Chapter 7 — The day I was left behind in the abandoned temple, the Princess kicked in the door to welcome me home

That is the back of a woman. A white robe. Long black hair like a waterfall. Hand holding spear. Standing on the top of a high mountain. Lonely figure. Arrogant temperament. It was as if the whole world couldn't make her bow her head. It seemed like no difficulty could make her step back. Firmly.

“I'm here.”

Heard movement behind. She slowly turned around. It's a very well-cared for face. Although traces of the years can still be seen. But it makes people feel the beauty that settles over time. Between her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes. There are three female-like parts in the painting. She is Princess An Binh Truong. She is the younger sister of the reigning Saint. She walked in front of me. Carefully observe me from top to bottom. Observe for a long time. Then he sighed softly.

“It's really similar.”

“You and your mother…”

“Indeed, they are exactly the same.”

She took my hand. The hand is very warm. Help me sit down next to you.

“All these years…”

“I have suffered.”

Just heard that sentence. The bridge of my nose immediately stung. Tears almost came out of my eyes. Eighteen years. Eighteen years. This is the first time someone said this to me. Not blaming. Not scolding. Not taking advantage. Which is heartbreaking for me. I bit my lip slightly. Throat tight.

“My mother…”

“My mother, Ta Tri Vi.”

The Princess sighed softly. Her eyes slowly moved away, finally stopping on the painting hanging on the wall. There was nostalgia in those eyes. There is regret. There is also pain that cannot be erased after many years.

“She is not the daughter of a merchant.”

“She is my closest confidant.”

“Also the first commander of the Huyen Giap Army.”

"That year, the first emperor's body was weak, the court was shaken, the situation was chaotic, and the border repeatedly warned of danger."

"It was me and Ta Tri Vi who founded Huyen Giap Quan together."

“An army from beginning to end that only listens to orders from the two of us.”

“Outside, I am the Chief Princess of the country.”

"In the darkness, she is the 'White Clothed Slayer' that terrifies all enemies who hear her name."

The Princess's voice was very light. But every sentence and every word seems to bring me back to those years. Years of whinnying warhorses. Of spears stained with blood. Of the war drums shaking the mountains and rivers. Of the smoke and fire of war that lasts endlessly.

“Huyen Giap Quan is as rich as a country.”

“Because the entire military expenditure of the Huyen Giap Army has never relied on the national treasury.”

“All of it was earned by Ta Tri Vi himself.”

"She has a talent for business that ordinary people cannot imagine in their entire lives."

“She used the money she earned to support the army.”

“Using your inheritance to support an entire army.”

“She is a rare talent in the world.”

"Whether it's leading an army in battle or competing in the marketplace, no one can compare to her."

I sat there. Listening in bewilderment. My head is completely empty. My mother... Is she the legendary goddess of war? Is it the White Clothed Slayer God that makes countless enemies scared to death when they hear his name? Is he a mysterious merchant as rich as a country that people still talk about? I clenched my fingertips. Finally, I still asked what made me unable to most understandable.

“So you…”

“Why did you marry your father?”

Such an amazingly talented woman. A woman with both power and ability. Why did he look right at Tham Kinh? Why would you marry a selfish, deceitful, greedy and heartless person like him? A painful look appeared on the Princess's face. It is a pain that, even after many years, still cannot go away.

“Because of an assassination.”

She gently closed her eyes. The voice also lowered.

“That year, we returned victorious.”

“After pacifying the border, the entire army returned in triumph.”

"During the celebration party, Ta Tri Vi was plotted by someone else."

“She was hit by a deadly poison.”

“That kind of poison is extremely dangerous.”

“Silently corrodes vitality in the body.”

“I searched all over the world for famous doctors.”

“From folk medicine to royal medicine in the palace.”

“No one can solve it.”

“Finally…”

"It was Tham Kinh, at that time still just an unknown student in the Royal Medical Institute, who used a traditional medicine to suppress the poison in my mother's body."

She stopped for a moment. There was hatred in his eyes.

“But that's just oppression.”

“Not detoxification.”