at him is unlucky."

"There are things... that must be said clearly in front of him. It also makes him completely lose his mind."

I turned around and walked into the warm hall. If he wants to humiliate himself, then—I will grant him his wish.

17

Tham Tu Vien was brought in. Just a month without seeing him, he seemed to have turned into a different person. Each piece of ironed silk clothing has now turned into a discolored cotton shirt because of too much washing. His body was haggard, his beard was shaggy, his eyes were full of blood, and he no longer had any of the old elegance and handsomeness. He saw me, his eyes lit up, he quickly took a few steps and tried to hold my hand. Co Van Pham rushed in front of me, separating the two of us.

“What do you want to do!”

Tham Tu Vien missed the jump, but didn't get angry, just looked at me blankly, his eyes filled with regret and pain.

"Thanh Chi, you've become thinner."

I didn't answer, just looked at him quietly drama.

“Thanh Chi, I know I'm wrong, I really know I'm wrong.”

He made a "thud" sound and knelt down on the ground, crawling in front of me.

“Can you forgive me? Let's start over.”

"I swear, from now on I will absolutely not let you suffer any resentment! We will be like before, she reads books, I draw pictures, we..."

“Tham Tu Vien.” I finally opened my mouth, interrupting his monologue, "You think... we can still go back?"

He was stunned and quickly said: "It's possible! Of course it's possible! Thanh Chi, I know you still have me in your heart, otherwise you wouldn't have come to see me! You're just angry with me, right?"

"I met you," I looked at him, every word clearly, "just to tell you, that day I was truly blind."

The blood on his face immediately disappeared.

“Thanh Chi, you…”

"I used to think, I was the happiest person in the world. Loving husband, close sister." I smiled, but the smile didn't reach the bottom of my eyes, "But it turns out, it was all fake. Pampering is a poison-coated candy, intimacy is a knife stabbing straight into my heart."

"Tham Tu Vien, you have ruined all my visions of love. As for To Kien La, you have destroyed my last bit of attachment to love."

“I hate you guys, but I'm also grateful to you.”

"It was you who made me see clearly the malice of the human heart, and also made me understand that if you lean on a mountain, the mountain will collapse, if you lean on someone else, someone will run away. Women, in the end, can only rely on themselves."

"Now, you have been demoted to a commoner's position, she is wandering around the streets. As for me, with my uncle and brother to love me, with tens of thousands of assets by my side, I live better than ever."

"So, Tam Tu Vien, put away your ridiculous regret. I don't need it, and I absolutely will not forgive it."

After saying that, I didn't look at him anymore, stood up straight, and walked into the interior. Behind him, his desperate screams rang out.

"To Thanh Chi! You can't treat me like that! To Thanh Chi!"

Those sounds were completely blocked by heavy curtains. Outside the window, the snow fell more and more thickly, covering all the dirt in the world. As for my future, it is endlessly bright. (Complete)