Chapter 6 — On the Big Wedding Night, the Husband Jumped into the Lake to Save His Sister, Yet He Blamed Me for His Heart of Snakes and Centipedes

I was sitting in the study room that had just been tidied up, casually flipping through a few books, when Thanh Dai opened the curtain and walked in.

“Princess, Your Majesty has already given the order.”

We put the book down.

"Tham Uyen Uyen falsely accused Princess Truong of being a traitor, and was given a cup of poisoned wine, which was considered to save some dignity for the Tham family. Early this morning, people from the Tham family came to pick up the body and bring it back."

“What about Trieu Nguyen Hanh?”

"Your Majesty right in front of the court reprimanded Trieu Ba's family for not teaching their children strictly, stripped Trieu Nguyen Hanh of his doctorate title, dismissed all positions. In addition... gave him fifty strokes before the court to deter future people."

Fifty meters before the court. I closed my eyes. A normal person would not be able to stand up after only twenty strokes. If thirty strokes would cause him to lose half his life, if fifty strokes fell, his bones would probably be crushed to seven or eight parts.

“Are you done fighting?”

"The attack was right outside the gate of Ngo Mon. Many people witnessed it with their own eyes. The doctor said... I'm afraid he won't be able to stand up again in the future."

“What about Trieu Ba family?”

"The Trieu Ba family knelt outside the palace for a whole day, but His Majesty refused to see him. Then, Mrs. Trieu entered the palace to beg the Queen Mother. Only then did His Majesty give in, saying that out of respect for the Trieu family's ancestors who had accomplished feats in the Northwest, they temporarily retained the title. But Trieu Nguyen Hanh... will never be used again."

This marriage was originally chosen by the Queen Mother herself, but now it is so noisy that people's hearts may not be comfortable. You stand up and pray, leaving the Trieu family a way to live, I don't blame you. At this point, everything should have ended. Who would have thought that half a month later, Trieu Nguyen Hanh would do something that everyone did not expect. That afternoon, I was admiring the apricot blossoms in the palace when General Manager Ly rushed in from outside, his face pale.

“Princess, something happened.”

"What is up?"

"Trieu Nguyen Hanh... he contacted Tham Uyen Uyen's father and several elders, and also incited dozens of students of Quoc Tu Giam to sign a petition, saying that His Majesty acted unfairly, because of personal vengeance, he harmed loyal descendants, slandering innocent people..."

The cup of tea in my hand stopped.

“What did you say?”

"The chapter has been presented to Thong Chinh Company. The specific content did not dare to look closely, but roughly speaking... it said that the Princess was arrogant and used the royal power to oppress the Trieu family; His Majesty was biased, shielded his royal sister, abused punishment... Tham Uyen Uyen's father even teamed up with a few great-grandfathers to take the name, and the young students in Quoc Tu Giam also followed suit, causing chaos everywhere."

I slowly put down the tea cup.

“The chapter was written by Trieu Nguyen Hanh himself?”

"It was Prince Trieu who read for someone else to write. Someone from the Tham family wrote the pen for him."

"His legs are disabled, it seems his mouth can still move."

General Manager Ly bowed his head, not daring to answer.

“How is it on your Majesty's side?”

“Your Majesty…” General Manager Ly swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "Your Majesty received the memorial presented by Thong Chinh Company, then... he directly threw the manuscript into the charcoal basin."

I stood up.

“Prepare the palanquin and enter the palace.”

“The royal sister has arrived.”

“De How long have you not slept?

“Not long.”

He put down the sheet music and smiled at me.

“Don't worry, sister Hoang. As for Trieu Nguyen Hanh, I have already decided."

He pushed the sheet next to me in front of me. I bowed my head and looked down. The cinnabar inscriptions on it are strong and sturdy.

“Trieu Nguyen Hanh, execute the mausoleum. Although the Trieu family does not know it, death penalty can be exempted, live crime is difficult to forgive, exile to Linh Nam.”

“I know that your sister has a kind heart, but Trieu Nguyen Hanh publicly insulted Princess Truong, and after being punished, she did not repent. She also colluded with Tham Thi's people, incited students to cause trouble, slandered the court, and slandered the royal prince - many crimes, must be tried together, the entire Tham family, the nine clans are involved, and be executed decisively.”

He raised his head to look at me, in those phoenix eyes there was only a cold, determined look, not allowing anyone to doubt.

“I gave them a chance. As for Tham Uyen Uyen, I did not prosecute the Tham family for any related crimes. I only gave her a cup of poisoned wine, which was a special favor. Fifty rods for Trieu Nguyen Hanh, I will not take his life, but still leave him a way to live. But they themselves forced me.”