Chapter 4 — Breaking the Nine Rings

I was stunned. Thu Hanh carried a long box. In the box was placed the broken piece of jade bracelet, along with a piece of paper. The writing on paper is slender but strong.

"The crack has been checked. The tribute inherently has hidden damage. Although the item is broken, it is not entirely the lady's fault."

There is also another sentence written below:

“If you still have to copy books tomorrow, you should bandage your wound first to avoid getting blood on the paper, and you'll have to copy a few more times.”

I looked at that line of words and suddenly burst out laughing. This person, Bui Van Chu, is not easy to listen to. But the white porcelain vase placed in the corner of the box contained clean hemostatic medicine. No floral scent. There is also no such soft care that makes people suffocate like you. Simply useful. I told Thu Hanh to bring the cloth and apply the medicine herself. The cool feeling fell on the wound, making the pain no longer as clear as before. The moonlight outside the window is very beautiful. I bowed my head and continued copying the book. 4 The days of closed doors and contemplation are quieter than we thought. I don't need to enter the palace, I don't need to attend a party, and I don't need to hear others praise my sister for her gentleness, then casually laugh at my clumsiness. I took out a lot of old agency drawings from my father's study and looked at them. In it is a drawing of an improved water wheel, above which is a record of an old flood case in the Southwest. In my previous life, when I helped Quy Canh Hanh investigate the salt tax case, I also saw this drawing. At that time, he was being made difficult by the courtiers. The Southwest has suffered from floods for many years. The water wheel built by the previous dynasty was constantly damaged, the Ministry of Households spent countless amounts of money, but the common people still suffered from natural disasters. After Quy Canh Hanh took over the country, this was the first difficult task he encountered. He was angry for a long time in the study room. I found loopholes in my father's old drawings, and found books proving that the official in charge of construction had secretly changed the wood materials, helping him solve the situation. After that incident, the courtiers truly accepted the Crown Prince. But the final merit is written in his chapter. He patted my head and said:

"Lanh Nghi, the Eastern palace has her, I can rest assured."

At that time, I felt that just one word "reassured" was enough. Now that I think about it, it's really a shame. I spread out the drawing of that water wheel again. If there are no surprises, the story of the Southwest floods will quickly be mentioned again. It's just that this time, I won't take the initiative to bring it to the Eastern Palace. Three days later, my father returned from the temple, his eyebrows furrowed. While having dinner with my mother, I heard him searching for old files in the study. I brought the tea in. Parents raised their heads:

“Why did you come here?”

“Are you looking for the drawings of the old water wheel in the Southwest?”

He was stunned. I put down the tea.

“After last year's rainy season, my father said that the dam over there was afraid it wouldn't be able to hold up for a few more years.”

Father rubbed his eyebrows.

“Today at court, the Ministry of Households argued again about granting silver.”

“The crown prince is in charge of the country, the kings are all staring.”

“If this matter is not handled well, before the rainy season this year there will be great chaos.”

I looked at the file rolls on the table.

“Have you checked the type of wood yet?”

His movements stopped.

“What?”

I held the old drawing and showed it to you.

“Pre-dynasty regulations used agarwood, which did not rot for thirty years.”

“But the books have been corrected in recent years Here it is written as Nam spruce wood. After three years of moisture, the southern sam tree will rot, but the money is listed according to the price of agarwood."

My father's face slowly changed. He immediately flipped through the notebooks. I watched it with him all night long. By morning, father had finished writing the chapter. He held the notebook in his hand and looked at me with complicated eyes.

“Lanh Nghi, if you can become a monk, I'm afraid you'll be even better than your elder brother.”

I laugh.

“Father is teasing you again.”

He shook his head.

“I'm not teasing.”

“It's just that I feel, in the past we were always afraid that you were too smart, afraid that your in-laws wouldn't be able to suppress you in the future.”

“Now that I think about it, it's truly a myth.”

My heart trembled slightly. Being able to hear this sentence is so much better than my previous life. After his father's statement was presented, the court was truly shocked. The story of swapping wooden materials brought out a series of corrupt officials. Crown Prince Quy Canh Hanh, thanks to the country's governor, temporarily stabilized the situation. But this time, the name on the medal is his father. At court, someone asked why the Minister of Public Works suddenly remembered to check the old material records. Parents replied:

“The young lady closed the door and copied the book, idly flipping through old drawings, casually giving a few reminders.”

When this word reached the palace, I was sitting in the yard fixing a broken Lu Ban box. Thu Hanh quickly ran in.

“Miss, someone is coming to the palace.”

I raised my head.

“Who?”

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”