Chapter 23 — I choose Ninh Vuong in the middle of Kim Loan Palace

This time there was no main door of the Eastern Palace, no dignity that the Ministry of Rites tried to support, and no sour and thorny eyes of noble ladies throughout the capital. But in front of Ninh Vuong Palace's door, representatives of the former subordinates of 300,000 Northern soldiers stood down the long street all the way to the main door of the Royal Palace. They clasped their hands in ceremony and in unison called me Vuong Phi. The sound was so shocking that red silk ribbons fluttered in the wind. My father personally helped me into the palanquin. Mother adjusted my head scarf, tears falling on the back of her hand. "Minh Duong, you must live well in the future." I held her hand. "My daughter will live well." Before the palanquin curtain fell, I saw a figure standing on a high floor towards the imperial city. Black dragon robe, lonely. He stood from afar looking this way, as if he was looking at an old dream that could never be caught up. I withdrew my gaze. There is no attachment. In Ninh Vuong Palace, Tieu Nghien personally held my hand to help me get off the palanquin. His palm was warm, much stronger than the cold hand in the snow seven years ago. In the wedding hall, on a high position, the tablets of Emperor Dai Hanh and old Ninh Vuong Phi were placed. The Queen Mother did not come personally, but gave her a box of agarwood and pearls. She said, broken pearls cannot be strung back into old beads, but can be ground into incense, protecting the newlyweds in eternal peace. After worshiping, Tieu Nghien lifted my headscarf. In the red candlelight, he looked at me for a long time. "Ta Minh Duong." "Yes." "Seven years ago you told me not to turn around." I smiled. "Didn't you listen?" He took out the old piece of jade from his chest. The other half is quietly lying in the palm of my hand. The two pieces of jade are put together, the gap is completely coincident. Tieu Nghien said in a low voice: "At that time, if I turned around, I would only be able to lead the pursuing soldiers to you." "So I went to the Northern Realm, killing people for seven years." "I want one day, when I stand in front of you again, I am no longer the teenager whose life you saved." "But a person who can protect you for life." My eye sockets suddenly heated up. He tied the completed piece of jade to my waist. "Have you done it now?" I looked at him and said softly: "It's done." Outside the window, the rain had stopped. In the dark of night, a newspaper from the palace was brought to Ninh Vuong Palace, saying that Tieu Thua Duc's injury had recurred, he had decided not to establish a queen for three years, and the court would be led by the Queen Mother and the third assistant. After reading it, Tieu Nghien just put the letter in the candle. The ash rolled up and fell down. He asked me: "Do you want to reply?" I shook my head. "The old story is over, no need to turn back." Tieu Nghien smiled, reaching out to remove the golden hairpin from my hair. Red candles burn until dawn. Many years later, in the capital, there are still people who talk about the storm on that coronation day. They said that the new emperor mistakenly established Thanh Mai as the queen, almost shaking the country. It is also said that the Ta family's daughter changed her mind to marry Ninh Vuong right in the main hall, which changed a prosperous fate. But what I remember most clearly is not Kim Loan Palace, not the phoenix mandarin, nor the edict that came too late. I only remember that after a rainy night in the Eastern Palace, there was a person who had overcome seven years of wind and snow, standing in the middle of the silent hall, telling me that he was satisfied. And we finally understand. The most precious thing in a person's life is never the aftertaste promised by someone else. It's that after having your face crushed, you still have the courage to choose where you want to return.