Chapter 10 — Hoa Mi Revenge of Vengeance

I stood up, picked up the new talisman on the table, and carefully folded it back as before.
“Along with the son you're hiding in Lieu Alley.”
"His name is Tham Thua An, right? Has he fallen ill recently?"
"The high fever won't go down? Even if I invite a few doctors to check it out, there's no way to cure it?"
Tham Thanh Van's mouth opened, but no words came out.
“If you want to tear up the talisman I exchanged, that's fine.”
I tucked the talisman back into my lap.
“But once you tear it away, that bird will lose its target, it will suck around.”
"At that time, not only will I attract you, but I will also attract your mother, and that Bach To To woman as well."
“Do you want to try it?”
I spent all night looking for Taoist Thanh Hu to confirm this statement. The old amulet has been lost, if the new amulet is also torn away, the Five-Colored Nightingale will turn into a wild horse with its bridle broken, and everyone who has ever come into contact with the owner of the birdcage will be affected. Tham Thanh Van did not dare to bet. He stared at me for a dozen breaths, without saying a word, then turned and walked away. Xuan Vu rushed out from the room: "Madam! He won't use violence, will he?"
"No."
I sat down and continued flipping through the books, "The thing he's most afraid of right now is not me, but that bird."
“So what will he do next?”
I thought for a moment, then turned to a new page.
“He will go find his people and think of a way to draw another talisman over it.”
"But Taoist Thanh Hu said, the Five-Colored Nightingale can only change its owner once in its entire life. It cannot be changed the second time."
“The more he struggled, the faster the bird sucked.”
Xuan Vu stroked his braid, his eyes widened in surprise: "Does that mean he's dead?"
“It's not over yet.”
My eyes went beyond the book page, towards the dark sky outside the window.
“In his hands, he has still held the power to manage the To family for the past three years.”
"The businesses of the shops are all in his hands, Manager Sun still listens to him, Patriarch's illness has not improved yet."
“If he lets his guard down, he can clean up the To family's stores and run away.”
"At that time, even if the bird sucked his luck, it would be useless, because the To family would have turned into a soulless corpse."
“So what should we do?”
“You have to be faster than him.”
I closed the book, "I will personally attend the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow." The Su family owns a permanent seat in the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce. This position has been passed down from the Thai family's generation and has never been interrupted for fifty years. In the past, it was Patriarch who attended, but since Patriarch fell ill, it was changed to Tham Thanh Van. If I want to go, I will have to face all the members of the merchant guild. However, the people in the chamber of commerce only recognized Tham Thanh Van, completely unaware of the eldest lady of the To family. The lunar conference was held at Tu Hien Lau in the city center. When I arrived, there were already a dozen people seated in the hall. All are famous Eastern families in Jiangnan, from silk, ceramics, to iron salt and food. Sitting in the upper chair was Treasurer Ma, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, and also Tham Thanh Van's closest ally over the past two years. As soon as I entered the door, the whispers in the lobby suddenly stopped. Shopkeeper Ma raised his head and looked at me: "Lady To is here? Isn't Brother Tham coming today?"
"The To family's chair, the To family comes to sit."
I walked over and sat down in the To family's position, neither arrogant nor flattery. A fat businessman wearing a brocade shirt sitting next to him burst out laughing:
"Does the Su family now let the wife take over as family? Does Brother Tham know about this?"
“The Su family has always been ruled by a member of the To family.”

As soon as these words were uttered, the hall became quiet again. Several businessmen close to Tham Thanh Van looked at each other, the smiles on their faces gradually shrinking. I did not participate much in the content of the monthly meeting. Firstly, because I don't know these people, secondly, the purpose of my coming today is not to discuss matters, but to show off. Let everyone know that the To family still has a To Van Ngam, not just Tham Thanh Van. When we dispersed, a short, middle-aged man from the back row quickly chased after me.
“Miss To Dai, please stop.”
I turned back to look at him. Strange face. But his posture when clasping his hands in ceremony was very respectful, not seeming to look down on others.
"This is Luc Truong Thanh, father Luc Hanh Vien is an old friend of the Old Lady."
Luc Hanh Vien. I ran through this name in my head. An old friend from the Patriarch's time, specializing in waterway business, in the past he helped the To family run boats for more than ten years. Later, when he was old and weak, he retired and left the business to his son to manage.
“Six Young Master.” I nodded in response.
“Seeing Eldest Miss come here today, I was really a bit surprised.”
Luc Truong Thanh rubbed his hands, looking like he was considering his words.
"A few days ago, my father heard that the old lady was not feeling well and always wanted to come visit, but brother Tham replied that it was inconvenient."
“If Eldest Miss finds it convenient, could you arrange a meeting for me?”
Isn't it convenient? Did Tham Thanh Van stop everyone who wanted to visit the Patriarch? I looked closely at Luc Truong Thanh's eyes. Small but sharp, when talking, the corner of his mouth always smiles, but behind that smile is a careful and thoughtful intelligence.
"Three days later in the morning, go through the side door of the West Courtyard. I will send someone to welcome you."
Luc Truong Thanh paused for a moment, then nodded and clasped his hands to say goodbye. Returning to the Su family's main courtyard, Tham Thanh Van indeed knew about my coming to the chamber of commerce. He didn't come to find me, but that night, Mrs. Tham appeared again. As soon as she entered the door, she slammed her cane on the tile floor, her high-pitched voice as if it wanted to puncture the window paper.
“Are you running to the merchant guild to make fun of me?”
"A woman who already has a husband, is shyly showing her face among men, don't you think the To family is embarrassing enough?"
“Where do you keep Thanh Van's face hidden?”
I sat motionless in front of the table, waiting for her to finish venting, then took advantage of the moment she took a breath to insert a sentence.
“The To family's face is earned by the To family themselves.”
"The seat in the Chamber of Commerce was earned by my ancestors with their sweat and tears. My coming to sit is a matter of heaven and earth."
“If the mother-in-law feels like she's losing face, then take good care of that guy who specializes in stealing things from the Su family's warehouse.”
Old Lady Tham's face suddenly became the color of pig liver. She raised her stick and was about to smash something, but Bach To To, standing outside the door, quickly stopped her.
"Uncle, don't get angry and harm the dragon's body, it's not worth it."

Bach To To's voice was soft, helping old lady Tham out. As she passed my face, she lifted her eyelids and glanced at them, then quickly lowered them. Her hand still maintained the familiar curved position as if holding something. It's just that today, on the tip of her finger, there is a red string, the other end of the string is not known where it is tied. The room door closed. Xuan Vu stepped forward from behind, clutching a piece of rag in his hand. She wiped over and over again the place on the table that had just been hit by Mrs. Tham's cane, her lips biting so hard that they turned white. I don't care about your resentment. I'm busy thinking about Luc Truong Thanh's words. Tham Thanh Van stopped everyone who wanted to visit the Patriarch. Not only is he seizing power, he is also cutting off all connections between the Su family and the outside world. An isolated Su family is the only Su family he can completely swallow. And my coming to the Chamber of Commerce today has torn a hole in his siege. Although the hole wasn't big, it was enough to make him feel guilty. The day Luc Hanh Vien visited the Patriarch, Tham Thanh Van was not at the To family. He was called away early by Treasurer Ma, saying there was an urgent business matter to discuss. This opportunity is too coincidental. It's so coincidental that it makes me doubt whether someone intentionally sent him away or not. Luc Hanh Vien is in his seventies this year, his hair is white, but his body is still strong, he walks without needing anyone to help him. He stood silently in front of the Patriarch's bed for a long time, not saying a word, just staring at his yellow face.
"The old man's spirit is not as good as before." He finally spoke, his voice deep and sad.
“When will you be busy first?” I stood next to him and asked quietly.
"Three years ago. On the day Co Tham joined the dynasty, I came to have a cup of wine to celebrate."
"At that time, the old man was still holding a bowl of wine to toast all the tables in the yard, his energy was very full."
"We haven't seen each other for three years, why are we so haggard?"
I did not answer.