Chapter 2 — The God of Light's Swapped Bride

The next morning, the Lang family palace did not have a single happy shadow left from the festival night. The decorative lanterns in front of the gate were hastily taken down by the servants before it was fully dawn, as if just seeing them for one more moment was enough to make the whole family remember last night's humiliation. The atmosphere in the main hall was so heavy that the servants had to walk on tiptoe, not daring to make any noise.

Lang Vinh Khoi sat on the monk's chair, his hands clenched white on the chair's armrests, his eyes were bloodshot from not sleeping all night. In front of him, Y Nhi stood quietly, her hand still wrapped in a silk bandage covering the faint remaining traces of Chi Hong Quang Minh on her wrist. Standing next to her, Tham Da Vu remained unusually calm, showing no signs of fear in the scornful eyes of the powerful man sitting in front of him.

"Do you know what you just did to this family?" Lang Vinh Khoi spoke harshly, each word seemed to be crushed between his teeth. "Ten years I built my reputation, two years I negotiated with the Ve family, pouring in countless gold and silver gifts, just in exchange for a chance to enter the ranks of Lam Thanh's ancient nobility. Yet in just one night, you turned it all into a laughing stock for the entire capital!"

"Father," Y Nhi tried to keep her voice calm, "I didn't mean it. I was pushed into the wrong row right before entering the ceremony, I..."

"I don't need to know the reason!" He slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair, the sound echoing throughout the empty hall. "I only know the result! You married a beggar with no father, no mother, no land to live in, a busker who is not worthy of entering the back gate of this palace, yet now you take the title of my son-in-law!"

Doan Thanh Nhan stood next to her husband, arms crossed, eyes scanning Da Vu from head to toe with undisguised disgust, as if looking at a dirty animal that had strayed into her house. "I haven't asked you yet for letting the female official swap the wrong cards," she said in a cold voice, "but looking at his appearance, it's enough to know how much you've dragged this whole family into the mud."

Tuyet Vy stood behind her stepmother, not daring to look straight into her sister's eyes. Last night when everything broke out, she was so scared that she didn't dare say a word, only letting Doan Thanh Nhan manage the situation. Now, looking at the scene of Y Nhi standing in front of her father's anger, a part of her heart was filled with a vague sense of guilt, but the bigger part was still relief that she was not the one standing in that position.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing the family," Y Nhi bowed her head, "but Chi Hong is bright, the high priest has made it clear, no one has the right to cancel this oath anymore. What happened, we can only find a way to face it."

"Opposite?" Lang Vinh Khoi laughed dryly, his laughter filled with bitterness. "Do you think I have any face left to face anyone else? The Ve family sent someone back this morning to return all the engagement gifts, along with a humiliating letter of separation. The whole capital is now gossiping about the Lang family's daughter marrying a beggar right in the middle of the most sacred ceremony of the year!"

He stood up suddenly, pointing a trembling finger at Da Vu, who had been standing silently from the beginning, not responding to any insults. "And you! Who do you think you are, daring to step foot into the halls of noble families? A penniless musician, yet you dare let Chi Hong tie you to my daughter's hand?"

"I don't know what will happen," Da Vu replied, his voice still calm. "I only registered to participate in the marriage ceremony for poor people that is held for free once a year, like every other year. I have no intention of competing or defrauding anything from your family."

"You still dare to open your mouth!" Doan Thanh Nhan hissed. "Someone like you, who has only known how to hold a guitar and sing around to make a living all his life, is worthy of standing in the same place as the daughter of a mandarin or merchant? I feel so disgusted that it's too late. Do I still have to call you son-in-law?"

The atmosphere in the hall became more and more stuffy. Y Nhi clearly felt the disdainful eyes focusing on her and the man standing next to her, but she did not bow her head any further. In her heart, a strange feeling was rising — not so much defense of a stranger, but a smoldering resentment at the way her parents treated a person, regardless of his background.

"Father," she raised her voice, trying to stay as calm as possible, "I understand that you are disappointed, and I also understand that this matter greatly affects the family's reputation. But no matter what, Chi Hong has witnessed, the rules of the Quang Minh Temple have been decided. Humiliating the person who has become your son-in-law in front of the family will not help this situation."

"You dare to teach my life?" Lang Vinh Khoi glared, his voice cold as ice. "Okay, if you have chosen to side with him, then from today, you two are no longer allowed to step through the main gate of this palace. You will stay in the warehouse area behind, eat with the servants, and will not appear in front of my guests. I will find a way to resolve this matter later, but for now, I don't want to see your faces too much."

"That's much better than I thought you deserved," Doan Thanh Nhan added, her voice full of sarcasm. "At least there is a place to stay, although I think the type of person who is used to living on the streets and corners of the market probably won't care about where they live."

Y Nhi pursed her lips tightly, suppressing the anger rising in her heart. She glanced at Da Vu, waiting for some angry reaction, but he just nodded slightly, as if those insults didn't reach him at all.

"Your Majesty, please follow Huong Hau's arrangements," he said, his voice still strangely calm. "I have no intention of causing more trouble for the family. I only hope to be allowed to take care of Miss Y Nhi according to the morality of husband and wife."

That sentence made Y Nhi slightly stunned. She did not expect that a stranger, who had just been humiliated so severely, could still maintain composure and a little concern for her in the midst of this storm.

Lang Vinh Khoi waved his hand and signaled the servants to lead the two out of the hall. "Go away. I don't want to see your faces anymore today."

When they left the hall and walked through the long hallway leading to the warehouse behind the palace, Y Nhi clearly felt the searching eyes and whispers of the servants standing on both sides. Some people looked at her with pity, others couldn't hide their disdain when glancing at Da Vu's old clothes. She bit her lip, walked straight, not letting anyone see the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Passing by the small garden where she used to sit and embroider every afternoon, Y Nhi suddenly slowed down. The orchids that she had personally nurtured over the past few years were still blooming, completely indifferent to the events that had just happened to their owners. She remembered her childhood days, when her biological mother was still alive, mother and daughter often sat here, she taught her every needle point, every way to combine thread colors to be most harmonious. Now, that garden was about to become a place she was no longer allowed to enter.

"What are you thinking, lady?" Da Vu asked softly, realizing her eyes were glued to the orchid cluster.

"Nothing," Y Nhi shook her head, trying to give a forced smile. "I'm just recalling some old memories. Maybe from now on I won't have many opportunities to see them anymore."

Da Vu didn't say anything more, just quietly slowed down to follow her footsteps, giving her a little more time to look at the garden one last time before turning onto the small path leading to the back of the palace.

The warehouse behind the roof was used to store silk and old furniture, damp and dark, with only a small room that had been lightly cleaned so the two of them could have a place to rest. When the rickety wooden door closed behind her, Y Nhi let her shoulders slump, her shaky breath escaping after a whole morning of enduring.

"Miss, you don't have to try so hard for me," Da Vu said softly, placing the moon harp down in a corner of the room carefully as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "If you want to find a way to end this engagement, I won't complain."

Y Nhi raised her head to look at him, in her eyes there was a bit of surprise mixed with something almost touching. "What do you mean by that?"

"I just want you to know," he replied, his eyes strangely deep in that moment, "that I won't blame you for whatever decision you make, whether it's leaving me or not. Chi Hong can tie two wrists, but it can't tie an unwilling heart."

Y Nhi was silent for a long time, looking down at the silk ribbon still wrapped around her wrist, where the traces of last night's light still lingered with a strange warmth. Outside, the servants were still whispering endlessly about "the unluckiest lady in Lam Thanh", but in this small, damp room, for the first time since last night, she felt a rare bit of peace.

She sat down on the edge of the wooden counter and looked around the narrow room. Old silk sheets were stacked in the corner, a musty smell lingered in the air, and the only light filtered in through the small window high above. It was a far cry from the spacious, brocade-carpeted, curtained room she used to live in, but strangely, she didn't feel as stuffy as she thought.

"How have you lived all these years?" she suddenly asked, curiosity mixed with a little sympathy. "Being homeless, having no relatives, must be very difficult."

Da Vu smiled slightly, his eyes distant as if recalling a long journey. "I'm used to it," he replied. "There are nights when we sleep under the market's awnings, and there are days when we wander through so many strongholds that we can't remember their names. But people, once they get used to hardship, will learn how to find a little peace even in the harshest of circumstances."

"So," Y Nhi nodded slightly, her voice softened, "perhaps this place, although narrow, is not as bad as I thought when I first entered."

She pulled the thin blanket over her body, lay down on the wooden bench, and listened to the chirping sounds of insects outside coming in through the crack in the door. Tonight, even though everything had turned completely upside down from the life she had imagined, she still felt a vague peace of mind knowing that she didn't have to face all of this alone.