Chapter 21 — Kneeling before the Queen and Duke

After all the large and small cases related to the twenty-year conspiracy were completely adjudicated, the Holy King decided to hold a solemn ceremony to officially ordain Sam Khinh Vu back to the position of princess of the Dai Ninh royal family, and at the same time posthumously ordain Princess Vinh Tan, to partly compensate for the twenty years of injustice that she and her mother had suffered. That important investiture ceremony was set to take place on an auspicious day carefully chosen by the jury next month, enough time for the royal court to carefully prepare for the most important ceremony in recent years.

During the days of preparation for the grand ceremony, Khinh Vu spent a lot of time visiting the area of the old Vinh Tho palace, which has now been ordered to be repaired, not to restore the original state but to build a small shrine, commemorating Lady Vinh Tan and the innocent maids who perished on the fateful night of the fire in the past. Standing silently in front of the portrait carefully painted by the royal painters according to the memory of the old mandarins who served her mother in the past, Khinh Vu could not hold back her tears, feeling like she had finally met, even if only through a silent painting, the mother she had never had the fate of meeting while she was alive in this world.

"Mother," she whispered in front of the portrait, her voice choking, "I have found justice for you, and for myself. I hope the people in the nine streams can rest easy, knowing that the suffering you endured in the past was not in vain, that light has finally shone through the darkness that has covered our family for twenty years."

Not only Khinh Vu, the current Holy Supreme also personally visited that small shrine, standing silently for a long time in front of the portrait of the concubine he once loved so much, his eyes full of regret and regret. He gently held Khinh Vu's hand and said in a sad voice: "For the past twenty years, I thought you had died along with your mother in that fire, so I never once let people investigate thoroughly, leaving the evildoers roaming around outside the law for so many years. It's my fault, as a father, I was not responsible enough to protect my child."

"Your Majesty, there is no need to blame yourself like that," Khinh Vu replied, her voice gentle but still maintaining his inherent steadfastness. "No one could have predicted Jiang Ba Qian's cruelty and calculation. The important thing is that the truth has finally been revealed, and from now on, I will work with my father and the court to build a better future, not allowing any similar tragedies to have a chance to repeat themselves again in the future."

During the days of waiting for the grand ceremony, Khinh Vu also spent time meeting butler Binh, who silently helped her collect evidence throughout a long and dangerous journey. She personally generously rewarded him and his entire family, and at the same time gave him an important position in her new palace, recognizing the loyal service he had devoted to the Sam family over the years. Butler Binh knelt down to give thanks, with tears in his eyes, his trembling hands lifted the new position card to his forehead as if holding a treasure, saying that he was simply fulfilling his duty as a loyal servant. He did not expect to be treated so kindly by the princess, making him even more grateful and determined to serve her for the rest of his life.

The royal physician, the first person to discover the royal seal on Khinh Vu's body, was also invited to the palace to receive a reward and was appointed as the princess's personal medical advisor, ensuring that her health is always taken care of by the most trustworthy hands in the entire Royal Hospital. Guard Bang, who was not afraid of danger to investigate and protect Khinh Vu throughout the long journey, was also promoted by Viet Khoi to a higher position in the military guard team, recognizing his silent but extremely important contributions in the entire incident that recently shocked the royal court.

The day of the great investiture ceremony finally arrived, the entire Khanh Duong royal palace was splendidly decorated, with colorful flags and flowers all over the roads leading to the main hall. The civil and military mandarins and representatives of noble families from all over Khanh Duong capital all gathered, dressed in the most formal and formal clothes, to witness this rare and important moment of the court. Sam Khinh Vu, dressed in the most exquisitely tailored princess gown, walked majestically into the main hall under the admiring eyes of the entire court.

In the solemn presence of everyone present in the main hall that day, the reigning Holy King officially raised his voice and read the decree of investiture, bestowing on her the title of Princess Khanh Duong, officially recognizing her as the biological daughter of Lady Vinh Tan, fully enjoying all the rights and noble honors of a legitimate princess in the Dai Ninh royal family, and at the same time granting her a private fiefdom and the right to participate in discussing a number of important court affairs, an extremely rare privilege that had never before been given to any princess in the history of the Dai Ninh dynasty.

When the solemn music of the ceremony sounded, Khinh Vu knelt down and bowed her head in thanks, her forehead touching the cold tile floor, her hands trembling slightly as she clasped them in front of her chest, tears silently fell onto the floor of the hall but she did not bother to wipe them away, letting them blend with the happiness of the person who finally found her own roots, and the sadness when thinking about the journey full of blood and tears she went through to get to this day. She raised her eyes and met the eyes of Viet Khoi standing solemnly in the ranks of the royal family, a warm smile appearing on his face like a silent congratulation but containing so much profound meaning.

Among those who came to congratulate, there were a few old mandarins who served under Lady Vinh Tan's reign. Now that they were old, they still cannot hide their emotions when they see the daughter of the concubine they once respected with all their heart had returned to her rightful position. They told Khinh Vu many stories about her mother, about the gentle and kind personality of Lady Vinh Tan, about the way she treated even the humblest maids in the palace kindly, helping Khinh Vu gain more valuable pieces to better understand the mother she had never had the chance to meet, feeling her heart much warmer amid the solemn, sacred atmosphere of the whole ceremony that day.

After the ceremony, a large banquet was held right in the royal palace to celebrate this important event. Many officials in the court, who were previously somewhat cautious about the sudden appearance of a princess who used to be a merchant, now wholeheartedly expressed their respect, not only because of her new position, but also because of the intelligence and bravery she showed during the process of uncovering Tuong Ba Khiem's plot, a feat that not everyone in the court could accomplish.

The party ended when it was late, the lantern light still flickering throughout the palace yard. Standing in the middle of the bustling banquet before, now walking alone in the quiet royal garden, Khinh Vu looked back at the journey she had gone through, from a young lady devoted to her husband and children, betrayed by her most beloved person, buried alive in a cold grave, to today standing in the middle of the royal palace with the noble title of princess, she couldn't help but feel that her life was like a long, tumultuous dream. But she also understands that those extreme sufferings had forged a new person, stronger, sharper, and most importantly, more appreciative of what she had in the present, instead of just immersing herself in the painful past.

Viet Khoi approached her in the middle of the banquet and raised a glass of wine to congratulate her. "Congratulations, princess," he said, his voice both solemn and containing a unique intimacy that only the two of them could understand. "From today, she has officially found her rightful position."

Khinh Vu smiled and raised his glass in response. "If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been able to get to today. I'm truly grateful to you, not only for saving my life that year, but also for always standing by, trusting and supporting me throughout this long and arduous journey." The two people's eyes met in that moment, containing many unspoken things, but both felt a bond that went far beyond the boundaries of childhood friendship, waiting to be officially recognized in the not too distant future.