Chapter 12 — The God of Light's Swapped Bride

While Y Nhi and Da Vu are gradually finding peace in their new life, in Co Bat Uy palace, a new conspiracy is being woven in the darkness.

"Sir," Ta Khac Dung said during a confidential discussion in the study room, "after the last incident, I'm afraid using direct force is no longer the best policy. That musician is not as simple as I thought. I think we should switch to another approach, more discreet but also much more effective."

"What do you mean?" Co Bat Uy asked, his eyes full of curiosity.

"If we can't force it directly," Ta Khac Dung said, his voice full of calculation, "then let the law help us. Just create a legitimate reason to arrest Miss Lang, separate her from that musician for a long enough period of time, sir will have the opportunity to approach and convince her without hindrance."

"What legitimate reason can be used?" Co Bat Uy asked, his eyes gradually brightened with interest.

"Theft," Ta Khac Dung replied simply. "I have learned that the Lang family has a precious jade brooch, a family heirloom passed down through many generations, kept in Doan Thanh Nhan's private room. If I can arrange for that brooch to 'disappear' and appear in Miss Lang's belongings, with Lady Doan's testimony, the theft charge will not be difficult."

Co Bat Uy pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "This is a good plan. But how could we convince Doan Thanh Nhan to cooperate? Even though she doesn't like her husband's stepdaughter, is she willing to falsely accuse her husband of theft?"

"Let me take care of it, sir," Ta Khac Dung said, the corner of his mouth curling up into a calculating smile. "I have found a way to get Mrs. Doan to voluntarily cooperate."

A few days later, Ta Khac Dung went to the Lang family's palace and asked to meet Doan Thanh Nhan privately in the name of discussing business matters. During that discreet meeting, he cleverly suggested the possibility that Y Nhi could permanently leave the life of the Lang family, no longer being a disgrace hanging over the family's reputation, and at the same time promised a large amount of benefits if she cooperated.

"You just need to testify that your jade brooch was lost, and was accidentally found in Y Nhi's belongings when she last visited the house," Ta Khac Dung said, his voice gentle but convincing. "After that, let the court handle everything else according to the law."

Doan Thanh Nhan thought for a long time. Even though she didn't like Y Nhi at all, slandering her husband's son for theft, causing her to suffer heavy penalties from the law, still made her a bit hesitant. She is not inherently evil — just a woman who always puts the interests of her own children first, willing to turn a blind eye to injustice as long as it does not directly fall on her daughter.

"If this is revealed," she asked, her voice a bit cautious, "will it have any impact on the Lang family?"

"Don't worry, Madam," Ta Khac Dung replied, the smile on his lips never wavering. "Your Excellency Co Bat Uy has carefully planned everything. As long as you follow the script, all traces will be erased, no one will be able to find any clues related to the Lang family's palace or to my lord."

But when Ta Khac Dung mentioned the huge benefits that Co Bat Uy promised - a stronger position in the nobility for Tuyet Vy, and abundant money for Lang Vinh Khoi to expand his business - greed quickly overcame all scruples.

"Okay," she nodded, her voice cold and decisive. "I will do as you ask."

The plan was carried out delicately. Doan Thanh Nhan had someone secretly sneak into Y Nhi's small house in the Ben Muon area on an afternoon when both husband and wife went out to work, hiding the jade brooch in Y Nhi's wooden chest containing embroidery. After that, she publicly announced to the whole palace that her family heirloom brooch had been stolen, and "coincidentally" remembered that Y Nhi had visited her room last week, right before the item disappeared.

The news spread quickly, and just a few days later, a group of officials was sent to the Ben Muon area to "search" Y Nhi's house according to an official denunciation from the Lang family. When they found the jade brooch in her embroidery chest, the whole poor neighborhood stirred up gossip, the eyes that had gradually become more friendly towards her now turned suspicious and suspicious.

"This is not mine!" Y Nhi cried out, panicked when she saw a strange brooch being pulled out from her own trunk. "I have never seen this thing before!"

"Miss, don't deny it anymore," the head official said, his voice stern. "Lady Doan clearly testified that she went to her room before this item disappeared. Now it appears right in her trunk, can you still deny it?"

Da Vu, who had just returned from the performance, saw that scene and rushed in to intervene. "This is clearly a slander!" he said, his voice filled with indignation. "My wife is not a thief, you cannot make such baseless accusations!"

"This is clear evidence, not unfounded," the official replied, his voice cold. "If you have anything to defend, please present it to the judge in the upcoming trial. Now, Miss Lang must follow us back to the temple to wait for trial."

Y Nhi was escorted away before the shocked eyes of Da Vu and the surrounding neighbors. She tried to turn her head to look back at him, her eyes filled with panic but also filled with faith that he would find a way to exonerate her.

Da Vu stood dumbfounded in the middle of a small alley, clenching his hands so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He knew full well that this was no ordinary theft — this was an elaborate plot, and he could immediately guess who was behind all of this.

"Co Bat Uy," he gritted his teeth, the name falling out of his mouth like a curse. He knew that if he didn't find a way to deal with it quickly, Y Nhi would have to suffer a heavy sentence that she absolutely did not deserve.

That night, while sitting alone in the empty house, with no sign of Y Nhi, Da Vu realized more clearly than ever his own limitations. He can use what little strength he has left to fight against a few ordinary thugs, but in the face of a political plot orchestrated by a powerful force like Co Bat Uy, that little strength is completely insufficient to protect the person he loves.

I need more than that. He needed to regain his lost divine power, no matter what the cost.

He sat quietly all night, reviewing the faint memories left over from his time in Quang Gioi. An old legend suddenly appeared in his mind that the old gods often mentioned - about ancient stones of light, crystallized from the original aura of the Twelve Gods of Light, that sometimes fell to the human world during great events in history, hidden in places that had witnessed divine miracles. He suddenly remembered that the village that he once risked his life to protect on the night of the Great Light, before becoming the prosperous Lam Thanh capital today, had a small temple built right where his dome of light once covered, to commemorate that miracle. Over the years, as the capital expanded, the old temple was gradually forgotten, making way for the more magnificent Quang Minh Temple built right in the center of the city, while that original small temple was left with only desolate ruins in a remote corner of the suburbs.

If his hunch was not wrong, it was possible that a fragment of the original spiritual energy from the night he used all his strength to build the old light dome still remained in that ruin, crystallizing into the ancient light stone he was looking for. That was the only chance he could think of right now to find enough strength to promptly save Y Nhi before it was too late.

He tightened his grip on the moon in his hand, his eyes steadily looking towards the distant horizon, where the outskirts of Lam Thanh were hidden behind the morning mist. No matter how dangerous the road ahead was, even if revealing his true identity could attract the Heavenly Emperor's attention and harsher punishment, he had no other choice.

Before it was completely dawn, he stopped by the small window, looking towards the direction of the house where Y Nhi was being held awaiting trial. “Wait for me,” he whispered, his voice choked with both worry and determination. "I will find a way to save you, even if it costs the remaining life of a fallen god."

He shouldered a cloth bag containing a few necessary items, the moon harp was still carefully wrapped on his back as always, then quietly left the small house, heading towards the trail leading to the suburbs, where the ancient temple ruins were waiting for him amid the thick fog of dawn.