Chapter 7 — The day my Fiance asked me to marry both Sisters, I became Princess So

"What do you care about? It's been a long time since we got married and we haven't even gotten married yet. I bet the General will never touch her in his entire life."

Tham Uyen Thanh stood behind the rockery, her nails digging into her palms until they bled. But she didn't say a word, just bowed her head and quickly left. From then on, she locked herself in the hospital and never stepped out again. She no longer wears makeup, nor does she wear a jade brooch anymore. Her body became noticeably thinner, her cheekbones also raised. When these stories were transmitted to the Tham palace, I was trying to convince myself. The wedding dress brought by So Vuong's palace covered an entire sofa. On the dark red brocade background, gold thread embroidered with images of phoenix and peony, the whole room glowed with golden light. To Van sat by the window, biting melon seeds and telling us those stories as if telling a joke to us. I stood in front of the bronze mirror, bowed my head and gently caressed the couple's necks embroidered on the wedding dress. In his previous life, Tieu Dien knelt before my body and said:

'What I regret most is letting Uyen Thanh be my concubine.'

Now, he has married Uyen Thanh as his wife. He loves her. She married him. He must have gotten his wish. But is he alive and well? Is Tham Uyen Thanh's life good? I smiled slightly, those two people were no longer related to me. There are some paths that, once you choose for yourself, you have to follow to the end. Half a month later, I got married. The whole city is covered with red silk, from the beginning of the street to the end of the alley. The firecrackers exploded for an entire hour, making so much noise that people from all over the city came out to watch the excitement. So Vuong came riding a white horse. He wore a cheerful outfit, a jade belt around his waist, and his appearance was calm and handsome. He jumped off his horse, walked to the front of the palanquin, and extended his hand towards me. The palms of the hands are warm, the long fingers become clean and beautiful under the sunlight. He spoke softly:

“Let this king take her away.”

I smiled behind the veil, placing my hand in his palm. The wedding banquet of So Vuong's palace was set up at more than a hundred tables, and civil and military mandarins in the court were all present. Amidst the scene of jade cups and golden cups interwoven, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of two silhouettes crowded in a hidden corner. Tieu Dien held Tham Uyen Thanh's wrist tightly and stood at the end of the crowd. He stared at the figure of me and So Vuong standing side by side, his eyes red, his lips pursed, his whole body tense like a bow whose strings had been drawn. Tham Uyen Thanh was held tightly by his wrist, her head bowed, her shoulders shrunk, she was so thin that she was only skin and bones, wearing an old light-colored outfit. So Vuong leaned slightly, quietly stood in front of me, bowed his head and said:

“Stop looking.”

I quietly said "yes", then bowed with him. Worship heaven and earth. Second bow high road. Husband and wife worship. At the moment of the ceremony, cheers of congratulations echoed throughout the hall, even the red silk strip on the roof vibrated. So Vuong ven khan hi cua ta. The dragon and phoenix candlelight gently swayed twice, reflecting in his eyes like falling stars. He looked at me for a long time, then softly said:

“Tri Y, from now on, let this king protect you.”

I smiled. Outside the window, fireworks echoed all night. So Vuong held my hand, from beginning to end, never letting go. His palms were warm and dry, like an eternal flame that never goes out. Later I heard about Tieu Dien returned and drank all night, getting so drunk that he collapsed on the stone steps in the back yard. Tham Uyen Thanh ran to help him, but was pushed hard by him, her forehead hit the corner of the stone steps, blood flowed all over her face. The servants just stood and watched, no one stepped forward. Later, Tieu Dien was sent to the border, a place so miserable and desolate that even birds wouldn't bother to fly over. Tham Uyen Thanh followed him. On the day they left the palace, no one in the palace saw them off. All of that... No longer concerns me. I sit in the garden of So Vuong's palace. Spring begonias are blooming. So Vuong stepped forward from behind, put a cloak on my shoulders, bowed his head and asked:

“What are you looking at?”

I pointed to the begonia tree full of white rose petals:

“Looking at the flowers.”

He looked in the direction my finger was pointing, then turned back to look at me, his eyes gentle:

“Is it more beautiful than the trees in the palace?”

“More beautiful than in the palace.”

“Under the begonia tree in the palace, there are hidden dirty things.”

“Those dirty things have all been swept away.”

“After this, only beautiful flowers will remain.”

I rested my head on his shoulder, closed my eyes, and smelled the faint scent of agarwood on his shirt.