Chapter 8 — Married to the Marquis Palace for Five Years, I Had Three Children in a Row

“Husband, you can rest assured.”

“Even if I have to spend all of the Tham family's wealth, I will still help you find out the truth.”

That night, the lights in the study room stayed on all night. Our spouses, on the map, on the page, constantly speculate about each step in the future. We know that what we are doing is enough to change the national destiny of Great Zhou. Just one wrong step and your body will be destroyed. But we are not afraid. For this family, for our children, we are willing to bet everything. We have come up with a plan, and on the outside the Marquis Palace remains calm as usual. Every day I take care of the family and raise children. The husband still went to court and handled military matters. And it seems that the secret conversation that night never happened. But we both understand that under the calm surface of the water, underground waves are already rolling. My father's letters, one by one, were brought into the palace through a secret route. Each letter recorded the latest movements of the Crown Prince faction and the Fifth Prince faction. Every banquet, every secret meeting they had, even every large sum of money exchanged, was clearly recorded. And the Crown Prince's side also seems to have noticed our separation. He sent people several times to bring precious gifts, wanting to invite her husband to the palace to discuss. They were all cleverly refused by their husbands, using the excuse of being busy with the military or having sick children. The number of refusals increased, and the Crown Prince's patience seemed to wear out. He started using his methods to pressure us. The first attack struck directly at the Marquis's vitality. Several salary shops and fabric shops under the name of Dinh Vien Hau were continuously sealed by the Kinh Trieu government for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it is said that we are evading taxes, sometimes it is said that the measurement is not standard. Even though every time I didn't find a big problem, being tormented like this, business simply couldn't continue. We clearly understand in our hearts that this is the Crown Prince knocking on us. He wants to tell us that he cannot touch Dinh Vien Marquis who holds military power, but to squeeze the Marquis's money bag is as easy as turning a hand. I didn't panic at all. I directly ordered the housekeeper to close all those stores. Externally, I declare that the Marquis Palace is not short of money. These trivial matters are too tiring, I want to transfer the store and focus on staying home to help my husband educate the children. My "humility" made the Crown Prince very pleased. They thought that our Marquis was afraid. But what they didn't know was that my father had long secretly helped move most of the Marquis's assets to the South. These shops in the capital are nothing more than the beer I intentionally left for them. Once their plan failed, they quickly resorted to more despicable methods. That day was the Thuong Nguyen period, I took three children to the suburbs to Pho Da pagoda to offer incense and pray for blessings. For safety's sake, I brought half of the guards in the palace with me. Xuan Dao hugged Thua Vinh, I held Thua Trach in one hand, and Thua Khai in the other. The two older children are at a playful age. Seeing the bustling scene in the temple, I couldn't contain my joy. I told them to follow me closely and not run around. But just in time I turned around and chatted a few words with a lady I knew. Thua Trach... was nowhere to be seen. My heart instantly cooled in half.

“Thua Trach! Trach!”

I went crazy, calling loudly in the crowd. The guards immediately spread out and went everywhere to search. In the temple there were as many people as water, and incense and smoke filled the air. Our calls were quickly drowned out in the noise. My hands and feet are cold. Cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his shirt. It's the Crown Prince! It's definitely him! He saw that he couldn't deal with us economically, so he turned his evil hand towards the child I love the most! I don't dare to imagine what he would have to endure if Thua Trach fell into their hands.

“Madam! Lady!”

A guard rolled over and ran over.

“Found it! In the back of the mountain! The little prince is in the rear mountain!”

I picked up my skirt and frantically ran towards the rear of the mountain. When I saw Thua Trach, he was being hugged by a strange man. That person was dressed in black, with a veil covering his face, revealing only cold eyes. In his hand he held a dagger, holding it against Thua Trach's neck. Thua Trach's small face was pale with fear, but remained stubborn and did not cry. When it saw me, its big eyes immediately filled with tears.

“Mother…”

As soon as he opened his mouth, his voice contained a sob. My heart felt like it was fiercely pierced by that blade.

“Let my son go!”

I shouted loudly, my voice shaking.

“What do you want! Just aim at me! Don't hurt a child!”

The man in black let out a cold, hoarse laugh.

“Lady Hou, we don't need your life.”

“We just want to invite the young prince to the Eastern Palace as a guest for a few days.”

“As long as Marquis is willing to make a trip to the Eastern Palace, we can guarantee that the little prince will return safely.”

Indeed the Crown Prince! They actually used such despicable tricks to force their husbands to take sides! In my heart, anger rises to the sky. It also raises boundless fear. I stared at the man in black, my mind spinning extremely fast. I cannot anger him. I must save my son.