Chapter 10 — Going Thousand Years Later

I leaned my back against the antique display case, slowly sat down, trying to keep my mind awake. Her voice suddenly changed, becoming a plaintive cry, shrill like a ghost.

“Fish Clown... I died very miserably...!”

“His sword slashed straight down at my face…”

"I became like this because of him..."

“Ngu He, aren't you my good sister?”

“Look at me… do you dare look at me?”

“Hu hu— Ngu He, look at me… I'm in so much pain… I'm your good sister…”

"Fish Clown! Villain! It's all because of you! I became like this because of you! It's all because of you! I want you to die!"

Suddenly— The painting above my head shook slightly. It was as if an invisible force tore it from the wall. The silk sheet depicting her fell, as light as a dry leaf.

“Phew!”

A fire suddenly broke out. The fire swallowed the whole painting, burning every inch right in front of me. Ashes rotated in the air, crumbling like dust. Linh Nguyet's eyes suddenly flared with madness. It was as if she had just broken the chains that had imprisoned her for so long. In a split second— She lunged towards me! I just had time to see a white shadow cutting through the wind and rushing towards me. A pair of cold hands reached out, wanting to drag me to hell with her. Can't dodge in time. There's no way back. At that moment—

“King——!!”

A golden light exploded right between us. A sword stops her!

52

I dreamed a very long, very long dream. In the dream— On the big wedding night, when the whole city was lit up with lights, I married Little Marquis Huyen Chi as my wife. Three years have passed, and the blue poinciana flowers in the yard bloomed and withered three times. The last bloom— Little Marquis put on silver armor, mounted his horse, and left the capital to quell the riot. Not long after he left, I discovered I was pregnant. Day follows night, spring passes and autumn comes, time is like a bird rushing by. Half a year later, good news came from the front lines— The Little Marquis' family won a great victory! The Emperor was overjoyed, appointed him king, and gave him generous benefits. As for me, I can only wait for the day he returns. The night before the Little Marquis's return to the capital— A team of men and horses secretly came from the palace to the Marquis's residence. They killed all the servants and guards guarding along the road. They killed Tuong Duc. They killed Dao Dao. Then, they kicked the door into my room. The one taking the lead— is Princess Linh Nguyet. She grabbed my chin and forced me to drink a bowl of bitter medicine. And then... Both I and the child in my belly lost our lives together. I turned into an unjust ghost, loitering in the Marquis Palace and refusing to leave. A few days later— Little Marquis returned. I thought I could finally meet him again. But when I saw him… A strip of white silk covered his eyes. He was injured on the battlefield. Completely lost vision. And from that moment, Princess Linh Nguyet, with a voice eerily similar to mine, replaced me and became the person by his side. At this moment, I understood everything. Understand her plan. Realizing that— Little Marquis's loss of eyes was also part of her calculations.

53

I frantically surrounded Little Marquis, wanting to tell him— The person in front of him is not me! But I'm just an invisible ghost, no matter how loud I scream, he can't hear me. Lenh Nguyet imitates all of her habits Me, every gesture, every word is exactly the same. Between real and fake, how can he differentiate? Finally... Her hypocrisy was exposed the day she ordered the blue phoenix tree in the yard to be cut down. This green phoenix tree is a treasure in my heart. Three days after the big wedding, the Little Marquis ordered someone to transport it from a distant land to the capital, and I planted it myself. For three years, we spent countless moments together under that tree. That's why— This is also the thing that Linh Nguyet hates the most. Right before the moment the ax blade touched the tree trunk— Little Marquis stepped out from inside the mansion. He only wore a thin layer of clothing and slowly approached. Lenh Nguyet immediately smiled and welcomed him, her voice gentle:

“Huyen Chi, why are you out?”

The Little Marquis didn't say anything. He just raised his hand, little by little, gently caressing her forehead, down to the bridge of her nose, to the corner of her lips. I was in so much pain that I couldn't breathe. I want to scream! I want to tell him that she is not me! But the next moment— Everything happened completely beyond my expectations. Little Marquis quickly pulled out his sword from the guard next to him. A sharp sword slash, straight down from the top of Linh Nguyet's head!

“Phew—!”

Lin Nguyet's eyes widened in disbelief. A line of dark red blood ran down her beautiful face, tearing it into two perfect halves. She died tragically. It turns out, Little Marquis already knew that she was not me. That's right... People who sleep next to each other, sleep together, how can you be deceived just by relying on a voice? In the last April of those three years, the green phoenix tree bloomed, purple flowers covered the lake in the Marquis's mansion. But right in the middle of that gentle purple color, fresh blood flowed, dyeing the entire water surface red. Little Marquis ended it all himself. He chose for himself the same ending as my mother did—swinging his sword to commit suicide. Follow me until death.

54

I woke up startled and sat up in bed. Breathing rapidly, cold sweat formed on his forehead. I went home. The pressure on my chest gradually disappeared, but the sadness in my heart still did not subside. The bedroom door was pushed open. Dao Dao carried a small bowl of porridge and happily walked in. She was surprised and happily exclaimed:

“Are you awake?!”

I hastily asked:

“Where is Little Marquis?”

Dao Dao paused for a moment, then replied:

"The Marquis has returned first. He is about to pass on, it will probably be a long time before we see him again."

"Don't be afraid, Linh Nguyet is dead, she won't come back to look for you again..."

“Eh? Where are you going?!”

I got out of bed, put on my shoes, and without thinking, ran straight out. I took a taxi and reported the address of the old neighborhood that Little Marquis once took me to. Sitting in the car, my tears kept falling. The driver panicked and quickly asked:

"Girl, don't cry! You have urgent business, right? Let me run faster!"

Yes, very urgent. Just a second too late... It might not be enough. On the taxi's radio, news was broadcasting about the latest developments at the ancient tomb site after many days of investigation. The excavation of Lady Ngu He's tomb has sparked renewed interest in the royal tomb excavated thirty years ago. The experts decided to conduct research save again. And this time— They discovered a new secret. Archaeological techniques thirty years ago were limited. Therefore, no one realized that the stone stele in the mausoleum was cast in two layers. The inscriptions that posterity sees today were actually engraved later. The true content of the tombstone is still waiting to be clarified. Although there are no official results yet, there has been news revealed— Potentially, this truth will help clear the reputation of Zeng Zhaohou. Wash away the reputation of "the ungrateful lover", "the one who abandoned his wife and remarried", "who was buried with Princess Linh Nguyet". But I don't need to wait until the truth is revealed. Because I remember everything. I clearly know the truth hidden beneath that stone stele. After Little Marquis committed suicide, the royal family corrected everything. They buried Linh Nguyet with him, changed the epitaph, and made up a fake, perfect love story. They want to burnish Linh Nguyet's reputation, want history to recognize her as the last wife next to Little Marquis. Even though she was killed by the Little Marquis himself. They know it. But that's not important. Because, Linh Nguyet's obsession with Little Marquis has never stopped because of death. A thousand years have passed. Even though she was reincarnated as Nghi Dung, the person she hated the most— It was still only me.

55

Once again, I returned to the old town where the illusory door was located. In the winding, maze-like alleys, I couldn't find any clues, I could only run around frantically, tears constantly falling. Suddenly— The scene before my eyes changed. The alley suddenly opened up, as if a layer of fog had dissipated. Tang Chieu Marquis Palace, majestically appeared. The surroundings are quiet and majestic. The wind blows through the bamboo forest, the wind chimes under the eaves sway gently, ringing out the elegant sound of dings. ________________________________________

"Mysterious things are mysterious, they are wonderful."

The Tao Te Ching once wrote. Magical doors open to mysteries. As well as everything that happened between the past life and the present. I wiped the tears from my face and walked towards the large red gate. As soon as I pushed open the heavy door— Under the blooming green phoenix canopy, a figure wearing clothes as white as moonlight gently turned around to look at me. Little Marquis. The courtyard is still the courtyard of a thousand years ago. The person in front of him is still the same person from a thousand years ago. I rushed towards the door, without hesitation, without hesitation. The moment I crossed the threshold— Three thousand long strands of hair fell like a waterfall, my clothes fluttered, all the jewelry in my hair collided with each other, ringing clear sounds. All modern clothes have disappeared. Luxurious jade palace, pearl palace, dragon house and fish palace. I - after all, am still the Clown Fish. I raised my face, looked straight into his eyes, his voice rang out clearly—

“Little Marquis, I came to find you.”

End