Chapter 22 — The Beggar Husband Turns Out to Be a Dragon

The meeting was held at the Anh Duong villa, where everything for Bach Tranh and Tuyet Nhi began on a fateful rainy night nearly a year ago, a meaningful closed circle that the two of them did not expect. Giang Chan Hung, Mrs. Lam Bich Van, and Giang Bao Son were all present in the large living room, the atmosphere was somewhat unusually solemn compared to usual.

"Father, mother, me." Tuyet Nhi opened her mouth, her voice a bit nervous, her hand squeezing her husband's hand under the table. "Today, Bach Tranh and I want to tell everyone an important truth, a truth that we have kept hidden all this time for safety reasons."

Bach Tranh stood up, his eyes looked at each family member in turn, the people who once despised him, then gradually accepted him, and now, were about to receive a truth that far surpassed all normal imagination.

Before the meeting took place, Tuyet Nhi carefully discussed with her husband how to present it in a way that would be most acceptable to her family, avoiding causing too much of a shock that could affect her father's health or cause Mrs. Bich Van to faint on the spot. The two considered a lot, whether to start with an explanation or with visual evidence, and finally agreed that a specific demonstration would be more convincing than a thousand empty explanations.

"Are you sure you should do that?" Tuyet Nhi asked softly before entering the living room, holding his hand tightly.

"This is my family, they deserve to know the truth." Bach Tranh replied with a firm voice. "And I believe, they are brave enough to accept it."

"First of all, I want to thank my family, for giving me a home, an opportunity, when I was just a homeless wanderer." He opened his mouth, his voice was deep and warm. "But the truth is, I was never really as normal as everyone thought I was."

He held out his hand, a piece of the Dragon Seal appeared in his palm, and he gently used a little spiritual energy, making the dragon image engraved on the jade shimmer like the first time he showed it to Tuyet Nhi.

The whole family gasped in surprise. Mrs. Lam Bich Van jumped back in surprise, clutching her chest, almost falling off the chair if Bao Son could not catch her. Giang Bao Son stood up from his chair, his eyes widened in disbelief at what he was witnessing, his mouth stuttering wordlessly. Only Giang Chan Hung still remained relatively calm, although his eyes could not hide his extreme surprise, his hands clasped the armrests of the chair to calm himself.

"This... what is this?" Ms. Bich Van stammered and asked, her voice shaking with fear and surprise, her eyes not taking her eyes off the blue light radiating from the piece of jade.

"I am the crown prince of the dragon clan, an ancient clan that has lived hidden among humans for thousands of years." Bach Tranh said, his voice still calm even though he knew this was a big shock to his family. "Six years ago, I was framed by my cousin, falsely accused of treason, and forced to flee and live wandering in the guise of a beggar to avoid pursuit. The rainy night that Tuyet Nhi saved me was the night I was almost exhausted to the point of dying after many years of suppressing my spiritual energy."

"So... so the strange things from before..." Giang Chan Hung spoke up, his voice still a bit dazed but he had begun to piece together all the events in his mind, the disparate pieces of the puzzle over the past several months now suddenly becoming strangely clear. "The case of rescuing people on the river, the case of the company being mysteriously saved, the case of defeating five assassins..."

"It's all my fault, father." Bach Tranh nodded in confirmation. "I'm sorry for not being able to tell the truth sooner. It's not because I don't trust my family, but because this truth is too dangerous, it could threaten everyone's life if it was revealed at the wrong time."

"So...so those guys who chased you, have they all been dealt with now?" Giang Chan Hung continued asking, his voice still worried even though he had somewhat calmed down. "Is my family still in danger?"

"The mastermind has been arrested and punished according to the dragon clan's laws, and his accomplices have also been punished." Bach Tranh replied, his voice reassuring. "From now on, our family will no longer have to fear that danger."

"Thank goodness." Mrs. Bich Van breathed a sigh of relief, sat down on the chair, her hands were still shaking, her eyes looked at Bach Tranh with a completely new respect. "I thought the strange things just happened were just a coincidence, but who knew that there was such a big story behind it."

Giang Bao Son, who had insulted Bach Tranh many times in the past, stood silently, his face pale. He remembered all the contemptuous words he had said, the times he had intentionally humiliated the man standing in front of him now, and felt an extreme shame rising in his heart.

"You... brother-in-law." He stammered, not knowing how to properly address him in this situation. "I said a lot of wrong things before, I..."

"It's okay." Bach Tranh smiled and waved his hand. "You were just protecting your family the way you thought was right. I don't blame you for that."

That tolerance made Bao Son even more ashamed, bowing his head and not daring to look directly into Bach Tranh's eyes. He remembered the time he threw a glass of orange juice at his feet, remembered the harsh words he once said in front of his employees, and now, knowing that the person he once despised was a crown prince of an ancient clan, the feeling of shame multiplied.

"From now on, I will learn to behave more properly." He spoke with a rare serious tone. "Not because you are the crown prince, but because you deserve respect, regardless of status."

"You figured it out, that's the most important thing." Bach Tranh replied, nodding with satisfaction.

Mrs. Lam Bich Van, after the initial shock, gradually regained her composure, but in her eyes now there was an indescribable complexity, between surprise, fear, and something like regret for what she had treated her son-in-law during the past time.

"So... so Tuyet Nhi will now become..." She asked, her voice trembling somewhat.

"King of the dragon clan." Bach Tranh replied, holding Tuyet Nhi's hand tightly, his eyes filled with love and pride. "When I officially return to assume the throne, Tuyet Nhi will stand beside me in that capacity."

Giang Chan Hung stood up, walked towards Bach Tranh, his eyes looked straight at his son-in-law, a true respect gradually appeared on his face. "Mr. Bach Tranh, or should I call him Your Highness." He said, his voice solemn. "I have to admit, at first I had a lot of doubts about you, simply because you came from a poor background and had nothing on hand. But through every action you did, I realized that the true value of a person does not lie in his background or assets, but in his dignity, in his sincerity, and in what he is willing to sacrifice for the person he loves."

"You can just call me Bach Tranh like before, I'm still your son-in-law, nothing has changed." Bach Tranh replied in a warm voice, squeezing Giang Chan Hung's hand as a sincere commitment.

"Dad." Tuyet Nhi hugged her father, tears rolling down with emotion. "Thank you, Dad, for believing in me from day one, no matter how crazy things seemed back then."

"I only believe in my daughter." Giang Chan Hung patted his daughter's back, his voice choked. "And now, I'm even more proud of the decision you made that day."

The whole family sat for a while longer, asking more details about the world of the dragon clan, about Long Uyen, about the rules and customs that from now on they also need to know more or less so as not to make mistakes when they have the opportunity to interact. Bach Tranh patiently answered each question, sometimes adding a bit of humor to make the atmosphere less heavy, gradually turning the initially tense meeting into a rare warm family conversation.

The meeting ended in a warmer and more emotional atmosphere than Tuyet Nhi had expected. Although the whole family still needs time to fully accept this strange truth, one thing has definitely changed: the disdain for the "beggar" has now been replaced by sincere respect and pride for an extraordinary son-in-law, who has proven his worth not by the title of crown prince, but by what he has done throughout the past journey.