Chapter 2 — The Poor Bridegroom Is the Supreme One

The float left the Ngan palace when the sun was high in the sky. The sunlight shone through the thin silk curtain covering Khinh Vy's palanquin, dyeing a warm yellow color on her face. Sitting in the palanquin, amid the bustling music outside and the people on both sides of the street whispering about the Grand Wedding, Khinh Vy closed her eyes, trying to arrange the entire stream of chaotic memories of her past life into a clear sequence, piece by piece, like a weaver untangling a crumpled silk.

She remembered, the first key moment was the evening three months before the Big Wedding, when she overheard Triệu Nhã Trân whispering to a strange servant in the garden, her voice sweet but somewhat unusually urgent. At that time, she didn't pay attention, just thinking it was a trivial matter in the backyard. Looking back now, she suddenly realized that the strange servant was most likely the middleman between Khinh Tuyết and the group of thieves who falsified Ho Ho's books.

The second moment was on the night of the Great Wedding, when she discovered some unusual numbers in her father's private notebook, but before she could report them, she was falsely accused of being the one who forged those numbers. And the final moment, the fateful wedding night, when the unknown assassin appeared while everyone was asleep, no one knew until it was too late.

"Miss, we're almost at the palace," Vân Nhi's voice rang out outside the palanquin, pulling Khinh Vy back to the present.

She opened her eyes, gently lifted the silk curtain and looked out. The royal palace gate appeared in front, towering white marble pillars, on both sides were rows of soldiers standing solemnly on guard. This was where the annual Grand Wedding Ceremony took place, where famous ladies of Đại Lương will personally choose their husbands among the gentlemen nominated by the families and the court, under the witness of Emperor Lương Chiêu Dương and State Master Hồ Trung Đạo.

The float stopped in front of the large dragon yard, where a large number of other young ladies and their families had gathered, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, their faces mixed with excitement and nervousness. Khinh Vy stepped down from the palanquin, her eyes immediately found the familiar figure of Ngân Khinh Tuyết standing next to her mother, Triệu Nhã Trân, on the opposite side of the dragon yard.

From a distance, there was nothing unusual about that scene: a mother was adjusting the folds of her daughter's clothes before the big moment, with affectionate eyes and a gentle smile. But Khinh Vy, with the eyes of someone who had died because of those two people, saw something completely different. She noticed that Triệu Nhã Trân, amidst the affectionate gestures, leaned close to Khinh Tuyết's ear and whispered something very quickly, and right after that sentence, Khinh Tuyết's eyes immediately glanced towards Âu Thế Khang who was standing and chatting with the other gentlemen, with a flash of calculating light that flashed for a moment and then disappeared immediately after.

"It's the beginning," Khinh Vy thought to herself, feeling a feeling that was both cold and familiar. In her previous life, she was completely unaware of these small details, because at that time she was too busy paying attention to the attention of other gentlemen, to the compliments about her beauty and talent. Now, with the full experience of someone who died and came back to life, she realizes that it is these seemingly harmless moments that hide the most dangerous plots.

Khinh Tuyết, as if sensing her sister's eyes, turned around and smiled brightly, walking quickly to Khinh Vy's side. "Second sister, you are so beautiful today. I wonder which young lady will be lucky enough to be chosen by you."

Sweet voice, sparkling eyes full of sincere admiration - if it were Khinh Vy in her previous life, she would have been moved to tears by this passionate sisterly love. But now, Khinh Vy only smiled slightly in response, silently observing every smallest expression on her sister's face. "You are also very beautiful, Khinh Tuyết. I believe today you will have a satisfactory marriage."

That seemingly normal sentence made Khinh Tuyết pause for an extremely short moment, her eyes flashed with a trace of scrutiny before returning to her usual smile. "What do you mean by that? Isn't today your day?"

"That's right," Khinh Vy replied, her voice calm, "but I think marriage should be about both people, not just me. I just hope everything goes well for my whole family." Having finished speaking, she did not wait for Khinh Tuyết to react further, nodded slightly in greeting and walked towards the row of seats reserved for the candidates, leaving Khinh Tuyết standing hesitantly looking after her with a confused and wary expression.

On the way, Khinh Vy saw her father, Ngân Bá Viễn, standing and chatting with several other high-ranking officials in the court, the wide sleeves of the Hộ Bộ Thu Thuong's court uniform fluttering with every gesture. He still had the majestic, poised appearance as she remembered, but when his eyes swept over Khinh Vy and then stopped at Khinh Tuyết in the distance, Khinh Vy clearly recognized a difference - the eyes for Khinh Tuyết were much warmer and more affectionate than the fleeting eyes for her, even though she was the true daughter, the child of the deceased wife.

"Khinh Vy, you're here." Ngân Bá Viễn walked over, his voice somewhat stern. "Today is your big day, remember to maintain proper etiquette, don't disgrace the Ngan family's name."

"I understand, father." Khinh Vy bowed her head to worship, her voice was gentle, but in her heart there was an indescribable bitterness. In her previous life, her father's last words to her, before she died in shame, were a similar scolding — not a word of concern, not a bit of fatherly love, only concern for the family's honor.

But this time, Khinh Vy no longer feels hurt like before. Instead, she looked at her father with a sober, assessing gaze. She realized that this father's blind favoritism towards his concubine and second daughter, combined with his easily influenced personality by slander, was the fertile ground for Khinh Tuyết and Triệu Nhã Trân to plant their plots.

"Father," she suddenly spoke up, her voice calm, "I want to ask you something. Have there been any abnormalities in the Ministry's books recently?"

Ngân Bá Viễn stopped and looked at his daughter with eyes of surprise mixed with discomfort. "Why are you asking about this? This is a royal matter, not something a noble lady like you should worry about."

"I'm just worried about my father," Khinh Vy replied, her voice gentle but her eyes still steadfast. "I heard people talking about the recent loss of treasury, I'm afraid father is being taken advantage of by others without realizing it."

That sentence made Ngân Bá Viễn pause slightly, his eyes slightly thoughtful. "Where did you hear that from?"

"It's just a rumor in the palace," Khinh Vy replied evasively, not wanting to reveal too much at this stage. In her previous life, it was because she was too hasty to denounce the abnormalities she discovered, without enough solid evidence, that Khinh Tuyết easily overturned the situation, turning her from an accuser into an accused. In this life, she will not repeat that mistake. She will quietly collect evidence, waiting until she has enough weight to act.

Ngân Bá Viễn nodded lightly, seemingly not paying much attention to his daughter's words, then turned back to continue the conversation with the ministers. Khinh Vy looked at her father's back, silently sighing in her heart. She knew that, to change this father's attitude, she would need more time and much more convincing evidence than vague warnings.

The sound of gongs and drums suddenly rang out, signaling that the ceremony was about to begin. Khinh Vy returned to her position in the line of candidate ladies, her eyes quickly scanning the crowd of young men standing on the opposite side of the dragon yard. She easily recognized Âu Thế Khang, standing in the most solemn position, wearing a precious brocade robe, with a confident and arrogant demeanor, surrounded by the admiring eyes of many other ladies.

And then, at the very end of the row of gentlemen, almost completely overshadowed in the splendid crowd, she saw a familiar figure - Tạ Dịch Thần. He wore a simple coarse cloth shirt, without any jewelry, standing quietly in a hidden corner, his eyes lowered as if not wanting to attract any attention. If it were her previous life, Khinh Vy would have passed by that figure without paying attention, like many other young ladies who were whispering, somewhat scornfully, about the out-of-place appearance of a poor person in this luxurious royal palace.

But this time, Khinh Vy stopped for a long time at that figure. She clearly remembered that on the last night of her previous life, this man stood quietly in the corner of the room, his hands clenched until he bled because he was powerless to save her in time. She clearly remembered that look of extreme pain, a pain that could not be faked.

"Who is it, miss?" Vân Nhi, standing next to her, noticed her lady's unusually attentive eyes and asked curiously.

"Nothing," Khinh Vy replied, shaking her head slightly, but in her heart she had a clear decision. In this life, she will not let her only chance to learn about that mysterious man pass her by again. No matter how difficult the road ahead is, even if she faces opposition from her entire family, she will choose her own path.

The officiant's loudspeaker rang out, announcing the official start of the Grand Wedding ceremony. Khinh Vy took a deep breath, stood up straight, her eyes firmly looking forward. She knows that in just a few hours, every decision she makes today will determine the entire fate of this second life.