Chapter 1 — Reincarnated in the Marquis Palace

I smiled softly, laughing at the foolishness of my youth, the mistake of taking a wealthy person as sincere. Withdrawing my hand, I calmly spoke:

"Van Chi, don't you hurry up and offer tea? Or... don't you want to enter the Marquis Palace anymore?"

Van Chi suddenly blushed, gritted her teeth and looked at me, then finally brought the tea forward. However, when the teacup was only a few inches away from me, she moved her little finger, causing the teacup to shatter on the ground, causing hot water to splash all over her. Van Chi immediately looked up, her eyes filled with resentment as she looked at Tong Lan Trieu, two lines of tears falling like pear flowers in the rain:

“Master, do you not like me?”

I quietly sighed and leisurely stood up:

"This cup of tea, whether you like it or not, I will accept it. From now on, please wholeheartedly serve Marquis and treat the sisters well in the future. I don't want there to be a grain of sand in my eyes."

After that, I turned around and left, not bothering to look back. Before leaving, I freely left a sentence:

"Van Chi, you are pregnant, please excuse me for the next few days."

Later, Am Nhi recounted that when Van Chi heard about 'future sisters', she almost fainted in Tong Lan Trieu's arms. I just curled my lips and smiled coldly. People like Tong Lan Trieu, having tasted the taste of the forbidden fruit, will certainly remain greedy forever. The bright moon hung high, Tong Lan Trieu gently knocked on my door. I didn't bother to reply, Am Nhi stood in front of the door, reluctantly smiled and said:

“Master, the lady is asleep.”

Tong Lan Trieu narrowed his peach blossom eyes and slowly spoke:

“Madam, don't be angry anymore, my husband is here to make amends.”

The sound was neither loud nor soft, but in the middle of a quiet night it was transmitted very clearly. I understand clearly, if I don't open the door, I'm afraid I'll have to face punishment from my grandmother tomorrow. I could only sigh helplessly and open the door. Seeing my rustic appearance, eyes half-lidded against the door frame, Tong Lan Trieu momentarily swallowed his saliva. After all, I am the number one beauty in Dai Chau, making Tong Lan Trieu agree to this marriage, in addition to my fortune, it is also thanks to my beauty that won me over.

“Van Chi has just entered the palace, there must be many things she is not used to, Marquis should come back to keep her company.” I said coldly, just hoping he would leave quickly.

Tong Lan Trieu suddenly rushed into the room, his movements somewhat hasty:

"My lady, I was wrong. Can you stop mentioning Van Chi every day? In your eyes, is there still this husband?"

He hugged me from behind, his tone filled with resentment. I removed his hand, my tone was indifferent, I replied without replying:

“The Marquis Palace is where I will spend my life, of course I must think carefully for the Marquis.”

In an instant, Tong Lan Trieu's face darkened, his eyes suddenly flashed coldly, and he gritted his teeth and said:

"The husband will not force you. Lang Nhu Nguyet, you better not regret it."

After finishing speaking, he waved his sleeves, angrily slammed the door and left. III. Regret? Everything is worth regretting, I have regretted enough in my previous life. That year, I worked hard to calculate for the women around him, and even did not hesitate to give my dowry to pay off his wealthy debt on his behalf. Twice pregnant, both times due to worry and sadness, the child was lost. In the cold winter sky, I had just lost my child, my face was pale as I lay on the bed, waiting for him to return. But in the end, he just waited for his close servant to arrive, his expression unchanged and saying:

“The marquis came to Hoa Man Lau today, spent one night throwing away money, redeeming himself for the beauty, asking the lady for some silver.”

Remembering this, I just smiled coldly, quietly closed the door, and went to sleep by myself. Very quickly, the day of the dowry came. Only then did I understand what makes a woman of both family and beauty like me feel regretful. I sat in the carriage of the Marquis and waited for a long time. I sent someone to call three times, but Tong Lan Trieu still did not appear. Am Nhi clenched her hands and gritted her teeth in anger:

“Let's go drag Marquis out of that bastard's room!”

I waved my sleeve and said leisurely:

"Stop it, he doesn't like being forced, and I don't like it either. Let's go, I can go home alone."

Am Nhi looked at me with wide eyes, but could not change my decision. My parents had long ordered people to wait at the door, and even scattered money to the people, causing many people to gather to watch the excitement. When the Marquis' carriage stopped, everyone present was stunned. Because, there was only me in the car. The bride returned to her mother's house and was alone, truly a ridiculous thing the world had never seen. In the blink of an eye, the jubilant sound of firecrackers suddenly became deafening, and the whispers of the people rang out non-stop. I just smiled faintly, gritted my teeth, got out of the car, and strongly knelt down in front of my parents:

“The daughter is not filial, the Marquis is busy today, and cannot return the dowry to the daughter.”

My father's beard and hair trembled with anger, he slammed the teacup on the ground, sending fragments flying:

"I won't let you get married, you still insist on getting married! Is it now or not? You've made me lose face!"

My mother quickly stepped forward to make peace:

"The Marquis must be busy..."

"What are you busy with? You're such an insatiable person, with no position or taste, who only knows how to rely on your ancestral title to indulge in debauchery!"

What my father said, I couldn't refute even a single sentence, I could only kneel in silence, bow my head, not being able to say a word. Suddenly, from the lobby, a small private quickly ran in, leaned close to my father's ear and whispered a few words. Immediately, the anger on his father's face immediately subsided, replaced by a bit of respect, even a little ingratiation. Before my father had time to tell me to retreat, a calm, majestic voice came from far away:

"Very clever, today I met Mrs. Hou again."

My father quickly pulled me up and warned me in a low voice:

“Don't embarrass yourself here, go to the backyard quickly.”

Right after that, I heard the other person thoughtfully ask:

“The king is coming today, is it a bad time?”

I just turned my head to look at him. An ink-colored long robe, although simple, still cannot hide its noble aura. His deep eyes seemed quiet, yet as deep as a dark abyss. His body was tall and thin but not weak, like a sword in a sheath, hiding its sharpness without losing its calmness. If it is said that Song Lan Trieu is the most prosperous in Dai Chau, then this person is the one who controls the land and maintains the country. The seventh prince of the reigning Holy King, the eldest son born by the Queen was made Crown Prince, the remaining six, only this one, thanks to his glorious victory, was crowned king at the age of seventeen. Tran An Vuong name. I bowed slightly and bowed:

“May the King rest in peace.”

Tran An Vuong stood high up and looked down, his cold eyes seemed to carry a probe, and asked:

“Don't you remember this king?”

I was startled slightly, a few vague memories flashed through my mind. IV. Nope, still can't remember. In my previous life, when I followed Tong Lan Trieu into the palace, I saw him from afar, and now I was able to recognize him. However, logically speaking, in this life I am just a concubine who has never left the boudoir, so how can I know him? My father, who was good at guessing by facial expressions, saw the tense situation and immediately stepped forward to lead the way, smiling and saying:

"Your Majesty has said too much, how could it be at the wrong time? We merchants are not picky about these things, so your Royal Highness must stay and have a meal with us later."

Tran An Vuong nodded slightly, his eyes seemed to have some deep meaning as they glanced at me, before leaving into the study room. Today's dowry party truly made me so embarrassed that I just wanted to find a place to bury myself. Tong Lan Trieu did not come, the person sitting on my left was an outsider. Rumor has it that Tran An Vuong is passionate about strategy, brutal warfare, and not close to women, but for some reason, I feel his eyes passing over me a few times. This makes me—a married woman—feel extremely uncomfortable. Fortunately, the party was about to end, so my lazy husband leisurely arrived late.

"Father-in-law, what a shame, this morning the priest was entangled with government affairs, so he was able to come..."

Although the words were addressed to my father, his eyes were quietly examining me, clearly carrying the intention of pleasing me. However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the person sitting next to me—Tran An Vuong.