Chapter 4 — One Bowl of Soup, Two Lives of People

After she finished telling me the reason, she hugged me and cried loudly.

“The Emperor saw the brooch in my hand and madly asked where I got it.

“I didn't dare to tell the truth, I was afraid that I would be punished for stealing, so I said it was mine.

"The end of the brooch was engraved with three small words Tran Ngoc Cam. I had never noticed it before. Who would have thought that the emperor looked at the brooch and asked me if my name was Tran Ngoc Cam? I was so scared that my mind was numb, so I nodded.

“As a result, the emperor suddenly wanted to make me his concubine.

"Sister Luc Thao, there must be a terrible misunderstanding in this matter, I really don't know what to do..."

I hugged A Ngoc who was trembling. In my head, each clue connects together. In that moment of light and fire, I finally understood everything.

08

Actually, in my previous life, I didn't know about A Ngoc changing the brooch. She also never mentioned to her the story of Vinh Hy's eighth year. The silver brooch originally had three very small words engraved on it, Tran Ngoc Cam, which I playfully engraved when I was a child. When A Ngoc stole the brooch, she was so panicked that she didn't notice it. That's why the tree she bought to make up for me didn't have any inscriptions on it. I remember, in my previous life, when I first became a concubine, I would sometimes wear this jade brooch. Every time Tieu Ngan saw the brooch, his eyes became very gentle and seemed to understand. I didn't care at that time. Now that I think about it carefully, the little palace maid who brought him food in the cold palace must have once worn a similar brooch. Perhaps the palace maid picked up the jade brooch A Ngoc dropped and conveniently placed it on her head. Then he felt that what he found was not satisfactory, so he buried it back in its original place. Tieu Ngan must have remembered the style of the brooch, but had never looked closely at the inscriptions on it. In my previous life, because I didn't ask A Ngoc about Vinh Hy's eighth year, she didn't look for me again after that. In this life, she found an old brooch, but was caught by Tieu Ngan, causing a misunderstanding. Tieu Ngan saw the inscription and immediately thought his benefactor's name was Tran Ngoc Cam. The misunderstanding of namesake Tran Ngoc Cam finally cleared up. But what about that bowl of white cabbage and tofu soup? Why did the person who gave Tieu Ngan the rice taste exactly like me? Could it be that— The bowl of soup he drank was originally made by me! Anyway, I have been giving good food to the Queen Mother for many years. The key to solving everything, maybe still lies with the old man... I took a deep breath and finished calming A Ngoc. Go back to Tho Khang palace.

09

"You were also reincarnated? Since when, yesterday?"

The Queen Mother smiled gently and looked at me. I was shocked, it took me a long time to digest that sentence, I nodded bewilderedly.

“Yes. This slave was reborn while trying yesterday's dish.

“In the past life, the emperor relied on a bowl of soup, mistakenly thinking that his servants used to give food to people in the palace.

“The slave was favored for ten years, but then because of the concubine's instigation, she was convicted of impersonation and died miserably in Dich Dinh.”

The Queen Mother sighed.

“Who knows.

“In my previous life, my family left early, my soul wandered in the Forbidden City for several years, and I saw with my own eyes that you were punished by washing your clothes and repenting.

"And that poor child Doan Hoa, crying so pitifully..."

The Queen Mother said this and was so angry that she threw the rosary.

“The emperor is too indifferent, listens to the instigation of this vile person, does not care about ten years of friendship, causes your mother and child to be separated, you suffer from illness and die, how angry.”

After suffering so much, I finally arrived I heard an outsider tell me a word of justice. In my heart, I felt infinite sadness. Love and hatred for Tieu Ngan have actually faded a long time ago. The only thing I can't let go of is my daughter. Unfortunately, in this life, I can no longer be their mother. I pressed down the lump in my throat, but couldn't help but ask.

“So, when did the Queen Mother... when were you born again?”

The Queen Mother's expression suddenly became very quiet. People look at the incense wafting in the fireplace, as if seeing an old friend they haven't seen for a long time. His eyes were filled with boundless compassion.

“Ai family… was reborn in the eighth year of Vinh Hy.

“Luc Thao, I regret your whole life, probably mistakenly entering the royal family, becoming the emperor's concubine.

"My only regret for the rest of my life is not being able to save my best sister and watching her die miserably."

Everyone was shocked. The Queen Mother smiled slightly, her eyes filled with tears.

“Fortunately, this life has been successful.

“You've just been reborn not long ago, so you haven't yet discovered how this life is different from your previous life—

“Looking to the east, in the royal mausoleum, Concubine Bui was buried. She was no longer an anonymous body in the cemetery.

“Looking to the north, General Bui's entire family, old and young, was guarding the border, no longer traitors whose heads were beheaded.

"As for the emperor... he did not accept punishment, nor did he crawl in the alleys to compete with dogs. Although he still angered the emperor, he was punished by being imprisoned in the palace, but it was only for half a year."

The living beings are temporarily placed in a dream in the middle of a dream, the world is like hearing the wind in the wind. Amidst the solitude of incense, I heard the Queen Mother finish telling her story.