Chapter 24 — The day my mother wanted to reconcile, I tore up her letter of reconciliation

"Controlling the old ministry, using the prestige of the generals, in the future, no matter whether they reach out to the military camp, or use the Bui family as a cover to make noble friends, all will be righteous."

My hand tightened on the paper. It turns out that's it. Lieu Nhu Nuong and that child are nothing more than a layer of cloth covering the blade of the knife. What they aimed for was the empty shell that their father left behind - the sign of the National Palace, the kindness of the former Bui family, and the weight of the four words "loyal family".

“So,” I said slowly, “even if we had exposed the child from the street as not being of the Bui family's blood, it would not necessarily be a loss to them.”

"Correct." Ta Hanh looked at me. "If they wanted, they could completely turn around and accuse Mrs. Tham of being jealous and unvirtuous, forcing her concubine to death, then taking advantage of the time the Duke had just passed away and people's hearts were not yet stable, continue to make big trouble outside."

“Especially now, Mrs. Tham's identity has not been consolidated yet.”

My eyes moved slightly:

“Reinforce?”

"Your father has passed away, but petitioning for the title of Lady of the State, maintaining your fate after the funeral, and stabilizing your status in the palace after deciding on an heir, all require nods from the palace." Ta Hanh said.

"If someone goes one step ahead and says that Mrs. Tham has problems with her virtue, mistreats her blood, and the descendants of the Bui palace are unclear, this matter could completely be prolonged."

His voice was very calm, but every word hit a weak point. Just being prolonged will give the person behind enough time to continue to attack. Today they can push out one Lieu Nhu Nuong, tomorrow it is unlikely that there won't be a second or third person. I suddenly understood.

“So, my mother must quickly go to the palace to request the blessing.”

"Correct." Ta Hanh replied. “Besides, we have to be quick.”

The room was silent for a moment. Outside the window, the wind blew through the bamboo shadow, printing on the door paper, like a few knife marks moving restlessly. I looked at the pages of documents in front of me, a little proud of winning the battle just now, but little by little I became colder. It turns out that the street battle that we risked our lives to win was just from one room, moving into a bigger room. The chess board is bigger, the opponents are deeper. Ta Hanh suddenly spoke up:

“Your mother over there, are you ready?”

I was silent for a moment, shaking my head.

"People think the overall situation has been decided."

“But this is just the beginning.”

When I went to see mother Tham Thi, she was checking the inventory list. After the battle, she seemed to come back to life overnight. The planning of the room, the warehouse, the farm, the sewing room... all the power that once hovered, was gradually taken back into her hands. She looked more tired than a few days ago, but also more energetic. Seeing me enter, she rarely showed a smile.

"You came at the right time. In the warehouse, I found a few items that should have been on my dowry list. I don't know who transferred them to the heavenly yard over the past few years."

“It's good now, the books are clear, people have been fired, and we can finally have some peace.”

As she said these words, there was even a slight relaxation between her eyebrows that she hadn't seen in a long time. But I listen, but I can't relax.

“Mother…” I interrupted her, “still can't settle down.”

Tham Thi paused. I stepped forward and brought out what Ta Hanh had discovered in front of her. Don't exaggerate, don't hide, just calmly tell all about the concubines in the palace and the power of your mother's family The royal family, the former Ministry of State, the reputation of the generals... each story is one by one. With every word I said, my mother's face became a little whiter. At the end, her fingertips rested on the edge of the window, not moving for a long time.

“You mean,” her voice tightened, “the person behind Lieu Nhu Nuong, wants to borrow that child to take over the entire Bui family?”

“If we think this is the end, we will truly fall into a trap.”

Tham Thi slowly closed her eyes. The little bit of peace she had just regained felt like someone had poured a basin of cold water straight into her. After a long time, she opened her mouth:

“So what should we do?”

I look at her. This time, I won't answer for you. Because this step, is no longer just about keeping the house. It's about getting involved. If you don't want to, I won't force you. But Tham Thi remained silent for a long time, and finally raised her head. In her eyes, there was fear and fatigue, but more of it was alertness when pushed to a dead end.

“I just said, I have to go to the palace to request a blessing.”

“Let's go then.”

She slowly withdrew her hand from the notebook and sat up a little straighter.

"Before, I just thought, close the door, keep the date and live. But now I know, if outsiders want to come in, just keeping it is not enough."

“Minh Dao,” she looked at me, “this time, you're going with mom.”

My heart warms slightly. Not because she agreed to enter the palace. But because she finally understood, at this step, backing down would mean death. At that moment, there was a sudden sound of footsteps outside the door. An inner servant from the palace was led in, lightly swept the ceiling with a whisk, and a high-pitched voice said:

“Speech in the palace ——”

Thi Tham and I stood up at the same time.