Chapter 2 — Empress Dowager Marries the Regent Prince

I do not answer Bui Triet's question. I just quietly looked at myself in the mirror. His face was pale, his eyes were empty. This queen's throne is like a luxurious tomb. But I have died in there once. Seeing my silence, Bui Triet's anger increased even more. He grabbed my wrist, using such force that it seemed like he wanted to crush it.

"I'm asking you!"

A sharp pain came from the wrist. However, I didn't even bother to frown.

"Your Majesty, you hurt me."

I said softly. Not questioning, not being coy, just simply telling a truth. Bui Triet felt like his hand was burned and immediately let go. A fierce red ring appeared on my wrist. At that moment, Tham Lien's voice rang out from outside the palace.

"Your Majesty, sister..."

She carried a box of food and stood timidly at the door of the palace. As soon as she saw the tense atmosphere in the palace, she knelt down in fear.

"It's all my fault... my fault, I shouldn't have entered the palace, making you angry."

"Please, Your Majesty, blame me for punishing me, don't blame my sister."

She cried until the pear flowers were drenched in rain, making anyone who saw her feel sorry for her. Truly a pure, flawless white lotus flower. Bui Triet's expression certainly softened a lot. He looked towards me, his eyes full of complexity.

"Tham Vi, look at yourself, do you still act like a mother who respects the world at all?"

"Lien Nhi thought of her like that, but she..."

I interrupted him.

"Sister, please stand up."

I stepped forward and personally helped Tham Lien stand up.

"It's very cold underground."

As soon as my fingertips touched her arm, she trembled slightly and was difficult to detect. I looked at her and smiled.

"From now on in the palace, you must learn to call yourself concubine, or by your first name."

"The title 'concubine' can only be used by the queen."

"You're a smart person, you should understand."

Tham Lien's face turned pale, she lowered her eyes.

"Yes... concubine... Lien Nhi remembers."

Bui Triet's eyebrows furrowed even tighter. Perhaps he thought I was using the palace to suppress Tham Lien.

"Tham Vi, that's enough!"

"I welcomed Lien Nhi into the palace to enjoy happiness, not to obey your rules!"

I turned around and calmly looked at him.

"Your Majesty, a country has its laws and a palace has its rules."

"She is your concubine and also my sister."

"My concubine taught her the rules for her own good."

"So that in the future you won't be rude and lose your majesty's face."

My words made Bui Triet choke. Perhaps he has never seen me with such a sharp tongue, yet so cold. Before, because of him, I could throw away all the rules. And now, I have picked them up and brought them back. The atmosphere in the palace froze to the extreme. Tham Lien stood next to her, tears in her eyes, not even daring to breathe loudly. After a long time, Bui Triet laughed coldly.

"Good... good for one sentence because I want to be good for her."

"In that case, the queen must also know that disobeying the king's orders will be a crime."

I slightly lowered my eyes.

"I don't dare."

"You dare!"

He shouted loudly.

"You want to go home? You want to leave the palace?"

"Tham Vi, where do you think the royal palace is? If you want to come, you can come, if you want to go, you can leave?"

I'm still silent. He stepped in front of me, grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up him. In the bottom of his eyes, there was a fire of anger that I couldn't understand, and there was also a trace of... panic.

"I tell you, don't you dare."

"For the rest of your life, don't dream of taking even a single step out of the Kun Ninh palace."

He jerked my chin away, turned around and roared at the eunuchs outside the palace.

"Pass on my will!"

"The Queen is confined to Kun Ninh palace, closed to reflect on herself!"

"Without my permission, do not step out of the palace!"

The eunuchs knelt down on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing their orders. After Bui Triet finished speaking, he didn't even glance at me, he pulled Tham Lien who was still stunned and strode away. The electric door was slammed shut, the lock was also locked tightly. Listening to the footsteps outside gradually disappear, I slowly walked to the window. It's almost dark. In this life, can I really leave? The close palace maid Xuan Dao cried and ran over.

"My lady, what should I do now?"

I shook my head, signaling her not to cry. I walked to my jewelry box, opened it, and took out a small, delicate key from the bottom compartment. After that, I opened the purple wooden chest that my mother had quietly stuffed for me on the day of marriage, but from beginning to end I never opened it once. There was no gold, silver or jewels inside. Just a simple set of men's clothes and a thick stack of bills. Place on top a piece of paper. On the piece of paper was the mother's familiar handwriting.

"Vi Vi, if one day you don't want to continue, then go home."