Chapter 5 — Princess Chieu Ninh Chooses Her Imperial Husband

"Your Majesty, this man used my name to insult the princess and the Ve family. I ask that he be punished." I sat behind the screen, holding a towel with my fingertips. My father had summoned me so I could hear the Ta family's answer for myself. But what I saw was not an answer. Ta Chiet Ngoc had handed a servant a knife and let him bleed in his place. The servant said in a hoarse voice: "Your Highness, it's clear that after getting drunk, you said that Ve Tuan was not worthy, the princess would change her mind sooner or later, and this new imperial son-in-law..." Ta Chiet Ngoc's face changed. Grand Tutor Ta angrily shouted: "You heartless wretch!" There was chaos in the blink of an eye. Grand Tutor Ta slammed the table hard. "Take him away." The servant was gagged and dragged away, the servant's shoes scraping the ground and leaving two gray streaks. Ta Chiet Ngoc knelt on the spot, his spine stiff. Grand Tutor Ta looked at his son. "Ta Chiet Ngoc, I have always respected you." Ta Chiet Ngoc bowed his head. "I am at fault." Grand Tutor Ta did not immediately speak. I stepped out from behind the screen. Everyone looked towards me. Ta Chiet Ngoc raised his head, a flash of panic in his eyes. I went in front of him. "Are you saying that Ve Tuan is not worthy?" His lips moved. I asked: "So who is worthy?" In the palace, no one dared to speak. Ta Chiet Ngoc looked at me, his voice choked. "A Lenh, I was drunk." "Drunken words still reveal the truth." His face was white. I crouched to meet his eyes. "Ta Chiet Ngoc, even now you believe that winning means I should choose you." He tightened his grip. I said softly: "But I am not a prize." His eyes turned red. I stood up and looked towards my father. "Father, I don't want to hear these rumors anymore. If anyone continues to cause trouble about the marriage, please prosecute anyone who defames the imperial marriage." My father nodded. "Agreed." Grand Tutor Ta's forehead hit the ground. But Ta Chiet Ngoc still looked at me. His eyes moved from my face to the handwarmer in my hand. That was given to me by Ve Tuan. I unconsciously tightened my grip. When Ta Chiet Ngoc saw it, something seemed to pierce his eyes. When he left the palace, he chased after me. "A Lenh, I was drunk that day." I said: "I know." "I do not think of you that way." "You think of Ve Tuan that way." He stopped. I turned around to look at him. "You look down on him because he has never won against you. But he taught me that winning is not the most important thing." Ta Chiet Ngoc's chest heaved. I continued: "I remember everything you said." The edges of his eyes turned red little by little. "Stop using my own words against me." I looked at him. "But I only have these words." The wind swept through the palace. He stood in the snow, his fingers shaking violently. "A Lenh, I was wrong." These four words finally came out of his mouth. But after hearing it, my chest didn't feel lighter, I just felt tired. I said: "It's too late."
The wedding was set for three months later. The Directorate of Ceremonies brought wedding-gown samples, red silk spread across the long table. Xuan Dao measured me, smiling more brightly than I did. I stood still, my eyes falling out the window. Outside the palace wall stood an old apricot tree. Its branches bent under the snow, then slowly sprang back. Xuan Dao said in a low voice: "Princess, don't you like this outfit?" I touched the red silk. "No." The gown was beautiful. I had simply never imagined marrying someone I barely knew. Ve Tuan began visiting the palace each day to learn the wedding rites. The court official's instructions were extremely strict. He drilled Ve Tuan in the speech and gestures expected of an imperial son-in-law. He studied very seriously, sometimes he was scolded until sweat covered his forehead, but he never argued. I looked from the window and watched him perform the ceremony. The official said: "When the royal son-in-law meets the princess, he must not look straight at her for too long." Ve Tuan lowered his eyes. "Yes." The court official said: "Your Highness, an imperial son-in-law may not make decisions without permission." Ve Tuan nodded. "Yes." I frowned when I heard this, pushed the door open and walked out. "Who decides these things?" The officials quickly bowed. "Were these really the rules my ancestors had intended for a princess?" I looked at that thick ritual book. "Revise it." The court official was so frightened that he knelt. "Princess, this..." I said: "If my husband has to count every moment he is allowed to look at me, how is he supposed to live?" Ve Tuan raised his head and looked at me. I met his gaze, and it felt a little unnatural, so I looked away. The official didn't dare to argue anymore, he could only cross that out. At dusk, Ve Tuan took me to the royal garden. He walked beside me, still half a step away. I asked: "Are you afraid of me?" He shook his head. "I am afraid of offending you." "So now you look at me." He stopped walking and looked directly at me. His eyes were very dark, his gaze direct but never forceful. His gaze made my throat go dry. "I was the one who told you to look, yet I was also the first to hide." I cleared my throat. "Alright." Ve Tuan bowed his head, the corners of his lips slightly pressed down. I stared at him. "What are you laughing at?" "Nothing." "You were laughing." He held back for a moment, still saying: "Princess's ears are red." I glared at him. He immediately lowered his eyes. "I misspoke." I turned around, the hem of my skirt sweeping across the snow. I walked a few steps, then stopped again. "Ve Tuan." "I am here." "In private, do not keep switching between formal and familiar address." He thought for a moment.