Chapter 21 — The Emperor gave me a wedding, the General publicly proposed me as his concubine, I threw away my veil and left

The old records of the Ministry of Military Affairs were sealed, and the old seals of Xu Mat Vien were re-investigated. Everyone who participated in fabricating military orders that year to prevent reinforcements, regardless of whether they were alive or dead, were recorded as criminals. Lieu Thanh Ha was also handed over to the Huu company to handle. She always complained, saying she was innocent, but the books of the western city villa, Truong's mother's testimony, the money checks used to fake word of mouth... each and every item was displayed in front of the public hall. From then on, her cries no longer gave her any refuge. If the baby in her womb can be safely born, the royal court will arrange for another place to be raised, and will no longer have any connection to the title or benefits of the Luc family. Lady Thai of the Luc family surrendered her sentence and closed her palace to await her punishment. Luc Canh Tham was stripped of his title as General, and after being executed, he was exiled to Bac Canh, charged with guarding the gate. Before the departure day, he came to the gate of Lam Palace to wait for me. That day was overcast, and on the pair of stone lions in front of the Lam Palace gate, there were still traces of rain. He was wearing a shabby robe, his face was pale, and his body had lost a lot of weight.

“Chieu Nha.”

I stood inside the gate, not letting him enter. He said softly:

“The holy decree of marriage has been revoked.”

“Tomorrow, the Luc family's apology will be delivered from the heroic hall.”

“No need to give it to me.”

He raised his eyes. I look at him.

“Give it to those who have never been able to wait for reinforcements.”

His throat moved slightly. After a moment of silence, he spoke again:

“Is your brother... awake yet?”

“Awake.”

“What did he say?”

I calmly replied:

“He said, the debt the Luc family owes to the Lam family cannot be paid off in one lifetime.”

Luc Canh Tham's face turned even whiter.

“I will pay.”

I don't answer. Finally, he took a step back and bowed deeply in front of the main gate of Lam Palace.

“That big wedding day... I humiliated you.”

“Today, this bow... is to apologize to you.”

I looked at his bowed back. That red uniform still seems to be clearly visible before my eyes. But there are things... Once trampled. So it's not like just one sentence of apology can be put together like the original. Three days later, the decree was given to Lam Phu. The holy decree of marriage was revoked, Lam Chieu Nha did not marry into the Luc family. Lam Thua Nghien was restored to his status as Major General of the Lam family, and was also included in the retrial file of the old case of heroic martyrs. The Lam family's death benefits were refunded tenfold and transferred entirely to the families of soldiers who died in battle in Bac Canh. I was registered in the border army, inherited the old position of the Lam family, temporarily held the position of Director of the Bac Canh military department, and followed my brother back to reorganize the old barracks. After hearing the decree, the mother held the father's tablet and cried for a long time. The person asked me:

“Chieu Nha, are you still afraid?”

I knelt in front of the altar, raised my head and looked at the tablets that had been covered in dust for many years. Incense smoke drifted up. It was like smoke and fire signaling that Bac Canh was finally late.

“Before... I used to be scared.”

“But now... I'm not afraid anymore.”

I kept the red veil in the trunk. That golden thread is still intact. It's just that there was another blood stain next to it. Later, the snow and wind in the North Scene were extremely fierce. The elder brother stood on the fence, Co Hoai Xuyen wrapped himself in a thick cloth and leaned against the wall, grumbling and lamenting that his old wound was so painful that he wanted to kill him. I gave the new flag of the Lam family to the elder brother. He looked at me.

“Come on, will you?”

I grabbed the flagpole tightly, caught the wind, and firmly planted the flag on top of the citadel. Amid the sound of fluttering flags. The word Lam once again proudly spreads its word. Outside the gate, the wind is rolling endlessly. (END OF FULL TEXT)