Chapter 1 — A Wishful Life

My funeral procession is endless. Necromancy flags covered the sky, blocking the sunlight of half the capital. Ta Duong is a good emperor, but not a good husband. He respected me, placed me on a throne like worshiping a Bodhisattva statue, but never showed me even the slightest bit of tenderness. Even the cat suspected by Lac Chieu of being sick was enough to make him frown and worry. As for me, until my death, he still only thought I was mildly uncomfortable because of the changing weather. He even gently caressed my tablet. "You can also consider your wish granted. In your next life, do not enter the king's house again." With the wishes of the heavenly prince, I was truly resurrected and returned to the Queen Mother's birthday celebration party. The Queen Mother asked me what I wanted to be rewarded. In my previous life, I asked for a kiss. In this life, I will only answer: "Your Majesty, I only ask for a pink nine-tailed phoenix crown, inlaid with fur and pearls." 1 As soon as my words ended, the harmonious atmosphere in the palace suddenly stagnated for a moment. The light in the Queen Mother's eyes faded a little, and finally turned into a sigh, carrying some barely discernible regrets: "Okay." She waved her hand and signaled the palace staff next to her to bring the phoenix crown in a brocade box to me. "I thought tonight could witness a good marriage, it seems that you have thought too much." She did not elaborate on the rest, but who among the noble princes sitting here is not a clever person? Everyone heard the meaning in the words. The Queen Mother wants me and Crown Prince Ta Duong to become husband and wife. Anyway, in terms of family background and talent, Ta Dang and I are extremely well matched. Moreover, the fact that I have loved you for a long time is no longer a secret. I lowered my eyelids, respectfully accepted the heavy brocade box, bowed my head in thanks, then leisurely returned to my seat. I don't look at Ta Duong. The banquet continued, peaceful singing and dancing, cups of wine were exchanged. By the time the wine had passed three weeks, the atmosphere was at its busiest, and the Queen Mother spoke again. Her eyes swept around the banquet table, finally stopping at the seat of the Lai Minister's Palace. "Second Miss of the Minister's Palace, everyone I see is a dignified lady who understands manners." The Queen Mother smiled gently and turned to Ta Dang. "Dang Nhi, what do you think?" Ta Dang's name was called and he immediately put down the wine cup and stood up to bow. His face was calm, unable to see joy or sadness, just calmly replied: "Please, Grandmother, be in charge." He was not even half dissatisfied. That's right, in this world I'm not the only woman with a family worthy of you. Without me, of course someone else would become your Crown Princess. 2 When the longevity party ended, it was late at night. I followed my parents out of the palace, not saying a word the whole way. Returning to my courtyard, I dismissed all the servants and opened the brocade box alone. The moonlight passed through the door, illuminating the phoenix coffin, making it shine brightly. The pink feathers are as beautiful as dripping water, the pearls inlaid on the nine plump phoenix tails, the craftsmanship is absolutely exquisite. My fingertips brushed the cold pearl necklace. In panic, memories of my past life came flooding back like a tide. Lac Chieu Nghi, the person in Ta Duong's heart, once had his eyes on this phoenix coffin. But at that time, I used it as a return gift, giving it to Princess Chieu Hoa to congratulate her at her birthday party. Faced with Lac Chieu Nghi's demands, I can only tactfully refuse. She couldn't swallow her anger, so she took advantage of the moment I turned my back on the Ngu Hoa garden steps and aggressively pushed me down. That fall left me bedridden for many days. When Ta Duong came to visit, I was suffering

endure the pain in the stomach. However, he defended Lac Chieu: "She is still young, it is inevitable that she will do things without moderation. The Queen is generous, please forgive her this time." I did not dare to believe my ears. At that time I was pregnant, the doctor said the baby was not stable. This push not only directly took the life of the child in my womb, but also caused me to no longer have hope of becoming a mother in this life. "From beginning to end, I have never laid a hand on her. It is she who is evil, do I not even have the right to punish her?" My voice trembled because of weakness. Ta Dang frowned and blurted out: "Didn't you bring all this on yourself? You knew she liked these gorgeous items, yet you still deliberately gave Chieu Hoa a phoenix crown right in front of her. Isn't it because you've always had a prejudice against her?" I was completely stunned, I just felt cold all over my body. It seemed like he also regretted saying the wrong thing, his expression became unnatural. He only left a sentence, "Rest well," then hurriedly left. A few days later, perhaps because he wanted to make up for it, he gave many precious treasures to my palace. But those rewards made Lac Chieu Nghi feel dissatisfied. She goes around telling others that who knows if I am real or fake. She also said that women from a wealthy background like me are the most scheming people, not knowing that I intentionally used a non-existent identity to harm her. When these words reached my ears, I tried to support my sick body and got up from the bed, ordered her to be dragged to my palace door, and rewarded with a severe whipping. When Ta Dang ran over in anger, Lac Chieu's lower body was covered in blood and was dying. He was so angry that his eyes turned red, and for the first time loudly criticized me. But I just leaned against the soft pillow, with an indifferent expression on my face: "Lac Chieu Nghi comes from a folk background, lacks anyone to teach her, and doesn't have a deep mind like the noble woman I am, so I don't understand the morality that comes from her mouth. If Your Majesty is not willing to discipline her, I, as the Queen, can only serve as her guardian." My words made Ta Duong's face turn pale. He looked at me for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, how about I give you a word to be the warden! Since the Queen has such a spirit, then stay in the Kun Ninh palace and reflect on yourself. Without my instructions, don't step out of the palace door even half a step!" He waved his sleeve and left. Since then, his attitude towards me has become extremely cold. 3I also no longer have the heart to mend the relationship between us, which is already full of cracks. After a miscarriage, my mood is always depressed. His body became weaker every day, and soon he became seriously ill and passed away. After hearing the news of my death, Ta Dang was stunned in the Royal Study Room for a moment, then asked the eunuch who came to report the news: "Has the Queen's illness gotten to this serious?" Anyway, he always thought that after the miscarriage I was just a little weak, plus mild discomfort due to the change of season. That's right, he never cared about me, so he never asked about my illness. On the contrary, the Persian cat raised by Lac Chieu was sick, so he personally watched over the medicine and worried about it day and night. After death, my soul still lingers in the palace. I saw you organize a very solemn funeral for me, I saw you posthumously crown me Queen Hien Hien Thuan. I also saw him sitting alone in Kun Ninh palace on a quiet snowy night, gently stroking my tablet, muttering in a low voice: "You can also consider your wish granted. Next life."

Don't step into the emperor's house again." What do I wish for? What I wished for was never the glory of motherhood in the world, but just a little warmth between husband and wife. It was you who refused to give it to me from beginning to end. That's why after I was resurrected, I took advantage of the situation to ask for that phoenix crown. In this life, I will no longer enter the royal palace. In less than three days, the Queen Mother's will was given. Second lady Lam Uyen Ngon of the Ministerial Office was again chosen as the position. Crown Princess. When the news came, my mother was helping me choose fabric to make a new dress. Hearing the news, her hands stopped, a bit of regret appeared between her eyebrows. "With the dignity and appearance of our A Nguyen family, the position of Crown Princess should belong to you." She sighed, took my hand and looked at it carefully. "Someone with dignity like His Highness the Crown Prince, no matter how hard it is, is worthy of you." Hearing her words, my eyes felt a little hot. Regardless of my previous life or this life, my mother never thought that I was inferior to others. In her heart, I will always be the best person. In my previous life, after my death, my parents were able to piece together the resentment that I had to endure in the palace. My father, who had always been honest, rigid, and respected the law, for the first time did not care about the differences between the king and the gods, and immediately scolded Ta Duong on court. When I was young, they always taught me to understand the rules, know etiquette, and become a dignified and mature lady. But because of me, they dared to go against God's will. Remembering those things, I felt hot in my heart and whispered to my mother: "Marrying to a noble family is not necessarily a good thing. If I want to get married, I will only marry someone who truly treats me well and puts me in the first place. Moreover, that person must also have outstanding appearance and moral character." My mother was amused by my last sentence, used her fingertip to touch my forehead, and reproached me: "You really know how to calculate." From then on, she no longer mentioned the matter between me and Ta Duong in front of me. 4 In the following days, I was rarely able to relax. The peach blossoms on the outskirts of the capital were blooming, so I took my maid out to see the flowers. Played for more than half a day, and when I returned, the sky suddenly suddenly returned. changed, dark clouds covered, large raindrops fell. We drove back, but the rain became more and more intense, the road ahead also became blurred. At the same time there was a rather elegant looking inn. I immediately told the driver to stop, intending to go inside to avoid the rain. Outside the inn stood a few guards wearing swords, with straight bodies, but because the rain was too heavy, we and the people following us did not look closely, we just hurriedly covered our umbrellas and entered the hall When I entered, I realized that the atmosphere was quite unusual. There were only two people sitting at a table in the corner. One of them was Crown Prince Ta Duong. The person sitting opposite him was the newly appointed Crown Princess Lam Uyen Ngon. My steps stopped, and I was stunned for a moment. His eyes stopped on me for a moment, his expression not showing anger Quickly regaining composure, she went forward to pay her respects: "Your Highness the Crown Princess, I'll pay my respects to the Crown Princess." Ta Dang nodded and said nothing more. Lam Uyen Ngon gently smiled at me. I didn't look any further, I went straight to the counter and asked the owner for a room in the upper room and some hot water. After changing my clothes, I sat by the window listening to the sound of rain, but my mood was no longer as leisurely as before My maid Thu Nguyet walked in with a strange expression, holding a shirt in her hand

wearing moonlight white brocade. "Miss."