Chapter 35 — The Medicine Bearer Through the Chaos

Tran Bac Hau To Doanh

The news that the Marquis of Bac Town Ve Khai Trach personally came to inspect the entire northern border line, including the Long Mon border, caused the entire camp to be in an uproar during the previous three days of preparation. This is the first time the famous general, who has guarded this border for nearly thirty years, has directly visited the camp since Tinh Yen came here.

"What kind of person is Tran Bac Hau?" Tinh Yen asked Nhuoc Lan when they were both cleaning up the military hospital area before the inspection trip.

"I heard he is as strict as Captain Ky, but fair and loves soldiers like me." Nhuoc Lan replied, her hands still constantly cleaning the medicine shelves. "The old soldier in the barracks said that in the past, he personally carried a seriously injured soldier back to the barracks all night long, despite the danger, just because he did not want to leave a person under his command behind."

Tran Bac Hau's chariot group arrived on a clear morning, without as many ostentatious decorations as Tinh Yen imagined - just a small enough team of elite guards, and Ve Khai Trach himself rode in the lead, tall and tall, with gray hair but still exuding the majestic aura of someone who had gone through countless battles.

Thanh Phong went to the barracks gate to welcome his father. Father and son exchanged a few short, emotional sentences but still maintained military etiquette in front of the soldiers. Ve Khai Trach then spent the morning checking the defense line and inspecting the barracks, before visiting the military hospital in the afternoon.

Ky Ba Nghiem personally led Tran Bac Hau around the military hospital, introducing each area and each medical team. When arriving at the treatment area where Tinh Yen was taking care of a few wounded soldiers still recovering from the previous war, Ve Khai Trach stopped and looked at her with sharp eyes for a long time.

"This is the nurse carrying the jade talisman of the Royal Hospital that my son often mentioned in his letters?" He asked, his voice deep.

"Bam Tran Bac Hau, that's right." Ky Ba Nghiem replied, his voice somewhat proud. "Do Tinh Yen is the most outstanding physician at this military hospital today. He is about to be summoned to Yen Phung for evaluation at the Royal Medical Institute."

Ve Khai Trach nodded, stepped closer, observing Tinh Yen with the eyes of a person accustomed to evaluating people through many years of war and officialdom. "I heard my son talk about you, how you cured him on the battlefield for the first time, and what you did at this military hospital." he said. "I want to thank you, not only as a Marquis of Tran Bac, but as a father."

"That is my duty, Mr. Tran Bac Hau, I do not dare to accept such a big thank you." Tinh Yen bowed her head, her voice humble.

"Humility is a virtue, but don't let it make you underestimate the true value of what you do." Ve Khai Trach replied, his voice somewhat stern but not at all harsh. "I have lived long enough to know that the truly talented are often the most humble, and the braggarts are often the least talented."

He continued the inspection, but before leaving the treatment area, he turned to look at Tinh Yen one more time, his eyes took on a more unpredictable color, as if he was considering something.

"When are you leaving for Yen Phung?" he asked.

"Yes, late this spring, Mr. Tran Bac Hau." Tinh Yen replied.

"Good." He nodded. "Yen Phung is not an easy place to live for people with nothing to rely on. If you have any trouble, just mention my name. Although I cannot promise to always be there in time to help, at least the name Tran Bac Hau still has some weight there, although perhaps not as much as before."

That last sentence made Tinh Yen pause, realizing that there was a hidden anxiety that this experienced general was trying to hide. She bowed her head in thanks, not daring to ask more, but in her heart she clearly remembered every word he had just said.

In the evening, after completing the official inspection trip, Ve Khai Trach spent time alone with Thanh Phong in the command barracks. Tinh Yen happened to pass by and heard the low voices of father and son echoing from the crack in the tent door. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help but hear a few sentences.

"You have to be more careful, Thanh Phong." Ve Khai Trach's voice rang out, stern and different from the calmness of the day. "Since father refused to sign the last food supply contract, there have been many malicious rumors targeting our family spread in the court. Father is worried that the force behind this will not stop at such indirect attacks."

"What do you think they'll do next?" Thanh Phong's voice responded, full of worry.

"I'm not sure. It could be a fake investigation into the family's finances, it could be some slander about the military command. Such people always have a thousand ways to harm people who are not on their side, as long as they have enough power and patronage from higher places." Ve Khai Trach sighed, his voice carrying a fatigue that rarely showed. "I just hope that when that day comes, you will be alert enough not to get caught up in the political traps that I cannot prevent."

Tinh Yen quickly walked away, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, but the words she just heard kept echoing in her head all night. She realized that the shadow that was gradually covering the Tran Bac Hau family was no longer a vague concern, but had become a real threat, waiting for the opportunity to emerge, and perhaps, that day would not be far away.

The next morning, before Tran Bac Hau's convoy left the barracks to continue the journey to inspect other gates along the border, Ve Khai Trach suddenly called Tinh Yen personally to meet again, without Ky Ba Nghiem or Thanh Phong accompanying him. She came to meet him in a quiet corner of the barracks, feeling nervous before this unexpected private meeting.

"I want to ask you something, and I hope you answer honestly." Ve Khai Trach said, his eyes looking straight at her, no longer the stern look of a general but with a rare sincerity. "Do you have feelings for my son?"

The sudden question made Tinh Yen freeze for a moment. Her face turned red even though she tried to keep her composure. "Bam Tran Bac Hau, I... I don't dare to hide it, I have feelings for you. But I clearly understand the distance between our identities, I have never intended to go beyond what is ethically allowed."

Ve Khai Trach was silent for a long time, his eyes softened, carrying an indescribable sadness. "I'm not asking you to blame or stop you." he said. "I ask because I want to understand my son's heart, and the hearts of the people he cares about. Thanh Phong's big brother, my eldest son, died in battle on this border ten years ago, when he was only nineteen years old. Since then, all the family's expectations have fallen on Thanh Phong's shoulders, and I know, sometimes that burden makes him not dare to live true to what his heart desires."

Tinh Yen was speechless at that unexpected confession, a deep sympathy arose in her heart when thinking about the pressure that Thanh Phong had to carry over the years, something he had never fully revealed to her.

"I'm not the type of person who values the royal family to the point of rigidity like many other noble families." Ve Khai Trach continued, his voice low. "I just hope my son is truly happy, and finds someone worthy of standing by his side in the most difficult moments, not because of status or benefits, but because of who he really is. Through what I witnessed today, and what I heard through his letters over the past many months, I believe you could be that person."

"I... I don't know what to say, Tran Bac Hau." Tinh Yen replied, her voice choked up at that unexpected and respectful recognition.

"You don't need to say anything." He smiled slightly, a rare smile appearing on his face, weathered by battle. "Just continue to be yourself, maintain the principles you have. That is the most valuable thing a person can carry in the midst of chaos like this, more precious than any title or wealth."

He turned around to leave, but then stopped and said one last sentence before walking away from the shelf. "If there comes a day when my family is in trouble, and you still retain your trust in my son, I hope you will not turn away. That is all an old father like me can ask of you."

Tinh Yen stood silently watching the group of chariots gradually disappear behind the mountains. Her heart was heavy with an unspoken promise that had been engraved deeply in her heart, along with an increasingly clear premonition that what was waiting for the Tran Bac Hau family ahead would not be simple, and perhaps, she would have to play a certain role in that story, even though she did not yet know clearly what that role would be.