Chapter 2 — Pho Ma ran towards Thanh Mai, and I left Truong An

It wasn't until I sat down in front of the rough wooden table, facing a table of hot food that was carefully prepared but still simple, that I was completely awake. It's been three years since I lost my memories. That night, in the moment of death, I lay in the middle of a field of corpses, and was rescued by a poor scholar who had just returned home late at night. When I woke up, I only remembered the word Dung in my name. Day by day, from the position of a high-ranking princess, I became his wife. Two days ago, because of a sudden accident, I slipped and fell by the water's edge. After he rushed to hug me and take me home, my memories suddenly returned completely. He sat next to me, had already gone to the table to eat but still did not settle down, his left arm wrapped around me, his right hand holding the familiar chopsticks picked up all the meat on the plate, placing it in my bowl. Reflexively, I wanted to shout, "What kind of system is this?" There is no way to choose food right from the tray. But right after that, I suddenly stopped. He is not Co Lien Sinh. It is not a cold gentleman who values ceremony, eats without talking, sleeps without talking. It's also not the person who, even though they know their favorite dish is placed right in front of them, still insists on keeping the rules and doesn't get up to bring it over. Not my son-in-law. He is Tham Chieu. An orphan, but with a pure, completely sincere heart. Late at night, in the small house where he had lived for the past three years, he hugged me tightly and asked in a low voice:

“Miss, can I not go?”

I gently held his hand and remained silent. Must go. Tham Chieu. It's not because I can't bear to leave behind immense power and wealth. There's nothing else to worry about. Just want to know the truth about the assassination in the past. And I wanted to hand over the book of Phong Hoa Ly by myself, but before leaving the capital, I still couldn't bear to give it. Perhaps Co Lien Sinh soon remarried. But after five years of marriage, they eventually need an end. Tham Chieu's tears wet my neck.

“I will try my best to light the book and go to Truong An to find her,” he said.

He thought I was just the daughter of a mandarin. I just replied softly, as if I had promised. The road to Truong An is thousands of miles away. Now I'm no longer a princess, I don't have a magnificent carriage covered in brocade, and I don't have any entourage by my side. You can only follow a group of merchants, along the bumpy road. However, it is considered safe. But my husband is still not at ease. He shed tears, sent me ten miles out of the city, then put all the money he had saved into my hand, his voice mixed with sobs:

“If I don't pass the exam... forget me.”

Before I could answer, he turned around and got on the rented horse. The shadow of the smoky blue shirt faded, gradually disappearing in the cold morning mist. I pressed his warm bag of money close to my heart, right next to the old scar. Heartbeat pounding like a war drum. When we arrived at Truong An and knocked on the palace gate, we received an answer from a young man who had just been recruited into the imperial army:

“The princess returned to her period three years ago.”

"I'm just injured, I can't say anything. Now I'm going down to Jiangnan with my husband to recuperate."

I went crazy and ran straight to the princess's palace. I only see a large palace, the gate is tightly closed, and the walls extend out countless pear branches. It's autumn now. The pear tree bears sparse young fruit, hanging next to the wall covered with green moss. A few pears had fallen out of the wall, left unattended, rotting into mud. I was like a lost soul, turning around unconsciously, blending into the flow of people on the streets of Truong An. Just heard people talking:

"My husband-in-law is truly a gentleman. In the past, when the princess was so powerful, he still remained motionless. A few years ago the princess was injured and became deaf and mute, but he still did not leave."

"I heard that my cousin, who does business in Jiangnan, said that husband and wife often go on trips together and are having a lot of love right now."

Co Lien Sinh. I thought I would no longer waver because of this person. But when I heard those words. Beyond doubt. There is still a sharp pain in my heart. Along with the dull feeling from the old wound, it wraps around me, tormenting me endlessly. Aren't he and Thanh Mai Lam Cu both from Giang Nam? I wiped away the cold tears from the corners of my cheeks.