Chapter 6 — Tham Gia Horse Carriage

“Ah Uyen.” Father said in a low voice: “This was written by my own hand.” “Your great-grandmother loved you the most, please take it to the North, as if keeping a memorial.” I looked at the set of Buddhist scriptures with neat handwriting, but did not accept it. “On the day my great-grandmother passed away, I held the set of Buddhist scriptures that I had copied for three months, begging someone to let me get in the car.” “He said the car was too cramped.” Father stiffened. I looked at my mother again. "Grandmother is gone, sixteen-year-old Tham Uyen is no more." Mother cried and grabbed the hem of my dress. "A Uyen, mother begs you, take them with you." I gently pulled back the skirt. "Leave it to the sisters." "Before, people gave them so much, I didn't take it." "Now there is no need to give these things to you." When the phoenix tureen left the city gate, mother chased after her. "Ah Uyen, turn around and look at your mother!” She ran so much that her bun was tangled and one shoe fell off. I sat in the warm, spacious car compartment and suddenly remembered the day my great-grandmother fell critically ill. I fell into the snow and mud, crying and begging them to stop for a moment. Not a single one of them turned around. Now, I don't want to turn back anymore. On the way to Bac Dich, my old wound reopened. My legs were so swollen that I couldn't touch the ground. I was afraid of delaying the alliance deadline, so I told the doctor to hide it. After Hac Lien Soc discovered it, he immediately ordered the envoys to stop and rest for three days. The royal physician knelt down and begged for forgiveness, but he did not blame her. "She refused to speak because she was afraid of implicating others." "You, as doctors, have to speak for her." He turned to look at me. "There's still time left for the wedding period, not missing these three days." "She's not a luggage, she doesn't need to let her body collapse because of the trip." I was stunned for a long time. I am not something that can be placed on a carriage at will, or thrown away at will. When we arrived at the royal city of Beidi, Helian Shuo did not urge me to get married, but first let me live in the warmest Te Phuong Palace to recuperate. In the hall, there is a bowl of longevity noodles. The female official Bac Dich smiled and said: "Your Majesty has looked through the ritual record book and knows that you missed your seventeenth birthday on the road, so you specially ordered someone to make up for it." I looked at that bowl of noodles, tears suddenly falling. In the Marquis Palace, my birthday is always occupied by the sisters. When I was five years old, my eldest sister got sick, my mother said I had to guard her side first. When I was eight years old, my second sister's cat went missing, and my father led everyone in the house to search for it all night. When I was thirteen years old, the two of them caused a ruckus over a bunch of cloth, no one remembered that it was my birthday. Only the ancestors remember. Hac Lien Soc stood outside the door, not casually walking in. "Not to your taste?" I wiped my tears and shook my head. "Very delicious." That was the first time I ate a bowl of longevity noodles that was completely my own. After that, I married Hac Lien Soc. He does not consider me a decoration for the alliance between the two countries. When court politics involves Great Zhou, he will let me listen. I proposed opening a school for girls in trading towns, so he immediately used the old royal palace as a place to open the school, and also ordered officials to assist in preparations. The Bac Dich nobles were not convinced, saying I was just a woman sent by Dai Chu. During the adoration, Hac Lien Soc held my hand and led me to the throne. "You traveled three thousand miles to come here, not to bow to anyone." "You stood shoulder to shoulder with me, and immediately shared Bac Dich with you." I once stood in front of the gate of the Marquis Palace, not even asking for a carriage. But now, there is someone standing in front of the whole court, telling me that. We can have our own place. After I left, Canh's life

Ninh Hau Palace is no better. Losing face in the palace is like a cover-up being pulled down by someone. Previously, people just thought that the Marquis's favoritism towards the twin daughters was a normal family matter. Now, everyone knows that because they wanted to protect the eldest sister and second sister, they took advantage of the time when the youngest girl was in a coma and pressed her hand on the document to get along. His father was avoided by his colleagues in the court. Every time my mother goes out to a party, someone always looks at her with pity and questioning eyes. The funniest thing is that the two sisters still don't feel like they did anything wrong. The elder sister thought that because I refused to hide and help the Marquis during the palace banquet, her reputation was damaged. The second sister said that if I became the Queen of Bac Dich, the Marquis Palace would naturally receive more benefits from me. After attending a palace banquet, the second sister, as soon as she returned to the palace, made a fuss, wanting her mother to claim a manor on the outskirts of the capital for her. "You are now rich and wealthy, shouldn't you help your mother's family?" The elder sister also laughed coldly.