Chapter 9 — On the Day of Judgment, I Jumped into the Lake to Escape the Tribulation

This is completely different from So Hanh. Up until now, So Hanh has never put his sister in his eyes. In his eyes, his sister was just a lowly concubine, not even qualified to stand in front of him and talk to him.

“Have you agreed yet?”

Sister smiled.

“Tri Nhi, from childhood to adulthood, you have made many decisions for me.”

“But this time, it must be your choice.”

On the big wedding day, it wasn't even dawn yet when I was called up to do my makeup. My sister personally performed the ceremony to present me. The thread used to pull my face popped up on my painful skin, but I still gritted my teeth and endured it without making a sound. The lady standing next to me constantly praised me as a blessed bride. She said, if the bride shows her face without crying, her life will be red and full of happiness in the future. I thought to myself. In my previous life, I cried too much. In this life, I really don't want to cry anymore. The wedding dress is dark red in color, with a phoenix embroidered on it with gold thread, layer by layer overlapping each other, wearing several layers. The phoenix hat on my head is extremely heavy, so heavy that my neck almost broke. Hi, she told me to hold on a bit and wait until I get to Than Vuong's palace so I can take it off. When I got on the palanquin, I gently lifted a corner of the wedding scarf and turned my head to look back. Sister stood in front of the door. She was wearing a new peach-colored outfit, with a smile on her face, but her eyes were red. She waved her hand towards me, her lips moving slightly. I put down my scarf and sat inside the palanquin. Along the way, the sound of gongs and drums echoed in the sky, and the sound of firecrackers exploded so continuously that the entire palanquin vibrated. I sat in the palanquin, listening to the bustling sounds outside, and countless images suddenly appeared in my mind. In my previous life, there was no palanquin. There are no gongs or drums. There were no fireworks. There weren't even any guests. A small palanquin was carried in from the side door of the Marquis's palace, without even a worshiping ceremony, taking me directly to So Hanh's courtyard. That wedding night, So Hanh got drunk, grabbed my neck and said:

"Do you think that if you can plan for me, you can live a good life? Dream."

The float stopped. Tieu Ky An stood outside the palanquin curtain and held out a hand. That hand has clear joints, is long and strong. I put my hand up. His palm was dry and warm, firmly holding my hand. He led me down to the palanquin. Step over the saddle. Step through the fire basin. Together we went into the hall of Than Vuong's palace. Guests filled the entire lobby, laughing and talking non-stop. While worshiping, through the gap in the scarf, I saw a corner of his red clothes.

“I bow to heaven and earth.”

“Second bow high road.”

"Husband and wife worship."

With each chanting sound, my heart becomes a little more steadfast. After being brought into the cave, he sat down next to me, using a scale to gently lift the scarf from my head. The light of a pair of red candles shone on his face, making his eyebrows and eyes become even gentler than usual. He looked at my face for a long time, then said:

“You are very beautiful today.”

After the wedding, she and the maids retreated, and the room immediately became quiet. Tieu Ky An helped me take off my phoenix hat. I breathed a long sigh, feeling that my neck was finally returning to its original position. He looked I looked like I was rubbing my neck and suddenly said:

"If I had known that earlier, I wouldn't have held such a solemn event. It's really too painful for everyone."

"If you say these words, if the Queen Mother hears, she will be angry."

“You are not here.”

Tieu Ky An said very reasonably:

“Here, I decide.”

I laughed, leaning into his arms. He put his arms around me, his chin gently resting on the top of my head. From afar, there was still a vague sound of a banquet in the front yard, but here, there were only the two of us. The days after we got married were much happier than we ever imagined. During my years in the Hau palace, although I never enjoyed good days, my sister taught me many things. Checking books, managing servants, welcoming guests back and forth, I do all of these things very conveniently. The Queen Mother loves me very much, and every few days she summons me to the palace to chat. People told me many stories about Tieu Ky An's childhood, saying that he joined the army at the age of twelve, went to the battlefield at fourteen, and had more than ten scars on his body, big and small.

“An Nhi is a miserable child.”