Chapter 8 — As soon as I got married as a stepchild, the child hugged my leg and called me his wife

I am not his subordinate, but his ally. Pho Dinh Uyen's eyes stopped on my face. He saw the determination in my eyes, and also saw the undisguised ambition. He knows, I'm not the type of woman who can be arranged at will. Silence spread in the study room. For a moment, there was only the sound of the wind passing through the trees outside the window. I know he is hesitating, considering. Is he willing to share the deepest secret in his heart with me? Is he willing to trust me, this newlywed wife?

"Okay." Pho Dinh Uyen finally opened his mouth.

His voice was very light, but carried an unprecedented power.

“I told her everything.”

“But you must promise me one condition.”

“What conditions?”

"No matter what happens, she must preserve Pho Can's life."

“That's my bottom line.”

I nodded without hesitation.

“It's a given.”

Pho Dinh Uyen's eyes finally regained sanity. He went to the bookshelf, from the most hidden corner, pulled out a very ordinary looking book. The inside of the book has been hollowed out. Inside was a yellowed roll of shafts. He placed the reel in front of me and slowly opened it. It's a map. On the map, many locations are densely marked. In the middle of the map, there is a red mark. The shape of that mark was a butterfly — a butterfly bathed in fire.

“This is a clue left by my wife.” Pho Dinh Uyen said in a deep voice.

“It's also the first stronghold of 'Thien Diep'.”

"At the same time, it's also in the Grand Palace, the only place that knows this secret..."

He pointed to a location on the map. I followed his finger and looked over. It was in the palace of the Grand Deputy... deep in the back of the garden, under a pseudo-mountain where no one went. What exactly is hidden there? My heart lifted into my throat. This Thai Deputy Palace still hides a stronghold of "Thien Diep"! We, from beginning to end, are living in danger. Pho Dinh Uyen's eyes turned to me.

“Tham Tri Van, are you ready?”

“We only have one chance.”

Under the fake mountain, what is hidden? My heart rate increased rapidly, staring at Pho Dinh Uyen. He didn't act immediately, but gave me a dagger.

“Bring this, be careful.” his voice was low.

I took the dagger, the cold feeling made my mind even more alert.

“What about you?” I asked.

“I still need to take care of some things later.” His eyes looked complicatedly towards the study room.

“The death of Xuan Dao, the death of mother Vinh and Princess Vuong, all need an explanation.”

“I will take my time, but it won't be too long.”

I nodded, not saying another word. I trust him, at least when it comes to protecting Pho Can. I quickly left the study room and headed straight to the back garden. The Thai Deputy's Palace at night is terrifyingly quiet. Only the wind blows through the bamboo forest, making rustling sounds. I carefully walked through the winding hallway, avoiding the patrolling families. Deep in the back of the garden, that fake mountain under the moonlight appeared dimly. The imitation paint is not high, the shape is nothing special. Normally, this place is not frequented by anyone, so it seems even more gloomy. We walked around the fake mountain a few times, looking for the location marked on the map. Finally, my eyes stopped on a large block of rock. That block of stone is seamless with other blocks of stone. But if you look closely, the edge reveals an unnatural flatness. We followed the gap in the stone block, trying to find the opening mechanism. At this moment, a low sound came from behind the fake mountain. Goosebumps all over my body. It's "Thien Diep"! I immediately crouched down, hiding myself behind a dense green bamboo bush. The buzzing sound got closer and closer, as if it was moving towards the door of the fake mountain. I tightened my grip, holding my breath. If this place is truly the stronghold of "Thien Diep", then those people are most likely well-trained martyrs. We alone cannot confront them head-on. Can only use tricks. The sound stopped in front of the fake mountain. Through the bamboo leaves, I saw two silhouettes. They all wore black clothes, their faces covered. One of them was carrying a trunk. Looking at the shape, it seems to be the same type of wooden chest containing painting books that we have seen in Pho Dinh Uyen's study. Could it be that he came to process the paintings of Pho Dinh Uyen's wife? The other person held a long sword, the blade reflecting cold light under the moonlight. They cautiously observed their surroundings. My heart lifted into my throat. Just a small noise is enough to reveal our position. The two men in black looked at each other, one stepped in front of the faux mountain rock, and skillfully turned the mechanism. Following an extremely small friction sound, the large rock block slowly caved in, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance.