Chapter 3 — I Am No Longer His Burden, But He Refuses To Let Go

I don't want to hear the sadness in those sighs. Clearly there is no longer any possibility between me and Van Chu. Yet there seem to be more people who are heartbroken than me. I pointed at a painting and said softly:

“Mother, I want to meet this young master.”

The mother was slightly stunned, bowed her head and looked closely at the painting one more time, then slowly spoke:

"This person currently only holds a fifth-rank position, and his appearance is considered decent. It's just a pity that his mother is seriously ill all year round, and his family background is not very prosperous. Furthermore, he has a cold personality, does not like to socialize, has few people close to him, and many people who have offended him. If I marry there, I'm afraid I will have to endure a lot of hardships."

I quietly looked at the people in the painting. Her appearance is elegant and her expression is calm, like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. After a while, I quietly replied:

"Let's meet once first. Who knows... it could be a good relationship."

Mother frowned slightly and looked at me for a long time as if trying to gauge something. In the end, he just nodded slightly and sent someone to make arrangements. A few days later, right when Tran So Ngon was on leave from court, he and I arranged to meet at a tea house. The real person is even more handsome than in the painting, it's just that there always seems to be a trace of fatigue that's hard to hide between his eyebrows. As soon as he saw me, he was stunned. I coughed lightly and he suddenly woke up, immediately stood up, clasped his hands and bowed. The two sat opposite each other at the tea table. The maid offered tea and then retreated, but from beginning to end, he still slightly lowered his eyes, never looking directly at me once. I also didn't say a word. For a moment, the atmosphere between the two was somewhat awkward. In the end, it was still him who spoke first:

"Young lady is the golden king of Master Ngu, with an outstanding appearance and a noble status. She should be worthy of a talented person. As for me... I'm afraid I'm not qualified to climb high."

It seems that he was forced by my father to come here, he didn't want to come here. I just smiled slightly, raised my hand to pour tea, and said in a gentle voice:

"It seems that I haven't caught the eye of Lord Tran. But if we can't form a relationship as husband and wife, then a 'good relationship' wouldn't be bad."

Tran So Ngon frowned slightly, looking at me suspiciously. I opened the embroidered bag at my side, took out a jade token, and gently pushed it in front of him.

"I have heard that Lord Tran is filial and filial. He worked hard to study to enter the court and serve as an official, while also taking care of his mother."

I smiled and said in a gentle voice.

"The old physician Lam of the Hanh Xuan Cac pharmacy is an old friend of my father. This jade tablet was given to him personally by that old man. If Lord Tran brings it to find him, he will personally treat the leader."

Lao Lam used to work as a royal physician in the palace. After retiring, he opened a medical shop in the capital, specializing in teaching students and examining patients. However, it has been a long time since he stopped taking pulses and treating outsiders. Tran So Ngon's expression changed slightly, his eyes immediately hesitated and became alert:

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss. It's just... it's useless."

I sighed softly:

“This time I want to make friends with Lord Tran, there is indeed some reason.”

Unlike what I expected, he did not show any surprise, on the contrary, he relaxed somewhat.

"My father, as a royal historian, supervised hundreds of officials every day. I don't know how many people he offended. His personality was upright and did not know how to be flexible, but now It's okay, but in the future... I'm afraid it will be difficult to avoid disaster.

I just think, if one day something really happens, having someone willing to stand up and say a few words for you would be enough.” I'm lying. The reason why I became friends with you was not because I wanted to ask any favors for my father. My father has been in the court for many years, he has many enemies and many friends. Even if he wanted to, Tran So Ngon wouldn't be able to help. Because when my father was demoted and exiled, he was secretly demoted and sent to U Chau to become a governor because he offended others. He was thinking, eyes glued to the tea cup on the table, not speaking for a long time. I don't push, because I know - you are a filial person. Sure enough, after a moment of consideration, he reached out to receive the jade tablet, then raised the tea cup in return:

"Today's kindness, I will keep it in my heart."

After the conversation was over, I put on my bamboo hat and left the tea house with him. He walked me to the carriage, I got in, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and looked back:

“The sun is already setting, Sir Tran early returned to his palace to rest. If you encounter a difficult situation, you can send a letter to the Lac family's palace."

He nodded slightly.