Chapter 16 — The day my mother wanted to reconcile, I tore up her letter of reconciliation

If it were just a matter of not knowing shame, it wouldn't be such a fear. Only when she is involved in a crime that could cost her life does she protect her past as if she were protecting her own life.

“There's one more thing.” My mother - Tham Thi turned around and took out an old form from the bottom of the jewelry box:

“This is what I found last night from the nanny in the dowry.”

"That year, the child was a full month old, so there must have been a witness, a ceremony list, and the midwife's signature. But this form is very strange."

Let's take it and see. It's certainly strange. The full-month ceremony is very poorly done, the names of the witnesses are vague, even the order of giving and reciprocating gifts as well as making temporary arrangements. Most importantly, all of the people who were supposed to be present did not have their real names recorded.

“This is fear of exposure.” I said.

Thi Tham nodded, her expression colder little by little.

"If the child really belonged to Bui Triet, they would have made a loud noise and let the whole world know. Why do they have to hide it like that?"

Let's put the application away. At this point, evidence has gradually taken shape. The translation station's records prove that my father Bui Triet was not in the scriptures. The remedy proves that Lieu Nhu Nuong intentionally faked a pregnancy that was reasonable to give birth prematurely. The midwife proved that the child was not born prematurely as claimed. The clues about the former servant and the man who went by night, silently pointed to the true identity of the child's father - most likely a deserter. Only one last shot is missing. As long as Ta Hanh's side can nail that person, the chess game from this line will be completely overturned. But at this moment, the old lady took action. At noon, the main courtyard sent word, calling me and Thi Tham to come over together. When I entered, people from the second room were already present. The old lady leaned on a soft pillow. The more her illness got worse, the more old she appeared, her face was gray, but her eyes were still bright, like a light that was about to go out but still trying to burn a little longer. Lieu Nhu Nuong was also there, hugging Bui Thua An sitting below, her eyes were red and swollen, obviously she had just finished crying. Seeing me and Tam Thi entering, the voices in the room immediately stopped. It felt like a group of people had set up a stage, just waiting for us to come and finish the play. After finishing the ceremony, Tham Thi sat down, her expression calm. I stood behind her, not in a hurry to open my mouth. Sure enough, the old lady spoke first.

"There's been no peace in the house these past few days, and even this old body of mine can't stand it any longer." She said slowly: "The story of Thua An's child cannot be left hanging forever."

Thi Tham raised her eyes: "What do you mean, mother?"

“Open from the street.” The old lady said: "Invite my clan to come, determine the heir, and record it in the family tree."

The atmosphere in the room immediately tightened. Lieu Nhu Nuong seemed to be trying to suppress her excitement, bowed her head, and hugged the child a little tighter. The second lady immediately continued:

“Mother is very right.”

"The country's duchy is gone, the child cannot remain without a name and without a place."

"There's a lot of talk outside right now. If it continues, it will only damage the Bui family's reputation."

Damage the Bui family's reputation? I almost burst out laughing. The truly humiliating thing is right in their hearts, yet they still have the face to say this. My mother Tham Thi did not immediately respond. She had changed in the past few days, but in front of the old lady and a group of old people, after all, still carrying on the habit of being a bride for many years, a barely noticeable trace of hesitation flashed through her expression. Old lady Obviously he saw it too, his voice became deeper.

“Why, do you still want to stop it?”

"Miss Shen, you married into the Bui family for many years and have no son. That is your mistake."

"Now that Triet Nhi has left behind the only bit of blood, if you still can't handle it, then you are not kind, not merciful, not knowing how to think about the big picture."

Each hat came down, both fast and heavy. Lieu Nhu Nuong also shed tears at the right time, hugged the child and stood up to kneel down.

“If you really can't stand us and your mother, I accept my fate.”

“But Thua An is the eldest son of the National Duke family, please ask the old lady to be the master for it…”

As she cried, the child also cried. The room immediately became a mess. When I look at this scene, I just feel disgusted. After acting for so long, we finally got to the main part. Just as Tham Thi's fingertips gently tightened, I took a step forward and stood up. One word, drowned out all the crying in the room. Everyone looked towards me. The old lady also narrowed her eyes: "What did you say?"

“If my grandmother wants to open a path and decide on an heir,” I met her gaze, my voice was extremely firm, “I have no objections.”

As soon as these words ended, even Tham Thi tilted her head and looked at me. A trace of doubt flashed in Lieu Nhu Nuong's eyes. She probably didn't expect that I would respond so decisively. Anyway, in their eyes, what we currently have is still just speculation and fragmentary evidence. Once the road was opened, the clan of elders arrived in full force, they held the "Duke's will" and added their status as "orphans and widows", the odds of victory were even greater. But they don't know. What we're waiting for is from the road.