Chapter 11 — The day my mother wanted to reconcile, I tore up her letter of reconciliation

“Lieu Ngoc Nhi has entered the path of Thua An Marquis's palace.”

She was stunned for a moment, as if only now she truly understood how cruel this chess game was. Not forced to stop. Not crying and rioting. It's for those who plan and personally push their people into the fire pit. After a while, she suddenly burst out laughing. The laughter was very soft at first, then became more and more cheerful, like a breath of impure air that had been accumulated for a long time was finally exhaled.

“Deserve it.”

She smiled, her eyes turned red.

“If it weren't for you, the person sitting on the bride price list right now would be me.”

"Correct." I looked at her, "So remember that this way of life is not given to you by others, but taken by your own cooperation."

She nodded vigorously. This time, the light in her eyes was different from before. Before, she only knew how to compete for clothes, jewelry, and compliments. Now she has begun to understand that what women in this palace have to fight for is their life. At dusk, Lieu Nhu Nuong indeed appeared in front of the old lady. Said there was a mistake in the middle, cried and asked to change people. The old lady's face immediately darkened. When it comes to weddings and funerals, the most taboo thing is changing relationships. What's more, Thua An Marquis's side was originally not easy to talk to, at this time they even said "mistake", that was not making friends, but making resentment. The second lady's side was also so anxious that she couldn't bear it. On the outside, she said it was a misunderstanding, but on the inside, she scolded Lieu Nhu Nuong until she had nothing left. On both sides, dog bites dog, arguing endlessly. But Bui Van Chi sat peacefully in my room, for the first time not being pushed to be a piece of meat on the cutting board.

“Are they investigating us?” she asked.

“Will be suspicious.” I said, "but I can't find it."

Because the most exquisite part of this chess game is - every step, they make the first move themselves. They can only swallow it. If you don't swallow, you have to expose all the calculations that you can't see that light. Bui Van Chi was silent for a moment, then suddenly called in a low voice: "Bui Minh Dao."

"If you still want to do anything in the future," she raised her head, with more certainty in her eyes, "count me a part."

I looked at her and finally nodded. In this palace, having another woman on my side is always a good thing. While speaking, the outer curtain was lifted, Ngan Binh quickly walked in, lowered his voice and said: "Miss, there is news in the west of the city." My eyes stopped: "Speak."

“Our people have found that midwife.”

Bui Van Chi also immediately sat up straight.

“Where are you?”

"Hiding in a small hospital next to an abandoned temple in the west of the city, I'm afraid of meeting strangers. Our people had a hard time stopping her. The first thing she said was ——"

Ngan Binh stopped for a moment, his face slightly pale.

“Miss, if you still want to live, don't interrogate that child anymore.”

The room immediately became silent. Outside, rain and dust fell, tapping on the cold porch. I slowly raised my head, only to feel the rope, finally starting to pull deeper. A midwife, scared to this extent. This proves that Bui Thua An's background is much dirtier than we thought. The wind from the west of the city always carries a gray dusty smell. The alley behind the abandoned temple is both narrow and deep, with black water standing at the foot of the wall, and stray dogs rummaging through trash at the beginning of the alley. If it weren't for Bui Van Chi's news, no one would have thought of her In the past, she helped Lieu Nhu Nuong give birth, but she hid in such a place. When we arrived, the sky was still overcast. The small courtyard door was half broken, but the latch was very tight. Ngan Binh stepped forward and knocked three times, but there was still no movement inside. Until I spoke up: "I'm not here to harm you. I want to investigate the year that Lieu Nhu Nuong gave birth." Inside, there was a panic of footsteps. The door opened a small crack, revealing a thin, yellow face. The woman was about fifty years old, her eyes were sunken, her hair was as tangled as dry grass, but her eyes were terribly alert, as if she lived in panic all year round, everyone looked suspicious.

“You got the wrong person.” As soon as she opened her mouth, she wanted to close it.

Ngan Binh quickly raised his hand to stop him.

“Don't touch me!”

She seemed to be burned by fire, she suddenly shrank back, her voice also changed.

"Go! Go quickly! I don't know anything!"

I stood outside the door, looking at her. She doesn't have to pretend to be afraid. She is really scared. Scared to the core.

“You have met Lieu Nhu Nuong's people.” I said, "They just came to you a few days ago."

The midwife's face changed, but she still spoke stiffly: "Never seen her before."

“I've never met you, so how do you know who I'm talking about?”

She immediately choked up. I didn't force her, I just took out an old form from my sleeve and slowly opened it.

“This is the medicine receipt from the pharmacy in Thanh Phong Trang that year.”

"Pregnancy medicine, continuously taken for four months. A Giao, Amomum, Ngan Diep Than, Hoang Cam, To Ngang... each one is not cheap."

The midwife was still gritting her teeth and enduring it, but when she saw the form clearly, her eyes immediately changed. As if someone was squeezing my throat.