Chapter 9 — Pregnant Exterior Forced to Confess, Queen Mother Only Says Two Words: Husband

His body staggered, then fell straight backwards.

“The matriarch!”

The surrounding servants let out a cry of surprise. But the guard next to me reacted faster, immediately moving forward and supporting him. Tham Thanh Ha's eyes were still staring fiercely at Lieu Van Nhi, filled with endless hatred and boundless despair. His world, at this moment, completely collapsed. I coldly looked at all the events happening before my eyes, without the slightest ripple in my heart. A pitiful person must have something to hate. All of this was caused by himself.

“Where are you?”

I opened my mouth, breaking this stuffy atmosphere that made people suffocate.

“Bring that shameless woman down to me and lock her in the firewood room.”

The guard immediately stepped forward, pulling Lieu Van Nhi, who was as soft as mud, like dragging a dead dog, out. She did not protest, nor beg, just looked with empty eyes at the place where Tham Thanh Ha had just fallen. Perhaps, in her heart, there was also a trace of sincerity. It's just a pity that that bit of sincerity has long since been swallowed up by her endless greed and desire. After dealing with Lieu Van Nhi, I turned my eyes to Tham Thanh Ha who was half alive and half dead. He was supported by the guards, his eyes were scattered, there were blood stains at the corner of his mouth, and he looked extremely miserable. I stopped slightly, a cold light flashing in my eyes.

"Bring him down and 'watch' him carefully."

“Don't let him plan to fake his death again.”

“What he owes me, what he owes to the royal family, hasn't been paid yet.”

“How could I let him die so easily?”

My words made Tham Thanh Ha's body suddenly tremble. He raised his head and looked at me with evil eyes. He finally understood that death had become a luxury for him. What awaits him next will be even more terrifying than death. He was taken away by the guards. In the room, in the end, only me and Doctor Ton were left.

“Medic Sun,” I nodded slightly at him, “about today, thank you very much.”

"The princess is exaggerating. This is inherently a minister's duty."

Doctor Sun bowed and responded.

“It's just, princess… that concubine…”

Obviously, he felt extremely suspicious about Tham Thanh Ha "died and then came back to life". I curled my lips slightly as if teasing him, calmly speaking, as if explaining a pre-arranged story about him "died" and then returned from the dead:

"His fate has not yet come to an end."

"Yesterday, he was hanged, was discovered early by his subordinates, and was rescued."

"It's just that he wanted to die, I was afraid he would do something stupid, so I conveniently decided that 'death' for him - externally, he was dead."

This explanation is reasonable. Doctor Sun nodded and did not ask any more questions. He is a smart person, knows what to ask and what not to ask. After Doctor Ton left, I sat alone in the empty main hall. The afternoon light penetrates through the door, shining down on people, but does not bring any warmth. Everything seems to have settled down. The Tham family collapsed, the traitors paid for their crimes, Tham Thanh Ha and Lieu Van Nhi also received the punishment they deserved.

"The old grudge has ended, the injustice has been washed away."

But why? In my heart, there is not even a little joy? On the contrary, it's just endless emptiness and extreme fatigue. I reached out to pick up a book and placed it on the bench. It was a secret book, confiscated from the Tham family. Inside, there were detailed records, item by item, about how the Tham family had formed factions over the years, embezzled and received bribes, and all kinds of crimes. I casually flipped through a few pages, and a familiar name suddenly came into view. My pupils suddenly shrank. This name does not belong to any of the Tham family's comrades. He is the current Minister of the Household Department, Truong Kinh. An honest, upright mandarin, with clean sleeves, famous throughout the court, a goddess. How could he... be involved with the Tham family? We continue to flip down. More and more strange names appeared on the secret book. These people are distributed throughout the royal court, in the military, and even include royal relatives. The more I watch, the heavier my heart becomes. I suddenly discovered that what I overthrew was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Behind the Tham family, there seems to be a larger, more terrifying group of interests hidden. But the Tham family is just a chess piece that they pushed out into the open. Our enemies are far from being completely eliminated. A stream of coldness rose from behind me. I raised my head and looked out the window. God, it was completely dark. Tham Thanh Ha is not dead. He was imprisoned in a secret room. This place used to be the library he built for me when we first got married. He once said, knowing that I like quiet and reading, this place is my own private paradise. But now, this place has become his prison. What a great irony. When I visited him, he was huddled in the corner, his hair disheveled, his beard scraggly, looking like an old man about to go to the grave.