Chapter 14 — My Father Was a Great General of Tran Bac, He Married Me to a Cold-Faced Prime Minister

After that night, the situation at the court was completely clear. The Queen Mother stepped back. It is not a matter of backing down in volunteering. But being forced to retreat. Bac Cuong Peace Talk became the last straw that broke her. She didn't dare to bet. Twenty thousand iron cavalry, its weight is greater than all the power in her hands combined. Half a month later, the Bac Cuong peace talks officially began. Co Dien Chi assumed the identity of Dai Te envoy and set out to Bac Cuong Nghi Hoa. The night before leaving, he sat on the edge of the bed, watching me pack my bags.

“You don't need to clean up after yourself.”

"I'll clean it up, you'll get used to it."

“It doesn't matter whether I know you or not——”

“Important.” I folded a set of underwear, put it in the chest, my voice was neither fast nor slow, "Bac Cuong is cold, bring a few more sets, don't strain yourself, don't drink cold water, don't stay up all night."

He didn't say anything. I raised my head and discovered he was still looking at me.

“Look at what?”

“Look at her.”

“Have you seen enough?”

“Not enough.” He reached out and pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly, "A lifetime is not enough."

“When did you become able to talk like that?”

“Learn from her.”

I leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“Co Dien Chi.”

“If you dare to die in Bac Cuong, I will remarry.”

His arms tightened.

“Not allowed.”

"If you don't come back, of course I will allow it."

“I will definitely return.” His voice lowered, low but firm, "I haven't finished the words you taught me yet."

“The words you taught me to say——the words ‘I like you’.”

“Haven't you said this before?”

“Said, but there's one more thing left unsaid.”

He let me go, holding my face with both hands. Moonlight fell into the bottom of his eyes, clear as a stream.

“Wait until I get back and then talk.”

A month after Co Dien Chi left, the capital fell with the biggest snowfall since the beginning of winter. I put on my coat and stood in the hallway in front of the hospital, looking at the white yard. Ma ma brought a bowl of ginger soup.

“Madam, it's cold outside, let's go inside.”

“Wait a moment.”

"Before leaving, the prime minister advised the lady to pay attention to her body and not to get cold."

"This person's control is very wide, even in the Northern Cuong, his hand can even reach the capital."

Mama laughed.

"The prime minister sends out a letter every three days, all of which are instructions for his wife's life. This old slave has served the prime minister for fifteen years, and I have never seen him pay such attention to anyone."

I lowered my head to drink ginger soup, hiding the corners of my lips that were curling up. He actually sent an envelope every three days. The content of the letter was just——

“It's winter in the capital, your thick coat is on the third floor of the closet.”

"One day, Lap Bat told the kitchen to cook Eight Treasures porridge, using the recipe I marked."

“The apricot blossoms in the yard should have bloomed, you can cut a few branches and put them in a vase. There is a vase on the study table, which I left on purpose——”

Such detailed instructions will seem lengthy to others who read them. But every time we finish reading it, we read it again. Then write a response letter, equally lengthy.

"Is it cold where you are? Don't drink Bac Cuong strong wine, you can't drink it."

"Is the negotiation going well? If we can't negotiate, then fight them, after all, my father's soldiers are by our side."

“Everything is fine in the capital, the Queen Mother has been very quiet recently, Thanh Hoa is new I learned a dish of cinnamon flower cake, waiting for you to come back and taste it."

Every time a letter is sent, we have to wait six or seven days to receive a response. The waiting period was so long, it felt like a year had passed. In the second month after Co Dien Chi left, peace talks made great progress. Bac Cuong agreed to retreat two hundred miles, the two countries opened a trade route, taking three years as the deadline—— But there was one condition. King Bac Cuong wants to meet my father. Not meeting an envoy, but meeting a general directly commanding troops and horses. This condition seems reasonable, but in fact it hides murderous intentions. The real purpose of King Bac Cuong is to explore the trump card of the Tham family. How much military force is there, how is it deployed, what is the food and grass supply route - just one "meeting" can reveal countless information. Co Dien Chi saw through this point. In the letter sent to me, he only wrote four words: "tell father-in-law to refuse." I will pass this letter on to my father. He originally returned to the capital after Co Dien Chi went for peace talks for a month. My father replied with three words: "I know." Then he did something that no one expected. He did not refuse the meeting. On the contrary, he walked away with dignity. But you brought someone with you——Me.

“Dad, are you crazy? Take me to Bac Cuong?”

“Who said it was given? I will take you to meet your husband. By the way, I will let King Bac Cuong see what kind of temperament the daughter of the Tham family has."