Chapter 4 — Through the Air Room According to the Script

5. I rubbed my legs that were numb after squatting for too long, then shakily stood up. As soon as I turned around, I saw a dark shadow standing right in front of me, almost making me scream. Co Tu crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows at me:

“The lady is sitting here, is…”

I waved my hands wildly, trying to look natural:

“What a coincidence… what a coincidence, the husband also went out to get some fresh air?”

On the carriage return to the palace, the carriage was so quiet that you could clearly hear each other's breathing. Suddenly Co Tu spoke up:

“Miss... don't you have anything to ask?”

I immediately accepted:

"Yes! Husband, you and your wife... what is the relationship?"

He lowered his eyes and looked at me, then suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand.

“She used to be my fiancee.”

Hmm?! There is no mention of this part in the story!

“When I disappeared in the desert, she immediately entered the palace and became a concubine.”

Could it be that he was forced by the emperor?

"At first I thought she was forced, but I only recently found out... that she voluntarily entered the palace."

In that case, why in the original story did Co Tu and Tieu Ninh Nhi join forces to poison the emperor and then become Regent?!

"My lady," his voice was low and serious, "from now on, between me and her... there are no longer any ties."

Suddenly, Co Tu put my hand on his chest.

"Here, there is only the lady alone."

The warmth coming from the palm of my hand made my face turn red like it was on fire, even my ears were hot. I lowered my eyelids and bowed my head - Co Tu... can I trust you? Without knowing it, Tet is approaching again. I have to go to the palace to attend the banquet. The female lead so easily let Co Tu - the sharp sword in her hand - pass by? Sure enough, at the banquet, my clothes were, as expected, "accidentally" soiled by the palace servants.

“Madam, I'll take you to change into different clothes!”

A young palace lady dressed in pink came forward to admit her mistake. I immediately became alert and firmly refused:

“No need.”

Who would have thought that she would cling so tightly and not let go, even sobbing, causing eyes from all directions to focus on me.

“Let's go.”

I knew I couldn't be bothered any longer, so I used all my strength and followed her out of the main hall. The lantern light in the hallway alternately brightened and dimmed, the palace maid's shadow dragged on the ground. What's the next move? Accusing me of having an affair with someone else? The palace maid bowed her head, her facial expression could not be seen clearly. Coming to the turning point in the hallway, there were guards standing guard on both sides, their armor under the bow lamp reflecting cold light like ice. I suddenly stopped walking. The palace maid also paused, her fingers unconsciously twisting her sleeves.

“Go on your own.”

I raised my hand to hold my sideburns that were blown away by the night wind, my eyes glanced at the hilt of the knife at the guard's belt.

"Let's just stand here and enjoy the breeze for a while."

Hearing that, she immediately raised her head, her expression clearly showing impatience:

“Madam! The place to change clothes hasn't arrived yet—”

“No need.”

I interrupted, my fingertips lightly tapping on the cool stone railing. My clothes were wet, but the night wind blew and I felt refreshed and relieved.

“Night wind like this, just blow for a moment and it will dry.”

“But you—”

“Go back down.”

I turned around, my eyes met her panicked eyes. There was not only fear in it, but also a hint of haste that was hard to control. Although the two guards bowed their heads, their ears clearly moved.

“Phew human…”

She spoke tremblingly, but glanced at the guards on both sides, and finally had to turn and leave. I chose a stone step near the guard, sat down, and took out a bag of pink incense from the hem of my robe. The corners of my lips curled slightly, I undid the bag string, and took out a package of dried beef wrapped in oiled paper. While chewing deliciously, a hot heat suddenly appeared in my lower abdomen. Sure enough, it's still the same old trick. I calmly took out a yellow bag of incense from my shirt, took out a black pill, and swallowed it without hesitation. This pill is not ordinary, it is a spiritual medicine that I bought at a high price from a divine doctor, and can cure all kinds of poisons of unknown origin. In just a moment, the heat dissipated more than half, as if cold water had been poured over it. From the corner of my eye, I glanced over and saw that the palace maid was still nearby. I leisurely took another bite of dried beef. Knowing clearly where the tiger is, you still intentionally walked towards it? No, that's not my way of behaving. If you are responsible for making firecrackers, you should have the enlightenment of firecrackers. When you should bend your head and neck, just bend your head and neck. I sat under the guard's eyes, waited until the banquet ended, then followed the flow of people and quietly left the palace. 5. Returning to the Quoc Cong palace, the scent of cinnamon flowers on the eaves was tinged with twilight. I placed the bow set equipped with wetting tea on the table.

“Today in the palace banquet, a palace maid spilled tea on someone.”

I had just removed the jade hairpin from my hair, my black hair falling down to cover my shoulders, and I said:

"At first I thought she was clumsy and careless, but a moment later, her whole body became hot."

Co Tu's finger stopped at that dark wet streak, the knuckles of his hand clenched slightly, turning white.

"It's just..." I glanced at him, "I wonder who is behind that palace maid directing?"