Chapter 4 — Golden Dream for a Lifetime, Hate for a Thousand Years

Again using the excuse of "colluding with the enemy to betray the country", he threw the entire Vinh Binh Hau palace into prison and massacred the entire clan. Before, I naively thought that he had long forgotten Tong Nhu Nguyet. Because during those years, I never realized the lies in his eyes or his feelings for me. It wasn't until my mother's family was exiled to the three clans that I realized - Not only had he never forgotten Tong Nhu Nguyet, but as the years passed, his hatred for me grew deeper. In this life, I don't fight or win. Just quietly complete their eternal relationship. 6. I don't know what sweet words Chu Huc Hanh used to coax Tong Nhu Nguyet. In just one short day, the person who yesterday sobbingly swore "one life, one couple", now happily complied, accepting to become a couple without any hesitation. However, Chu Huc Hanh really gave her enough face. Their wedding ceremony was even bigger than when he and I got married in the past. It is said that the bride price was all of the highest quality, draining nearly half of the King's palace treasury. Looking at that situation, it seems that it was not prepared for three meals and a half a day, but was planned a long time ago. Xuan Anh recounted that Tong Nhu Nguyet's wedding dress was cut and sewn from Thuc brocade, using gold thread for embroidery. Just embroidering patterns alone, even the three best embroiderers, would take more than half a year to complete. Chu Huc Hanh even went into the palace himself, knelt down and bowed his head, asking for her a first-class concubine title - That position, compared to me - a wife with an upright name - is even one level higher. Tieu Tieu Han, Doan Vuong palace. People came and went in the front yard, cheering loudly, firecrackers exploding jubilantly. The entire government was delighted to celebrate Chu Huc Hanh and Tong Nhu Nguyet. A group of his confidants guarded the backyard, keeping me under house arrest, afraid that I would go out and "disturb the fun". Chu Huc Hanh was probably afraid that I would change my mind and suddenly come and ruin the scene he was preparing. But we don't have time to worry about those things. I leisurely sipped the premium ice cream that Xuan Anh had just brewed, while reviewing the dowry book my mother had given me years ago, and checking the estate and shop that were still in hand. In my heart, I secretly calculated how to carry out my plan as soon as possible. In my previous life, I don't know how much this dowry of mine helped Chu Huc Hanh - Especially the road in the harem, it was all lined with my silver. Even Thuc Thai Phi - Chu Huc Hanh's mother - thanks to the amount of silver I gave her, in the years after the emperor's death, she still lived peacefully like when she was still loved. Thuc Thai Phi was originally the emperor's favorite royal concubine, but because she was favored, she was never compatible with the Queen. When the First Emperor died, the Queen Mother immediately oppressed her everywhere. If it weren't for me constantly coming to the palace to give money and gifts, I'm afraid her life would be no different from that of a concubine imprisoned in a cold palace. Yet, for those things, she never gave me a good word. On the contrary, with a cold face, he said I was full of money and despised me for coming from a merchant family. Only because it was the royal spear conferred by the emperor, she did not dare to openly embarrass her. But the mouth hates it, but the hand does not refuse. Occasionally, I even sent the palace maids to the Vuong palace to directly pick up the money checks. In my previous life, I was labeled a "jealous evil woman" and was not allowed to concubine When she entered the palace pregnant, she was laughed at countless times among noble ladies in the capital. Upon hearing the news, Princess Thuc deliberately summoned me to the palace and sternly scolded:

"Of course she is the daughter of Vinh Binh Hau's palace, but she doesn't even have tolerance. That woman has Hanh Nhi's flesh and blood, yet you don't take the initiative to welcome her into the palace!"

Having said that, she adjusted the cape made from northern fox fur that my elder brother hunted, and took a sip of the sparkling snow that I used to buy and offer as an offering. It's like I've forgotten all about her difficult years before I married into the Royal Palace. Currently, I calculate on the math table, checking each dowry, each acre of real estate. In this life, every coin, every piece of land, I will not let anyone get their hands on it. Living my life again, I clearly understand: Everything about husband, everything about love, everything is a bitch. Not as good as the property in our hands, which is what we can truly rely on. 7. Early the next morning, Xuan Anh helped me wash my face and comb my hair. She specially chose a gorgeous jade outfit for me, to highlight the temperament of an official royal concubine. On my head, she pinned all the pearls and ivory brooches, even the great Dong Hai pearl that my brother gave me on the day I got married, was also attached to my bun as a testament to my noble status. Not long after, Chu Huc Hanh took Tong Nhu Nguyet's hand and walked in. According to the rules, today is the first day after the wedding, she must come and offer tea to me - the main wife of the palace. Tong Nhu Nguyet was dressed in a gorgeous red bridal gown, her face was as red as peach, and her neck still showed a few dark red marks. My eyes briefly glanced at her belly — still flat, not seeing anything clearly. In her previous life, when she entered the palace, she was already more than two months pregnant. Having just gotten pregnant and still daring to be so careless, I couldn't help but laugh coldly in my heart. After the ceremony, Tong Nhu Nguyet pretended to respectfully offer me tea. I just want to quickly end this nauseating ritual, and save my mind for calculating the business at hand. But just as I was about to receive the cup of tea she offered - She suddenly "accidentally" tilted her hand, splashing hot tea on the back of her hand.

“Ah—” she cried out, her face looked like she couldn't believe it, she looked at me aggrievedly, “Your highness, you... why do you make things difficult for me?”

Chu Huc Hanh's face immediately darkened, he quickly bent down to lift her up, his cold eyes glaring straight at me:

"Why is the princess so cruel? I brought Nhu Nguyet back to the palace. If you have any resentment, just aim at me! Why do you need to torment her?"

All around, the servants were secretly looking this way, their eyes as if they were watching a good show. At this moment, Tong Nhu Nguyet was like a delicate white lotus flower destroyed by a strong wind, her body limply leaning against Chu Huc Hanh's arms, making people who didn't know the inside easily feel pity. She blinked, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice weak: "Sister Princess, I know it's hard for you to accept... But I and the Royal Family truly love each other... Love has no distinction between front and back... Those who are not loved... are the outsiders."