Chapter 7 — Phoenix Returns From The Border

“Do not write Mrs. Tam.” She is not Tham Hoai An's wife. He is the true bloodline of Tran Quoc Cong's palace, he is just Khuong Lenh Nghi. Half a month later, Lieu Thanh La was beheaded. Khuong Minh Chau is washing clothes in Dich Dinh. No one told her. When she heard the news, Lieu Thanh La's head was hung on the execution ground outside the market. She cried and wanted to hit her head against the wall. But I can't die. She was pulled back by Dich Dinh, pressed into cold water to continue washing her clothes. Before, she valued her hands the most. Right now the ten fingertips are soaked until they turn white, cracked and bleeding. Ma Ma scolded her: "Why are you crying?" "In the past, when the queen washed her bloody clothes, no one heard her cry." Tham Hoai An was sentenced to be slashed across the back. Before his execution, he asked to see me. I won't go. He asked someone to pass on a sentence. Says he regrets it. After listening, I just felt ridiculous. He does not regret killing my mother. He only regrets that he lost. Later, Tran Quoc Cong street was reopened. The sign is still there. That's what my great-grandfather exchanged his life for. It shouldn't be tainted because of someone like Tham Hoai An. I cleaned it myself. The old lady Khuong held the family tree and knelt outside the hall. "If you are willing, today you can record your name in the family tree." I looked at that family tree. On it is the name of the maternal ancestor. Has my mother's name. Also the name Tham Hoai An was crossed out. Just not my name. Twenty years. They didn't know there was still a Khuong Duong in the world. The old clan uncle knelt very low. "Giang Thi is sorry for the lady." "From now on, the lady is the sole owner of the Tran Quoc Cong mansion." I raised my hand to close the genealogy book. "The name Khuong Duong, write next to my mother's tablet." The clan elders were stunned. I looked at the new tablet enshrined in the temple. "And me." "I'm still Tham Chieu Ninh." "The person who crawled out of the pile of corpses at the border is Tham Chieu Ninh." No one advised me anymore. The ancestral tablet of the maternal grandfather is above. My mother's tablet is next to me. Incense is lit, the smoke flies straight up. I knelt on the cushion and bowed my head three times. "Grandfather, mother." "Khuong Duong has returned." Mother Thu stood behind, crying and wiping her tears. I don't cry. When I stepped out of the street, the sunlight was beautiful. Tieu Chieu Da stood on the steps waiting for me. He asked: "Is it still called Tham Chieu Ninh from now on?" I looked at Tran Quoc Cong palace behind. "Call it Tham Chieu Ninh." "Khuong Duong is the name my mother gave me, I will keep it." "But the one who returned alive from the border is Tham Chieu Ninh." He nodded, reaching out to hold my hand. Outside the palace gate, the wind blew through the long street. At that moment, I suddenly felt that the smell of blood that had lasted for twenty years had finally dissipated a bit. I turned my head to look at the sign for Tran Quoc Cong. Mother. I have returned. (Full text)