Chapter 1 — The Queen Feigned Illness For 3 Years, The Marquis Palace Was Completely In Chaos

When I woke up, the bowl of medicine was close to my lips. The mouth of the bowl was cold, the bitter smell of medicine rushed straight to my nose. Miss Chu sat on the edge of the bed, her fingertips tightening the towel, but her voice was as soft as spring water.

"Thanh Mien, be good. The flower reward party at the Princess Truong Palace only comes once a year. You are the daughter of the Marquis Palace, you can't let outsiders laugh at our Tham family for not knowing the rules."

I looked at her for a long time. She is much younger than in my memory, her sideburns are not streaked with silver, and the corners of her eyes do not have future wrinkles. The autumn-colored purple shirt was neatly ironed, the hem of the skirt embroidered with jade orchids, and was as dignified as a picture of a wise father hanging in the middle of the main hall. But we know what lies behind that picture. Last life was also this day. My cold hasn't gone away yet. I cough so much at night that I can barely sit still. Thi Chu brought medicine to comfort me, saying that Nhuoc Lan first came to the banquet at Princess Truong's Palace, afraid she would recognize the wrong person, so she asked me to lead her. I drank that bowl of medicine. The medicine suppresses the cough, but it makes the palms of your hands cold and your temples twitch. I tried my best to attend the flower reward party, and instead of Tham Nhuoc Lan, I introduced myself to more than half of the noble ladies in the capital. She carefully hid behind me, called the wrong person, I made peace on her behalf; If the ceremony is wrong, I will take her place to block the blow; The mama in the Princess Palace asked about it, she couldn't answer, so I answered for her. After returning to the palace, I had a fever for 3 days. Thanks to that party, Tham Nhuoc Lan gained the reputation of being "innocent and gentle". Later, every time the An Vien Hau palace was mentioned in the scriptures, people often said that the Second Miss was innocent and lovely, while the First Miss was sick, weak, quiet and boring. At that time I still didn't understand, there are roads in this world that, once cleared for someone else, the person who walks on them will no longer feel indebted to you. My whole life starts from that same bowl, step by step being trampled by others to create a smooth path. My father was promoted to a high-ranking mandarin and wanted me to replace him and go to the palaces to give gifts and pass on words to the ladies. The elder brother lost money and wanted me to write a letter to my grandmother's house to borrow money. Housekeeper Zhou left the treasury short and wanted me to use my mother's dowry to make up for it. Tham Nhuoc Lan's marriage was not going well and wanted me to give up the marriage contract with Tinh Vuong Palace. Every time they opened their mouths, they spoke very softly.

“Thanh Mien, you are the most understanding person.”

“Thanh Mien, you are my sister.”

“Thanh Mien, the Marquis Palace can only rely on you.”

In the end, I married into Tinh Vuong's palace, taking on the responsibility of the Marquis's palace with a tangled debt. Xuan Dao cried and chased the carriage in the snow. Thi Chu ordered someone to hold her tightly, not letting her take another step. The last time I saw Xuan Dao again, it was in a dream. In the dream, she was still wearing the faded cotton shirt, asking me over and over again:

“Miss, are you okay?”

At that time, I could no longer answer. Seeing that I didn't move, Thi Chu moved the bowl of water forward a little more.

"Drink this medicine, mother will comb your hair and do your makeup herself. Nhuoc Lan is still waiting outside."

I lowered my eyes to look at the bowl of medicine. When the finger fits lifted it up, a trace of satisfaction appeared in Chu Thi's eyes. In the next moment, my wrist tilted slightly. The ceramic bowl hit the footstool, the medicine splashed all over the floor, and also splashed onto the hem of Chu's dress. The room immediately became quiet. The smile on Chu Thi's face stiffened.

“Tham Thanh Mien.”

I didn't answer her, I just held my mouth and coughed. At first it was just a few soft coughs, then my chest felt like it was being weighed down by life, coughing so much that my whole body bent forward. Xuan Dao rushed in from the outside room, so frightened that his voice changed color.

“Miss!”

I grabbed her hand and fell back onto the bed. When the towel was pressed against my lips, I bit the tip of my tongue hard, letting a faint trail of blood spread out. Xuan Dao saw that red streak and tears immediately fell.

“Madam, you're coughing up blood!”

Thi Chu stood in front of the bed, her face extremely ugly. She would not be able to force a woman who was coughing up blood to get out of bed in front of a room filled with nurses and maids. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and squeezed out two words:

“Please sir.”

I closed my eyes. Outside, the light rain tapped on the window bars, sound by sound. This time, the flowers are at the Princess Palace. Anyone who wants to see them can go see them.