Chapter 11 — In my previous life, I fought for three generations of queens, but in this life I just want to eat my fill

He recognized me.

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty…” I stiffened in his arms, my voice trembling. "Sir...what are you talking about? I don't understand..."

“Stop pretending.” His arms tightened, his chin rested on the top of my hair, his voice lowered. "Oil dregs sprinkled with salt and pepper, rice mixed with lard, jade brooch glued, distinguishing phoenix dabs... there's also the sentence just now, 'afraid of living differently than yourself'..."

“Besides her, who else is there?”

“In my previous life, before I died, you also told me that…” His voice was noticeably hoarse. "She said she had struggled all her life, only to discover in the end that the person alive who was most unlike herself... was herself..."

My body completely stiffens. A sudden sourness rose up the bridge of my nose. Past life before death... Tieu Dien? Has he ever come to see me? At that time, I was tortured by poison until my mind was blurred, and in my memory, only the fake face of my adopted son remained...

“That cup of Khien Co poison… was not given by me.” Tieu Dien's voice was heavy with pain and regret. "At that time... I was tied up by the court, and blinded by that evil man... by the time I could run over... it was too late..."

"Van Thu... it's my fault to you..."

The hot drop fell onto the hollow of my neck, so hot that it made my skin sting. I stood there stiffly, letting him hug me. The images of my past life and current life in my head are chaotically interwoven: his coldness, his distance, his tolerance for my adopted son... and the cup of poisoned wine that ended that life... I used to hate him. But at this moment, feeling his body tremble uncontrollably, hearing the choking sound being squeezed in his throat, the resentment accumulated over those two lifetimes was like ice and snow meeting the sun, silently melting away. There's only a vast, endless void left... and a secret sadness that we don't even want to admit.

“Let me go.” My voice is very light, but cold.

Tieu Dien's body stopped, his arms slowly loosened. He lowered his head to look at me, his eyes were red, in his deep eyes there were so many complex emotions: crazy joy, torment, pain, along with cautious and cautious expectations.

“Your Majesty, you have mistaken the person.” I took a step back, widened the distance, lowered my eyelids to hide all my emotions. "The slave's name is Tham Van Thu. He is sixteen years old this year. He has just entered the palace not long ago. He does not understand what His Majesty is saying about past lives or future generations."

"This servant just wants to live peacefully and peacefully, and does not want to be caught up in any scandals. Please, Your Majesty... please be fulfilled."

I bowed and bowed deeply. The posture is humble, but within it carries an unshakable distance and resistance. The light in Tieu Dien's eyes immediately dimmed, as if a basin of cold water had been poured straight into him. He looked at me quietly, with hurt and disappointment in his eyes, but most of all there was a stubborn refusal to let go.

“Are you okay?” He slightly curled his lips, giving a bitter smile. “In this deep palace, without my protection, how long do you think you can stay safe?”

"Today it's Lady Dung, tomorrow it could be someone else. Her talent cannot be hidden, troubles can only continue endlessly."

He took a step forward, his voice low and strangely serious.

“Give me a chance.”

“A chance… to make amends.”

“This time, I will protect you.”

“You can live however you want to live.”

I look up His head raised, his eyes went straight to those deep pupils. In it was unprecedented seriousness... and an undisguised plea. A noble and noble emperor is begging a woman of low status in the harem to forgive him and give him a chance. It's wild. But it's also undeniably true. I looked at him, for a long time. So long that the candlelight was almost gone. It was so long that the sound of drum watches could be heard vaguely outside the palace. Finally, I sighed softly.

“The crispy shell crab cakes just came out of the oven… if they cool down, they won't taste good anymore.”

Tieu Dien was stunned. Immediately afterwards, an incredibly bright light flared in his eyes. That light almost wiped out all the darkness and loneliness in the palace. He suddenly turned around and almost shouted towards the outside of the palace:

"Phuc An! Spread the good news! Bring... bring all the crispy crab cakes here! They must be still hot!"

In his voice, there was crazy joy because what was lost has now been found again. I looked at him hastily like a teenager and suddenly felt a little funny. The string was tight in my heart, but for some reason, it loosened a little. If it can't be avoided... How about... change to another way of "giving up"? Having the emperor as support seems... not bad? At least, lard will never be lacking. Life seems to have changed, but it also seems to be the same. Emperor Tieu Dien visited Thinh Truc Hien once every few days. Sometimes it was meal time, he smelled the food and then came, righteously sitting down to eat some rice mixed with lard and roasted pork fat with salt. Sometimes in the afternoon, he held a stack of notebooks, occupied my only comfortable bench, and said solemnly: "This place is quiet, very suitable for thinking."