Chapter 23 — Brother Poinsettia Forced Me to Replace Him as Official

No one dared to laugh out loud. But everyone's shoulders were shaking. Later, the capital had a new joke. It is said that Dai Ky, the youngest Poinsettia Lang, was not afraid of power, not afraid of big cases, not afraid of storms in the court. The only thing that made him so scared that his face changed. It's the time Mao comes to court. And after hearing this story, I just calmly took a sip of tea. Retribution came a little late. But luckily. It still came in the end. 【Chapter twenty】 One year later. If someone were to ask me, how does it feel for a woman to go from pretending to be her brother to the court, almost being accused of lese majesty, and finally becoming a special female official of Dai Ky, I would definitely answer him seriously: the first feeling is not glory, nor excitement, but fatigue. It's really tiring. Before, when I replaced Tham Tri Hanh at court, at most I just had to pretend to be calm, say little, keep my head down, and if something happened, I would risk my life. Now I use my identity as Tham Tri Y to become an apprentice to the Cabinet. Every day there are a bunch of transcripts waiting for me to read, a bunch of ministers waiting for me to argue, and countless eyes waiting for me to make a mistake. But it's very unfortunate. A year has passed. They waited until their necks grew longer, and I still hadn't made a big enough mistake for them to catch on. On the contrary, the few times we dealt with food crops, repaired dikes, and adjusted the treasury, we all did it quite beautifully. So beautiful that some old men frowned when they heard that a woman was an official, but now every time they encounter a difficult task, they actively turn their heads to look at me. That look seemed to be saying: Sir Tham, do you have any plans? Every time that happened, Tham Tri Hanh standing next to him had an extremely painful expression on his face. Because before, the person who was looked at with those eyes was him. Now turn into me. He felt that his status as a genius was seriously threatened. But he didn't dare say it. Because as long as he opens his mouth to complain, Tieu Duc will immediately give him three more copies of the chapter. Since that year, Tieu Duc seems to have found new joy in life. That joy is forcing Tham Tri Hanh to work. Every morning when I go to court, if I see my brother slightly intending to close his eyes and fall asleep, His Majesty will smile and call out:

"Tham Khanh."

Those two words to my brother are like the sound of a bell calling for one's life. But Bui Dien Chi is still Bui Dien Chi. Still the mad dog of Dai Ly Temple in the mouth of the official. In the past year, he has opened three major cases, dragged down two corrupt officials, and personally sent a royal family member to prison. Court officials saw him still taking a detour. Only I know, that Dai Ly himself who made everyone afraid, every night when he returned to the palace, he would stand in front of the door and ask me:

"Madam, do you want to eat flower waffles today?"

At first I felt unfamiliar. Then gradually I got used to it. After all, a person who can handle a case with a smile in front of the official, and seriously ask his wife what she wants for breakfast at home, is also a kind of bravery. It's just that he and I still argue often. He said I worked too hard. I say he has too much control. He said Dai Ly Temple can investigate all the dangers around us. I said that if he dared to investigate my evening menu, I would write a petition denouncing him for abusing his power. Not only did he not get angry after hearing this, he even laughed Extremely fun levels.

"Madam wants to denounce me?"

He put down the tea cup and said slowly:

"So the husband must prepare evidence in advance to defend himself."

I look at him.

"Are you sick?"

"What disease?"

"There is no cure."

I was silent for a long time, and finally decided not to talk to him anymore. Some people, the more they scold him, the happier they are. Scolding too much only harms yourself. That day in the court, Bui Dien Chi and I argued about a case related to the local treasury right in front of His Majesty. He thinks he should arrest people first and then look into the book. I think we should keep people back, quietly check the money flow, avoid fighting snakes and grass. The two of us each had a sentence, arguing so much that the ministers standing next to us didn't dare to breathe loudly. Finally, Tieu Duc sat on the long chair and looked at it for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Sure enough, I'm not mistaken."

The whole palace immediately became quiet. Bui Dien Chi and I raised our heads together. Tieu Duc looked at me, then looked at him, the corners of his lips curled up.

"A person who dares to think."

"One person dares to investigate."

"Dai Ky has you guys, I can save a lot of work."

Before I could be humble, Tham Tri Hanh stood next to me and whispered:

"Your Majesty has less work, but I don't."

Was heard by Tieu Duc. His Majesty looked at him.

"Do you have any comments?"

My brother immediately clasped his hands, his face expressionless.

"I don't dare. I'm just feeling emotional. For Dai Ky's sake, I can still try for a few more years."

I looked at him with admiration. As expected of a Poinsettia. Lying also has the same spirit. As a result, that day, Tieu Duc rewarded him with another stack of medals.

"Since you have such a will, of course I must fulfill it."

When the court ended, my brother stood on the steps holding his diploma, his eyes empty as if his soul had just been drained. I passed him and patted his shoulder.

"Brother, try harder."

He looked at me, his voice filled with sadness:

"Sister, I remember the days when you changed shifts to go to work."