Chapter 3 — Phong Hau Chi Tomb

Luu Gian retracted his hand, looked calm, turned around and left. He knows. Besides the old people, only he knows that I cannot drink "Pear Hoa Xuan". My heart pounding in my chest, I used the action of sipping my lips to drink wine, wetting my lips and swallowing that familiar red pill. Soon, the tingling heat on my body slowly disappeared, and the faint red marks on the back of my hands also gradually disappeared. In the hall, the music still resonates, the singing and dancing are still as graceful as before. Luu Gian's thin figure in a blue shirt was taken away, gradually dissolving in the twilight sky, without anyone paying attention. I withdrew my complicated eyes and absentmindedly looked at the cup of wine in my hand. At that moment, there was a soft voice calling in my ear:

"A Oanh, let's go. Your Majesty and Your Majesty are about to give us a wedding."

I nodded slightly, suppressed the roaring waves in my heart, and walked with Thieu Son to kneel in front of the palace. Thieu Dao Tich gave the kiss quickly, as if giving away something cheap and worthless. Perhaps after drinking, his aura had calmed down a bit, and he conveniently asked the other adopted children if they had anyone in their hearts to give them a kiss. They smiled and flattered each other. Tieu Luc smiled and glanced at Thieu Son:

“We are not like the third brother, we are full of blessings, we don't have to worry about anything, now the wedding is going smoothly, in the future we will have a safe place to live.”

Thieu Son gently clasped his hands:

"Thank you for your blessings, everything is thanks to Your Majesty's grace."

Tieu Luc smiled without a smile in his eyes, his words were twisted and full of intrigue:

“But the third brother has always been filial, but he did not discuss such a big wedding in front of His Majesty and the Queen, instead he insisted on returning to Jiangnan to organize it.

That place is not our hometown, nor does it have any relationship with the third brother, what is so worthy of the third brother to not even care about filial piety? As soon as the words ended, the Queen Mother also spoke:

“Even though it is said that Jiangnan takes care of people, and the third brother's land is also nearby, such an important wedding ceremony should still be held in the capital to be appropriate.”

Thie Son hesitated for a moment, then finally agreed. My heart stopped. On the outside, he still appeared obedient and bowed his head, but in his heart, he couldn't help but secretly blame Tieu Luc. What a riot! The Queen Mother next to her complimented me a few more times, saying that she had no daughter, that she found me pleasing to the eye, and hoped that before we got married, I could stay and keep her company. Thieu Dao Tich had not said anything until now, but when he heard this, he burst into laughter, his voice made hoarse and low by the alcohol:

"Is it that good? Does the mother love it that much?"

The jade curtain moved slightly. The long, slender finger wearing the jade ring gently lifted the pearl curtain.

“Come here, let me take a look too.”

6

The king's orders cannot be disobeyed. Thieu Son below looked up at me, his eyes full of tension. Strangely enough, I don't feel confused at all. Just feels strange. I have walked the path to Thieu Dao Tich many times: From Giang Nam to Long Tay, from the palanquin to the cave. There is no shortage of ways to leave him: From Long Tay to the Imperial City, from the carriage to the palace wall. But there has never been a time like today — a few white jade steps, two strangers. Separated by birth and death, like Sam and Thuong, we will never meet again. Because it was a family banquet, he did not wear the royal crown, only wore a mysterious dragon robe, with a deep aura. I bow hands, eyes closed, let him judge. He just casually glanced at me, like looking at a cat or dog passing by, then took off the agate chain on his wrist and casually rewarded me. Say it's a wedding celebration. I respectfully took it with both hands, stuffed it into my sleeve, and never took it out to look at it until the banquet ended. It was late at night, the music stopped, and the people dispersed. The Queen Mother kept me in the palace to rest, Thieu Son sent me home. The palace hallway was deep and the moon hung high, illuminating Thieu Son's radiant and joyful face. He said he was very happy.

"A Oanh, you are my lucky star. My father has never valued me so much. Today, he personally gave me a kiss and gave me countless rewards. Even such a cold lady loves her."

Normally, he only calls Thieu Dao Tich "father" when there is no one else. Even though they are adopted children, they are not blood relatives and are not the best among the brothers. Most of the time, the relationship between the two is just that of king and god. Seeing me off to the front of the palace, Thieu Son's face was still red due to alcohol and emotions. In the darkness, his eyes shined like pearls - honest, without any pretense.

"She said she had a brother drifting in Giang Nam. When we get there and find him, I will definitely treat her well, so that he can feel secure in handing her over to me."

He said, then... he will really have relatives. I remember the brother who left the mandarin to become an enemy, raised the flag of rebellion every day, dreamed of beheading the entire Thieu family, once stole my "body" and buried it behind the mountain. I awkwardly rubbed the bridge of my nose, not knowing how to respond. Luckily, Thieu Son drank too much and didn't try to force me to swear anything, just waved his hand and turned around to leave. He staggered a bit, and as he turned, a purple branch hit his forehead. I stared blankly, and he smiled stupidly at me, a red mark on his cheek. He stepped back, looking at me as he walked, smiling:

"No... it's okay, it doesn't hurt. Go to sleep early. Tomorrow I'll go to the Ministry of Ceremonies to choose a wedding dress for you.

You like flowers, I will ask them to embroider a spring for you! The wedding dress in the palace has strict regulations, no one would "embroider it for a spring". I smiled, not correcting what I said in that drunken state. Anyway, in the end it's just a big dream. Why bother for a moment of fun? I turned around, told the maids to retreat, tiredly pushed open the door, removed the brooch, threw away the agate necklace, and took off my clothes. All those noble and splendid things make us feel extremely heavy. My fingers reached up to untie the belt of my dress, I lifted my foot to walk into the bathroom, and suddenly stopped. His stiff eyes looked up at the wall, blurred in the flickering candlelight. On the white wall, there are two silhouettes — one in front and one behind. Standing there silently, I don't know when. I was startled and turned around. The skinny man leaned against the flower door frame, the moonlight covering half of his face, creating strange, patchy streaks of light. The hoarse, distorted voice that sounded like it had been destroyed, once ringing in my ears during countless terrifying nights, was now extremely leisurely, like a snake slowly slithering out of the darkness.

"Sister Kim... I changed my face for you... is it okay to use?"