Chapter 4 — Brother Poinsettia Forced Me to Replace Him as Official

In that second, it seemed that even everyone's breathing became clear. I continued to speak, my pace was neither fast nor slow, my tone remained calm as if everything had been planned: "I have never left any autographs on paper until now when I have contacted someone. If General Trieu doesn't believe me, just look up all of my private notes of interactions over the past three years. As long as they are private letters written by my own hand, then they are all fake." When I finished saying these words, my heart actually beat so fast that it was almost two hundred beats. Because I'm absolutely not sure whether my brother Tham Tri Hanh really never wrote a letter or not. What if he had written? So today is like digging a hole for myself, then jumping in, and by the way, covering it with dirt and burying myself in it. But the expression on Trieu Binh's face told me - I bet right. The initial certainty and complacency on his face seemed like a crack had appeared, revealing a hint of wavering. At that moment, Tieu Duc sitting on the dragon chair opened his mouth.

"Trieu Khanh, where did you get this letter from?"

Trieu Binh replied: "I... was found from the Tu family ——"

"Found it?"

Tieu Duc's voice was very light, not sounding happy or angry, but it made people feel an invisible pressure: "Since when do you have the right to search the correspondence of court officials?" Trieu Binh's face immediately changed. In my heart, I also silently breathed a sigh of relief. The Emperor helped me. Incorrect. It's not me who helps. The person who helped was "Tham Tri Hanh". After the court ended, I stepped out of the main hall, my legs felt weak as if I had lost all strength. When Trieu Binh passed by me, he stopped and looked at me. Those eyes were dark and cold like a poisonous snake silently staring at its prey. I responded to him with a faint smile. After returning to the palace, I told my brother Tham Tri Hanh the entire incident from beginning to end. When he heard the part where I said "I have never written a letter before", the peanut he was holding in his hand immediately fell down.

"Sister, how do you know I don't write letters?"

"I guess."

"How can a lazy person like you sit down and seriously write a letter?"

Tham Tri Hanh was silent for a long time. After a long time, he opened his mouth and said:

"Luckily this time I guessed right."

"What if I guess wrong?"

"Then our whole family can only pack our luggage at night and run far away before dawn."

"…… Tham Tri Hanh!"

"Okay, increase the money. Two hundred taels of silver a day."

"Success."

【Chapter three】 The story of Trieu Binh's failed harp created quite a stir in the royal court. Everyone felt that "Tham Tri Hanh" that day performed particularly calmly, especially leisurely, and also had a kind of aura about him that others could not underestimate. Even the white-bearded old man from before — no, it should be said that Mr. Trieu, Minister of Rites (he is not related to Trieu Binh), also took the initiative to hold my hand, extremely excited and said:

"Master Tham's demeanor today is unparalleled, making this old man extremely happy!"

"Yes, thank you Mr. Trieu."

In my heart I was thinking: I'm just bringing something This small network is just out to bet. But the story is not over yet. Because since that day, the way Tieu Duc looks at me has changed. Not the kind of suspicious eyes. How should I say this…… It was a kind of —— observation. A kind of observation that carries with it curiosity. It was like he was researching an item that he thought he understood inside and out, but suddenly discovered that it still had abilities he never knew about. This makes us extremely uneasy. Two days later, it was his brother Tham Tri Hanh's turn to come to court. When he returned, his expression was a bit strange, as if something was difficult to say.

"Today, Your Majesty called me to talk privately again."

"What are you talking about?"

"You asked me - why my personality has changed recently, it's like I've become a different person."

We two brothers and sisters looked at each other. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

"How do you answer?"

"I said that recently I have read a few Buddhist scriptures and my mind has become more open."

"Do you believe?"

"Don't know."

Brother Tham Tri Hanh held a sugar gourd in his mouth, his tone was a bit strange:

"But the way people look at me is a bit strange."

"How strange?"

"It's just... a bit hateful."

"That's right."

Tham Tri Hanh frowned, his face full of confusion: "It's like you're saying - why did you change back to how you were before?" No way. His emperor... Did he like "Tham Tri Hanh" on the days when I was in court??? It's not. What he means is, does he like my performance?