Chapter 5 — On the day of the big wedding, the main concubine was changed, I still refused to kneel down

Ta Truong An stood up.

“But he will make that mistake very quickly.”

“I have already thought about it.”

“In June, there will be a big war in the North.”

“The Crown Prince will take action before the war breaks out, completely seizing the military power of the Northern region, and the way he takes action -—”

Ta Truong An looked towards my father.

"It's using poison."

The seventh day after the great ceremony of the book of leprosy. The royal edict was passed down from the palace. Not for my father, but for me.

"Phung Thien inherited the fortune, the emperor wrote: Co Thi Cam Dao, Trinh Tinh Thuc Duc, specially assigned to enter the palace to serve the Queen Mother."

The eunuch just smiled brightly, but everyone knew what this directive meant. Entering the Queen Mother's palace is, to put it bluntly, house arrest. Keep me in the palace, so that my father will be careful.

“Don't go!”

Cam Than's younger brother pulled out the knife at his waist.

"The official decree passed down, the person returned and told His Majesty, whoever dares to take my sister away, must first step over my body!"

“Cam Than!”

His father shouted loudly, stopping him.

“Put down the knife.”

“Put it down.”

Cam Than's hands trembled, but he still put the knife back in its sheath. His father turned to the eunuch to pass the instructions.

"Ly Cong Cong, let me ask you one more question - is this decree your Majesty's intention, or the Crown Prince's intention?"

Ly Cong Cong smiled wryly.

“Of course it is your Majesty's will.”

“So does the Queen Mother know?”

Cong Ly's smile suddenly stiffened.

“The Queen Mother… of course knows.”

“That's good.”

Father turned to look at me.

“Dao Nhi, pack your things and enter the palace tomorrow.”

“Listen to your father.”

Father's voice is very steady.

“Dad will come pick you up.”

He leaned close to my ear, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Go to the palace and find the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother is my father's old friend. She will protect you."

On the day of entering the palace, it was raining lightly. The mother stood in front of the palace door, crying until her eyes were filled with tears. Bich Nhi followed me along, this little girl was very stubborn, she refused to stay no matter what she said. Enter the palace gate, go through three floors of city walls, and finally reach Tho An palace. The Queen Mother is seventy-two years old this year, in high spirits. When she saw me coming, she said not a single word coldly or indifferently.

“Gu family girl, are you here?”

“The goddess pays homage to the Queen Mother.”

"Stand up, it's cold in this palace, don't let your knees break."

The Queen Mother glanced at the eunuchs and maids behind her.

"You all go back down, I'll talk to the Co family's girl for a bit."

When everyone had left, the Queen Mother's face changed.

“Who did your father tell you to come find?”

“That old soldier.”

The Queen Mother pouted.

"Thirty years ago, when Ai Gia was still the queen, your father won a battle in the Northern Realm. The Emperor summoned him to the Duke's Palace. He got drunk and kicked Ai's cat into the lake."

"There are two things that everyone hates the most in this life. One is the harem competing for favor, and the other is someone bullying someone's cat."

“But your father was a good general.”

The Queen Mother sighed softly.

“There are not many people in this palace who know how to fight, and even fewer who can win.”

“Girl, your father sent you here, who did he want to protect you?”

“Protecting you is easy, but on the Crown Prince's side ——”

The Queen Mother shook her head.

“Nobody can control it.”

“The Queen Mother does not need the Queen Mother to take care of the Crown Prince.”

From my sleeve, I took out the convenience order that Ta Truong An gave me. Queen Mother Seeing the order card, his eyes narrowed slightly.

“The Order of the National Master?”

"I only need the Queen Mother to say one word - if one day I'm in danger in the palace, can the Queen Mother speak?"

The Queen Mother looked at me for a long time.

“You are really brave.”

“Just like your father.”

She reached out, took the token, looked at it, then gave it back to me.

“Okay, I promise you.”

“But girl ——”

The Queen Mother's voice suddenly became quiet.

"You have to think carefully, the path you are on, once you step on it, there will be no turning back."

“The Crown Prince is not an easy person to deal with, nor is the Lieu family, a little girl like you, rushing into this murky puddle…”

“The Queen Mother.”

I kneel down.

“The goddess has no way to retreat anymore.”

"Three days ago, the Crown Prince humiliated my father in front of his courtiers, but today he tricked me into entering the palace, treating me as a hostage."

"He pressed hard step by step, just not giving the Co family a way to live."

“If he doesn't give me a way out, then I won't leave it to him either.”

The Queen Mother was silent for a moment.

"Stay at Tho An palace, why not let your close maid go find Chu ma ma's side."

“More ——”

The Queen Mother took out a bronze key from under her pillow.

"Under Tho An Palace, there is a secret path leading to Vinh An outside the palace. The key is given to you."

"Whether you can use it or not depends on your fate."

On the third day at Tho An palace, Lieu Nhu Yen arrived. She was dressed in a woven phoenix knitted dress, with eight maids behind her, ostentatiously showing off even more than the Queen Mother.

“Sister Gu, Nhu Yen came to visit you.”