Chapter 24 — He said he wouldn't marry me until the Holy Order came down and he would go crazy

When the holy edict was brought to the To family palace, there was no one in the capital waiting to see my joke anymore. The noble ladies who had previously scolded me for being shameless and shameless, every time they saw me, they quietly moved aside. There are also people secretly gossiping that my fate is very good, following the wrong person for ten years, yet in the end I was still able to marry An Bac Vuong. After hearing those words, I just felt funny. Whether my fate is good or not, I don't know. We only know that there are paths that we take step by step. There were also times when I recognized the wrong person and could only cut it off with my own hands. One day before getting married, Tham Nghien Tu personally went to the To family's palace to deliver the bride price. He did not wear royal robes, only wore a dark-colored plainclothes. The bride-price procession stretched from the beginning of the street to the end of the alley. However, what is at the forefront of the bride-price procession is not gold, silver or jewels. It's an old wooden box. Inside that box were two items. One corner of the Crown Prince's jade pendant was chipped off. A cracked silver bell. Tham Nghien Tu stood in the hallway and brought the silver bell in front of me.

“To Van Nguyet.”

"That year, at the Nguyen Tieu lantern festival, I didn't have time to tell her my name."

“Today, I make up for it.”

“My name is Tham Nghien Tu.”

“It is King An Bac who guards the Northern border.”

“The same young man ten years ago, once wanted to take the silver bell to the Su family's mansion, just in exchange for a word of gratitude from her.”

I looked at the silver bell lying in his palm and suddenly smiled.

“So now, what do you want to ask for?”

He looked at me, his eyes so serious and solemn that it was like he was setting up military orders in front of three armies.

“Please...a yes.”

I reached out my hand to receive the silver bell. A gentle breeze blew through the hallway, the bell rang softly and elegantly. This time, we no longer recognize the wrong person.

“I agree.”

The following spring, An Bac Vuong's palace came to the To family's palace to welcome them. Tham Nghien Tu rode his horse to the gate of the To family's palace, and hundreds of flowers bloomed throughout the capital. I wore a red veil and heard Thanh La standing next to me crying softly.

“Miss, you have finally married someone truly worthy.”

The corners of my lips curled slightly into a smile. At the exact moment the palanquin was lifted up, the bell rang from afar. It was no longer the sound of funeral bells on the night of the forced confession that year. It is a song of auspiciousness that resounds amidst years of peace. I clutched the silver bell in my sleeve and heard Tham Nghien Tu standing outside the palanquin and whispering:

“Van Nguyet, I've come to pick you up.”

I replied softly.

“This time, let's not get lost anymore.”

He smiled.

“Never again.”

(END OF FULL TEXT)