Chapter 5 — Tham Gia Horse Carriage

"This palace really wants to ask, why for the past sixteen years, Princess Chieu Ninh has not had a single item that belongs to her?" Father opened his mouth. But suddenly I couldn't say a word. The mother crouched on the ground, her shoulders shaking violently. She finally remembered, it's not like I never asked for it. When I was six years old, I asked for a piece of candy. When I was nine years old, I once asked for a lamp. When I was sixteen years old, I just wanted to get on that carriage to see my ancestor one last time. They themselves tell us time and time again that understanding people should not make demands. The Queen did not continue to make things difficult for them. He instructed the Department of Medicine to make a new dress for me, and took out items from the private warehouse as a decoration gift. "Chieu Ninh is a princess appointed by the royal family." "Her dowry is taken care of by the palace and His Majesty." Then, he looked towards me. "And about the Marquis Palace." "Chieu Ninh, how do you want to handle it?" The eyes of everyone in the main hall fell on him. Father suddenly raised his head, mother also tightened her hem. Now, they kneel under the palace, waiting for me to speak up. I didn't look at them, just said: "I have three things I want to ask for." "First, Mother Qin and her son have been released from slavery, in the future no one will be allowed to use the identity of the former master of the Marquis Palace to make things difficult for them." "Second, the love letter before the Goddess entered the palace was written by someone else who pressed the Goddess's hand while she was in a coma. The Goddess does not ask for prosecution, only asks that this matter be recorded in the family records, in the future the Marquis is not allowed to continue using blood relations to coerce her. The goddess can do anything." "Third, the old debts between the goddess and the Marquis will be paid in installments with the princess's salary. After being paid in full, the Marquis cannot continue to use the favor of nurturing the goddess." Father's face suddenly changed. Perhaps you never thought that I would stand in front of everyone in the main hall, exposing every single thing they wanted to hide the most. The Queen nodded again. "Correct." "Canh Ninh Hau, do you have any objections?" Her father's forehead touched the ground, his voice dry. "I... have no objections." After that day's palace banquet ended, the whole capital knew. Canh Ninh Marquis Palace was so harsh with the third woman. After the palace banquet, the mother offered her card to enter the palace many times. She wanted to see me, wanted to explain, wanted to change the old jewelry into new ones and bring it over. But I never met her. It wasn't until she knelt outside the palace gate all night that the queen asked me: "Do you want to meet once?" I thought and finally went. Separated by a screen, the mother knelt on the ground, next to three newly made jewelry boxes. "A Uyen." Her voice was hoarse. "Mother made it for me again." "Each item is engraved with my name." I did not open it. "Mother, do you know why I did not accept it?" She bowed her head, tears falling to the ground. "Because in everyone's eyes, I do not deserve to have an item that belongs to me." "Now engraved with your name, it doesn't mean anything." Those things really belong to you." Mother choked up and said: "I know I was wrong." I was silent for a moment. "You don't know you were wrong." "You just discovered that from now on, there will no longer be a girl who will quietly give in and bear all the troubles for everyone." On the other side of the screen, mother cried until she could barely breathe. But we don't turn back. The days living in the palace are very busy. I learned the writing, etiquette and laws of Northern Dich, also learned to ride horses and read border maps. The Queen told me that, although getting along was not a path I voluntarily chose, after coming to Bac Dich, I could not just be a chess piece that others arbitrarily arranged. "Chieu Ninh, in the past, others have made too many decisions for you.

"From now on, you must learn to make your own decisions." Half a year later, Bei Di's envoys to welcome the bride entered the capital. King of the North, Helian Shuo, personally came. During the first meeting, he followed Dai Zhou's etiquette and gave me a roll of identity cards written in Chinese characters. In the identity card, it was clearly written that the two countries would open trade and cease war, both sides were not allowed to use intimate women as hostages. The queen could retain the old customs of Dai Chu, freely correspond with the old country, participate in discussions on trade between the two countries. Finally, there is a line written by his own hand. "This marriage is decided by the two countries." "But after coming to Bac Dich, you still have the right to decide how you will live." I looked at that line, without speaking for a long time. A foreigner I had never met knew that I had the right to choose my life. But my biological mother used a bowl security guard to take away that right.