Chapter 6 — The day my Fiance asked me to marry both Sisters, I became Princess So

I turned around and went back to my room, not looking at her again. To Van stuffed the wooden box into my arms and proudly raised his chin:

"So King's actions are truly generous. If you can't marry the General, instead you marry the Vuong family. This time you've made a big deal."

I held the heavy wooden box in my arms, bowing my head to look at the gentle white jade jewelry inside. The ice lake of my previous life was so cold. In this life, someone placed a fire in the palm of my hand. Three days later, Tieu Dien and Tham Uyen Thanh's wedding was held in a haphazard manner. The Tieu family's palace only sent a small palanquin covered in green felt to pick people up from the side door. There is no palanquin carried by eight people. There are no ten miles of red pages. Not even a burst of fireworks was lit. It was so quiet that it was like being in a funeral. Tieu Dien stood in front of the door to welcome the bride, his face pale, his lips pursed. He didn't even wear the uniform. Tham Uyen Thanh sat in the palanquin and cried all the way. The palanquin's curtains were closed, no one could see the tears on her face. No one cares either. The palanquin was carried into the Tieu family's palace from the side door, not through the main gate. When the servants carried her poor dowry into the palace, the chests were light, with only a few rough cloths and a pair of silver bracelets inside. On the wedding night, Tieu Dien walked into the new room and looked at Tham Uyen Thanh sitting on the edge of the bed. The phoenix candlelight shined on her face. She wore a red scarf, her hands tightly twisted the hem of her dress, trembling slightly. Tieu Dien just looked at her, then turned around and threw all the dragon and phoenix candles on the table to the ground. The sound of objects falling rang out continuously, candlesticks rolled all over the floor, candle wax splashed onto the hem of Tham Uyen Thanh's dress. She lifted her scarf, tears streaming down her face:

“Husband…”

Without turning around, Tieu Dien slammed the door and went straight to the study room. Tham Uyen Thanh sat alone on the edge of the bed. Sit all night long. By morning, her eyes were as puffy as walnuts, and the wedding scarf was still tightly held in her hand, never letting go. Early the next morning, she went to pay respects to Mrs. Tieu. Lady Tieu sat on the throne, holding the Buddha rosary in her hand, not even bothering to raise her eyelids. Tham Uyen Thanh knelt on the ground, both hands holding the tea cup above her head, her arms shaking violently, the lid of the cup hitting the rim of the cup, making soft clicking sounds. Lady Tieu took it, but didn't drink it, just put it on the table.

“The tea is cold.” Mrs. Tieu said calmly.

Tham Uyen Thanh still knelt there, not daring to stand up. Lady Tieu slowly drank her previous cup of tea, then flipped through a few more pages of Buddhist scriptures. It wasn't until half an hour later that she suddenly remembered that she was still kneeling and gently waved her hand:

“Okay, back down.”

When Tham Uyen Thanh stood up, her knees were weak and she almost fell to the ground. She had to hold on to the door frame to stand steady. Lady Tieu's voice slowly came from behind:

"A concubine is still just a concubine, she can't even stand up."

Tham Uyen Thanh bit her lip, without saying a word, limped back to her hospital. On the third day after the marriage, Tieu Dien was summoned to the palace. The Emperor ordered him to cut three parts of his military power, demoting him from General Tran Bac to the position of martial officer of the Third Rank. When he returned to the palace, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his whole body was filled with a strong odor alcohol. As soon as he entered the study room, he locked the door. Tham Uyen Thanh brought hangover soup to knock on the study door. A deep shout came from inside. She didn't go, so she knocked twice more. The door was suddenly pulled open. Tieu Dien grabbed the bowl of soup from her hand and threw it fiercely on the ground.

“It's all because of you!”

He pointed straight at her nose, his eyes bloodshot:

“If it weren't for you!”

“Then she is still mine!”

“Now she is Princess So!”

“You destroyed everything I had!”

Tham Uyen Thanh covered her face and ran out. She ran all the way back to her hospital, face down on the bed and cried until her shoulders trembled. From then on, she never entered Tieu Dien's study again. The servants in Tieu's palace gradually no longer considered her their wife. Behind her back, he called her "the one who climbed into bed". In front of her, she still calls her "ma'am", but the corners of everyone's lips carry a smile. One time, she passed by the garden and heard two maids standing behind the rockery chatting—

"I heard that she climbed into the General's bed before, so she was married into the palace."

“Does the General still pay attention to her now?”