Chapter 22 — Holy Order of Dowry

The chain of the dam gate was cut in half, the heavy iron gate was suspended in mid-air, emitting deafening creaking sounds. A black-topped boat was rushing out against the current. The stern of the boat hangs the green lantern of Thieu Palace. Under the blue light, someone was holding a long box. As soon as Han Than looked, his eyes were glued to that box. "The headquarters records are in there." The commander of the forbidden army immediately ordered to shoot arrows. A rain of arrows fell on the river surface. But on the black-roofed boat, iron shields were erected, and the arrowheads hit and shot out a series of sparks. Tieu Thua Canh spurred his horse forward, his tone was sharp and cold. "Open the dam gate." The gate guard knelt on the ground, blood smeared on his face. "Your Majesty, the dam gate chain is stuck." "Someone has poured iron sand into the facility." Tieu Thua Canh somersaulted off the horse and personally went to pull the spare pulley. The wound on his arm opened up, and the white cloth was immediately drenched in red blood. I stood on the riverbank, watching the boat inching closer and closer to the water gate. If it escapes the city, the waterway will be open to all four lands. Once the general ledger is lost, the most important page of the father's case will be torn out. Suddenly, we saw a small patrol boat anchored close to the shore. The boat's hull is narrow and the draft is shallow. I turned my head and asked the gate guard. "Can this boat chase?" The gate guard was stunned. "Your Highness, that boat is too light, the arrows on the river are dense." Han Than immediately blocked in front of me. "Eldest Miss, I'll go." I looked at his empty sleeve. "Uncle Han, you have to protect the evidence for me, not die for me." His eyes were red. "But you can't. Let's go." I stuffed the extra book into Mother Tan's arms. "If I don't get on the boat, they won't show the general ledger." Because what they are afraid of is me. I'm afraid I'll recognize every secret symbol my father left behind. I'm also afraid that I will spread this case from the backyard to the outside of the court. Hearing the noise, Tieu Thua Canh turned around. "Tham Van Chi." I ignored him, picked up my dress and stepped onto the small boat. The commander of the forbidden army immediately commanded two soldiers skilled in swimming to follow closely behind. Han Than gritted his teeth and jumped on another small boat. The bone-chilling wind blew across the river surface. The moment the small boat left the wharf, I heard the sound of Qin's mother crying and calling desperately on the shore. "Your Majesty." I did not turn back. Sure enough, the people on the black boat saw me. A man wearing a blue shirt stood at the back of the boat and turned around. He was in his mid-thirties, and his facial features resembled those of a soldier from the Ministry of Defense. He clutched the long box in his chest, smiling at me. "Sham Vuong Phi, do you not care if you live or die for the sake of these torn pieces of paper?" I clung to the side of the boat and coldly replied: "That's not torn paper." "That's the debt book that you owe to the spirits of the Western world." The smile on his lips disappeared. "The spirits are already dead." "The living are always dead." must move on." Han Than roared in anger. "Your father ate the blood of Western soldiers to get promoted, do you also deserve to talk about moving on?" The blue-shirted man raised his hand. The archers on the boat immediately aimed straight at me. The Forbidden Army immediately shielded itself in front of us. Before the arrow could be fired, a terrifying noise suddenly rang out on the shore. Tieu Thua Canh actually used a horse-drawn carriage to crash into the stone pillar next to the pulley. The stone pillar cracked, and the trapped iron-sand container also loosened. The gate guards all joined forces, and the iron gate crashed down loudly. If the black-topped boat continued to move forward, it would definitely be crushed to pieces by the iron gate. The blue-clothed man's face changed in horror. "Speed up." The boatman rowed frantically. Black boat

deflected and rushed towards the edge of the dam, intending to squeeze through the last gap. The small boat caught up close to the boat's stern. The soldiers threw iron hooks tightly onto the railing of the black-topped boat. The two boats collided violently with each other. I almost fell over. A man with a black mask jumped down, the tip of his knife aimed straight at my face. The army blocked the attack for me, but was shocked and took half a step back. Han Than's small boat also crashed from the side. With just one arm, he clung tightly to the side of the boat, just like a devil crawling back from an old battlefield. "The Tham family's army is here, who dares to escape." The blue-clothed man was finally flustered. He held up the long box, pretending like he was about to throw it into the river. "Go any further, I will destroy it." I stared at him. "You don't dare." He laughed. "Are you betting with me?" I raised my voice. "The outer layer of that box is the agarwood that my father used, if it falls into the water it won't sink, if it meets the fire it won't burn." "If you wanted to destroy it, you would have burned it earlier in Nam Kho." "You held it stubbornly and ran all the way to the end." Here, it's because you still have to use it in exchange for your life." The blue-clothed man's face suddenly turned pale. I took a step forward. "Your father told you to take the accounts and leave the city." "The Thieu palace let you stay behind." "But the Princess and the Lieu family are already under house arrest in the palace."