Chapter 5 — Judge's Debt Book

Behind him, more than twenty families and households crowded in, each holding a long stick in his hand, his body strong and strong. They divided into two lines, surrounding the entire main hall to the point where not even a drop of water could get through. Concubine Lieu's face immediately turned pale. "You... what do you want to do?" She jumped up from the chair and shouted in a serious voice: "Who let you in here? Where are you? Where are you!" She screamed hoarsely for a long time, except for the family standing behind Lam Bach, no one responded. "Stop calling." I said: "In this palace, there have been no more people of yours for a long time."07 Lam Bach was an orphan that I took in when I was ten years old. That day, when I returned to the palace from the pharmacy, I saw a skinny teenager lying under the corner of the wall outside the palace gate. Heavy snow was flying across the sky, his body was only wrapped in a thin, tattered set of clothes, his lips were cold to the point of turning purple, he was curled up there, like a stray dog that had been abandoned. The butler stepped up to chase him away: "Where did you come from, that beggar, why don't you get out of here!" I stopped him. I squatted down and looked into the teenager's eyes. He was about eleven or twelve years old, his face was extremely dirty. But those eyes contained hunger, fear, and an aggression that refused to go away even when forced into a corner. Like a caged little wolf. Just like me when I was six years old. "What's your name?" I asked. He looked up at me, his voice hoarse: "Lin Bach." "Why are you here?" "...Parents are dead, there's nowhere to go." I looked at him for a long time. He also looked at me, not avoiding me at all. "Are you willing to follow me?" I said. He was stunned for a long time, then slowly nodded. I took him to the palace, ordered the servants to bathe him, change his clothes, and feed him a full meal. It wasn't until he was cleaned that I discovered that this child had a delicate appearance, but was just too skinny, looking as thin as a piece of paper. I asked him: "Are you afraid of suffering?" "Not afraid." "Whatever I tell you to do, you will do it?" "Do anything." "Okay." I said: "I want you to learn martial arts. I do not raise idle people. You must become a sword, a sword that only obeys my orders." He did not hesitate: "Okay." I invited the best martial artist in the palace to teach him. At first, the martial arts master refused to teach, saying that a beggar picking it up was not worth the effort. Without saying anything unnecessary, I took out a bar of silver from my monthly spending money and placed it on the table. The martial artist accepted it. Later, the truth proved that we had found the treasure. Lam Bach's talent is very high, yet he is willing to risk his life. Others practice for one hour, he practices for three hours. Others complained of suffering and tiredness, but he gritted his teeth but didn't make a sound. Three years later, he became the best martial artist among all the families in the palace. Five years later, I let him be the head of the family. By the time I was sixteen years old, all the households, families and gatekeepers in the palace only followed his orders. But Concubine Lieu was completely unaware. Before that, she was busy competing for favor in front of her father, busy preventing other women from approaching her father, busy exhausting her father's body. Later, she was busy serving her father on the hospital bed, busy thinking about what to do after his father died. This state palace, on the surface, belongs to Concubine Liu, but in reality has long changed owners. 08 Concubine Liu's face was pale, her lips trembling. She looked at Lam Bach, then at the family staring at her like a tiger stalking its prey, finally stopping her eyes on her, her eyes filled with disbelief: "These people... when did you start..." "Six years ago." I said. "In the winter six years ago, I picked up a child who was about to freeze to death outside the palace gate." "Now he is the leader of all the families in the palace."

"Auntie Liu's face turned white little by little. Her eyes continuously glanced between me and Lam Bach, finally realizing something that she had never thought of. In the past ten years, the second girl that she had never seen was not doing nothing. I am waiting. Waiting for an opportunity. "Tham Lan Thu! You are just a junior, on what basis..." "Based on the fact that I am the daughter of the Tham family." I interrupted her, taking a step forward. "Based on the fact that the blood of the Tham family flows in my body. Based on this Tham family. Based on the fact that I am the only righteous person in the palace." "What about you?" I tilted my head slightly, looking at her like I was looking at a worthless decoration: "What are you?" "You are just a concubine, a woman brought back from the peaceful willow alley. When the duke was still alive, you could rely on his favor to do mischievous things." "Now that he's gone..." I walked up to her, our eyes looked at each other, my voice was as light as a feather falling on the blade of a knife: "You are nothing anymore."