Chapter 20 — The God of Light's Swapped Bride

The sound of horse hooves and shouts of orders echoed closer and closer, and just a few minutes later, the Chancellor of the Lam Thanh court, along with a team of guards, rushed into the main hall of Co Bat Uy's mansion. It turned out that it was the kind old neighbor in the Ben Muon area who, after hearing the news about Y Nhi's kidnapping, did not care about her old age and weakness, and ran to the door of the house to report the news and implored the court to intervene before it was too late.

"What's going on here?" The Chancellor shouted loudly, his eyes filled with surprise as he saw the chaotic scene in the hall — the door was broken, the incense pot was broken, the sword was broken in two lying around, and in the middle of it all, a man emitting a strange light stood next to a girl in a disheveled wedding dress.

"The Chancellor came at the right time," Da Vu said, his voice had softened somewhat even though the aura around him had not yet completely extinguished. "Please bear witness to the crimes that Earl Gu Batwei committed."

Co Bat Uy, even though he was in a disadvantageous situation, still tried to save his face. "This is just a misunderstanding," he said, his voice trying to regain its familiar dignity. "I was just holding a wedding with my previously agreed-upon fiancee. I don't understand why this guy barged in and disrupted it."

"He lied!" Y Nhi shouted, stepping forward even though her body was still shaking. "Dear Chancellor, I was kidnapped right in the middle of the night market, illegally detained for the past two days, and now forced to complete a wedding that I never agreed to. Please reconsider!"

The Chancellor frowned, his eyes scanned the wrinkled wedding dress and the visible bruises on Y Nhi's arm, then looked at the guards who were trembling and kneeling on the stone floor, no one dared to speak up to defend their master.

"Do any of you dare confirm that this lady's words are true?" The Chancellor asked, his voice stern.

A silence enveloped the hall. Finally, one of the maids who had leaned into Y Nhi's ear to whisper comfort earlier, tremblingly walked out and knelt down in front of Quan Chuong An. "My lord, this young lady would like to testify," she said, her voice trembling but determined. "Miss Lang was kidnapped and brought here against her will, and Lord Earl ordered her to force her to complete the wedding tonight."

Co Bat Uy glared at the maid who had just spoken, but it was too late to stop her. Da Vu, taking this opportunity, continued to speak, his voice echoed powerfully throughout the hall.

"Not only that," he said, "Count Co Bat Uy also colluded with Doan Thanh Nhan, the second wife of Huong Hau Lang Vinh Khoi, and the strategist Ta Khac Dung standing there, to orchestrate a plot to slander Lang Y Nhi for stealing the family heirloom, to harm her reputation and isolate her from all protection of the family, so that it would be easier for her to carry out her ambition of usurpation."

Ta Khac Dung, hearing his name publicly exposed, his face turned pale, he tried to retreat towards the door to escape, but was immediately stopped by the military guards.

"Sir, I..." Ta Khac Dung stammered and turned to look at Co Bat Uy, asking for help, but the Count only glared at him with cold eyes, with no intention of protecting the subordinate who had served him faithfully for many years. Realizing that he could be abandoned as a scapegoat, Ta Khac Dung changed his tone and knelt down before the Chancellor.

"I would like to declare the entire truth to atone for my sins!" he spoke quickly, his voice shaking. "Every plan, from arranging a fake marriage contract with the Wei family, to orchestrating a slanderous theft case, was masterminded by Earl Co Bat Uy himself. I am just an executor of his orders!"

Co Bat Uy glared at his traitorous subordinate, but that statement had been said in front of the Chancellor and dozens of witnesses, and could no longer be taken back.

"Do you have any evidence for these accusations?" The Chancellor asked, his voice cautious but stern.

"I have witnesses," Da Vu replied. At that moment, as previously arranged, Y Nhi's nanny, who had been silently monitoring the situation for the past few days and also rushed over when she heard the news, entered the hall and knelt down before the Chancellor.

"My lord, I would like to testify," she said, her voice trembling but steady. "The old slave overheard with his own ears the conversation between Lady Doan Thanh Nhan and a man calling himself Mr. Ta, discussing the hiding of a jade brooch in Miss Y Nhi's belongings to slander her."

The whole hall was abuzz with the testimonies that were continuously given. Co Bat Uy, realizing that the situation had completely turned unfavorable for him, his anger and distress made him no longer able to maintain his fake composure.

"Do you think these baseless statements can overthrow me?" he roared, his eyes wild with rage. "I am Co Bat Uy! I have devoted my whole life to building this power, no one, whether divine or mortal, has the right to take it away from me!"

"The power you have," Da Vu replied, his voice cold, "is not for you to trample on the dignity and freedom of others. You used it to manipulate the law, to force a family to betray its own daughter, to turn sacred marriage into a tool of usurpation. That is not power that deserves respect, but a crime that needs to be punished."

"Do you think I did all this just because of temporary lust?" Co Bat Uy laughed dryly, his laughter filled with bitterness and madness. "I saw Y Nhi at the market at the beginning of the year, and right at that moment, I knew she was exactly what I needed to perfect everything I had built — not only her beauty, but also the trading relationships of the Lang family that I needed to consolidate my position in the Nine Great Families. I climbed to this position with my own hands, without relying on anyone, and I will not let anything, not even a musician with a strange identity, stand in my way. get what I want!"

"That is not love, nor is it legitimate ambition," Y Nhi spoke up, her voice trembling but full of contempt, even though the blade was still close to her neck. "That's just the selfish possessiveness of someone who gets used to everything without caring about the feelings or wishes of others."

"You have no right to judge me!" Co Bat Uy shouted, his desperation made him lose all reason. He looked around, his eyes stopped at Y Nhi standing near the Chancellor, a crazy thought flashed in his head.

Before anyone could react, he rushed forward, grabbed the dagger hidden in his sleeve, one hand grabbed Y Nhi's shoulder and pulled it towards him, the blade next to her neck. "Everyone stay back!" he screamed, his eyes wild with distress. "If not, I will kill this girl right here!"

The hall was filled with dead silence. Y Nhi stood stiffly, the cold blade close to the skin of her neck, but she gritted her teeth, not showing any fear, her eyes looked straight at Da Vu, conveying a wordless message: don't put him in danger because of her.

Da Vu stood dumbfounded in that moment, anger and extreme fear for Y Nhi's safety torn in his heart. But he knew, if he acted rashly now, her life could be directly threatened in just a split second.

"Let her go," he said, his voice trying to stay calm even though his whole body was shaking with the anger that was threatening to overflow. "This matter is between you and me, don't involve innocent people."

"I have nothing to lose anymore!" Co Bat Uy shouted, his voice filled with madness. "You have destroyed everything I built! If I must fall, I will drag this girl down with me!"

The Chancellor signaled the guards to stay in position, not daring to act rashly for fear of endangering Y Nhi's life. The whole hall held its breath and watched, the atmosphere was so tense that you could clearly hear the heartbeat of each person present.

Y Nhi, even though the blade was still close to her neck, her eyes still did not leave Da Vu, and in that moment, she gently moved her lips, not making a sound but enough for him to read: "I believe in you."

Da Vu took a deep breath, his eyes locked on Co Bat Uy, feeling the entire primordial light in his body swirling, waiting for the right moment to act without endangering the person he loved.