Chapter 1 — Once reborn, I will no longer marry the wrong person

I have died once, so I understand better than anyone the taste of that cup of poisoned wine. On the day of my rebirth, I was kneeling in Tu An palace, listening to the Queen Mother's teachings. The tip of the tongue still has the bitter taste of the cup of poisoned wine before passing away in the previous life. I couldn't hear a word of what the Queen Mother said. In my mind, only the extremely gentle face of the Eighth Prince Ly Thua Trach appeared, along with the matching wine cup that he held in front of me with his own hand.

"Tham Uan Ninh, what my grandfather said, did you hear clearly?"

The Queen Mother raised her voice. I raised my head in surprise, facing eyes that clearly showed impatience. Only then will we be completely awake. Today is the ninth day of the third month, the fourteenth year of Vinh Xuong. Just this morning, the Eighth Prince Ly Thua Trach knelt down in the middle of the royal court and publicly proposed to marry the head of the palace named Tham, causing a stir in the entire civil and military court. The Queen Mother summoned me into the palace to find out the intentions of the Tham family. In my previous life, I also knelt here. My heart was beating rapidly, my cheeks were red, I just replied softly:

"Let the Queen Mother decide everything."

At that time, I thought I was the luckiest woman in the capital. A prince as gentle as jade, famous throughout the capital, but as soon as he met, he fell in love with me, and even did not hesitate to disobey the Emperor's wishes in the middle of court, insisting on marriage. The Tham family's palace built its business on military merit. My father, Tham Tranh, was a great general of Tran Quoc, holding in his hands twenty thousand soldiers and horses on the northern border. My mother came from Thanh Ha Thoi city and was the younger sister of Prime Minister Thoi Dien. With that family background, marrying a prince is more than a match. But the Eighth Prince is the son of the Noble Concubine, and has the support of nearly half the royal court behind him. In everyone's eyes, this marriage is the high point of the Tham family's palace. Only my mother frowned slightly. She just said:

"The Eighth Prince's mentality is still not really stable. Just observe for a while longer."

My parents laughed very happily. He believes that it is a matter of prosperity for a daughter to have the prince's eye on her. Mother could not sway us father and son, so in the end she nodded in agreement. In my previous life, after marrying into the Eighth Palace, Ly Thua Trach cherished me like a treasure. Every time the court ended, he deliberately walked around three streets just to buy me a package of cinnamon rolls. When I was infected with wind and cold, he stayed awake by my bed for many days, taking care of me without leaving a single step. When my father went on an expedition, he personally sent him outside the city, held my father's hand and said:

"Please, father-in-law, please take care."

Throughout the capital, it was rumored that the Eighth Prince was a rare lover. Everyone said that Miss Tham must have practiced eight lifetimes to have such a good relationship. The East Palace has been vacant for many years. All factions in the court silently observed and waited for the situation to settle. Thanks to the support of the Tham and Thanh Ha Thoi palaces, Ly Thua Trach's power grew stronger and stronger, gradually overwhelming the other princes. In the year the old Emperor fell seriously ill, the competition for the Crown Prince position also entered its most fierce phase. My father dispatched thirty thousand elite soldiers from the northern border to return to the capital to protect him. My uncle, Cui Dien, consecutively presented twelve memorials, recommending the Eighth Prince. On the day Ly Thua Trach officially entered the Eastern Palace, he held my hand and walked up to the main palace of the Thai palace death. Close to my ear, he smiled softly and said gently:

"Uan Ninh, without you, my day would not exist."

I believed him without any doubt. After that, the old Emperor died. Ly Thua Trach was crowned emperor. And I also managed to become Queen. On the day of the great investiture ceremony, the heavy phoenix crown pressed so hard that my neck ached. However, at that time I still thought I was the happiest woman in the world. He stood before me. Personally reach out and adjust the phoenix crown above my head. In those eyes, there was only gentleness and affection. I'm just sorry... That gentleness. Three days later. Has turned into a cup of poisoned wine. The day I die is the Winter Solstice. He brought a cup of warmed wine to Kun Ninh palace, smiling and saying he wanted to drink with me. Without any warning, I raised my cup and drank it all. It wasn't until the intense pain rose from his abdomen... that I saw the gentleness on his face disappear little by little. Like a peeling outer layer of paint. Revealing the cold, heartless side that had been hidden for so long.

"...Why..."

I tried my best to grab the hem of his dragon robe. Nails break. Fresh blood seeped into the bright yellow brocade layer. He slowly squatted down in front of me. He looked at me with cold eyes that I had never seen before. Then calmly said:

"Tham Uan Ninh, your father has too much prestige in the army."

"Her uncle has too many disciples in the court."

"As long as she's alive..."

"I can't sleep peacefully."