Chapter 1 — He Forced Me to Raise Bach Nguyet Quang's Children, I Returned Him a Leave of Separation

“This is the child left behind after she passed away, you should raise it.”

Thanh Xu, his white moonlight, the woman who died in his arms. I looked at the baby, raised my head and asked:

“What if I don't want it?”

His face was cold:

"Then let's separate, it's your choice."

I laughed coldly. Seven days later, he broke the door and rushed in, seeing the Marquis's palace empty, with a sealed letter of separation. In that moment, he was completely stunned. When Tham Dinh Chu walked in the door, he was holding a baby still in diapers. The snowy wind rushed in from behind him, blowing the candle on the table and suddenly jumping up. My eyes passed over his shoulder covered in mysterious clothes and fell on the brocade bundle in his arms.

“This is Niem An.”

He opened his mouth, his voice carrying a tired gentleness. That kind of gentleness, I have never heard from him before. He walked closer and placed the tiny baby in my arms. The child carried a faint scent of milk, mixed with the cold air outside.

“The son of Co Thanh An.”

He added another sentence, his eyes red.

“Later she raised it.”

My fingertips stiffened at the edge of my diaper. Miss Thanh An. He gave that woman's orphan child such a name. I lowered my eyes to look at the baby's sleeping face, then raised my head to look at him.

“If I don't want to.”

His face immediately turned cold, the remaining gentleness disappeared without a trace.

“Jiang Xu, I'm not negotiating with you.”

He pulled out a soft towel from his waist and wiped his fingertips, as if he had just touched something dirty.

"Either raise it, or get along, you choose."

The child in my arms moved slightly, as if about to wake up. I carefully placed it back into Tham Dinh Chu's hands little by little. His hand stopped in midair, his eyes filled with disbelief. I speak, my voice is not loud, but in this quiet room, every word is extremely clear. He stared at me, like he was meeting me for the first time.

“Can you say it again?”

“When did Marquis's ears become so bad?”

I slightly raised the corners of my lips.

“I said, I choose peace.”

He was so angry that he burst out laughing, with one hand he stuffed the baby into the nanny's lap next to him.

“Okay, very good.”

He said two words "okay" in succession, waved his sleeves and turned around.

“Jiang Xu, I will give you seven days to calm you down.”

He stopped for a moment, tilted his face to the side, the contempt in his eyes was like cold shards of ice.

“Think carefully and then come and beg me.”

The door was slammed shut by him with such force that the dust on the couch also fell into a thin layer. I stood there, not moving for a long time. I beg you? Tham Dinh Chu, you will never be able to wait for that day.

"Equinox."

I called softly. My close maid quickly walked out of the room, a worried look on her face.

“Madam…”

“Go get my seal.”

I interrupted her. Xuan Equi was momentarily stunned.

“Also, bring the original book with my dowry list here.”

She looked at me, her eyes turned from worry to surprise, and finally turned into a kind of determined calm. She didn't ask anything else, just nodded heavily.

“Yes, ma'am.”

Enough for me to uproot myself from this prison cage called Marquis, completely clean so as not to leave any traces. The second day, Tham Dinh Chu did not come. The third day, he still didn't come. He was probably really waiting, waiting for me to beg him. Thuy Yen, the maid that Co Thanh An left behind, has been especially diligently hovering in front of me these past few days. She would "accidentally" remind me in front of me how much Marquis loved that child, personally hugging and comforting him, staying up all night to take care of him.

"Madam, you don't know, the young master really looks a lot like An Concubine when he grows up. As soon as the Marquis sees him, his eyes cannot be moved away."

She picked up food for me and used the corner of her eye to secretly see my reaction. Without expression, I picked up a chopstick of green vegetables and put it in my mouth. Seeing that my reaction was too calm, she added another sentence:

"The Marquis also said that when the little master is a little older, he will invite the best master to come and teach him. The future of the Marquis Palace is all the little master's."