Chapter 14 — Kieu Hoa went to the wrong door, I don't want to go back

When the palace gate opened again, there was a faint smell of smoke in the night wind. I stepped onto the carriage, Thanh Chi following closely beside me, his palms full of sweat. She lowered her voice.

"Miss, the study in the old house is on fire. Can that key open anything else?"

I look at the shadow of the palace wall receding quickly outside the window.

“If that thing was really important, it wouldn't just be kept in a wooden cabinet.”

“But what if it burned down?”

“So the arsonist will also not be able to rest assured.”

Thanh Chi doesn't understand. I said softly:

"The more anxious he is to start a fire, the more it proves that there is something in there that he doesn't want others to see."

The horse carriage rushed all the way. The night curfew had already begun, and when the patrolling Marquis saw the royal palace's beacon, they all simultaneously moved aside. In the distance, firelight dyed half of the night sky red. The Co family's mansion is located in a quiet alley in the east of the city. As soon as I got out of the car, I heard the sound of tiles breaking and cracking. The fire in Dong Vien has been controlled, but thick smoke is still billowing from the half-burnt rafters. Co Hoai Nghien stood in front of the gate, for the first time a clear cold expression appeared on his face. That was not the cold, distant attitude of the Thai Pho palace. It felt like someone reached out to touch the core that he buried deep in old stories. The angel wore a dark-colored cloak and stood in the middle of the guard's circle of protection.

“Can the library still come in?”

The official of Kinh Trieu palace wiped his sweat as he walked up.

"Informing Your Majesty, half of the outer space has collapsed, the interior is still there, just very thick smoke."

Co Hoai Nghien said:

“God comes in.”

Luc Thua Uyen immediately spoke up:

“I'll go with you.”

Co Hoai Nghien looked at him and did not refuse. I also took a step forward. Thanh Chi panicked and pulled me.

“Miss!”

Co Hoai Nghien turned his head.

“She is outside.”

“The key was left behind by my mother.”

“During the fire, the rafters collapsed.”

“I'm not trying to show off.”

I look at him.

“If the cabinet is gone, maybe we can still recognize other things.”

Co Hoai Nghien was silent for a moment. The angel suddenly spoke up:

“Let her go.”

“I also want to see, after all, this key is tied to several people's lives.”

The guard brought wet towels. I used a wet towel to cover my mouth and nose and followed Co Hoai Nghien into the Eastern courtyard. The smell of burning wood was so strong that it made my eyes sting. The outer part of the study room was burned to the point that it no longer had any shape, half of the study table had collapsed, leaving only black ash on the floor. Co Hoai Nghien walked very slowly. He stopped in front of a wall that had been blackened by smoke, and used his hand to brush off the ash stuck in the brick crevices. We see that in the corner of the wall there is half a begonia flower. Almost identical to the flower engraved on the key handle. Co Hoai Nghien said softly:

“Underground cabinets are not inside wooden cabinets.”

He took the key and inserted it into a very shallow recess in the wall. When the bronze key turned, a dull sound echoed inside the wall. The blue bricks slowly moved aside. But there was no wooden box inside. There was just an empty box. In the box is a piece of red wire that has been burned. Along with a piece of paper. The ink on the paper was half burned away, but four words could still be clearly seen.

“Thi Thi Thi Thi Thuong”

Those four words crawled out like a cold hand from the ashes. Tham Thi Thu Thu Tin. I stared at the paper and suddenly felt a lump in my throat. Luc Thua Uyen stood next to her, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Does 'Mrs. Tham' refer to the Tham family, or does it refer to Miss Tham's mother?”

No one answered him. Co Hoai Nghien used a handkerchief to catch the piece of paper. The edge was charred black, just touching it would cause it to crumble. I couldn't help but ask:

“Whose autograph is this?”

Co Hoai Nghien looked for a long time.

“My father.”

My heart suddenly sank. Co Hoai Nghien's father, why did he leave such a sentence? Before her death, my mother told me not to trust the Tham family. In the secret cabinet of the Co family's mansion, the four words "Tham Thi Thuat Tin" were left behind. Those two sentences are like two blades. One tongue pointed towards the Tham family. Another tongue pointed towards my mother. The Emperor stood outside the study door, asking through the smoke:

“What can you open?”

Co Hoai Nghien handed over the piece of paper to his entourage.

"Informing Your Majesty, the underground cabinet has been emptied by someone before, leaving only a piece of paper with a few words left."

When the heavenly prince entered, the guard next to him immediately cleaned up the burned logs on the ground. After looking at the piece of paper, his face gradually darkened.

“The items have been taken.”

Co Hoai Nghien said:

“It was taken before the fire.”

Luc Thua Uyen asked:

“What exactly is your Majesty looking for?”

The Emperor did not immediately respond. The firelight danced on his young face. A long time later, the new person spoke up:

“Thirteen years ago, the Emperor fell seriously ill, and someone in the court secretly swapped border guard food and grass books.”

“Therefore, the Tran Bac army had its salary cut for seven days, causing more than ten thousand casualties.”