Chapter 7 — This Eastern Palace has been my hunt from the beginning

“Of course you don't want to believe it.” Tieu Canh Huyen said in a deep voice, "But Dao Dao, there are a few things, when you think about it, it's really too coincidental. When she fell off her horse, she was just passing by. The Vu Gu object was found in her incense bag, but in the end the one who was pointed out was Lieu Thi. In the war in the Northern region, she was a woman in the depths of the palace, coming up with a plan and being able to hit the key... all of this, it couldn't help but be too convenient."

He took a step forward, carrying a feeling of oppression: "Dao Dao, tell me, do you really... don't know anything? Are you really, like what you show on the outside... are your thoughts that simple?" Sure enough, he became suspicious. I didn't immediately respond, just looked at him, tears silently falling. I didn't cry out loud, I just let the tears flow. That look was more painful and broken than any scream. I took a step back, my body shaking slightly: "It turns out... in your heart, this concubine is the kind of cruel, good at disguising, calculating woman..." I raised my teary eyes and looked straight at him, eyes filled with the despair of someone who is suspected by the person he loves the most: "Yes, I really knew that that day your highness would go through the forest at the hunting ground, because I had asked your highness's hunting route in advance from the guard commander! I just want... I just want to meet your highness by chance, even if I can just see you one more time! I'm stupid, I'm bad at horsemanship, I'm too clumsy, I fell off my horse, can this be called scheming?"

"In the case of ancient witchcraft, the people and exhibits were all the maid next to Lieu Trac Concubine. The confidential letter was searched because Your Highness sent someone to investigate! At that time, I had no choice but to kill myself in one go! If it weren't for Van Tu's wisdom, I would have become an unjust soul long ago! Could it be that even saving myself would have turned into a sin in Your Highness's eyes?"

"The war in the North... my father and I were trapped in a dangerous situation, I was worried day and night, I couldn't eat well, I couldn't sleep! Flipping through those books, I just wanted to find even a glimmer of ability, to be able to replace my father, to express my condolences for your highness! I hate that I'm not a man, I can't go into battle to kill the enemy, I can only think of clumsy ways, not worth bringing to the table... could it be... could it be that in your highness's eyes, is this also a private agenda?"

My emotions became more and more agitated, my voice choked up, I pulled out the golden hairpin from the bun that he had just rewarded yesterday, put it straight into his hand, then pointed at my chest: "Your Highness, if you think that I have a malicious heart, if you think that I have betrayed your trust... then kill me right now! Use this hairpin, you can stab me to death! You can die in your highness's hands, I... I don't hold any grudges! And better... than being doubted like this!” At the end, I cried without a sound and my body fell limp to the ground. Tieu Canh Huyen looked at the golden brooch that I stuffed into his hand, and then at me crying and falling to the ground. In his heart, he was replaced by a feeling of panic, guilt, and intense heartache.

“Dao Dao!” He threw away the golden hairpin, frantically trying to help me up, "You didn't mean that! You're just... you're just..."

Him talking incoherently, holding me tightly in his arms, his voice filled with regret and self-blame: "It's you who's not good! You bastard! You shouldn't listen to those divisive slanders! You shouldn't doubt her! You're just... just afraid, afraid that all these good things... are just flowers in the mirror, the moon in the water..." I was in his arms, crying until I couldn't breathe, intermittently saying: "My concubine... I'm all yours... my heart is... You are also... your highness, if you don't believe it... why not... just take it away..."

"Stop talking! You're wrong!" He interrupted me, his eyes filled with pain, "From now on, you will never doubt her again! Never let you be wronged like that again! Whoever wrote that letter, you will definitely pull it out, it will be deadly!"

He picked me up, placed me on the bed, and carefully pulled the blanket to cover me. He sat beside the bed, held my hand, and over and over again softly coaxed and comforted me. I closed my eyes, letting the tears quietly flow down, my heart cold as ice. This time, not only will he erase his doubts, but the feeling of guilt generated by that doubt will make him trust me even more in the future and make up for it.