Chapter 21 — The Beggar Husband Turns Out to Be a Dragon

After the battle, Chuong Dich Pham and his network of underground merchants quickly processed the warehouse scene, staging an old gas explosion to explain to the local authorities about the rubble and blown-out roof, and at the same time arranged for the story of Tuyet Nhi's kidnapping to be closed smoothly with the city police, without revealing any details related to the dragon clan.

"Police received testimony that the victim was promptly rescued by relatives, and the kidnapper had fled." Chuong Dich Pham reported to Bach Tranh while he was recuperating at a safe villa that Chuong Dich Pham arranged privately. "As for Ngao Viet Phong, he was escorted to Long Uyen with Diep Thua Uy, waiting for trial."

"Good." Bach Tranh nodded. Although his body was still sore from the wounds in the battle, his spiritual energy had begun to recover quickly thanks to returning to its original form, something he had never dared to do in the past six years.

Meanwhile, at the Anh Duong villa, Giang Chan Hung stayed up all night waiting for news, his face haggard with worry. When he received a call from Bach Tranh informing him that Tuyet Nhi was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief to the point that he had to sit down in a chair and cover his face with his hands for a long time before he regained composure.

"Where is she? Let me see her now." He spoke over the phone, his voice still shaking uncontrollably.

"She is resting, her health is stable, don't worry too much." Bach Tranh reassured, even though he himself knew, the explanation about last night would still have to be carefully refined before he could tell it to his wife's family without revealing too many secrets that were not yet ready to be made public.

The next morning, when Tuyet Nhi called home, her voice was still a bit tired but much steadier than the night before. Only then did Giang Chan Hung truly feel secure, telling her to get enough rest before returning home to visit. His voice was still a little choked with emotion.

Three days later, a delegation of messengers from Long Uyen, led by the oldest elder in the council, arrived safely at the villa to announce the official trial results.

"Your Highness." The elder bowed his head and bowed, his voice solemn. "After fully examining the evidence provided by Ngao Tinh, including the testimonies of the maids and royal physicians who served the king, the council confirmed that Diep Thua Uy was guilty of poisoning his blood, slandering innocent people, and unjustly usurping power for the past six years. He was stripped of all his titles, imprisoned forever in the deepest dungeon of Long Uyen, never allowed to return to the court."

When Bach Tranh heard the news, his heart was heavy with a complicated feeling. Even though Thua Uy had caused so much suffering to him and his father, even though this sentence was completely deserved, he still couldn't help but feel sad when thinking about the fact that his only living relative would now have to live the rest of his life in the darkness of prison.

"Your Highness, would you like to visit him once before the official sentence takes effect?" The elder asked, his voice cautious, as if he had guessed some of the thoughts torn in the young crown prince's heart.

Bach Tranh was silent for a long time, his eyes looking far away through the window. "No need." He replied, his voice firm even though his heart was still a bit heavy. "I spent too many years thinking about him, hating him. Now, when justice has been served, I want to spend the rest of my life thinking about better things, not continuing to be haunted by the past."

The elder nodded, his eyes showing approval. "Your Highness has matured much more than the council had feared. This is exactly the quality a monarch should have."

"What about Ngao Viet Phong?" He asked, remembering the complicated eyes of that expert during their encounters, the submission and skepticism he felt did not entirely come from blind loyalty.

"He confessed honestly and provided more important evidence to prove His Highness's innocence in the incident six years ago. In exchange, his sentence was reduced, he was only exiled to another country, and was forbidden to return to Long Uyen for fifty years." The elder replied.

Bach Tranh nodded, feeling that this was a reasonable ending, although not entirely complete. "And my father, how is his health now?"

"The Immortal King is still in a deep coma due to the poison that has been absorbed for too long, but Long Uyen's best royal physicians are trying their best to cure him, with the support of precious medicinal herbs that Diep Thua Uy had previously deliberately suppressed to hinder treatment." The elder replied, his voice somewhat hopeful. "Now that he has been exposed, the royal physicians believe that the chance of curing the first king is much higher."

That news made Bach Tranh feel a sense of hope that he had never dared to dream of during his six years of wandering. "I want to visit my father as soon as I can."

"Of course, your highness." The elder bowed his head. "The council has also officially announced the full restoration of your title as crown prince, erasing all previous slanderous accusations. The entire dragon clan is looking forward to the day you return to assume your responsibilities, after many years of waiting for a worthy successor."

After the envoys left, Tuyet Nhi, who had been standing by the hospital bed taking care of Bach Tranh for the past few days, never left his side, sat down next to him, holding his hand tightly. "So it's really over, right?"

"Most of it is over." Bach Tranh replied, turning to look at her, his eyes filled with love and gratitude. "But there's one more important thing I need to do, which is to officially introduce you to my family, the whole family in the real sense, not just as the wife of a mysterious husband, but as the future royal concubine of the dragon clan."

Tuyet Nhi smiled, even though she was still a little nervous at the prospect of facing a completely new world, stranger than anything she had ever imagined. "I'm ready, as long as you're by my side."

In the following days, Bach Tranh gradually recovered completely, his health and spiritual energy returned to the same as when he was in Long Uyen before the incident. He took the time to tell Tuyet Nhi in more detail about the world of the dragon clan, about the customs, rules, and the position and responsibilities that he would have to assume in the future as the restored crown prince.

Some afternoons, he taught her a few basic greetings in the ancient language of the dragon clan, how to properly bow to the elders, and the small but important rules that a future royal concubine needs to master. Tuyet Nhi learns very quickly, sometimes even making Bach Tranh laugh at her adorable lisping pronunciation when trying to read difficult ancient syllables correctly.

"What if I can't memorize it forever?" She asked, jokingly, after completely misreading the formal greeting.

"Then I'll stand next to you and remind you, right in front of everyone." Bach Tranh replied, smiling lightly, making Tuyet Nhi lightly punch him on the shoulder, both of them laughing in that rare moment of peace.

"I'm worried you'll feel pressured to become the royal concubine of a family you don't fully understand." He said, one evening when the two of them sat together watching the sunset from the safety of their villa balcony.

"I'm not afraid of pressure." Tuyet Nhi replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm just worried about whether the dragon clan will accept a royal concubine from a human family like me."

"They will accept you." Bach Tranh affirmed, his voice full of confidence. "Because you proved your bravery and intelligence last fateful night. Not everyone can stay as calm and cunning as you in such a dangerous situation."

Tuyet Nhi smiled, feeling warm at that sincere compliment. She remembered the moment she personally untied the rope, sprayed the fire extinguisher, shouted loudly to distract Diep Thua Uy, and felt proud of herself, a pride that before, when she was a young lady living in luxury, she never had the opportunity to experience.

The news that Bach Tranh has been completely exonerated and restored to his position as crown prince of the dragon clan, although still kept an absolute secret from the human world in general, has been officially announced privately to the Giang family in an upcoming solemn meeting, a meeting that will completely change the way this entire business family views the son-in-law they once contemptuously called "a beggar".