Chapter 10 — Breaking the Nine Rings

I couldn't help it, I almost burst out laughing. Parents also laughed. Then my mother asked my opinion. I bowed my head, my fingers tightening the corner of my sleeve.

“I am satisfied.”

My mother's eyes turned red.

“This time, mother feels very good.”

After the marriage was decided, Quy Canh Hanh went to Khuong's house once. He did not enter the door. Just send someone to bring a box. Inside is a nine-link set that was broken in the Tho banquet. It turned out that after the case ended, this set of bracelets was returned to the palace, then fell into his hands. In the box there is also an envelope. He wrote very long. Said that recently he often dreamed about his past life. Dreaming of me sitting under the lamp in the Eastern Palace helping you look through the books, dreaming of me helping you solve the situation set up by the kings, dreaming of after you ascended the throne, you held my sister's hand and walked up to the phoenix seat. He spoke in his dream. When he turned his head to look at me, he discovered that my face was frighteningly white. He said that now he understood, what he hated was never my intelligence. It's just that every time he stands before me, he always feels like he has nowhere to hide. By the end of the letter, the ink was slightly blurred.

"Lin Nghi, if the nine chains don't break that day, will you still have a chance?"

I read the entire letter and put it back in the box. Then tell Thu Hanh:

“Sent to the Eastern Palace.”

Thu Hanh asked:

“Miss, don't you keep it?”

I shook my head.

“The bracelet is broken, keeping it will only hurt your hand.”

The Crown Prince doesn't come anymore. Later, I heard that my sister in the Eastern Palace gradually learned how to manage things. She still couldn't master it, but in the end she no longer just knew how to gently obey. There was a time when the Eastern palace was corrupt, she personally checked the books, arrested someone and brought them before Quy Canh Hanh. Quy Canh Hanh looked at her for a long time. Finally said:

“If she had been like that before, I wouldn't have seen it as bad.”

A sister just laughed. What happens between them in the future is no longer related to me. The day Bui Van Chu and I got married, the snow stopped. The sky is rarely clear. He rode a horse to pick up his bride, wearing a bright red outfit, his ears even redder than his outfit. I covered myself with a veil and sat in the palanquin. While passing through East Street, I heard someone say that the Crown Prince was also standing upstairs looking down. I don't lift the curtain. In this life, we no longer need to turn our heads to confirm who is looking at us. After entering Bui's house, Bui Van Chu led me to the study room. The study room is very large, with bookshelves on three sides, and a large table next to the window. On the table there are many small office items. Lu Ban buckle, jade button, bronze water wheel model. There is also a new set of nine series. I look at him. Bui Van Chu coughed slightly.

“This is not included in the bride price, I prepared it separately.”

“If you don't like it, I'll take it away tomorrow.”

I hold up the Nine Continuous. The jade bracelet is gentle and the joints are extremely delicate. I pluck twice.

With a "click" sound, the first bracelet was removed.

Bui Van Chu stood next to me, silently looking at me. No surprise, no hesitation, no fear that I would appear smarter than him. There was only a smile in his eyes.

“Removes very quickly.”

I raised my head to look at him.

"Aren't you afraid that I will appear smarter than you in every matter?"

He thought seriously.

“Then I will talk less and listen to you more.”

I couldn't help but laugh. Outside the window, the snow on the eaves slid down, falling with a "pop" in the yard. The fire in the room is burning warmly. We remove each ring, then put it back together. Bui Van Chu sat opposite me and poured tea for me. When the scent of tea wafted up, I suddenly remembered the days of staying up all night to disrupt the situation in the Eastern Palace in my previous life. Cold light. People are cold too. Every time we solve a difficult problem, we have to think about how to say it so as not to make Quy Canh Hanh feel awkward. But now we don't need to think anymore. We can be fast, we can also be slow. Can be disassembled or broken. Bui Van Chu pushed the tea cup to my hand.

“Tomorrow is off, shall I take you to Hong Lu Temple to see the tributes from other countries?”

My eyes light up.

“Can you touch it?”

He laughed.

“Maybe.”

“What if it breaks?”

He thought for a moment.

“First check to see if there are any old cracks.”

I laughed until I couldn't stop. He also bowed his head and smiled. The red candle burned quietly. The Nine-Chain lies on the table, warm jade color. I raised my hand and plucked it, the bracelets gently collided with each other, emitting a clear sound. This time, it didn't break. It no longer binds me. COMPLETE.