Chapter 9 — This Eastern Palace has been my hunt from the beginning

I stopped looking at Tieu Canh Huyen, pulled out a short dagger, and hid it in my sleeve: "Your Highness, now is not the time to ask about these things!" Without waiting for him to react, I took the lead and walked out of the palace door. Outside the Eastern Palace, flames soared into the sky, and the sounds of slaughter echoed vaguely. Truong Uy, dressed in neat armor, led an elite team to guard the outside. As soon as he saw me, he immediately clasped his hands, bent over and reported: "Niang Niang! The rebel army has arrived outside Can Thanh Palace!"

"Follow the plan! Hold the Eastern Palace, protect the Crown Prince! The rest of you, follow me to His Majesty's palace!"

“Dao Dao!” Tieu Canh Huyen chased after me, holding my hand tightly, "It's very dangerous outside!"

I turned my head to look at him. That look contained so many emotions that he could not understand. I used my strength to pull away from his hand: "Your Highness, you are the reserve army of a country, the hope of the common people, please take charge of the Eastern Palace, stabilize people's hearts! Outside matters, leave it to me!" Having finished speaking, without any hesitation, I led Truong Uy and the guards and headed straight to Can Thanh Palace. On the palace road, it was already chaos. The rebels and guards killed each other, blood and flesh flying everywhere. I tightened my grip on the short dagger in my sleeve, seeing a rebel swinging his knife to slash down at a small eunuch. I didn't have time to think too much, the short dagger in my sleeve immediately shot out, accurately hitting that traitor straight in the chest! He couldn't believe it, turned around, saw it was me, eyes filled with terror, then collapsed to the ground. Everyone was stunned by this scene. Including Tieu Canh Huyen, who had just promptly led his troops to protect him, just in time to witness that scene with his own eyes. He stood not far away, looking at the blood stains on my sleeve, watching me calmly pull the short dagger out of the traitor's body, wiping it clean on his armor, looking at me in the midst of chaos, still calmly commanding... That decisive killing intent, that calm planning, was completely different from the image of weakness that could not take care of itself, needing him to cherish in his heart that he had remembered. At this moment, from the direction of the palace gate, screams of killing rang out. General Trieu Ngang's reinforcements have finally arrived. In an attack from the inside out, the rebels quickly disintegrated. The third prince was captured alive, Tran Phong was hacked to death by a chaotic knife, and Lieu Thua Tong committed suicide in the palace. A military upheaval, in just one night, was quickly quelled. The sky gradually brightened, Tieu Canh Huyen walked in front of me. I stood outside Can Thanh Palace, calmly looking at him. He squeezed my hand, almost collapsing, and asked:

“Tell you… how many things are there that you don't even know about?”

The stench of blood in the palace had not yet had time to dissipate. The old emperor, after hearing that the rebellion had been quelled and the rebels were punished according to national law, breathed his last. The country cannot go without a king for a day, so Tieu Canh Huyen successfully ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor. I was ordained as Queen and lived in Phuong Nghi palace. The ceremony was solemnly held. I wore a phoenix robe and wore a phoenix crown to receive the homage of hundreds of mandarins. He held my hand, step by step up that supreme step. He still treats me very well, even better than before. Rewards are like continuously flowing water brought into Phuong Nghi palace, he stayed here every night, and when he had free time from court affairs, he would come to keep me company, or quietly sit and watch me handle palace affairs. But between us, it's finally different. His eyes looked at me, so complicated that even I had a hard time distinguishing them. There is attachment, there is deep affection, there is guilt, but even deeper is scrutiny and hesitation. He is no longer the same as before, without holding back and revealing all his emotions in front of me. He will still smile at me, but underneath that smile, it's always like there's another layer. He returned from court, with an annoyed look on his face.