Chapter 3 — The Emperor Only Has One Daughter

03

Hearing the emperor say he wanted to check his homework, most princes and princesses breathed a sigh of relief. Even the concubines who had something shady felt like it was just a threat. Sometimes the emperor just wanted to show off his majesty. Only we know, the real storm... has just begun. 【It's here, the death test.】 【The old man plans to choose the second prince as the flag sacrifice.】 Concubine Thuc and Trieu Hang glanced at each other, both clearly seeing the satisfaction in the other's eyes. Among the princes, Trieu Hang's lessons were quite good, especially horse riding and military techniques - which were highly appreciated by the emperor. This is truly his forte.

“Trieu Hang.”

Trieu Dien's voice echoed throughout the palace.

“You come out.”

Trieu Hang puffed out his chest, held his head high, stepped forward, knelt down to worship, his appearance was standard, but his complacency was still evident.

"The child is present."

Trieu Dien looked at him and slowly spoke:

"Let me ask you, the northern border of Dai Thinh is adjacent to Oa Lat, conflicts occur frequently. Suppose Oa Lat gathered thirty thousand armored cavalry, suddenly attacked Van Chau, intending to cut off the religion, if you were the prime minister of Van Chau, how would you respond?"

As soon as the question came out, my whole body went cold. This is no longer a test of ordinary knowledge, but a matter of major military affairs, which is extremely difficult. Van Chau is dangerous, difficult to defend and easy to attack, is the gateway to the North of Dai Thinh, and is also a place where fighting is always fierce. Concubine Thuc's complexion slightly changed, but then she quickly calmed down. Page Nguyet Hoa Ca Ca, she was taking up a position at the Ministry of Military Affairs, and Trieu Hang had seen and heard many things, so it probably wasn't that bad. Trieu Hang was indeed confident, thought for a moment and then replied loudly:

"Back when my father and I were young, I thought that the garden should be empty, so we held out and waited for reinforcements. At the same time, we sent elite soldiers to attack the rear of the enemy army, causing them to be distracted from time to time. When the soldiers were tired, they counterattacked and won the battle!"

He spoke eloquently and boldly, as if he was about to hold the world in his hands. Thuc Quy Phi's face was radiant and her back was also a bit straighter. 【Phew ——】 I almost laughed out loud. 【Is that all? With such an ignorant level, you dream of becoming a Crown Prince?】 【What is an empty garden without a house? A few hundred miles outside Van Chau city is a granary, if burned down, hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the city would eat grass?】 【And fight around the rear army? The Oa Lat cavalry is as fast as lightning, do you send the infantry around and let them die?】 【The correct answer is to take advantage of the Black Mountain canyon outside the city, divide troops to lure the enemy, and ambush the main force directly to attack the central army! You don't even understand the terrain of Van Chau and yet you dare to talk about military tactics!】 【Your biological father - General Tran Vien - if he heard that you were so stupid, he would rise from the grave and strike you with a knife!】 【Old man, without wasting any more words, send someone to investigate the books and records of the past few years between Noble Concubine Thuc's family and General Tran Vien's residence, especially the purchases and sales of antiques, calligraphy and painting. There's guaranteed to be a good show.】 Trieu Dien sat on the long chair. After listening to my words, his eyes became brighter and brighter, the corners of his lips curled up strangely. He looked at Trieu Hang who was still complacent below and even nodded:

“Not bad.”

He praised.

“Hang Nhi can have such an understanding, I am very happy.”

Trieu Hang immediately brightened, turning to glare at the Great Prince with smug eyes. Concubine Thuc couldn't even speak, as if she had eaten sweet honey, her demeanor was radiant. Million Dien slowly picked up the dragon-engraved jade pendant in his hand and gave it to Ly Duc:

“Reward for the second prince.”

“Thank you, father!”

Trieu Hang was overjoyed and respectfully received. The concubines and princes and princesses around looked on enviously. Everyone thought: maybe it was really just a fun night, the emperor just wanted to gently check. Concubine Thuc's mother and daughter are still the most favored person. At this moment, the queen, who had been silent until now, was supported by her palace maid and spoke softly:

"Your Majesty, it's late at night and your children are tired. Let's see if we should..."

The words are soft, both conciliatory and showing a motherly attitude towards the world. Everyone thought, this is the end of the night. Page Nguyet Hoa Cac Only I know, the real tragedy... has just unfolded. 【Queen, stop acting. You are the real queen.】 【You are in a hurry to finish, are you afraid that the fire will catch your son?】 【Your precious Crown Prince Trieu Hien, is not the old man's biological son.】 【His father is your childhood friend, the current Minister of Lai - Vuong Thanh Nguyen.】 【Tsk tsk, Lord Vuong is really in love, because of you, he has not been able to marry until now. Dear, I don't have a concubine, I'm the number one lovesick male god in the capital.】 【I just don't know, if he knew that you found such a noble father for his son... would he cry or laugh?】

“Chat!”

The sound of silk fabric being torn rang out very softly. Trieu Dien unconsciously clenched his hands, his nails tearing the brocade covering the outside of the diaper. He threw himself forward, his eyes glaring at the queen in the middle of the palace. That gaze was no longer ice cold, but an abyss of ashes burning into hell. The last face, the last credit, the most legitimate child... All are lies. At that moment, Trieu Dien... became a true soul. The Queen's gaze made her heart skip a beat, the smile on her lips stiffened.

“Your Majesty... Your Majesty, why are you looking at me like that?”

Trieu Dien did not answer. He just quietly, slowly held me tight in his heart - As if in this topsy-turvy world, I was the last piece of truth that he could hold on to.