Chapter 12 — On the day of the big wedding, the main concubine was changed, I still refused to kneel down

Three days after the spring festival, the whole capital was turned upside down. The news that the Crown Prince had been deposed spread around every corner and was discussed everywhere in teahouses and pubs.

"Haven't you heard? The Crown Prince intends to kill General Gu right on the spring altar!"

"Tsk tsk, Crown Princess - no, now I have to call her Lieu - she has also been banished to the cold palace."

"It's worth it! The other day at the ceremony, he was still so arrogant, what now? The phoenix official is also broken!"

I don't go out. The general's palace has reopened, but I did not return, the Queen Mother let me continue to stay at Tho An palace.

“Girl, it's not safe for you to return to the palace now.”

The Queen Mother stroked the cat and spoke.

"Even though the Crown Prince has been deposed, the Lieu family has been rooted in the court for a long time, and the forces are intertwined. It's not like just one saint can completely eradicate it."

"Although Lieu Vong Son has been dismissed, his old disciples are spread throughout the Luc Department. These people are now headless snakes, prone to doing the craziest things."

“You stay in the palace, who can protect you?”

“Your Majesty, I have a problem.”

"After the Crown Prince is deposed, the position of military reserve is vacant, who will His Majesty choose?"

The Queen Mother's cat-pawing movements stopped.

“Why do you ask this?”

“Because the Four Princes have come to find the goddess.”

The Queen Mother raised her head to look at me, her eyes sharp, unlike a seventy-two year old old man.

“So Lam Phong?”

“He wants her to be his queen.”

“How do you answer?”

“The goddess said she doesn't need a man to give her anything.”

The Queen Mother stared at me for five breaths, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Good girl.”

"Do you remember someone's words - in this royal palace, whoever gives you a position, that person can take it back, only what you gain yourself is real."

"The four princes are the same, no one is the same, they are not worthy of you putting yourself there."

I respectfully bowed.

“Goddess understands.”

Leaving the Queen Mother's palace, Bich Nhi approached.

“Miss, the National Teacher is waiting for you at the hospital.”

Today, Ta Truong An wore a bamboo-colored long shirt, a bit more human than usual. In his hand he held a box of food.

"I brought you crab soup dumplings from 'Phuc Man Lau' in the south of the city. I heard from Bich Nhi that you haven't been eating well lately."

“Does Ta Quoc Su even care about other people's eating and drinking?”

"The late general said, his wife has been picky about eating since childhood. If she doesn't eat, she won't have the strength to compete with others."

I couldn't help but laugh softly. This is after the spring festival day, the first time I laughed. Ta Truong An put the food box on the table and opened it. The heat rises, bringing with it the fatty aroma of crab bricks.

“Let's eat, then talk about the main story.”

I took a bite of soup dumpling. Um, it's really not bad.

“What's the main story?”

“The crown prince has been deposed, but there is still one person left untouched.”

“Liu Nhu Yen.”

Ta Truong An poured a cup of tea.

"Lieu Vong Son was dismissed from his position and sent to prison, but Lieu Nhu Yen was not punished. The decree only said 'abolition of the title of Crown Princess', no crime was determined."

"Currently she is in the cold palace, but the cold palace is not a prison. With her tricks, it won't be long before she finds a way to get out."

“What do you mean, she will still cause trouble?”

“Not just causing trouble.”

Ta Truong An put down the tea cup.

“Our people found it before entering Palace, Lieu Nhu Yen once worshiped someone as his master.

“Vu y Nam Cuong, Xich Xa.”

My movements stopped.

“Nam Cuong physician?”

"Xi Xa is good at using poison and ancient magic. The Tan Doan Tang in the cinnamon cake box she gave you is his handwriting."

“But Xich Xa herself ——”

Ta Truong An's tone became extremely serious.

“I entered the capital three days ago.”

The news that Xich Xa entered the capital gave me a sleepless night. Early the next morning, his father immediately ordered someone to secretly deliver a secret letter to the palace. In the letter there was only one sentence:

"The North is on alert, eighteen Mac Bac tribes have gathered eighty thousand iron cavalry, and are expected to descend south within a month."

The warning in Ta Truong An's hexagram from three months ago... has finally come true. As soon as the news spread, the court was immediately shocked. Eighty thousand iron cavalry! The last time Mac Bac launched a large-scale southern invasion... was twenty years ago. That year, it was my father who took charge, single-handedly stopped the storm and maintained the border. Currently, the Crown Prince has just been deposed, the court is still in turmoil, people's hearts are not at peace... Mac Bac took advantage of the turbulent times and chose the right opportunity to send troops south. In the main hall, the emperor sat on a dragon chair, his face extremely gloomy, like dark clouds gathering before a big storm.

“My dear friend.”

“God is here.”

“Can the Northern police force fight?”

“Reporting to your Majesty, before I left, I arranged three lines of defense, the elites are still there, food and grass are enough, just ——”

Father stopped for a moment.

"The army has been held by Lieu Vong Son for many years. Last year's military provisions sent to the North were cut back to three parts. If not enough is added, I'm afraid there will be a shortage."