Chapter 5 — Ngoc Om Thanh Hoan

Her chest heaved, the anger accumulated for many years exploded, each sound was like crying blood.
"Trieu Lenh Nguyet's father is your father's benefactor, that's right. But Trieu Lenh Nguyet is not your benefactor!"
"How many times have I backed down these years? How many times have I been patient! I have given everything to her! What else do you want from me? Is it only when I die that you and Trieu Lenh Nguyet will be satisfied?"
The elder sister stiffened on the spot, and after a long moment hesitated and softly called out: "Thanh Hoan..." Trieu Thanh Hoan ignored her and turned directly to look at me.
“Auntie, I want to go to your palace now, is that okay?”
I smiled gently: "Of course."
7
I arranged for Thanh Hoan to rest in the western dew, she rested softly on my pillow, like a small animal finding shelter.
"Auntie, will you get married in the future and have younger brothers and sisters?"
She was still young, she didn't know that I had left behind an illness that year, making it difficult for her to heal anymore. Thinking about the fact that the general's palace often had to give in and fight, she hid a deep insecurity in her heart, so she asked like that. As soon as the words ended, she suddenly became confused and quickly explained in a low voice: "I'm not afraid of competing with my younger sister, I'm just..." The second half of the sentence was stuck in her throat, and in the end she still couldn't say it. My heart softened, my fingertips gently stroked her sideburns.
"In this life, I won't get married and have children. From now on, I'll only take care of you alone. Don't worry."
As soon as she said these words, her tight body completely relaxed. Just a moment later, the sound of soft snoring slowly rang out. Trieu Thanh Hoan just kept sleeping on my leg, thinking that his body and mind were tired and could finally let go. I carefully helped her move to the bed and lie down neatly, blew out the candle on the candlestick, and then eased my steps and quietly left the door. The next morning, as soon as it was dawn, the maid hurriedly came to report: "District master, the general's wife has come to pay his respects." This time she did not bring Trieu Lenh Nguyet along, she came alone. As soon as they met, the elder sister impatiently asked: "Where is Thanh Hoan?" Seeing her coming alone, I thought to myself that I still had half a shred of common sense, so I told the maid to make a pot of hot tea and bring it over.
“Still sleeping.”
Under the elder sister's eyes was a heavy black and blue halo, thinking it was a sleepless night last night. My voice softened slightly and I asked: "Did you come today to apologize to Thanh Hoan?" Hearing that, she paused, her expression stiffened for a long moment before reluctantly responding.
“When I see him later, I will apologize to him.”
I saw at a glance that she had other plans. I didn't want to beat around the bush and ask her directly.
"If you have any concerns, don't be afraid to speak frankly."
She hesitated and considered for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.
"Last night I calmed down and thought carefully. What Thanh Hoan said really made sense. After all, I can't use my father's love to tie her down for the rest of my life."
"So I'm asking you, sister, if you can take Linh Nguyet to the palace to meet the Queen Mother and help her find a decent marriage in the future."
"When Lenh Nguyet gets married, this favor will also be considered over. From now on, I will definitely treat Thanh Hoan with all my heart and make up for her well."
I was momentarily speechless, my mind was full of chaos, but still don't know how to respond. At this point, she still misses Trieu Lenh Nguyet's marriage. What's more, Trieu Lenh Nguyet is only half a year younger than Trieu Thanh Hoan, both of them are only fourteen, a few years away from the age of marriage. Could it be that Trieu Lenh Nguyet has to find a good relationship, and Thanh Hoan's life story is not worth mentioning? In the end, it's just using your biological daughter as a stepping stone to become a foster daughter. With a cold feeling in my heart, I decisively expressed the thoughts that had been hidden in my heart for the past few days.
"Sister treats Thanh Hoan so ungratefully, it's better to let her be my heir. If you miss her in the future, you can come to my palace to visit at any time."
The elder sister's whole body was shocked, she almost accidentally knocked over the tea cup on the table, and looked at me with panicked eyes.
“Ngoc Nhi, that day you came to my palace, it turns out you had this intention?”
I shook my head slightly.
"At first, I only came to visit relatives to chat, and never had other plans. But I never expected that you would be so biased, holding a daughter in the palm of your hand like a pearl, but acting like you didn't see your biological daughter."
"I have a soft heart, I can't bear to see such a cold-hearted scene. Thanh Hoan is a good child, you don't pity her, so let me protect her."
“This is absolutely impossible.” The older sister didn't even think about it, so she simply refused.
I sneered, piercing her thoughts.
"Sister, Thanh Hoan is your biological daughter, not your enemy. You refuse to treat her honestly, and insist on keeping her close, refusing to let others treat her kindly. Isn't it true that you want to torment her every day and force her to completely collapse before you are willing?"
Before the elder sister could open her mouth, a figure suddenly rushed out from behind the screen.