Chapter 5 — On the day you give birth, I send you a letter of reconciliation

But Ta Tram Chu suddenly changed his face, one hand violently pushed away the student who was about to help: "No need!" He staggered forward two steps, his hands gripping the door frame tightly, his knuckles turning white from the exertion.

“I just need Tong Thanh Duong.”

Tham Nghien calmly stood between the two of us: "General, if the wound is not treated promptly, I'm afraid it will be life-threatening." Ta Tram Chu laughed coldly, his eyes moving back and forth between me and Tham Nghien: "Doctor Tham did not go to the palace to be a royal physician, but appeared here, could it be that..." The corner of his lips curled up in a sarcastic smile, "likes you?" There was an eerie silence in the room for a moment. I clearly heard my own heartbeat, pounding as if it wanted to break my chest. Tham Nghien was silent for a moment, then calmly replied: "Yes." That word is like a blunt blade, fiercely stabbing straight into my heart. I stood there stunned, the medicine mortar in my hand had somehow dropped. Ta Tram Chu's face instantly turned pale, and in his eyes flashed a trace of emotion that I couldn't understand. Almost instinctively, I took a step forward and held Tham Nghien's hand. Ta Tram Chu's pupils suddenly contracted. He stared at our tightly clasped hands, his throat moved a few times, but in the end he didn't say another word, just turned around and staggered away, leaving a row of bloody footprints in the snow. It wasn't until his back disappeared around the corner of the street that I woke up from a dream and quickly let go of Tham Nghien's hand.

“Sorry,” I said in a low voice, “I took advantage of you just now.”

Tham Nghien shook his head slightly, his eyes were gentle but determined: "What I just said was not to anger him, but was sincere." I was stunned on the spot, not knowing how to respond. Tham Nghien has always been as gentle as jade, and has never expressed her thoughts so frankly. I frantically turned around to arrange the medicinal ingredients, but accidentally knocked over a whole box of dong quai. Tham Nghien squatted down to help me pick it up and said softly: "You don't have to answer me right now." Outside the window, the snow fell thicker and thicker. A few days later, Ta Tram Chu appeared again. This time he was not injured, but he knelt motionless in front of the medical shop door, in the cold snow.

“Miss, the general has been kneeling for two hours now…”

Thanh Truc reported uneasily. I peered out through the crack in the door. Ta Tram Chu only wore a thin layer of robe, snowflakes fell all over his shoulders and hair, already covering him in a thin layer. His lips were cold to the point of turning purple, yet his back was still straight, his eyes stubbornly fixed on the large door of the medical shop.

“No need to pay attention.”

I said hard-heartedly, then turned around to check the pharmacy. Tham Nghien stood next to her, wanting to say more. I deliberately raised my voice: "Doctor Shen, are you free tonight? I heard that a new restaurant has just opened in the south of the city..." Tham Nghien understood, so he responded cooperatively: "Of course it is, it's an honor for me." Our words must have spread out the door, because I saw Ta Tram Chu's body slightly wobble, but he quickly regained his strength, kneeling and straightening his back. When dusk fell, Tham Nghien and I walked out of the medical shop side by side. Ta Tram Chu was still kneeling there, the snow was past his knees. As we passed by, he suddenly jumped Suddenly he reached out and grabbed the hem of my dress.

“Thanh Duong…”

His voice was so hoarse that he couldn't make a sound, "Please... don't ignore me..." I stopped walking, but didn't turn my head: "General Ta, what do you mean by doing that? General Tran Bac, kneeling in front of the door of a little maid like me, aren't you afraid that people will laugh at you?"

“I regret it so much… I shouldn't have trusted you…”

His fingers were so cold that they turned red, yet he still tightened his grip on the hem of my dress and didn't let go, "I know you hate me... but please... give me a chance to atone for my sins..." I suddenly yanked the hem of my dress off, without turning my head, just walking straight forward. Tham Nghien quietly followed behind, then turned the corner of the street and said softly: "If you're still heartbroken, there's no need to try so hard..."

“I'm not heartbroken.”

I interrupted him, my voice trembling slightly, "He deserves it." That night I couldn't sleep, my mind was full of images of Ta Tram Chu kneeling in the cold snow. If it weren't for him taking Lam Nhu Nhi back to the palace, how would our child have... I bit the corner of the blanket tightly, until the foul smell of blood spread in my mouth before letting go. The next morning, Ta Tram Chu was no longer there.