Chapter 5 — Champion Flower Queen

As soon as I entered Thai Boc temple, my knowledge was expanded. The heavy atmosphere immediately came. The officials passing through the hallway all had cold faces, as if someone owed them eight hundred taels of silver. Another young lady led us in. All the way there was not a single word spoken, only the sound of footsteps echoing on the blue tiled floor. Lam Te lowered his voice:
“Fourth sister, why do I feel like their eyes look like they want to kill someone?”
“Great uncle caused such a big disaster, so what if people look at him a few times?”
I don't turn back.
“Hold it.”
Arriving in front of the duty room, an official with a goatee asked in a cold voice:
“This person is… the fourth young lady of Vinh Xuong Ba residence?”
"Correct."
“Come to treat the horse?”
"Correct."
He snorted coldly.
“The veteran veterinarians of Thai Boc Tu are helpless.”
“Why is a noble lady like you coming here to entertain?”
“Wouldn't it just make things more confusing?”
I smiled and narrowed my eyes at him.
"Sir, after all, I once used an old hen to defeat the Liu Ngu family's King Tho Phon."
“Just think of it as something strange.”
The corner of the goatee's lips twitched. Perhaps he remembered our myth that "the old hen beat the king of Tho Phon" so he didn't say any more. Another official pulled his sleeve.
“Just let her go see.”
“Anyway, those horses are already…”
“Giving her another try won't make any difference.”
Although the words were hard to hear, in the end they still let me in. I led Lam Te through two courtyards to the stables at the west corner of Thai Boc pagoda. Before he could even get close, a musty smell of dry grass rushed straight into his face. The barn door was ajar. It was dark inside, and a few horses could be vaguely seen lying crookedly on a pile of grass. Some animals can't even lie down, they can only lean on the feeding trough and pant. The sound of a horse's neighing was low and intermittent, like a hoarse person groaning. Lam Te covered his nose and took two steps back.
“This smell… is too strong.”
I glanced at him, pushed open the barn door and walked in. The horses made a group of veteran veterinarians helpless. In my eyes, every horse was screaming hoarsely for help. A chestnut horse lay on its side on the ground, its ears drooping, its breathing weak. I squatted, placing my palms on its thin, almost transparent ribs. Immediately came a broken mumble in his ears:
“My stomach is so bloated…”
“The water smells like mud…”
“The more you drink, the more you poop…”
Moldy hay causes intestinal spasms, combined with unclean drinking water, leading to diarrhea. A golden horse trembled against the trough. I opened its eyelids, saw that the whites were yellow, then brought my ears closer.
“Itchy back…”
“There's something crawling under my skin…”
It's a parasite. Tay Vuc horses are very susceptible to horse flies laying eggs. Once it reproduces, the whole horse will be destroyed. I point out the horse's mane. Sure enough, at the base of the feathers there is a dense layer of eggs, even scaly. The third child, the fourth child... I sat down next to each child in turn, pretending to check on the surface, but actually listening to them. After one round, we understood most of the problem. Lam Te covered his nose and walked behind.
“Sister, can you see anything yet?”
"Enough."
The innermost black horse is the skinniest. Each vertebra on the back is raised. It raised its eyelids to look at me, then tiredly closed them again. I raised my hand to touch its forehead. It's incredibly hot. A sobbing sound came in my ears:
“I'm about to die…”
“I haven't been able to run on the prairie yet…”
“Not even a sip of clean water…”
“That tin bit is squeezing my mouth so painfully…”
It's not just a matter of hay and water. I bowed my head and observed carefully. On the inside of the hind leg, deep in the fur, there was an old wound that had festered. The rotting flesh turned black and was covered by dry grass. I stood up and said to the goat-bearded mandarin and the two veterinarians who had just entered:
“Replace all the hay.”

"Use boiled water to clean the water trough and let them drink continuously for three days."
"Isolate the golden horse, use sulfur water to bathe the whole body, and burn off the old grass."
"The west wall is waterlogged, move the horses to the dry barn on the east side, spread dry lime underneath."
A young veterinarian was about to speak up, but I immediately stopped him:
“Does sulfur water damage fur?”
"I can't even keep my life, what do I need beautiful fur for?"
He immediately shut his mouth. I turned to the goat-bearded mandarin.
“The wound on the black horse's leg has lasted for at least ten days.”
“All rotten meat must be cut off.”
“Find a clean small knife, boil it in boiling water, then rinse with brandy.”
The young veterinarian secretly nodded. The goat-bearded mandarin looked at me. The contempt on his face disappeared. I sat down again in front of the black horse. He was feverish and confused, still mumbling:
“…Want to return to the steppe…”
I patted its hot forehead and said softly:
“Don't die.”
“When you recover, I will take you to see the steppe.”
Its ears moved slightly. Breathing also seems a bit more stable. I stood up.
“Sir, can what I say be done?”
The goat-bearded mandarin was silent for two breaths, then turned his head and ordered him to pee again:
“Go to work immediately.”
12 To conveniently treat the horse, I rented a small monastery not far from Thai Boc pagoda. Lam Te signed a contract with the homeowner. When he gave me the rental contract, his ears were a little red.
“Fourth sister, this place… is really a bit simple, it makes you suffer.”
I looked around. The yard is tiled with green tiles, has two main rooms and a small kitchen. There is also a curved jujube tree in the corner of the wall. It's actually quite simple. But the win is near Thai Boc pagoda, walking only takes about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. I accepted the contract, tucked it into my sleeve, and said unceremoniously:
"I'm taking the place of my father and you to clean up the messy situation."
“My clothing, travel and living expenses here must all be recorded in the large room book.”
Lam Te nodded continuously.
“Of course, of course!”
“Also, bring my maids here.”
“We still have to arrange a few more guards and a carriage.”
“No problem.”
He agreed very emphatically. I stay at the cottage. From then on, every day I woke up early in the morning, put on a neat set of clothes, tied my hair and ran to Thai Boc temple. For the next month, I practically soaked myself in the stables. One day, as soon as I left Thai Boc pagoda, Giang Tuan stopped me in the middle of the road. He leaned against the carriage, turning the jade ring in his hand, observing me from top to bottom. His eyebrows were furrowed so tightly that they could pinch a fly to death.
"Lam Tuyet, you are an unmarried girl, every day you go to a place like Thai Boc pagoda."
“Aren't you afraid of your reputation being corrupted? No one dares to take it?”
I brushed some grass off my sleeve.
"My great uncle is in trouble, I will clean up the situation for him."
"Outsiders only praise me for my kindness and respect."
"On the contrary, you, taking advantage of someone else's accident, forced your fiancee's sister to be your concubine."
“You are not afraid of a dirty reputation, what do I have to fear?”