Chapter 4 — The palace was happy, the Emperor went crazy.

5He was like a caged animal, constantly walking around outside, making uneasy growls, using force to pound on the door. "Nguyet Nguyet! Nguyet Nguyet! It hurts! It hurts!" He called vaguely, his voice carrying the sound of crying. Every time the intense contraction came, accompanied by my cry of pain, the pounding on the door outside became more urgent and panicked. "Nguyen Nghien... don't be afraid..." I was in so much pain that I was almost exhausted, yet I heard his worried voice, still trying to force out a little bit of composure to comfort me. "Nguyet Nguyet... it's okay..." I don't know how much time has passed, as long as a lifetime. When the child's sharp cry tore through the gloomy atmosphere of the cold palace, my whole body felt weak, as if I had just been picked up from cold water. "Congratulations, Lord Moon! You are a little prince!" The midwife's voice carried clear relief, along with a hint of secret joy that was hard to hide. Little prince. Those three words, like a mantra, fell on this cold palace. The door was pushed open a crack. Tham Nghien's face was filled with fear and anxiety. He ignored the woman's objections and staggered towards my earthen bed. His body was still cold, and the tears on his face had not yet dried. He looked at me, extremely tired, his face pale, then looked at the wrinkled child, crying in the midwife's arms. His eyes were filled with great confusion and confusion. He held out a finger, extremely carefully, gently touching the child's tiny, wiggling fist. That soft feeling made him startle and withdraw his hand, then couldn't help but be curious and cautiously reached out again. The child seemed to feel that touch, suddenly stopped crying, opened his still wet eyes, and looked bewildered at the large, unfamiliar face before him. Tham Nghien was also stunned and looked back at those clear eyes, where his own silhouette was reflected. At that moment, time seemed to stop. He looked at me, then at the child, then at me again. Then, the corners of his mouth slowly curled up, revealing a smile that was stupid to the end, but also dazzlingly bright. He pointed at the child, then pointed at me, then pointed at himself. From his mouth came out slurred, vague, yet strangely clear sounds. "Nguyet Nguyet... baby... Nghien Nghien... baby..." He means, this is Nguyet Nguyet's baby, also Nghien Nghien's baby. The midwife and Thuy Vi both stood frozen in place. I lay on the dirt bed, looked at the smile without a trace of gloom on his face, looked at his sparkling eyes because he had a "treasure", then lowered my head to look at my son lying obediently in diapers, eyes closed, breathing evenly. A feeling so bitter yet so tender that it's hard to name suddenly comes, sweeping away all the defenses in my heart. Tears flowed from my eyes, I couldn't stop them. Is it because of this young life that has just been born? Is it because of the naive warmth of that idiot? Or is it because of the situation itself, which is both wild and desperate, and also has a faint glimmer of my own light? I don't know. I only know that, in this cold palace, in that silent snowy night, I and the person who was once my enemy had the same "treasure". The birth of a son, like a weak but true ray of light, shines into the darkest corner of the palace. I named you Lam Niem An. Not named Tham. Niem An, I only hope that you will have a peaceful and harmonious life, staying away from battles in the royal court. That is the most humble prayer, and also the most luxurious thing that I, as a mother, can give to my child. Tham Nghien showed an unusual interest in this "little treasure", mixed with a ridiculous amount of clumsiness. He doesn't know how to hold a baby, his hands and feet are clumsy

waiting, always afraid that if I use too much force it will hurt my child. He could only lean close to the edge of the bed, eyes wide open, curiously looking at the little girl in the diaper. Niem An yawned slightly, then he said "ah" in surprise. Niem An waved her small hand, and he awkwardly waved his hand as well. Niem An cried, he frantically turned around, bringing all the interesting things he found, such as an old cloth tiger, or a smooth stone, piled up next to Niem An, hoping to calm her baby from crying. "Baby... don't cry..." He imitated my appearance, gently patting the diaper, his movements were stiff but extremely serious. Many times, he just sat there quietly, watching Niem An sleep soundly. Even half an hour of looking at it is not boring, eyes are attentive as if admiring a rare treasure in the world. In those eyes, there was gentleness and satisfaction, something that I had never seen before when he was awake. Every time like that, the string called "hatred" in my heart is gently plucked, becoming so complicated that it's hard to put into words. Hatred is still there. But looking at the purity in the way he treated Niem An, looking at his unprecedented weakness when he was with her child, in that hatred, there were too many vague things mixed in that couldn't be named. The peaceful days did not last long. On the full month of Niem An, the Queen Mother arrived. She did not come alone. Behind is the minister's father with a gloomy face, along with several royal princes. The battle is even bigger than the time it brought me. The Queen Mother's eyes first fell on Niem An, who was being held in Thuy Vi's arms, wrapped in a dark yellow diaper. That look was as sharp as a knife's edge, carrying scrutiny and a ray of... greed. After that, she turned her eyes to me leaning on the dirt bed, my body still weak, then to Tham Nghien sitting on a low chair next to my feet, trying to use a piece of dry grass to coax Niem An to smile. "Lam, you gave birth to a dragon son for the emperor, you have merit." The Queen Mother's voice was flat, not audible of joy and anger. "Dear love dragon, who approved for you to move out of the cold palace and move to... Tinh Tam Uyen." Tinh Tam. Tam Uyen. It sounded a bit better than the cold palace, but it was still a remote place, like being under house arrest. "As for the prince..." The Queen Mother's eyes fell on Niem An again, carrying a hardness that did not allow for argument. "The noble dragon vein should not be raised in a deserted place. From today onwards, entrust the concubine To Chi Yen to take care of. The concubine Thuc is kind and virtuous, and will conscientiously raise the prince." A muffled voice. The whole world seemed to collapse in an instant. It was like a bolt of lightning exploded right above my head. How can I give it to To Chi Yen? That woman sees me as a thorn in her eye. How can she treat my Niem An kindly? She only sees my child as a tool to compete for power and even... "No!" I screamed loudly, ignoring my still weak postpartum body. In Niem An's heart, she retreated in fear. "Insolent!" The mother next to the Queen Mother shouted coldly. The two eunuchs immediately advanced, each holding one of my shoulders tightly. The force was so strong that it almost crushed my bones. "Let me go! Give me back my child!" My eyes were bloodshot, I struggled frantically, tears poured out like a dike. "Nguyet Nguyet!" Tham Nghien was stunned by this sudden event. Seeing me being controlled, he suddenly jumped up, like an angry lion. A low roar emitted from his throat, he rushed straight towards me. "Your Majesty!" Ly Duc Toan and several guards had already prepared and immediately rushed forward to block him. Tham Nghien, although strong, could not resist many people. He was held down and could only struggle.

crazy, screaming in anger. "Bad guy! Let go of Nguyet Nguyet! Let go of the treasure!"