Chapter 13 — The Beggar Husband Turns Out to Be a Dragon

A week after the night Tuyet Nhi expressed her absolute trust, Bach Tranh received an unexpected call from an unfamiliar phone number. The voice on the other end of the line was hoarse, trembling due to age but still retaining the typical solemnity of someone who had served in the royal court.

"Your Highness, it's me, Ngao Tinh." That voice rang out, causing Bach Tranh to freeze, his hand tightening his grip on the phone. "I have been trying to contact you for many years, and finally asked for help from an acquaintance in Chuong Dich Pham's business network to get this phone number."

"Ngao Tinh?" Bach Tranh could not hide the emotion in his voice. Ngao Tinh was the most loyal servant who had ever served his father, the one who had carried him in his arms since he was an infant, the one he trusted more than many mandarins in the Long Uyen court. "I thought you were..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but in his mind appeared the image of the night he had to leave Long Uyen in panic, the image of Ngao Tinh standing at the back gate, pushing a bag of dry food and a few scraps of silver into his hand, his trembling voice telling him to survive at all costs. That was the last image he remembered of his hometown before plunging into the night, not knowing where he was going.

"I also thought that maybe I would never have the chance to see your highness again." Ngao Tinh replied, her voice equally choked. "After His Highness left, Diep Thua Uy had people interrogate everyone who had been close to the first king, suspecting someone helped His Highness escape. I was fortunate not to be discovered, but had to pretend to serve him loyally for the past six years, secretly waiting for the opportunity."

"I'm still alive, but I have to live in seclusion, away from all the prying eyes of Diep Thua Uy's faction for the past six years." Ngao Tinh replied, his voice heavy. "Your Highness, I have important news to tell you. Diep Thua Uy already knows where you are."

That news was like a bucket of cold water poured straight into Bach Tranh, even though he had vaguely guessed this through the appearance of Ngao Viet Phong in the city. He tightened his grip around the phone, trying to keep his voice calm even though an indescribable wave of anxiety arose in his heart. "What is he going to do?"

"I don't know the details of the plan, but I heard from a trusted palace maid that Diep Thua Uy ordered Ngao Viet Phong to confirm his identity before acting, and he especially emphasized finding the Dragon Seal." Ngao Tinh replied. "Your Highness must be very careful. If you need any more information about the situation in Long Uyen, I will do my best to help you."

After the call, Bach Tranh sat silently for a long time in the office, his face full of confidence. He knew that the time had come when he could no longer delay, it was time for him to tell Tuyet Nhi a part of the truth, so that she could prepare herself for the dangers that could strike at any time.

That night, when Tuyet Nhi returned home, she saw Bach Tranh waiting for her in the living room, on the table was placed an ancient jade piece that she had discovered by chance, his eyes were unusually serious.

"I want to talk to you." He opened his mouth, his voice low.

Tuyet Nhi sat down, feeling the seriousness in the air, her heart began to beat faster. "You talk, I'm listening."

"Do you remember this piece of jade?" Bach Tranh picked up the piece of jade and showed it to her for a closer look. "You said before that this is a family relic, that's true, but not the whole truth."

"So what is the truth?" She asked, her eyes fixed on the piece of jade.

Bach Tranh took a deep breath, as if mustering up the courage to say something that he had kept hidden for so long. "My family, my clan, is not a normal family like you think. We come from a very far away place, a place that you probably wouldn't believe if I told you right now."

"You just say it, I'll try to believe you." Tuyet Nhi said, her voice was firm even though her heart could not help but feel nervous.

"I was once the only son of the head of an ancient clan, a clan that has existed for thousands of years, living hidden away from most of the world you know." Bach Tranh spoke slowly, trying to choose words that were as easy to receive as possible. "Six years ago, a major incident happened. My cousin murdered my father, causing him to become seriously ill, then falsely accused me of plotting to kill my own father to seize power. I was forced to flee at night, carrying this piece of jade, the only thing left that proved my true identity, and lived wandering for the past six years to avoid pursuit."

Tuyet Nhi listened to every word, her face gradually changed color, not because of fear, but because of shock at the scale of the story that far exceeded all her expectations. "So...so your clan, who are they? Why do they have to live in hiding like that?"

Bach Tranh looked at her, knowing that this was the decisive moment, the moment where everything could completely change between the two of them. He stretched out his hand, placed the piece of jade in his palm, then gently used a little spiritual energy, causing the dragon image engraved on the jade to begin to glow, the delicate lines seemed to be moving vividly, radiating a gentle blue light that enveloped the entire room.

Tuyet Nhi gasped in surprise, stepping back a bit in a natural reaction to this strange, unprecedented phenomenon, but she was not completely frightened, but instead was surprised and mixed with intense curiosity.

"This is Dragon Seal." Bach Tranh said, his voice was deep. "The only document that proves the legitimate bloodline to succeed the head of your family, the family that humans still call by the name dragon, although the true shape is much more complex than what is passed down in legends."

"Dragon?" Tuyet Nhi repeated, her voice trembling. "You... you're a dragon?"

"You are the crown prince of the dragon clan." Bach Tranh replied, his eyes looking at her filled with worry, waiting for her reaction. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long. I'm afraid that if I tell you too soon, you won't believe it, or worse, you'll be scared and leave me."

Tuyet Nhi was silent for a long time, her mind reeling trying to receive this shocking information. She looked at the blue light still glimmering on the piece of jade, at the worried face of the husband she had loved and trusted for many months, and gradually, the disparate pieces in her head began to fit together: her outstanding intelligence, her extraordinary strength in the accident on the bridge, her mysterious ability to protect her on that rainy night.

"So... the person who saved me from those thugs that night..." She spoke, her voice still shaking.

"It's you." Bach Tranh nodded and admitted. "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth right away."

Tuyet Nhi looked at him, and instead of being scared or avoiding like he was worried about, she slowly reached out and gently touched the glowing piece of jade in his palm. "I'm not afraid of you." She said, her voice calm again. "I just... need time to accept all of this. But the you I've loved all this time, your kindness, your sincerity, those things haven't changed, right?"

"That's right." Bach Tranh held her hand tightly, his eyes filled with emotion. "The real you is still the same, it's just that now I know more about your true origin."

"Then, I still love you as before." Tuyet Nhi smiled, even though her eyes still held a bit of unresolved shock. "But you must promise, from now on, you will not hide anything important from me anymore. I want to face all difficulties with you, not stand on the sidelines worrying in uncertainty."

"I promise." Bach Tranh hugged her, his voice choked with emotion. "Thank you, Tuyet Nhi, for accepting even the strangest things about me."

That night, the two sat together until late, Bach Tranh told her more about Long Uyen, about his childhood years before the incident, about the pain of having to leave his homeland and his sick father that he could not be there to take care of. Tuyet Nhi listened to every word, her heart grew more sorrowful and sympathetic for what her husband had to go through during six years of wandering.

But both of them did not know that, right when they were sharing their deepest secrets with each other in the cozy little house, outside, not far away, Ngao Viet Phong had all the evidence necessary to firmly confirm Bach Tranh's identity, and he was preparing to report to Long Uyen, starting a series of dangerous events that were about to happen to both of them.