Chapter 4 — Noble Concubine, Is It Your Turn to Be a Nun?

07

The next day, Dai Ly Tu announced to the outside that six flower pickers who had done many evil deeds had been completely arrested. Five male bandits and one female bandit were locked in a prison car and paraded through the streets, then taken to Dai Ly Tu prison to face trial. The flower pickers have done many evil things and have long made the people angry. Both sides of the road were filled with people watching and cursing, numbering in the thousands. The five male robbers all looked ferocious and unrepentant. Only the female robber in the last prison car kept crying and screaming:

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty save me! Your Majesty save me!”

"I am a noble lady! I am not a female thief! You insolent people! Release this palace! Release this palace!"

“Your Highness?”

The people on both sides heard this and laughed loudly:

"The noble lady in the palace must be as beautiful as a flower and jade. How could she be like you, with such an ugly birthmark on her face? The Emperor still wants to vomit when he sees you!"

"That's right! I heard that Concubine Hoa Quy has thick black hair, and even a bun can be a beauty. How could this ugly bald head be!"

"The noble concubine is really in the palace enjoying the glory and wealth. Who has the free time to disguise himself as a man to tease the reputation of a pure girl! Picking flowers is just picking flowers, you dare to argue! Phew!"

"This group of thieves is best at impersonating themselves, don't be fooled everyone! This female thief screams the loudest, just throw her!"

People on both sides threw rotten eggs and crushed vegetables at Hoa Ngoc Nghien's face. Hoa Ngoc Nghien was already opening her mouth to scream unjustly. Accidentally swallowing a rotten egg, she vomited, even if she wanted to cry, she couldn't produce any tears. I mingled in the crowd, coldly watching Hoa Ngoc Nghien's every move. Suddenly, she clutched her stomach and coughed violently. The escorting soldiers knocked on the iron cage:

“Be honest!”

Hoa Ngoc Nghien suddenly closed her eyes, as if she had fainted, her whole body hanging limply on the cage. The soldiers were afraid something would happen, so they opened the lock to check her breathing. At that moment, Hoa Ngoc Nghien suddenly opened her eyes and used the iron chain in her hand to hit the soldier's head hard! Then she launched herself and performed light attack to the east, staggering away! My pupils shrank — to the east is Ninh Vuong Palace! In her previous life, Hoa Ngoc Nghien pretended to be Ninh Vuong, married me, and then humiliated me. After that incident, big brother discovered something strange and went to Ninh Vuong palace to ask for evidence. But Ninh Vuong only sent one servant to answer, saying that it was indeed His Highness Ninh Vuong that night, and publicly insulted my big brother:

"Your sister is neither a virgin nor a clean person, she must have had an affair with someone else. Either give her a white silk ribbon to commit suicide, or become a nun. There is no third way!"

Those words nailed baseless charges to my head. In the end, my parents, because they were afraid of worldliness and the majesty of the Royal Palace, could only do their best to take care of everything and take me to the nunnery. From that moment on, I knew that Tieu Ninh Vuong was not a good person! If Hoa Ngoc Nghien meets Tieu Ninh Vuong, things will be difficult to arrange!

08

Hoa Ngoc Nghien tried her best to risk her life, staggered to escape the arresting officers, and finally ran to Ninh Vuong palace. Although still in the capital, this place is located on the outskirts, too far from the royal palace. The only straw that saved Hoa Ngoc Nghien's life was the Ninh Vuong mansion nearest. She pulled the iron chain and desperately knocked on the door:

"Open the door! Open the door! Ninh Vuong! I am Noble Concubine! Quickly open the door! Open the door!"

My brother and I led the soldiers and ran over. Seeing that she had knocked on the door and caused a commotion, I immediately ordered:

"Bring this female thief back to the cage! Hurry! Don't let her alarm the Prince!"

The soldiers immediately advanced. Hoa Ngoc Nghien was so urgent that her voice was lost:

"Save life! Save life! Ninh Vuong! Someone wants to harm this palace! Save this palace! Save life!"

The soldier covered her mouth and pulled her back. Hoa Ngoc Nghien struggled violently both her arms and legs. The soldiers pressed down on her arms and legs, intending to use chains to tie them in place. At that moment, the main door of the Royal Palace opened. Tieu Ninh Vuong stretched his arms and walked out:

“Who dares to disturb this king's sleep?”

Hoa Ngoc Nghien seemed to have met a savior. She broke free from the guard's restraint and crawled in front of Ninh Vuong! Ninh Vuong was stunned for a long time, then finally based on his eyes and voice, he reluctantly recognized the ugly bald woman in front of him - the royal sister-in-law he respected the most, Hoa Quy Phi!

09

"Your Majesty! Why did you become like this?"

The lower half of Ninh Vuong's face was still wearing a mask, but it could not hide his horror. Hoa Ngoc Nghien seemed to grasp a life-saving straw, tightened her grip on Ninh Vuong's arm, and spoke incoherently:

"Save me! Quickly save me! They slandered me as a flower picker, and even wanted to take me away and make fun of me!"

“Who is so bold!”

“Your Highness Ninh Vuong.”

I stepped up and respectfully bowed:

"Your Highness, absolutely do not be fooled by this cunning female thief. She is an accomplice of the flower picker, not your Highness!"

“What the noble lady looks like, the king knows better than you!”

Ninh Vuong covered Hoa Ngoc Nghien behind him and shouted angrily at my big brother:

“Dai Ly Tu Khanh, your courage is so great, you dare to detain the Noble Concubine!”

Big brother always believes that this woman is an accomplice of the flower picker. Huynh opened the portrait and said solemnly:

"Your Majesty, please look closely at this portrait painted from the oral palace. The woman impersonating the Noble Concubine next to you is the one in the painting!"

“No! No!”

Hoa Ngoc Nghien shouted:

"It's Tong Cam Chau! She shaved my hair! What's on my face is live paint applied by Tong Cam Chau! She harmed me! She painted a portrait of a wanted criminal based on my face! She harmed me!"

"Your Highness Ninh Vuong, I have no resentment or enmity between you and I. Where do we have the audacity to harm the Emperor's most beloved concubine?"

I step out, the argument is clear:

"Besides, Your Highness has a noble, chivalrous and virtuous status. Not only have I never seen your true appearance, but I also have no grudges. Yesterday I threw a hydrangea to treat myself, is your Highness so cruel that she would disguise herself as a man and come to tease the purity and reputation of a young lady like me?"