Chapter 1 — Past Fairness Restored

When I was fifteen years old, I had just been accepted into the Marquis Palace for half a year. The golden fake pushed me into the lake, the Crown Prince and the little general stood right on the shore. They were afraid that I would cling to them, so they clasped their hands behind their backs and looked at me for half an hour. I struggled in the water to the point of exhaustion, and was finally picked up by a passing lotus-picking farmer. My father and mother ran to me and did not ask me how I lived and died. They only criticized me for embarrassing the Marquis. That very night, I was taken back to my hometown by a tattered carriage. Just like that, I was hidden for four years. On the day he was nineteen years old, the Marquis' carriage finally stopped at the beginning of the village. The person who came smiled approvingly: "Eldest Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince personally wants to see you. Madam, please return to the palace." I didn't bother to raise my head: "That's not good, I'm about to get married, I can't go back." 01 On the day of my nineteen-year-old birthday, a green-screened horse-drawn carriage stopped at the beginning of the village. The wheel grinded through the muddy ground, shooting out a circle of dirty water. I was squatting in front of the yard gate picking vegetables, my hands were still covered in mud. The children in the village ran to call me. “Sister Duong Am, there is a big car coming from the capital to find you!” I don't raise my head. “You found the wrong person.” The child scratched his head. “But they said they were looking for the eldest lady of the Tham family.” The vegetable leaf in my hand was broken in half. It's been four years. That way of addressing me again. My wife poked her head out of the kitchen. She is not the one who gave birth to me. She was the person who, after I returned to the village, gave me a bowl of hot porridge and a warm blanket. Her last name is Dao, everyone in the village calls her Aunt Dao. Aunt Dao's face darkened and she tied her apron around her waist. “Don't be afraid, I'll go see.” I put the vegetables down and wipe my hands. “Let me go on my own.” The village was surrounded by people. Next to the carriage stood two ladies wearing silk dresses. The manager stood in the middle, I recognized him. Qin ma ma of Marquis Palace. Four years ago, it was she who stared at me as I boarded my tattered carriage. That night it rained very heavily. She criticized my wet clothes for dirtying the car's cushion and forced me to sit close to the edge of the car's floorboards. Now she was all smiles, as if nothing had ever happened. “Big lady, I finally met someone.” I looked at her. “What's the matter?” Mother Qin laughed even deeper. “My lady always misses you.” “Today, I specially sent a servant to pick you up and return to the palace.” "If you leave home for four years, you should return to be filial." The surrounding villagers were silent. Someone looked at me. Someone looked at the carriage. I bowed my head, there was still mud between my fingernails. Before, my biggest fear was being looked at by others. I'm afraid they will see that I don't look like the Miss Marquis. Afraid they'll laugh at me for being clumsy, laugh at me for being shy. But these past four years, I have carried water, harvested rice, endured wind, and welcomed snow. I am no longer Tham Duong Am in the backyard of the capital, I don't dare to cry loudly anymore. I said: "I don't have a house in the capital." The smile on Mother Qin's face stiffened. “Young lady, saying that will make you sad.” “After all, you are also the blood and flesh of the Marquis Palace.” “In the past, bringing people back was also for the good of them.” I raised my eyes. “For my own good?” Mother Qin avoided my eyes. “At that time, he was still young and didn't understand things, causing some rumors.” "The Marquis and his wife were afraid that you wouldn't be able to stand the eyes in the capital, so they let you go back to the countryside to rest." I burst out laughing. The wind blew from the village, carrying the smell of river water
. I asked: "Relaxation?" “Just four years without asking anything?” Mother Qin was impatient. “Eldest Miss, this servant is only a messenger.” “Right now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally wants to see you.” “Madam said, today you must return with the servants.” Crown Prince. As soon as those two words fell, soft sounds of breathing were immediately heard around. The way some people look at us has changed. Mother Qin also straightened her back. It's as if just by giving that title, we have to kneel down and give thanks. But I just feel cold. Cold as the lake water four years ago rose again. I gave the vegetable basket in my hand to Aunt Dao. “That's not good.” “I'm about to get married.” “Not coming back anymore.” Mother Qin was stunned. “Get married?” She looked at me up and down, contempt in her eyes. “With whom?” “Where is the land in this village?” Aunt Dao immediately changed her face. “Your mouth and tongue are a little cleaner!” Mother Qin snorted. "Our eldest lady is of Marquis bloodline, can a marriage be decided by you peasants?" "If she really gets married, where will the Marquis's reputation be placed?" I looked at her. “Can the Marquis still be present?” As soon as these words were uttered, the village immediately fell silent. Mother Qin's eyes widened. Maybe she didn't expect me to dare say that. In the past, at the Marquis Palace, even when picking up food, we had to look at other people's faces. Now we stand on the muddy ground, behind us is the cottage, and under our feet is mud. But finally I was able to say what was in my heart. “Mother Qin, please go back and tell the lady.” “I'm not coming back.” "If the Crown Prince wants to see him, tell him to come to the village himself." Mother Qin's face was sometimes white, sometimes blue. “You are arrogant!” She raised her hand to grab me. Before my hand even touched me, a bamboo pole suddenly reached out from my side and gently flicked it. Mother Qin slipped and almost sat in a mud puddle. “Oh my.” A clear voice came from the embankment. “Hey mom, why don't you look at the ground while walking?” “The mud puddle is so big, you just have to rush in.” “Do you want to find yourself a cool place to sit soon?” I turned my head. Ta Tam Lang carried two fish, his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, smiling innocently. Behind him the sun was very bright. He walked and talked. “Duong Am, let me tell you, the fish today is very fat.” “At first I wanted to catch three of them.” “The third one is so slippery, like a successful thief.” “But it's okay, two children are enough.” "Tonight we stew soup and steam eggs. Aunt Dao will definitely praise me for being good." The aunts in the village couldn't help but laugh. Mother Tan was so angry that her lips trembled. “Are you the one she wants to marry?” Ta Tam Lang blinked. "That's right." "What's wrong?" “Don't I look like a bridegroom?” When Mother Qin saw him wearing a rough cloth, her eyes became even more contemptuous. "A little boy from the countryside, is he worthy of marrying the Miss Marquis?" The smile on Ta Tam Lang's face did not disappear. “Miss Marquis Palace?” “Didn't you guys just dump her here for four years?” “If you throw it away, don't come back to pick it up.” Mother Qin's face changed greatly. “You dare!” Ta Tam Lang put the fish on the ground. “I'm very cowardly.” “I only dare to protect my future father.” As soon as these words ended, the village erupted again. My face is a bit hot. The marriage between me and Ta Tam Lang was originally decided by Aunt Dao and the village chief. He hasn't officially brought the bride price yet. But he stood over here, blocking me behind him, his voice ringing brightly like the sound of a morning bell. C
The coldness in my heart suddenly melted a little. Mother Qin gritted her teeth. “Eldest lady, you have to think carefully.” “If you don't come home today, the lady will not be happy.” I nodded. "Whether she's happy or not is none of my business." “You guys go home.” Mother Tan still wants to say. The carriage curtain was suddenly lifted from the inside. A long slender hand placed on the car window. From the car came a familiar yet unfamiliar male voice. “Tham Duong Am.” “Even me, you don't see me?” 02 As soon as that voice rang out, my fingers immediately stiffened. Ta Tam Lang turned his head to look at me. The smile on his face gradually faded. “You know him?” I don't say. The car curtains are raised. The person in the car bent down and got out. His black clothes were tight, he had a sword on his waist, his eyebrows and eyes were much tougher than four years ago. Bui Nghien Chu. The little general was praised by everyone in the capital. Also one of the people who stood on the shore in the past. The wind at the beginning of the village seemed to suddenly stop. He stood on the muddy ground, his eyebrows furrowed very tightly. It was as if the soil, the wind, and the smell of cow dung in the village were not worthy of sticking to his boots. Mother Tan immediately retreated behind him. “Little General Bui, quickly advise the eldest lady.” "She's been in the countryside for too long, and her personality has become wild." Bui Nghien Chu did not pay attention to her. He looked at me. “Follow me back to the capital.” I asked: "Based on what?" He stopped. “The Marquis came to pick her up.” “His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also wants to see her.” “You shouldn't stay here.” I looked at his face. Four years ago, he stood like that. His uniform is neat and his eyebrows are elegant. I used to call him underwater. He didn't move. At that time I thought he didn't dare. Later I learned that he was just afraid of trouble. I'm afraid that after being rescued, I will insist that I had physical contact with him. I'm afraid that a real genius like me who just returned to the Marquis Palace will take the opportunity to cling to him. But at that time, I just wanted to live. I withdrew my gaze. “Where I am, you don't need to worry.” Bui Nghien Chu's face darkened. “Tham Duong Am, don't cause trouble.” "The capital is not a place where you can come and go if you want." I laugh. “So when you took me there four years ago, why didn't anyone ask me if I wanted to go or not?” Bui Nghien Chu's lips are tight and tight. Mother Tan immediately interrupted. “What happened in the past is over.” “What does the lady need that she keeps holding on to and not letting go?” “Besides, aren't you still living well?” Aunt Dao angrily grabbed the broom from the wall. “What kind of wretched words are you saying, old lady!” “Can people who are still alive pretend that nothing happened?” Mother Tan took a step back. “This is the family business of the Marquis, it is not the turn of a village woman like you to interfere.” Ta Tam Lang suddenly clapped his hands. One hour. Two hours. Three hours. He smiled and said: "Amazing." “It turns out the rules in the capital are like that.” “Hurt people and make them miserable, then talk about it.” "People who don't die say she's overdoing it." “Leaving the girl in the countryside for four years is said to be for her own good.” "Now we need to use people, let's say it's family matters." “This rule really makes people less worried.” "Those who do bad things have less to worry about." “People who suffer injustice are unlucky.” The villagers all heard and understood. The sound of quiet chatter rang out. "That year, Duong Am returned and was sick for half a month." “Too thin to the point of not being human.” "Aunt Dao gives her hair every day." “The Marquis has never sent a single coin.” Tan ma ma
lose face. “What do you know?” "She is a girl from the Marquis Palace, her clothes are not something you can compare to." Ta Tam Lang lowered his head to look at my sleeve, which had been patched three times. Look again at the gold bracelet on Mother Tan's wrist. “Um.” “It's truly incomparable.” “Her clothes have many patches.” “Her arms are bigger.” Someone in the village laughed out loud. Ma Qin's face turned red. Bui Nghien Chu coldly looked at Ta Tam Lang. “Who are you?” Ta Tam Lang stretched out his chest. “Her fiance.” Bui Nghien Chu's eyes became even colder. “Where is the marriage letter?” Ta Tam Lang looked at me and asked in a low voice: "Duong Am, are we there?" I hadn't answered yet, he continued talking himself. “It's okay if you don't have it.” “Write today.” “My handwriting is very beautiful.” "When I was young, Mr. once praised me, saying that my words were the best at taking up paper." “One word of mine is as big as two of someone else's.” This statement is so inappropriate. The tense atmosphere in the village was also relaxed a bit by him. I couldn't help but take a look at him. He blinked at me. The meaning is very clear. Don't be afraid. I'm here. Bui Nghien Chu tightened his grip on the hilt of the knife. “Tham Duong Am, would you rather marry this type of person and not return to the Marquis Palace?” “What kind of person?” Ta Tam Lang bowed his head and looked at himself.