Chapter 2 — The palace was happy, the Emperor went crazy.

3Of course there is hatred. My father's unjust death, a year of being exiled in the cold palace as if he were not human, what gift was given to him? For many long nights, I hated him so much that I just wanted to eat him and skin him. But looking at Tham Nghien in front of me, who only knows how to cry about hunger and fear of the dark, just because I accidentally said a harsh sentence, I shed tears of anger, such a pitiful idiot... The fire of hatred is burning brightly in my heart, as if someone had poured a basin of cold water directly. Only thick, choking smoke remained, making people suffocate, but it could no longer flare up. He is so completely stupid that he doesn't even know what "hate" is. So who should we ask for our hatred? What's more scary is that, as our belly grows visibly each day, a motherly instinct also quietly develops. Every time I feel a small stirring in my stomach, and then look at the man in front of me who is innocent and ignorant, only knowing how to rely on me, an extremely wild feeling of "relying on each other to live" silently blooms. That feeling makes me scared. How can we develop dependence on our enemies? How could he forget the coldness of the past because he became stupid? However, Tham Nghien right now, his dependence on me is complete, without any holding back. On a thunderous and rainy night, he was so scared that he jumped up from his small bed, rushed barefoot to my earthen bed, trembled under the blanket, hugged my arm tightly, buried his head in the crook of my neck, muttering vaguely, "Nguyet Nguyet... scared..." I stiffened, feeling his warm breath and slight tremors. His hand unconsciously, very gently, placed on my protruding belly. The baby in her stomach also seemed to feel that strange touch, so she kicked gently. At that moment, everything was quiet. Only the sound of thunder, the sound of rain, and his gentle breathing remained. The hatred was drowned out by an immense feeling of helplessness. During the day, he clumsily helps me with work. Seeing me bending over so hard, he immediately scrambled to carry the bucket of water, which didn't weigh much, even though the end result was usually drenching himself from head to toe. Seeing me mending my shirt, he sat next to me, curiously playing with the needle and thread, with the result that every time he pricked his hand, then he raised his finger to rub his cheeks, eyes filled with tears and ran to find me, whining to "blow". He learns very slowly, but is extremely serious. I taught him to accept words. He trembled and wrote down a crooked word "Nguyet", then as if offering a treasure, held it up in front of me, smiling brightly like a child waiting to be rewarded. "Nguyet Nguyet! Look at this! Nguyet Nguyet!" That smile was strangely pure, with a bit of stupidity, but so bright it was blinding. My heart felt like it was hit by something neither heavy nor light. Impossible. Lam The Nguyet. Come back to your senses. I suddenly turned away, my voice became stiff. "Written wrong. Wrong stroke. Rewrite." The smile on his face immediately fell. He bowed his head, held the pen in self-pity, clumsily tracing each stroke over and over again. That look, both attentive and pitiful, only makes my heart feel even more frustrated. Such distorted days passed in a strange peace for several months. My belly has grown very clearly. In the palace, words never stopped. But because I have the Queen Mother and the "dragon temple" behind me, on the surface no one dares to touch me. Concubine To Chi Yen also sent someone to "visit" a few times, bringing some "tonics", inside and outside words were full of thorns. Looking at Tham Nghien with her silly appearance wrapped around me, her beautiful face was so angry that it distorted, but there was nothing she could do. We know that this peace is only temporary. Tham Nghien cannot stay stupid forever, the Queen Mother will not allow it

The emperor continued like that. And the child in my belly is both a chess piece and a knife hanging above my head. That day, Thuy Vi went out to receive her reward. When she returned, her face was pale and her steps were unsteady. "Master... master is not done!" She rushed in front of me, her voice trembling to the point of not being able to make a sound. "Slave... slave heard that... Thai hospital... Thai hospital seems... seems to have found the cure!" My heart sank. What must come will eventually come. The Royal Hospital has indeed "found" the cure. It is said that through the ancient books, combined with the secret recipes of some hermits among the people, we finally prepared a ladder of elixir that is said to be able to "open the intestines and wake up the mind". The Queen Mother was overjoyed and immediately issued a decree. The medicine was delivered on a gloomy afternoon. The strong, pungent smell of poison immediately spread throughout my small palace. General eunuch Ly Duc Toan personally carried the bowl of food, followed by several eunuchs and a burly mother, along with two solemn-faced doctors. That stance didn't look like delivering food, but more like escorting prisoners. At that time, Tham Nghien was lying face down on the table next to me, holding the pen I taught him to recognize letters, casually drawing on the paper. Smelling that strong smell of poison, he immediately frowned, like a wary little animal. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with resistance and fear, and instinctively hid behind me. "Your Majesty, it's time to use the poison." Ly Duc Toan smiled respectfully, but the bottom of his eyes were as cold as ice. He held the bowl of medicine forward a bit. "The Queen Mother has instructed that this medicine is extremely beneficial for your body, please drink it." Tham Nghien desperately shook his head, muffled sounds of protest coming from his throat. His hands tightened around my arms, his nails almost digging into my skin. "Nguyet Nguyet... afraid... bitter... don't drink..." He buried his face behind my back, his voice choked, carrying the sound of crying. My heart tightens. Is this bowl of medicine... really just for treatment? Or… or is there another intention? The Queen Mother... do you really hope that a sober emperor will return, remember that I am a royal concubine, remember that the child in my womb has this embarrassing background? The smile on Ly Duc Toan's face faded a bit. "Your Majesty, only bitter medicine can cure illness. You're like that... it's very difficult for a servant to work. The Queen Mother is still waiting for the good news of your recovery." He glanced and signaled. The two ladies behind immediately took a step forward. They intend to use force. Looking at Tham Nghien panicking and helpless, looking at him clinging to me, considering me his only protection, a hot stream of heat suddenly rushed straight to my head. Impossible. We can't let them treat him like that. At least... at least right now, it's not possible. "Wait!" I shouted loudly, my raised belly still resolutely blocking Tham Nghien's face, my cold eyes swept straight towards Ly Duc Toan. "Cong Cong Ly, the Emperor's mentality right now is no different from that of a child. Forcing him will only make him more resistant. If he accidentally struggles and damages his dragon body, or chokes on his poison, this responsibility... who can bear it? The Queen Mother wants the emperor. He recovered, not because he was scared." Clearly Ly Duc Toan did not expect me to be so tough. He was stunned for a moment, then gave a half-smile, his skin was smiling but his eyes were not smiling. "Master Nguyet said so... this slave is only for the good of the king. This is the Queen Mother's will..." "The Queen Mother's wish is for the king to use medicine, not for you to use violence." I interrupted him, my voice high-pitched, not backing down at all.

step. "Your Majesty has trusted me, so why not give me the medicine. I will coax you to drink it. If I can't do it, it's not too late for you to take action. At least give the Emperor, and the dragon in my stomach, a little face." I deliberately emphasized the words "dragon". Ly Duc Toan's eyes glanced at my protruding belly, flashing a few rays of hesitation. Obviously he also feared this child. He pondered for a moment, then glanced at Tham Nghien who was cowering behind me, revealing only his eyes full of fear. After considering the pros and cons for a while, he finally had to give in. "So... I have no choice but to bother Master Nguyet. Please hurry up. Let the medicine cool down, the medicinal properties will decrease." He brought a bowl of black medicine in front of me, the strong smell rushed straight into my nose. As soon as the bowl was touched, it was still warm, but it made my heart so hot that I panicked. I took a deep breath, turned around, squatted down in front of Tham Nghien, trying to lower my voice and soften each word to comfort him. "Good Nghien Nghien, look, Nguyet Nguyet is here, don't be afraid. This medicine... is sweet sugar water, let Nguyet Nguyet drink it for you, okay?" I gritted my teeth, brought the bowl of medicine close to my lips, pretending to be about to drink.