Chapter 13 — The Emperor gave me a wedding, the General publicly proposed me as his concubine, I threw away my veil and left

I heard my chest bounce strongly. The chapter announcing the death of my father in battle, I have memorized it by heart over the years, better than my family's teachings. Food and grass were exhausted, reinforcements did not arrive, they held out for three days, before the citadel was destroyed they burned the military flag, determined not to surrender. Those four sentences. Covered the blood of the Lam family. But at this time, Mother Truong said, reinforcements had arrived thirty miles from the gate. If that statement is true. So it's not like father couldn't wait for reinforcements. But the reinforcements stopped not far away. Standing and watching them go to their deaths. His Majesty's voice is very deep.

“Miss Truong, do you know what you are saying?”

Mama Truong bowed her head.

“The old slave knows.”

“If this old slave tells even the slightest lie, I will be punished by thousands of swords.”

Lieu Thanh Ha's face turned pale.

“Your Majesty, in order to save her life, she dares to fabricate everything.”

Mother Truong laughed coldly.

“What did this old slave make up?”

“Miss, that day after you finished reading that letter, even the tea cup was broken.”

“You also said, no wonder Deputy General Han insisted on taking Miss Lam to Luc Palace.”

"As long as the Lam family's daughter becomes the Luc family's daughter-in-law, the Lam family's old case will be placed on General Luc's head."

"If the general wants to protect the Luc family, he must also protect that old case from being reopened."

Luc Canh Tham's face became more and more ugly.

“Why did Han Thieu Hanh have that letter?”

Mama Truong replied:

“The old slave doesn't know.”

"The old slave only heard the manager say that in his hand, Deputy General Han had an additional list of casualties from the battle to defend the pass that year."

“That supplement was supposed to be brought back to the capital according to military reports.”

“But the box was stolen in the middle of the road.”

“The real supplement was retained, and the version included in the sutra was the one that was copied.”

The Minister of Military Affairs bowed his head to the ground, his voice trembling.

“Your Majesty, if this is true, the old records of the Ministry of Defense will definitely have missing items.”

The Emperor did not even look at him.

“Are you saying now that there will definitely be a lack of equipment?”

The Minister of Military Affairs did not dare to speak up anymore. The Queen walked up to me and softly called out:

“Chieu Nha.”

I raised my head. He does not advise us on anything. Just quietly give me a handkerchief. Only then did I discover that the medical bandage on my palm was stained red with blood. The pain of the wound seemed to come late. Each small, dense needle seemed to be piercing straight into the bone. I don't accept that scarf.

“The goddess requests a re-examination of the old case in Bac Canh.”

In the main hall. No one dared to move. The Emperor looked at me.

“Have you thought it through?”

“Once the old case is reopened, it will not only be the Luc family that will be implicated.”

"The Army, the Ministry of Defense, the Xu Mat Institute, and even those who were awarded that year, will all be exposed for investigation."

I bowed my head.

“The goddess has thought carefully.”

“If father and brothers are truly killed in battle, I will let them rest peacefully in the noble hall.”

“If they are harmed to death, this goddess must know who closed the door behind them.”

Those words just ended. In the main hall, an old man gently closed his eyes. Luc Canh Tham suddenly spoke:

“God vows to hunt down La Thua Nghiep.”

I look at him. The Emperor also looked at him. Luc Canh Tham knelt straighten up.

“The old road in Bac Canh is very familiar to me.”

"If La Thua Nghiep had the divine seal in his hand, the old ministry along the way might not have dared to stop him."

"I'll go myself, I'll be able to bring you back as quickly as possible."

The Queen said coldly:

“Is General Luc still qualified to command troops and horses?”

Luc Canh Tham slightly lowered his eyes.

“I do not ask to command soldiers and horses.”

“I only brought ten people with me, the imperial army came with me.”

“If I have even the slightest change, the forbidden army can immediately cut me down on the spot.”

I look at him. On that face, for the first time, there was no longer any anger. There is also no more compulsion. All that remained was an almost painful impatience. Perhaps he wanted to prove that he was completely unaware. Maybe he finally understood. Tonight is ruined. Not just our marriage. The Emperor did not immediately agree. Outside the palace, footsteps sounded again. A soldier lifted a small box sealed with wax and entered the palace.

"Your Majesty, at the scene of the fire in the private courtyard in the west of the city, another item was found."

“Hidden in the crevice between the beams of the burned-out study.”

The box is opened. Inside was a blackened blade tassel. The sword's tassel had been burned to the point that its original color was no longer recognizable, but the end was still inlaid with a small jade bead. My whole body shook, I almost forgot to breathe. The Queen put her hand on my shoulder.

“What do you think?”