Chapter 4 — He Thought I Was Still Waiting For His Palanquin, But The Divine Order Has Come To My Palace

Annulment—it's real. As soon as Tham Trac Nien returned to the palace, the retirement letter I had handwritten was brought to the door. He felt that the Shen family's dignity was humiliated, and that Du Tu Tam suddenly got sick, it was all my fault. He immediately tore up the annulment letter, threw it on the ground, and uttered a defiant sentence:

“If you want to cancel, cancel!”

When this servant returned to report, my heart was already cold, not even the slightest ripple remained. But that very night, he was beaten by Mr. Tham's family method, causing his skin to peel off and his flesh to fall off. The next day, the Tham family personally escorted Tham Trac Nien to the Lam family's mansion to admit his mistake.

"It's understandable for a young man to be temporarily confused. But after more than ten years of love, the two families have already settled down, so can you say it's abandoned?"

"We have already discussed that when the ice thaws, we will take Tu Tam back to Tan Chau. All mistakes are due to our family not teaching you strictly, causing Nhiem Nhi to suffer injustice."

"If we cancel the marriage, it's okay with A Nien. But you are a woman and have been labeled 'jealous', who will you marry in the future, and where will you marry?"

Tham Trac Nien also gingerly observed my face, his tone gently pleading:

"It's because I have blind eyes. If you want to scold me or hit me, I'll accept it, just please don't push me away. Nhiem Nhi, in my heart, I only have you, I've never thought about marrying someone else."

Just at that time, the king opened the royal apricot garden, inviting beautiful ladies in the capital to come enjoy the flowers. Old Master Tham saw that both sides had calmed down a bit, so he decided to let Tham Trac Nien take me sightseeing for a few days, intending for us to mend our relationship. The elders in the clan were worried that if I really annulled the marriage, the whole Lam family would be slandered by people, especially the unmarried women in the family would be implicated. They rushed to advise us:

"My childhood friend is not even married yet. Would it be better to marry an outsider?"

"If the Tham family truly wants to take Du Tu Tam away, and has old Mr. Tham and his wife as support, wouldn't it be easier to marry there?"

No need to love, just live peacefully - that's enough. Finally, I give in a step. Not because of Tham Trac Nien. It's because of the women in the clan, bound by morality and rites, strangled by the public opinion of this world. I never thought that on the second day on Mai Mountain, Du Tu Tam would come. She is a daughter-in-law, her name has never been recorded in the family tree, so how can she freely enter and leave the royal palace? Being stopped outside the gate, she could only stand in the cold wind, tears streaming down her face, crying until she lost her color. That scene did not make anyone feel sorry for her, but on the contrary, it angered a group of beautiful ladies who had long hated her. Among them, the female minister of the Trieu family - Trieu Minh Nguyet - was the most sarcastic:

"Is that a dog plaster again? Destroying someone else's childhood apricot tree, forcing the Tham family to condescend to bring a bride price to apologize in exchange for a chance to reward apricot, so why do you still have the audacity to chase after them?"

"With such detailed calculations, it's better to climb into bed first to finish the matter, but also to pretend to be a noble person."

"Just cry, it's so unlucky. I wonder if someone else in your family has just passed away?"

Amid the resounding laughter, a group of young girls passed by contemptuously, raised their heads and left want to look back. Du Tu Tam clenched his sleeves, trying to patiently swallow this humiliation. But - after Tham Trac Nien begged and pleaded, finally bringing her into the garden - she secretly pushed Trieu Minh Nguyet into the lake when she was alone. When she frantically ran away, she just happened to bump into me as she was coming. For a moment their eyes met, she trembled, her legs went weak, then... she pretended to faint again. Trieu Minh Nguyet was fortunate to be rescued in time, but because he was infected with wind and cold, he had to be immediately taken back to the capital for treatment that night. As for Tham Trac Nien, without asking the end or the end, without caring about the weight or light, he immediately tied the carriage in the middle of the heavy snow and hurried back to the capital - just to save his Du Tu Tam. I used the Tham family's invitation to enter the garden, so I could only go in and out with her. Yet on the way back to the capital, the carriage swaying in the snow, Tham Trac Nien, after a moment of silence, finally spoke again:

"Trieu Minh Nguyet has always been close to her. Now if she takes on this crime on Tu Tam's behalf, just say it was because she was playing too much and accidentally pushed her down, I'm afraid the Trieu family won't pursue it too deeply."