Chapter 17 — Brother Poinsettia Forced Me to Replace Him as Official

Suddenly, I am no longer afraid. We step out of line. The sound of my footsteps echoed clearly in the quiet main hall. Brother suddenly turned his head. His eyes changed.

"Tham Tri Y!"

I don't look at him. I walked to his side, lifted my skirt and knelt down. Then, facing the frightened eyes of the entire civil and martial court, I raised my head and looked straight at the dragon. My voice is very clear.

"It's the goddess who asked her brother to let her into the court."

【Chapter fifteen】

"It's the goddess who asked her brother to let her into the court."

My words just ended. The entire Kim Loan Palace was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. Everyone looked at me. Some people were surprised. Some people can't believe it. Some people even forget to close their mouths. Because over the past few months, the person they respected, the person who made the whole court acknowledge his talent, the person who repeatedly made Trieu Binh suffer in debates at court. Not a talented young man. It's a lady of the house. A woman once wore her brother's official uniform, once stood in the Kim Loan palace, facing the civil and military mandarins without showing even the least bit of fear. But that quiet didn't last too long. Trieu Binh was the first to react. His eyes looked coldly at me, the corner of his mouth revealing a victorious smile.

"It's truly a deep brotherly relationship."

"At this point, Miss Tham still wants to take the blame for her brother."

I raised my head to look at him.

"The prime minister is wrong."

"I don't carry the burden for anyone else."

"The things at court, the words I said, the decisions I made, each and every thing was done by myself."

"I don't need to deny it."

Trieu Binh's face changed slightly. He did not expect that a woman standing in front of the main hall, facing charges of lese majesty, could still be so calm. He said coldly:

"Miss Shen probably still doesn't understand the current situation."

"A woman pretending to be a courtier, entering Kim Loan Palace, participating in state affairs, this is a crime of lese majesty."

"According to Dai Ky law, this crime deserves death."

The last four words just came out. There was another cold breath in the main hall. I look at Trieu Binh. Clearly this is the most dangerous moment since I replaced my brother at court. But now, I am no longer afraid. Maybe because the secret has been exposed. Perhaps because we understand that fear cannot change the outcome. I slowly bowed my head to pay respects to Tieu Duc.

"The goddess knows she committed a crime."

"But before condemning me, I want to ask General Trieu a question."

Trieu Binh frowned. I looked straight at him.

"General Zhao said I was arrogant."

"So I would like to ask, during the days when I stood in this palace, was there a day when I did harm to the society?"

One question. Making the whole hall silent. Trieu Binh did not respond. We continue to say:

"Jiangnan flood disaster."

"The person who proposed to set up a Royal Guard patrol, without going through the local officials, directly reported to the heavenly auditorium was me."

Several ministers in the Household Ministry immediately changed their expressions. Because that plan has saved countless people.

"The case of fake letters from the Tu family."

"The person who stood in front of General Trieu and said that Tham Tri Hanh had never written a private letter, forcing General Trieu to back down, was also me."

Trieu Binh's face became more and more ugly. These something he once considered a disgrace. Today, I myself repeated each thing in front of the whole court. I don't stop.

"The Ministry of Household Deficit Case."

"The person who replaced my brother at the hearing and outlined the amount of relief money that Qi Van Uyen had secretly kept for three years was also me."

The ministers began to look at me with different eyes. At first it was terrifying. Then there is doubt. Finally there is vibration. They remembered each time "Tham Tri Hanh" changed. There are days when words are like knives, cutting directly to the heart. There were days when it was so decisive that it made the whole court silent. They used to think that it was a genius who changed his mind. It's someone else. I took a deep breath. The voice became clearer.

"I know women are not allowed to enter the court."

"I know my actions violate national law."

"But if just because I'm a woman, you deny everything I've done."

"Then I would like to ask you, gentlemen."

"After all, you respect talent."

"Or just respect the status of a man standing in that official uniform?"

One sentence. Like a stone thrown into a calm lake. In the main hall, no one opened their mouth. Even those who had previously always opposed women participating in court, now did not know what to say. Because they cannot deny it. Those plans. Those merits. It's all real. Trieu Binh tightened his grip on the book in his hand. He saw that the wind direction in the tide was changing. But he couldn't let this end like that.