Chapter 10 — Kneeling before the Queen and Duke

Half a year passed quickly like a dream, bringing with it many great changes in Sam Khinh Vu. From a gentle, resigned young lady, she transformed into a calm, sharp woman, her eyes always exuding the steadfastness of someone who has gone through life and death. She spent half of that year relearning all royal etiquette under the dedicated guidance of Viet Khoi and a few old mandarins who served in the palace whom he secretly invited, from how to walk, how to address people, how to respond to courtiers, to knowledge about the history of the Dai Ninh Dynasty that a little princess should have learned from a young age.

At the same time, evidence of the poisoning plot was also gradually collected. Butler Binh secretly copied the entire estate transfer document that Bach Quan hastily executed right after the funeral, along with a receipt for a large sum of money transferred to an anonymous doctor at the eastern market before the birthday celebration party. Guard Bang also found the doctor himself and used many clever methods to force him to confess the entire truth about the special poison he sold to Nhuoc Lan, a statement that was carefully recorded and signed with fingerprints as proof.

On the appointed day, a grand audience was held on the occasion of the reigning Saint's birthday celebration, gathering all the court's civil and military officials and nobles from all over to pay their respects. Viet Khoi had quietly arranged in advance with a few loyal old mandarins, those who served during the time when Lady Vinh Tan was still alive, so that they would be present to witness the important event about to take place. He also privately reported to the reigning Holy Supreme about what he had discovered, asking for permission to announce the truth right at this audience.

That morning, when the sun had just risen, Khinh Vu put on a dark purple dress embroidered with gold thread, a formal style reserved for princesses, her hair was tied high with a gorgeous phoenix brooch, her majestic appearance was completely different from the image of a simple lady from previous years. She stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself, her hands shaking slightly as she put the last hairpin in her hair, having to take a deep breath to keep them still. The false name she had been carrying for the past six months, a name known only to a few of the most trusted maids in the isolated palace compound, would now be removed forever along with the simple lady's clothes, giving way to an identity that she herself was not yet used to naming. This will be the first time she will face the whole court in her true identity, and also the first time she will face Bach Quan and Nhuoc Lan again since that fateful night.

"Are you ready?" Viet Khoi asked, standing outside the room door, his voice was deep but filled with deep concern.

"I have been waiting for this moment for half a year," Khinh Vu replied, her voice calm but determined. "I'm ready."

She turned back to look at the bronze mirror one last time, gently raised her hand to touch the phoenix hairpin in her hair, a gift that Viet Khoi had ordered specifically for her, made from precious jade, engraved with the shape of a phoenix wing exactly like the birthmark on her shoulder blade. She remembered every day of hard training over the past half year, every night staying up studying etiquette, every afternoon discussing strategy with Viet Khoi, all of which had now led to this important moment. She took a deep breath, telling herself not to be afraid, because behind her there was the ghost of the mother she had never met, the loyalty of butler Binh, of the hospital judge, of so many people who had secretly helped her get to this day.

Before leaving, Viet Khoi also carefully instructed once again the entire order of the audience, from when to kneel, when to stand, which sentences should be said first, and which sentences should be saved until after the Saint has asked questions. He understood that even a small mistake in etiquette could be used by those with bad intentions in the court to sow doubts about the authenticity of Khinh Vu's identity, shaking up all the preparation efforts over the past half a year. Khinh Vu listened attentively to every word, occasionally nodding slightly, her fingers repeating the exact movements he had just instructed until they were proficient, making Viet Khoi even more assured about her careful preparation.

In addition, he also had someone secretly bring butler Binh and the physician who had confessed the truth about the poison to wait in a small room next to the main hall, in case he needed to immediately testify in front of the Saint and the martial arts official. Everything has been carefully arranged down to the smallest detail, leaving no loopholes that could be exploited by the enemy. The chariot group entered Khanh Duong royal palace amid solemn ceremonial music. Khinh Vu sat on a splendidly decorated palanquin, followed Viet Khoi, and headed straight to the main hall where the audience was taking place. When her name was announced in front of all the civil and military officials, not as the wife of the Tu family, but as "little princess Sam Khinh Vu, daughter of Lady Vinh Tan, lost twenty years ago, now found", the whole main hall shook, whispers and gossip rose up like ocean waves.

The reigning Saint, who had personally been presented by Viet Khoi before and looked at the evidence of the cinnabar birthmark and jade pendant, sat on the throne, his hands resting on the armrests of the dragon chair suddenly tightened, he slightly rose half an inch from the throne as if he had forgotten the etiquette when he saw Khinh Vu enter. He remembered Vinh Tan in the past, the gentle concubine he once loved so much, remembered the pain of losing his child twenty years ago that he had always hidden in his heart, but did not expect that today would be the day to see her return, alive, healthy, standing majestically in the middle of the main hall.

"My lady..." The Saint said softly, his voice choked, "I didn't expect this day to come."

Khinh Vu knelt down in the middle of the main hall, bowed her head and bowed, her voice still shaking but full of solemnity. "My lord Sam Khinh Vu, please pay your respects to your father."

All the civil and military officials present in the main hall could not help but be surprised by this unexpected development. Many people still clearly remember the story of the young lady of the Tu family who passed away half a year ago due to illness, and now sees her appear before them with a completely different identity, more majestic and radiant than anyone could have imagined. A few old officials who served under Lady Vinh Tan's reign, after being invited to testify, all confirmed that the familiar features on Khinh Vu's face were exactly like the deceased concubine, making the whole hall even more confident in the truth that had just been revealed.

In the crowd of mandarins standing in adoration, Grand Master Tuong Ba Khiem stood silently, his face flashed with an extremely fast change of color that only the most observant could recognize, before he could regain his usual composure, bowing his head in congratulations like many other mandarins. But in his heart, a storm was raging, because he understood better than anyone else that the return of the lost little princess meant that the secret he had tried to hide for twenty years was now at risk of being exposed at any time.

Immediately after the adoption ceremony was held, the Holy King immediately issued an order, announcing that he would reopen the entire investigation file of the fire at Vinh Tho palace twenty years ago, and at the same time granted Khinh Vu the right to freely move around the palace, escorted by the Musketeers to strictly protect her, to prevent anyone from rashly wanting to harm her again. The order issued caused many mandarins in the court, especially those who had close relationships with the old faction that supported the disgraced prince in the past, to feel nervous and restless, their eyes constantly glancing towards Tuong Ba Khiem as if wanting to gauge his attitude towards this new situation.

That day's court meeting ended in a solemn and turbulent atmosphere. News of the return of the lost little princess quickly spread throughout Khanh Duong capital, to the most remote corners, becoming a hot topic of discussion among all classes of people. No one could have expected that the woman who was rumored to have passed away from an illness half a year ago would now return with such a noble status, and even less could anyone predict the storms that were about to hit those who had cruelly harmed her.

After leaving the main hall, Khinh Vu was taken to a private palace that had just been ordained by the Saint, located not far from the old Vinh Tho palace, the place that witnessed her mother's tragedy twenty years ago. Standing in front of that ruined palace, where there were still a few scorched walls left that had not been completely cleaned over the years, she felt her heart ache, both sorrowful for the mother she had never met, and indignant at the cruelty of the person who caused that tragedy. She secretly promised her mother's ghost that she would not stop until the whole truth was revealed, until those who committed the crime, whether it was her ex-husband, her adopted sister, or the mastermind behind it all, had to pay a worthy price for what they had done.