Chapter 1 — My Thanh Mai

I am the most beloved servant of the Queen. But every time the young lady's younger brother, Little General Nie, comes here, he always shows his displeasure with me. "Your Majesty, the palace maids next to you should also be properly disciplined." "Those who dress flashy, wear makeup, and know at a glance that they have nefarious intentions, they should be admonished more often." While speaking, his eyes kept glancing at me. I lowered my head to look at the light-colored outfit on my body, touched the velvet flower in my hair, and rubbed my face that was only washed with clean water. The little general's eyes were truly strange. Later, when I was old enough to leave the palace, I asked the Queen for her grace. He approached me again. "Listening to the royal sister, you leave the palace and want to get married." "From now on, as long as you don't exaggerate and know how to keep your peace, I can protect you." "But you have to wait until I return from this expedition before I can hold a party." I immediately nodded strongly. The lady's family members are truly kind! The lady gave me so much silver as a dowry, even the lady's younger brother wanted to personally come and drink wine at my wedding. I'm about to bloom and become the wife of my childhood friend who just passed the Tham Hoa exam! A year later, little general Nhiep returned. He sat among the generals, his figure tall and straight, his appearance extremely handsome, causing many aristocratic young men and women to constantly look towards him. I observed him, feeling that he seemed a little darker than a year ago. But the little general's face was so white that it made even women jealous. Even though he was a little darker, he was still the whitest among them. Accidentally meeting his eyes, I quickly turned away, bowed my head and caressed the cat I was holding in my arms. I didn't dare let him see, so as not to make him think I had bad intentions towards him. What he hates the most is that I have feelings for him. Even though I don't have it at all. The Emperor saw that the North's generals were in high spirits and in an extremely happy mood, so he gave them many rewards. It was Nhiep Duat's turn to suddenly remember his marriage. "Nie Duat is seventeen years old, and it's time to talk about getting married." "I wonder if there's a girl in mind yet?" Several noble concubines and the Queen spoke out teasingly, saying that people in the capital who love little general Nie can line up from the general's palace all the way to the outside of the city. However, Nhiep Duat refused all those who came to seek marriage. Perhaps he already had a lover in mind. I tilted my head and looked over. Niet Duat truly has an extremely outstanding appearance. The ladies in the same room as me just mention him and their faces brighten. Every time they praise Niet Duat as good as this or as good as that, I don't dare to agree. What good person would always bully a palace maid like me? While lost, I suddenly realized that Nhiep Duat's eyes were falling on me. That look scared me, I quickly bowed my head. Nie Duat stepped out of his seat and went to the middle of the palace to pay his respects. "Your Majesty, I really have a woman who every time I see her I feel happy. Thinking back, perhaps I also have some good feelings for her." "It's just that that woman doesn't have the slightest bit of dignity, and is still not qualified to be my wife. Wait a little more time, if you know a little more about the rules, I will take you back to the palace." These words angered countless ladies. The female celebrity shed tears. Without any dignified appearance, the person Nhiep Duat said was of course not them. I looked through the female relatives, trying to remember which ladies were not presentable. Thinking back, it's funny.

Nhiep Duat repeatedly blamed me for not knowing the rules, yet the woman he liked was the one who didn't know the rules. The Queen heard Nhiep Duat's words and laughed teasingly: "If you still don't marry her into the door, in case she marries someone else, won't you wait in vain?"Nie Duat raised his head, his face full of satisfaction. "No." "I have promised to let you enter the door. Besides me, you have no better choice." The Emperor also laughed and teased him: "The Queen does not like to hear such words." "You should learn. How can I coax my daughter to be happy?" "Prevent people from getting angry and then not needing you anymore." Nie Duat clasped his hands. "I have faith." "Even if you are angry with me, as long as I say a few pleasant words, I will definitely willingly return." Nie Duat is the Queen's younger brother, and also the youngest general in the North. No one doubted what he said. But I feel that that woman will definitely not be happy with him. Little General Nhiep doesn't know how to please the lady. I am married to Manh Trieu Tham, so logically, I should not sit next to the Queen. But this morning, the Queen suddenly came to me, saying that her cat had vomited and had diarrhea, and asked me to help her. I quickly took care of myself, then hugged the cat and sat next to the Queen. I have been taking care of this cat for seven years. The Emperor extremely favored the Queen, so even though this matter was not according to the rules, people just turned a blind eye. After the banquet, Trieu Tham received an order from Han Lam Institute, saying that there was an urgent matter that needed him to come and handle. I had to leave the palace alone. Just passing a corner, we immediately saw Nhiep Duat's palanquin coming out from another road. I quickly moved aside. The palanquin stopped right in front of me. He stuck his head out. "No need to be so considerate, you came specifically to see me out of the palace." He misunderstood. I was about to explain, but he continued to speak: "Did you hear the words I said at today's banquet?" It sounds like I heard it, but he suddenly asked why? Is he warning me? I bowed and replied: "I will obey the rules." Hearing that, Nhiep Duat smiled with satisfaction. "On the way back to the capital, I passed by Liuzhou. I heard that the scenery in March is very beautiful there. It's a pity you can't leave the palace." "Let's do it, I'll take you there to see the scenery." I silently clenched my fist. What does Nhiep Duat mean? He clearly knows that Liuzhou is my hometown. I was locked in the palace for seven years, and the number of times I was released can only be counted on the fingers of one hand. The scenery in March in Liuzhou, I haven't seen it for a long time. Yet he deliberately bragged in front of me, saying he wanted to go sightseeing on my behalf. If it's not intentionally trying to provoke me, then what is it? I'm a little angry. But he is the Queen's younger brother and a minor general, so I don't dare to oppose him. I raised my head, my voice was a bit cold. "If you want to look, just look." Nhiep Duat's smile became even brighter. He sat back in the palanquin, swayed and left. After he left, I breathed a sigh of relief. My palms were already wet with sweat. I'm very afraid of him. The resentment between me and him must be traced back to the first days I entered the palace. That year, I was ten years old. At that time, the Queen was still Princess Qi. There was a great flood in Liuzhou, the number of people swept away by the water reached tens of thousands. My parents and several brothers and sisters are among them. That day I went up the mountain to pick herbs, but because it was raining, I had to stay in a temple on the mountain for several days. After going down the mountain, everything changed. Houses were swept away by water and the ground was covered

by a thick layer of mud. There were cries throughout the village. People in the village dug through the mud and found the bodies of their relatives. I also risked my life to dig for a day and a night, and finally found my sister's body. Gradually, everyone said to leave, even if they were found, the person would already be dead. So, I also give up. I followed them and wandered everywhere, living by begging for food. Half a month later, the Queen followed the Emperor, who was still the King of Qi, to come here to provide disaster relief. Thanks to drinking the bowl of porridge they gave me, I barely survived. The Queen picked up a local cat and took it with her to raise. One day, the cat suddenly fell ill, lying on the ground, breathing weakly. My whole family is a doctor, but I don't like treating people, I only like to research how to treat animals. Seeing that cat barely alive, I gave it medicine for several days, finally saving its life. From then on, the Queen kept me by her side. I lived in Qi Wang Palace for six years. After that, the first emperor died and King Qi succeeded him. You became the Queen, and I became the maid next to you. The Queen has a gentle personality, treats her maids very well, and is especially kind to me. I followed the Queen every day, no one else said anything, only Nhiep Duat called me the Queen's servant. The wrong foot is the wrong foot. He is the master, whatever he says is what he says. At best, let's stay away from him for a little while. The Queen saw that I was bored in the palace and often found all kinds of reasons to allow me to leave the palace. After leaving the palace, we do not need to keep the same rules as when we were in the palace. That day, I went out for a walk and saw a casino so I went in to take a look. Inside was extremely bustling. I stood and watched for a long time, but when I came out, I saw Nhiep Duat. As soon as I saw Nhiep Duat's eyes, I immediately knew my life was over. Since that day, I can no longer live in peace. He often denounced me right in front of the Queen. "Your Majesty, the maids next to you should also be properly disciplined." "Those who dress flashily, wear makeup, and know at a glance that they have nefarious intentions, should be admonished more often." While speaking, his eyes kept staring at me. I was clearly wearing the most ordinary light-colored palace outfit, wearing the velvet flower that all palace maids use, with no makeup on my face. He also often harms me. Obviously he wanted to catch the bird raised by the prince, but he said I caught it. Apparently his cat trampled all the princess's flowers, he told the princess who came to the door that I was the one who ordered it. If it weren't for the Queen's protection, I would have been punished by the princess and prince long ago. He takes pleasure in bullying me. One day, he hurriedly ran to the Queen's palace and borrowed me. When we got there, we found out he was competing in dog fighting with a group of thugs. At first, I didn't know what he brought me here for. Until his dog lost. He pointed his finger at me and said to that scoundrel: "This is the Queen's servant. The servant is also a dog, let her compete with your dog." I looked at him in disbelief. The content of the contest is for us and the dog to jump into the water at the same time and see who can swim to the finish line first. He wants a woman like me to go into the water in front of so many men! Without waiting for me to react, he stood up. "Forget it. If you don't agree, I will let this cat replace you." He pretended to throw the cat in his arms into the lake. That cat belongs to the Queen and was raised by me alone. To make me lose face, he actually hit the cat. I didn't have time to think too much and immediately followed his movements

him, jumped into the water.