Chapter 1 — After three years of pretending to be mute and deaf to save my life, I married the talkative Crown Prince

I pretended to be deaf and mute for three years, just to avoid the disaster of having my mouth destroyed. Who would have thought that the Emperor would grant the marriage, marrying me to the most talkative Crown Prince in the whole court. On the wedding night, he scolded all the officials and civil servants right in front of me, I remember everything. Three months later, assassins stormed the Eastern Palace. I lifted my foot and kicked the Crown Prince away and blurted out:

"Shut up, lie down!"

I have been in the palace for three years, and by pretending to be deaf and mute, I was able to save my life. Three years ago, I was still just a green-star female official of Thuong Thu Province. The position is not big, but the work is not small. All official dispatches sent by the Ministry of the Ministry must be copied and archived by us. My father, when he was alive, was the Head of the Household Ministry, but died in a strange fire. The government said it was due to a spilled oil lamp that caused the fire. I don't believe it. Because the night before the incident happened, my father put a bronze key in my hand and told me over and over again:

"Ham Chuong, no matter what you hear, absolutely don't open your mouth."

The next morning, the person was no more. I was brought into the palace to be a female official, and I was always looking for the lock that corresponded to that key. Until the night of Thuong Nguyen three years ago, at the back of the Tang Thu Cac, I overheard a conversation between two people.

"The amount of silver to save Ha Dong is still three hundred thousand taels short of compensation."

"To Chu Chu is dead, the books have been burned, who else can check?"

"Isn't his daughter in the palace?"

"Just a small female official. Find an opportunity to deal with it."

Separated by a screen, I used my strength to cover my mouth. The tip of the tongue was bitten by teeth and bled. The fishy smell spread throughout my mouth, but I still didn't dare to make even a single sound. After the other two left, I sat on the ground all night. The next morning, I suddenly "fell ill". When the doctor arrived, I opened my mouth and could only make vague gurgling sounds. Someone intentionally threw the tea cup behind me. I didn't even move my eyelids at all. So, the whole palace knows. The female mandarin To of Thuong Thu Province, after a high fever, became both deaf and mute. The disease came so strangely. But being strange is better than losing your life. Since then, when others scolded me, I did not turn back. There's someone standing behind me talking secretly, but I don't turn around. The palace maids see me as a hollow in a tree to vent their feelings. The eunuchs see me as a wall. Every time the ladies quarreled, they even deliberately called me over to offer tea. Because in their eyes, we cannot hear or speak. It makes people feel more secure than the dead. Three years have passed, and the secrets I have heard are enough to fill half of the Archives. Which lady hides her own money? Which great man raised the exterior? What little servant secretly took lard from Ngu Thien Phong to grease his hands? We all know it. But I never said a word. Until Crown Prince Tieu Thua Sach had great power in the court, he scolded the nine ministers in one breath to resign. It is said that the audience that day only lasted half an hour. A moment ago, nine great men even joined together to play the harp to the virtuous Crown Prince. The next moment, the Crown Prince rolled up his sleeves and scolded them from their political achievements to their family style, from their literature to their hairline. The royal historian was scolded to the point that he clutched his chest on the spot. The minister of the Ministry of Rites was angry even wearing an official's hat backwards. Huu Thi Lang Bo Ho pointed straight at the Crown Prince's nose, his fingers trembled for a long time, and in the end he could only choke out one sentence:

"You rude brat!"

The Crown Prince immediately responded:

"You can still rely on marrying your teacher's daughter to get promoted, so what if you rely on scolding him to become famous? Everyone relies on their own skills, no one should call anyone dirty."

Huu Thi lang Bo Ho immediately resigned on the spot. The remaining eight people looked and immediately saw this as an opportunity. They simultaneously took off their mandarin hats and knelt down to ask the old man to return home. The Emperor sat on a long chair, his face turned from blue to purple, then from purple to black. That afternoon, a four-marriage holy edict was brought before me. The eunuch passed out the decree with full vigor:

"Crown Prince Tieu Thua Sach, has a sharp tongue and straightforward personality. The female official, Provincial Secretary To Ham Chuong, is gentle and dignified, calm and quiet. The two of them are truly destined to be married. They chose an auspicious day to celebrate the wedding."

I knelt on the ground, only one sentence echoed in my head. What fate? One person can't speak, one person talks endlessly. This is not becoming a body.