Chapter 18 — The day my mother wanted to reconcile, I tore up her letter of reconciliation

We continue to flip down. In one copy, it was clearly stated that Han Hanh had been searched at the city gate and was carrying a banknote that he should not have; But the origin of that check goes back to an old foreman at the Bui family farm. Flip further down, is an oral confession of a former servant. That person said, that night at Thanh Phong Trang there were indeed men coming in and out, the woman next to Lieu Nhu Nuong also deliberately warned her not to look too much, not to say too much. After that, Lieu Nhu Nuong "got pregnant", and the whole farm was sealed like an iron box. I flattened each piece of paper, the last bit of uncertainty in my heart finally subsided.

"Enough." I said.

Ta Hanh looked at me: "What do you plan to do tomorrow?"

“First the books, then the medicine, then the service station, then the midwife.” I said calmly, "Finally, Lord Ta's sword will fall."

His eyebrows moved slightly, seemingly smiling, but very faintly.

“You arranged it very clearly.”

"I can't betray the knife Lord Ta gave me."

He did not answer this, only said:

"Lieu Nhu Nuong has now realized that something is wrong. Tonight and tomorrow morning, I'm afraid she will still struggle. Your people must keep a close watch."

I nodded: "I know." After saying this, the room was quiet for a moment. Outside the window, the wind shook the begonia branches, fallen flowers brushed against the door paper, making a very soft rustling sound. Ta Hanh stood up and was about to leave, when I suddenly called back: "Thank you sir." He turned his head.

“Why do you help me?”

I actually wanted to ask this question for a long time. He was an outsider, investigating the old soldier's case was his job, but bringing the knife to this level was no longer convenient. Ta Hanh looked at me for a moment, then said: "Not to help you."

"Someone used the Bui family as a cover, hiding something that shouldn't have been hidden. I looked it up, it was that thing."

After speaking, he left without stopping. I watched his back disappear outside the door. After a long time, I bowed my head and put back the old papers. What he said was not wrong. Lieu Nhu Nuong is not necessarily the end point. She's more like a chess piece being pushed forward. But it's the same as a chess piece or a knife, cut her first, then the person behind will show up. At night, something happened. The woman guarding the heavenly courtyard came to report, saying that Lieu Nhu Nuong was making a fuss and wanted to see the old lady. When she couldn't see her, she hugged Bui Thua An and cried until she almost fainted. She also wrote a "blood letter" and ordered someone to bring it out.

“To whom?” I asked.

The woman shook her head: "She didn't say it clearly, she just said that if the old lady refused to see her, she would send it out to the nobles." Ngan Binh and I looked at each other. Sure enough, there are defenders. But the more she rushed, the more it showed that she was scared.

“Where is the letter?” I asked.

“Stopped.” Ngan Binh presented the letter, "Miss, don't worry, it hasn't been sent out yet."

I opened it and saw that the writing inside was a mess, full of crying and telling stories, talking about how much I had endured all these years, how I had kept the lifeline for the Duke, but now I was forced to the limit. At the end of the letter, there was no recipient, only one sentence - Please remember your old love and save our lives. Remembering old love. I closed the letter and slowly smiled. It seems that there is indeed someone behind Lieu Nhu Nuong. It's just that at this stage, who else can she ask for? Tomorrow will be clear.

“Watch her closely.” I said, "Tonight, not even a single fly will be let out of heaven."

Ngan Binh retreats, I'm alone I sat under the lamp, listening to the wind outside getting louder and louder. That wind sound is very similar to the rapid breathing of a person before death. Chaotic, urgent, but it's already late. On the other side, the mother also did not sleep. When I went to see, she was wearing a light-colored bra, sitting by the bed, item by item checking the things she had to bring from the road tomorrow. When she was young, she must have been an extremely gentle person, and her appearance was naturally docile. But under the light at this time, in that gentle expression, a cold and stern expression was born.

“Are you still asleep?”

“Can't sleep.” She raised her head to look at me, "What about you?"

“Me too.”

She motioned for me to sit down, then gave me the dowry book.

"Today I flipped through it again. The more I looked, the more I realized that these past few years I've been like a joke."

“It's not your fault.” I said.

“It's not my fault, but it's because I'm weak that I raised their courage.” Tham Thi said softly:

“I always thought, the Duke was biased, I could maintain face and rules, that was enough.”

“Unexpectedly, I took one step back and they dared to take ten steps forward.”

"Before, I was afraid of making a big deal out of it, afraid of damaging the Bui family's reputation, afraid of outsiders saying I was jealous and not kind."

She looked at me, little by little coldness rising in her eyes.

“But now I understand, what really embarrassed the Bui family was not me.”

“It's them.”

My chest feels a bit hot. If this sentence were before, my mother Tham would definitely not have said it. But today, she said those words, enough to prove that... she really stood up straight.

"Tomorrow," she slowly spoke, her voice calm and determined, "you can just say it. My clan, my wife, and Lieu Nhu Nuong... everything is for me to take care of."