Chapter 1 — I tore up the marriage letter, the father knelt for three days and three nights

I tore up the marriage contract, my father knelt for three days and three nights. I knelt on the cold blue tile floor in the Tham family's street, my knees had completely lost consciousness, the altar was full of ancestral tablets, the incense smoke swirled around, making it impossible for me to see my ancestor's face clearly. My name is Tham Chieu Ninh, in the twelfth year of the Vinh Hoa Dai Ung era, on the twenty-third day of the December month, the night of Tieu Nien, my father sent someone to escort me from the street, forcing me to kneel and be punished.

“Chieu Ninh, do you admit your mistake?”

Tham Chinh Uyen's father's voice came from behind, carrying pent-up anger. I didn't turn my head, my voice was so calm that it seemed like I was telling someone else's story: "What's wrong with girls?"

"Mrs. Chieu Ninh, infatuated with Co Truong Dien for three years, shamelessly clinging to her, shameless, Co Thu's father remembered her old feelings so she never punished her, yet this woman was pushed forward, blocking the palanquin in the middle of the street, forcing her to marry a court official, truly the number one joke in the capital."

"What are you investigating? If it weren't for your indecent behavior, why would others deliberately write you down?" Father pointed straight at my nose, "Father Gu is young and talented, so many families are watching, you don't know how to restrain yourself, but instead you bring such disaster to the family -"

Father choked for a moment. I slowly stood up from the ground, a sharp pain shot through my knee, I gritted my teeth to resist, I had been kneeling for four hours, the door steps from my street were about to be worn out.

“My daughter has something to ask her father.”

“What else do you have?”

"The marriage letter from Co Truong Dien was delivered this afternoon," I pulled the letter out of my sleeve, the paper was grabbed by me until the edges were rough, "Dad, did you make me kneel down the street after receiving the letter, or did you make me kneel before receiving the letter?"

Father's face changed. He didn't expect me to ask this.

“Is there any difference?” he avoided my eyes.

"Have." I opened the letter, on it was Co Truong Dien's neat and neat handwriting, each word was like a blade ——

"Gong Dien's respectful judge: Truong Dien and the love marriage contract, are really a joke from the elders, should not be taken as real, now that Truong Dien is living in the royal court, he should choose a dignified and virtuous woman to be his consort. The love affair is unpredictable, he cannot handle the responsibilities of the father, the wedding contract is now ended, according to the letter, please return the concubine, I hope that Mr. Tham will forgive."

I read each word word by word, the sound echoed in the empty street. His father's face became more and more ugly.

“This is Co Truong Dien's writing, isn't it wrong?” I asked.

“Why are you reading these things!”

"I just want to know, is it only after receiving this letter that you feel that I have disgraced the Tham family, or did you already feel that I, this daughter, am not worthy of stepping out in front of others?"

Parents did not answer. I answered for him: "The letter was delivered this afternoon. Father, after reading the letter, he didn't even ask me a question, so he directly sent someone to escort me into the hallway. He was not angry at me for embarrassing the Tham family, but angry that Co Truong Dien had abandoned the marriage, and the Tham family could no longer maintain the relationship with the Patriarch."

“Insolent!” Father raised his hand and slapped him.

I don't dodge. My cheeks were burning, the corners of my lips were bleeding, I licked it, it tasted salty.

After that, I let go of my hand and came back from inside my shirt pulled out the marriage contract from that year, his fingertips clenched until they turned white, and used all his strength to tear it as hard as he could - A sharp "swoosh" sound rang out, and the marriage contract was instantly torn in half. Father stared at me with wide eyes, his face shocked. I tore it one more time, four times, eight times, until the marriage document that I once considered a treasure turned into a pile of pieces that could never be put back together. I raised my hand and threw it up, the shredded paper fell like snow all over the ground.

"Tham Chieu Ninh! You are crazy!"

“I'm not crazy.” I looked at the pieces of paper falling to the ground, falling in front of the ancestral tablets, and suddenly felt extremely relieved, "Dad, you're right, Father Co Thu is young and talented, I don't deserve him, but there's one thing you misunderstood - it's not that he, Co Truong Dien, doesn't need me, it's that I, Tham Chieu Ninh, don't need him anymore."

When I stepped out of the street, it was snowing heavily. Mother rushed to the second door, pulled my sleeve, her eyes were red:

“Chieu Ninh, you are a girl, where can you go once you leave home? Please be a little more humble, I will go and tell your father ——”

“Mother,” I held her hand, “that year when you married into the Tham family, did your grandfather also say something like ‘be a little more humble’?”

The mother's hand stiffened.