Chapter 12 — In my previous life, I fought for three generations of queens, but in this life I just want to eat my fill

He also said solemnly: "I came to show off the people's feelings and see how poor my talented man lives." The mouth thinks the tea is rough, but drinking it is cleaner than anyone else. Xuan Dao and Tieu Man were shaking like crazy at first, but gradually got used to it, even daring to stand next to the emperor and whispering about whether today's vegetables were salty or bland. The concubines in the harem were all so jealous that their eyes turned red. But no one dares to easily touch me anymore. Quy Nhan Dung (formerly known as Dung Quan) is still under detention. On the Queen's side, since the incident at Phuong Nghi Palace, it has been strangely quiet, as if nothing had ever happened. Tieu Dien seems to really be keeping his promise. He gave me a specially made belt, allowing me to freely enter and exit the palace, including the Archives Pavilion and... the backroom of the Ngu Thien Room (this was because I insisted on it). The reward? She has long since stopped following her identity as a Thai woman. Thinh Truc Hien suddenly became a place that existed beyond all the usual rules of the harem. I still rarely pay attention to Tieu Dien. He said ten sentences, and I replied with three, which was a lot. Mostly it's just "yeah", "oh", "I know". He approved the chapter, I sat next to him reading tattered audiobooks, or researching new dishes. There was a time when he suddenly asked me about court affairs, but I didn't even bother to lift my eyelids:

"The harem is not allowed to interfere in political affairs. Your Majesty should be careful with what you say."

Choking him to the point of being speechless. Yet he wasn't angry, he just looked at me and smiled, his eyes so gentle that they could drown others. Today, he came again. In his hand, he carried a small basket filled with golden tangerines that had just been donated.

“Van Thu, try it, the Linh Nam tangerine just arrived, very sweet.”

I was lying on the sofa next to the window (he had someone replace it), basking in the sun. Hearing that, I just lazily opened my eyes:

“It's hot inside, don't eat.”

He naturally pulled up a low chair and sat down, picked up a tangerine, and leisurely peeled it. Long, slender fingers deftly peeled off the orange peel, revealing each plump tangerine segment inside, and even the white fibers were removed cleanly. Then, he brought the peeled tangerine segment to my mouth.

“Taste it, just one segment.”

Looking at his hand still persistently reaching out, along with that sparkling tangerine, I hesitated a bit, and finally opened my mouth and bit the tangerine. The cool sweetness immediately spreads in the mouth. It's very sweet indeed. He smiled, his eyes crooked, looking like a child who had just been given candy.

“Is it sweet?”

“Can I have another slice?”

He didn't force him and ate the remaining tangerines himself. Sunlight passed through the window bars and fell on his body, covering him with a warm golden rim. The outline of his face in that halo of light became strangely gentle. The palace is very quiet. There was only the sound of him gently turning the pages of a book (the leisure book he brought along), and the sound of me leisurely chewing melon seeds. For some reason, a strange feeling of... harmony arose.

“Van Thu.” He suddenly spoke, his voice very soft.

"In this life, don't be the Queen Mother anymore." He looked at the swaying bamboo shadow outside the window, his voice was calm but carried a determination that did not allow for rebuttal. “Be my queen.”

“Phuong seal, I leave it to you.”

“How do you want to manage it? That's the way it is, you can be lazy no matter how lazy you want to be."

“Even if the sky falls, I will support you.”

My movement of chewing melon seeds suddenly stopped. I turned my head to look at him. He was still looking out the window, his profile was somewhat tense, his ears... seemed a little red? Sunlight fell on his long eyelashes, leaving a small shadow. I looked at him for a long time. Then slowly withdrew his gaze and continued to leisurely chew his melon seeds.

“Being a queen?”

“Not in the mood.”

Tieu Dien suddenly turned his head and glared at me, his expression both stunned and... hurt? I spit out the melon seed shells, brushed my hands off, stood up and took a long stretch. The sun shines on us, making us warm everywhere, making our bones soft. I walked in front of him, looking down from above (he was still sitting on the low chair).

“Yes?” He looked up, his eyes still filled with self-pity.

“Next time,” I pointed to the basket of tangerines he brought, “remember to bring more.”

“Also,” I added, “the lard is almost gone.”

“It's all according to her wishes.”

“The Queen… only knows how to show off my laziness.”

Outside the window, the bamboo shadow swayed and the wind passed by without a sound. It's sunny and warm, like no storm has ever passed. (FULL TEXT)