Chapter 13 — The day my mother wanted to reconcile, I tore up her letter of reconciliation

"I have never met the owner, I only know that the person who passed the news is a woman named Vuong!"

The woman's family is Vuong. It is the person next to Lieu Nhu Nuong. Me and Bui Van Chi guessed right. Ta Hanh glanced at me and obviously remembered this name. He then ordered his subordinates to drag him away before turning to the midwife: "Can we talk now?" The midwife sat on the ground, as if her last bit of toughness had been wiped away by the knife blow just now. She looked at me, then looked at Ta Hanh again, and for a long time she trembled and opened her mouth: "I... I really don't dare to say it all."

“Then say first what you dare to say.” I said.

The midwife swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her eyes fell on the prescription, her expression gradually became gray and depressed.

"Nguyen Lieu that year... was really always taking antenatal medicine."

“But that amount of medicine was wrong.”

My eyes immediately stopped. The midwife continued: "Normally, a woman's prenatal care is divided according to each month. When the month is early, use it lightly; when the month is older, the medicine will be adjusted accordingly. But during those months, Mrs. Lieu's medicine was too thick, and the medicine was too heavy. It was not like simply easing the pregnancy, but more like... like intentionally raising the fetus to become damaged."

“Huh?” I asked.

"It's about making it look like you're about to give birth prematurely." The midwife's voice trembled, "Wait until the actual birth. If the month doesn't match, you can cover it up with the phrase 'the baby was born prematurely so it was small'."

Ngan Binh took a cold breath. I tightened my sleeve. It's not that we don't feel right, it's that they faked it from the beginning.

“When was the baby finally born?” I took a step forward and asked.

The midwife's face turned pale and she desperately shook her head: "I can't say for sure, I really can't say for sure! That year I wasn't the only one who received money. If I were to say for sure, my whole family wouldn't be able to survive!" She said this and burst into tears.

"I only know, after that, Lady Lieu gave me a large sum of money and told me to keep my mouth shut. And if anyone asked later, I would definitely say it happened when the general returned to capital. Other things... other things I really don't dare to say."

I stared at her, my voice low: "So that child, didn't Bui Triet have it when he returned to China?" The midwife's eyes twitched violently. After a long time, she seemed to accept her fate, bowed her head, and her voice was so low that it was almost inaudible.

"…Not."

“At least, not when the general returns to capital.”

As soon as these words fell, the courtyard was so quiet that even the sound of the wind seemed to be extinguished. What we always want is no longer just speculation. It's the first true sentence, from the mouth of the person involved. Although still not enough. But it was enough to stir this layer of turbid water deeper. I slowly stood up straight, pressing down the emotions rolling in my chest. Only then did Ta Hanh speak: "The prescription is in your hand, show it to me." I'll pass it over. He lowered his eyes and glanced through it a few times, his expression unchanged. Only when he saw the two medicines in it, his fingertips stopped slightly.

“In this remedy, there is something that should not be used continuously for such a long time.” He said: "If it's really according to the month that Lady Lieu said, if you drink like that, the pregnancy may not be kept. But if it's to fake the pregnancy earlier, then it's reasonable."

I looked at him: “Master Xie also understands pharmacology?”

"There's been a lot of investigation, so you have to know a little bit about everything." he said very calmly.

I didn't ask further, just said: "So what's next?"

“Next, the evidence must be chained.” Ta Hanh returned the prescription to me: "The midwife's words can only be counted as half a verbal confession. Based on that alone, it is still not possible to kill Lady Lieu. You need something harder.”

He took out an old piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over. The paper has turned yellow and the edges are worn, so when you look at it, you can tell it's an old document.

“Translation station notes.” He said, “The movements of the border troops, the mobilization of military orders, and all along the way left traces. I just looked up a page, maybe you can use it.”

I took it, bowed my head and looked. Above, the date, route, and stopping time are clearly recorded little by little. And among those months, it was clearly the time when Lieu Nhu Nuong kept saying she was "pregnant". At that time, my father - Bui Triet was not in the capital at all. Not a few days late. Not a few days early. Which is completely absent. My fingertips tightened little by little, almost squeezing the paper until it wrinkled. Finally, there is evidence that is strong enough to tear apart the words "bloodline" from Lieu Nhu Nuong's mouth. Ta Hanh looked at me, his voice still calm as before.

“Second Miss Bui family, you should understand now.”

“You look, not just a child.”

“But it's something that a whole bunch of people desperately want to bury.”

I raised my head and looked into his eyes. To the west of the city, dark clouds pressed down, the courtyard was torn and desolate, and the air was filled with a musty smell.