Chapter 10 — The day they married into the National Palace, I personally tore apart their dignity

"You tell everything immediately, he will know what you are holding in your hands."

“After returning, the first thing he will do is think of every way to destroy the evidence.”

Tham Nghien Chi's face immediately changed.

“I didn't think about this floor.”

“Of course you don't think so.”

I tried to suppress the anger rising in my heart.

“From now on, don't meddle in matters related to your uncle.”

“You can't fight him.”

"He has been busy in the official field for twenty years. If you compare your intelligence with him, you are still too far behind."

He stood still in place, his face extremely ugly. Being told by his own wife that he couldn't compete with anyone else, it was difficult to maintain face in front of anyone. But he never opened his mouth to refute. Because in his heart he understood very clearly that what I just said was true.

“So what to do now?”

“Write a letter.”

“Writing for whom?”

“Write to your father's old friends while he was still alive.”

"Your father has built relationships at court for so many years, it's impossible for him to not have even one person on his side."

“Think carefully, when your father was still alive, who was your closest relationship with?”

He bowed his head and thought for a moment.

"The maid of the Ministry of Rites, Venerable Ba Vien, is my father's classmate."

“The two families have been together for more than twenty years.”

"After something happened to my father, Ton Ba Vien came to pay his respects, and from then on, contact was cut off."

“Why did he cut off contact?”

“I don't know.”

“You write a letter to ask him.”

"Let's just say that you've investigated some things from that year and want to personally come and ask for advice."

"If he agrees to meet you, it proves he knows the inside story of that year."

“If he refuses to meet you, then it proves that he is also involved in this matter.”

“No matter what the case is, you will eventually get the answer.”

Tham Nghien Chi nodded slightly. When he turned around to leave, I called him back again.

“There's one more thing.”

“You say it.”

“On your mother's side, don't continue to pressure her.”

"Regardless of whether she knows about it or not, if you continue to press her now, it will only push her further to your uncle's side."

"Now she's using the excuse of being sick to not go out, so let her continue to be sick."

"Wait until your aunt's matter comes to an end, she will naturally understand which side she should be on."

He stood in front of the door and turned his head to look at me.

“When did you learn these things?”

“My mother taught me.”

“Someone once said, the war in the backyard is like the war on the battlefield.”

“Don't be hasty, don't be chaotic, and don't be soft-hearted.”

He left. I stood in front of the door, silently watching his back gradually disappear into the night. Title, family, reputation, future. Those are the things he really cares about the most. On the third day after the letter was sent, Minister of Rites Ton Ba Vien responded. In the letter there was only one line of text.

"Tomorrow afternoon, after noon, Thanh Phong tea house in the south of the city, sorry I can't go far to welcome you."

Tham Nghien Chi took the letter and came to find me.

“He agreed to meet me.”

“You can go ahead, but there are a few things you must say Remember carefully.”

“Just ask, don't tell.”

"Whatever he says, just listen, don't rush to express your attitude."

"If he asks what you plan to do, just say that you haven't figured it out yet and want to hear your elders' opinion."

“Remember?”

When he was about to walk out the door, I called him again.

“Remember to bring your father's seal.”

“Your father's classmate, a relationship of more than twenty years. When you see the seal of your ancestors, your words will have a completely different weight.”

When I returned, it was completely dark. As soon as he entered the door, his steps were very quick, with an expression on his face that I had never seen before.

“What did Ton Ba Vien say?”

He sat down, picked up a cup of cold tea and drank it in one gulp.

"He said, a month before my father's incident, my father came to look for him."

"My father told him that he discovered that the government's books had been tampered with by someone else, and suspected that there were insiders in the government."

"He followed the trail of investigation, finally investigating all the way to my uncle."

"But my father didn't make a big deal out of it. He wanted to solve it quietly, to leave my mother some dignity."