Chapter 9 — Noble Concubine, Is It Your Turn to Be a Nun?

20

There were tears in Hoa Ngoc Nghien's eyes:

“Your Majesty, you used to like my hair the most!”

Di Minh Tuyen looked at Hoa Ngoc Nghien. The person who liked the high ponytail, free-spirited and unconstrained lady of the past, was not a jealous resentful woman in the palace. Besides, Hoa Ngoc Nghien's current face, even if it can be treated, I'm afraid it won't be as white and beautiful as before. The face is destroyed, only the hair remains, what is the use? Even though the Emperor may not have paid attention to her ugliness, the words "rapist" clearly and permanently indelible on her left cheek were fatal. Throughout the dynasties, there has never been an Emperor's concubine with a tattoo on his face. If posterity knew that Emperor Minh Tuyen's harem had a "charming concubine", how would people discuss Emperor Minh Tuyen? Emperor Minh Tuyen did not say it clearly, but Hoa Ngoc Nghien gradually realized the Emperor's wonderful attitude. She gritted her teeth and gave in:

"Even if I was at fault in the past, the matter of my hair could not be prosecuted. But Song Cam Chau ruined my appearance, slandered me as a flower picker, liked my face, and almost caused me to die on the scaffold! Doesn't Your Majesty also pursue these matters?"

De Minh Tuyen looked at me, as if waiting for me to explain. I honestly say:

"Your Majesty, at first I did not recognize you. After discovering that you were a woman, I only thought you were impersonating the Ninh Vuong family."

"Over the past few days, the crowd of flower pickers on the main road has caused panic in the hearts of people in the capital. On the night of the goddess's flower room, a thief dared to impersonate a royal family member and barged in. The goddess really didn't think of going out to pick flowers, who else would have such courage!"

"Moreover, later there was also the testimony of five flower pickers admitting that she was an accomplice, so the goddess was certain that she was the female thief!"

I firmly admit that I am innocent. Anyway, those five flower pickers were all dead. Dead people cannot open their mouths. There is no more confrontational evidence.

“Shameless! How shameless!”

Hoa Ngoc Nghien pointed at me and scolded:

"It's you who painted me as a wanted criminal! I should cut off your hands, cut out your tongue, see if you still dare to tell lies!"

“That's enough!”

The emperor pulled Hoa Ngoc Nghien back:

“Your Highness, do you still remember that you are a concubine?”

“I give you freedom, not just letting you go out and do whatever you want!”

The warning in the Emperor's voice was extremely clear.

“This story stops here.”

"I will take you back to the palace. Dai Ly Tu Khanh."

Big brother quickly stepped up:

“The god is present.”

"There is still a female thief among the flower pickers. You continue to chase. What happened today was just a misunderstanding."

"Yes, it is an irresponsible official, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

De Minh Tuyen looked at me again:

“What is the specifics of the beginning and end? Tomorrow, tell Tong Cam Chau to come to the palace and present it clearly to me!”

I raised my eyes to face Emperor Minh Tuyen, then respectfully lowered my eyelids:

“The goddess receives her command.”

21

The next day, the Emperor summoned me to the palace. The person asked about everything that had happened in the past three days. I answered discreetly, without any loopholes. Even though there were a few points that if thought carefully would be very suspicious, the Emperor gently ignored them and did not pay any attention.

"You can't blame her for this."

Hoang Emperor said:

“I also don't want you to become the second Miss Lam or Miss Truong.”

It turns out that the Emperor knew everything the noble concubine did.

"Your highness is too arrogant. Just consider this time as a combination of many crimes and punishment."

Hoa Ngoc Nghien originally thought that the Emperor would severely punish me. But all the suffering she had to endure in the past three days, when she got to the Emperor, she was gently let go. The Emperor rested his chin and looked at me:

“Cam Chau, compared to three years ago, what has changed?”

“His Majesty's eyelids are even sharper, and he has the majesty of an Emperor compared to when he was just crowned.”

The twenty-year-old Emperor Minh Tuyen ascended the throne and was at the most beautiful age for a man. In the beginning, people rode horses to conquer the world, but after ascending the throne, they became even more powerful and noble.

“Draw me another portrait, will you?”

I immediately stayed in the palace, painting a new portrait for the Emperor. While drawing, he talked to me, telling me what he saw and heard on the way to Thanh Chau. People also say that in folklore, there are many libraries selling atlases and scrolls drawn by me when I was young, when I followed my father and brothers on a trip to the four directions. It was not until dusk that the Emperor let me return to his palace. When I left the palace, I met a royal physician with a frown on his face. The royal physician had just left the Imperial Palace, shook his head and said:

"If you want to erase the live paint and images on your face, you have to peel off a layer of skin. Destruction is unavoidable."

“Does your Majesty know?”

"Your Majesty already knew last night. After finding out, he did not stay at the Noble Concubine's palace, but went to the royal study to sit all night. He must have been worried about the Noble Concubine."

Really? I smiled calmly. Indeed, how can a woman who has been humiliated continue to be the Emperor's favored concubine!

22

Three days later, I went to the palace to paint a portrait for the Emperor. On the day the painting was completed, something happened in the Imperial Palace. It was said that to help her hair grow quickly to hide her ugliness, the noble lady cut the hair of a palace maid. The palace maid could not bear the humiliation and jumped into the river to commit suicide, but luckily the guard promptly rescued her. After hearing this, the Emperor angrily shouted:

"Is she still worthy of being a noble concubine?"

"Over the years, many things in my palace have been closed with one eye open. Now she has gone crazy to this point. If she continues to tolerate it, sooner or later it will cause a big disaster!"

De Minh Tuyen looked at me:

“Pass on my will, appoint Tong Thi Cam Chau as Divine Concubine.”

After the command was finished, he asked me:

“Cam Chau, are you satisfied?”

I never thought I would enter the palace before. My ambition is to travel through famous mountains and rivers, using a pen to paint hundreds of aspects of the human world in my eyes.