Chapter 4 — The day he established me, I did not make a fuss, 17 days later, he searched the world looking for me

Whoever can bring him back safely will be appointed as the Marquis of ten thousand households. When the reward was given, the world was shocked. Countless people poured out onto the street, carrying statues, looking everywhere for comparison. Guesthouses, pubs, temples, and religious houses. Even rural farming households were searched. But Du Van, like a fruit that evaporated from the world. Doesn't leave any traces. Ta Than's patience, during the repeated days of waiting, had been worn to the point of exhaustion. He began to become impatient and easily angry. In the royal library, notebooks were piled up like mountains. But he was too lazy to even glance at it. Every day, I just stare at the map of the territory hanging on the wall, my eyes empty. Vuong Duc walked in carrying ginseng soup and carefully advised.

“Your Majesty, the dragon body is heavy, you have not slept for two days.”

Ta Than did not turn his head, his voice was hoarse.

“Is there any news yet?”

Vuong Duc's body bowed a little lower.

“Your Majesty, still… not there yet.”

"Fuck off!" Ta Than suddenly turned his head, his eyes covered with blood, like a cornered wild beast.

He grabbed the inkstone from the table and violently threw it to the ground. Ink splashed. Vuong Duc's body was splashed all over. Vuong Duc knelt on the ground, his head bowed even lower, not even daring to move. The little eunuchs outside the palace were even more scared to the point of holding their breath and not daring to make a sound. Such scenes, over the past month, have happened almost every day. The emperor who was once heroic and martial, the Thai Son mountain collapsing before his eyes did not change his expression, he is no more. Instead, he is a madman imprisoned by a demonic mind. The Queen Mother was also shocked. She personally came to the study room. Seeing the mess everywhere and her son's haggard appearance, she was heartbroken to the point of tears.

“Emperor, are you going to torture yourself to death?”

When Ta Than saw the Queen Mother, the tears in her eyes were slightly condensed.

“The Queen Mother…I…”

The Queen Mother waved her hand for all the palace servants to leave, stepped forward, and held his hand.

“For a woman, is it worth it?”

“She is not an ordinary woman.” Ta Than said in a low voice.

“In my eyes, she is…”

The Queen Mother sighed, her words were profound.

"My child, you are the son of heaven, the monarch of Dai Xia."

"In your heart, you should contain the rules of the world, the people and the people."

“It's not like a concubine just left on a whim.”

“She is not arbitrary.” Ta Than objected, his voice carrying pain that he himself had not yet realized.

“She was… forced by me.”

The Queen Mother was stunned. She looked at her son. In his eyes, the regret and suffering were so real. She suddenly realized that perhaps she, along with everyone in the palace, had seen it wrong. They thought that Ta Than's favor for Du Van was just temporary excitement. Just an emperor's tolerance for an interesting item. But he did not know that that feeling had long taken root in his heart.

“No matter who saw it wrong.”

The Queen Mother lowered her tone.

“But things have come to this, I have to lift my spirits even more.”

"You are the emperor, you also have Tuyet Nhu, you also have the entire harem, you also have the world."

“Find her back, you can make up for it however you want.”

“But I can't continue like this Also, if not, the state will be chaotic and people's hearts will be broken."

Ta Than was silent. He knew what his mother said was correct. He understands these principles. But understanding is one thing. Doing it is another matter. As soon as he closed his eyes, Du Van's deathly silent eyes appeared in his mind. Like two deep ancient wells with no bottom, sucking his entire mind inside. The following days. He began to often go to places where they used to go together. Ma Truong is in Tay Uyen. She used to be there, dressed in red like fire, spurring her horse and swinging her whip. She said: "Thank God, look carefully, there is no wild horse in this world that I, Du Van, cannot tame!" Then he smiled and said: "Yes, including me." The swing in the royal garden. Built for her by his own hands. She sat on it, her skirt flying, smiling brightly like a child. She said: "Thank God, push a little higher, I want to touch the clouds in the sky." He stood below, pushing her with all his strength, her smile in his eyes and heart. There is also Ho Quoc Pagoda outside the city. They used to go there together to pray for peace. She knelt before the Buddha statue, so respectful that people did not dare to disturb her. He asked her what she wished for. She smiled mysteriously: "Buddha said, it's impossible to say." Later he learned that what she prayed for was to pray that year after year, she could be together with the king for a long time. However, he personally broke that vow. He disappointed her. He lost her. That night, he sat alone on the steps of Lanh Van palace. The night is cold as water. He remembered that Du Van was most afraid of the cold. Every time winter comes, her hands and feet are always cold. He always held her hand in his arms, helping her warm up. But this winter, who will warm her? She's alone outside, is she cold, is she sick? Are… will we encounter bad guys? Just thinking about these things made his heart feel like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it so painful that he couldn't breathe. At this moment, a dark guard leader quickly ran over and knelt down in front of him.

“Your Majesty, at the cemetery south of the city, a female corpse was discovered.”

"The figure... somewhat resembles Lady Yu."

The blood in Ta Than's body instantly froze. He jumped up and grabbed the guard's collar with one hand.

“What did you say?”

His voice trembled so much that he couldn't make a sound. The dark guard was frightened by the madness in his eyes.

“It's just... it's just a resemblance, it's not confirmed yet.”

Ta Than pushed him away and staggered out.

“Prepare the horses! Quickly prepare the horses!”

He didn't even wait for help, he personally led a horse, turned around and jumped on.