Chapter 17 — The day they married into the National Palace, I personally tore apart their dignity

Her knees touched the floor.

“Sister, if it weren't for you, I would still be in the palace.”

"Perhaps I still think that being chosen by someone as my wife or concubine is a favor."

“Maybe in this whole life, I don't know if I can support myself.”

“I don't know how to repay you.”

I immediately reached out to help her up. She refused to stand. Tears fell drop by drop onto the back of my hand. I grabbed her arm and pulled her up forcefully.

“You never owed me anything.”

She raised her head to look at me. I wiped the tears from her face.

“I just want to take back the life that belongs to me.”

Outside the door, the afternoon sunlight fell on the Van Tu Phuong sign. Those words are not big. Not valuable either. But we know, for Van Nuong, it's not just the name of a store. That is the name of her life. A life that is no longer in anyone's hands. One year later, Ninh Quoc Cong palace was completely different from the desolate appearance of the past. The sign in front of the gate is cleaned and shiny, the two rows of lanterns hanging under the eaves are lit on time every evening. The shops that were gutted have restored business, the fields in the suburbs also have a new manager to look after, and each quarter's receipts are clearly recorded and brought before us for inspection. People in the palace no longer live by the old dignity of their ancestors. No more waiting for an empty title. Everything is rebuilt from scratch. Every piece of money. Each notebook. Each relationship. After inheriting the title, Tham Nghien Chi gradually gained a strong foothold in the court. He is no longer the son of a decadent government, only knowing how to keep the last bit of pride. He began to learn how to look at people, learn to be patient, and learn not to easily reveal the cards in his hand. During the years his father was alive, he left behind many old relationships, but old relationships can only be opened once. If you want to stand firm for a long time, you must ultimately rely on your own abilities. Luckily he's not stupid. After suffering enough falls, he matured faster than I expected. Half a year ago, the court investigated a case of loss of relief money in the south. Everyone else was afraid of offending, no one wanted to accept the job, so he took the initiative to ask for it. When he returned, he brought with him three real books, seven testimonies, and a list of more than ten related officials. That case shocked the whole dynasty. The Emperor praised him for acting decisively, not betraying the reputation of Ninh Quoc Cong's palace. From then on, every time there was a difficult matter to resolve in the court, his name was mentioned. Outsiders say he is young and capable. People in the palace know that before every big decision, he comes to my hospital. Not to ask permission. It's for discussion. Maybe it's a court case. Sometimes it is the marriage of descendants of the clan. Maybe it's just a manager wanting to change the way the store collects rent. He told everything from beginning to end. After listening, we pointed out the things that were not right. Sometimes we agree. Sometimes we object. There were also times when the two argued until late at night. But no one has ever slammed the table and left. No one has ever used their status to force the other person to bow. We are not like the couples in the original. There is no life or death oath. There is no glorious love. There is no such thing as giving up everything for one person chief. There is respect between us. It's trust. It's when one person turns their head, knowing that the other person is still standing there. I used to think that was enough. Later I realized that there are things that don't need to be said too much, but can still slowly grow over the years. In the fall of that year, Van Nuong sent a screen to cover it. On the screen is embroidered a scene of a young lady walking through a small door, ahead is a long road filled with sunlight. The bottom corner has no embroidered name. Just embroider the word "Human". I looked at it for a long time and then asked someone to hang it in the study room. Tham Nghien Chi saw it and asked:

“Why not hang it in the main lobby?”

“This is not something for outsiders to see.”

He didn't ask more. Just ask someone to make the best wooden frame and carefully hang it on the wall. At the end of the year, the government held a banquet. The grandmother sat in the upper seat, her spirit was much better than before. She no longer asked about books. No longer interfere in government affairs. Sometimes she still looks at me for a long time, her eyes are complicated, but there is no longer such intense hatred as before. Perhaps she understood. I didn't take anything away from her. It's just something she couldn't keep, and eventually fell into the hands of someone who could keep it. After the party, everyone left one by one. Let's go back to the hospital first. It had just fallen a light snowfall, and the green stones in the yard were covered with a pale white layer.