Chapter 6 — Tran Bac Vuong Phi

And father's face became more and more gloomy. 10 Before the big wedding day. I led the maid out of the palace to the old bakery on West Street. That homemade cinnamon flower cake is my mother's favorite dish. Tomorrow I have to set the price, I want to buy it for you myself one more time. The maid Tieu Dao carried a small bamboo basket, chattering about what color of lipstick to use tomorrow, and the pattern on the wedding towel that had been embroidered for several days. Just as I turned the corner of the alley, the sky suddenly turned dark. Several figures rushed out from the dark place, a large hand from behind covered my mouth and nose, the strong smell of alcohol rushed into my mouth and nose. Tieu Dao's scream was interrupted by a heavy sound. I struggled desperately, using my fingernails to scratch the back of the other person's hand, and one of the embroidered shoes at my feet was kicked off. But that strength was like an iron ring, pulling the whole person into a palanquin with green curtains parked on the side of the road. Dark, bumpy. When the palanquin stopped, I was almost thrown down. My knee hit the cold stone floor, causing sharp pain. I struggled to get up, raised my eyes... This was a strange palace, lavishly decorated, not like a commoner's house. Behind is a heavy wooden door, half-closed, moonlight leaks through the door, illuminating the dusty brick floor. I don't know how long it has been uninhabited. Heavy footsteps. The hairs all over my body stood up, I instinctively retreated, my spine touching the cold wall. Tieu Truong Minh stepped out from behind the screen, wearing black civilian clothes, his black hair was tied loosely with a jade hairpin, and his eyes were gloomy, different from the day. He slowly walked closer, each step stepping on my heart: "I've been waiting for you for many days." I turned around and ran towards the door. He stretched out his long arm and grabbed my wrist, the force was so strong that my entire arm went numb. I staggered and was pulled back by him, falling hard onto the bed. My spine hit the hard bed board, causing pain until my eyes went dark. "Tieu Truong Minh!" I desperately struggled, lifted my leg and kicked him, "I'm about to marry your younger brother! Are you crazy?" He pressed my shoulder with one hand, bent down, his hot breath carrying a few drops of alcohol passed my ear. "Marry her?" He chuckled softly, without half a smile in his laugh, "When you and I have a real husband and wife, who can you marry then?" I just felt the blood rushing to the top of my head, then in the blink of an eye it was completely gone, my hands and feet were cold. With one hand, he held my wrists tightly, raised them above my head, and the other hand tugged at my belt. "You were born to be my person, it's been like that in your past lives and this life." His voice was stuck in his throat, hoarse like a wild beast, "You've tolerated your troubles until today, that's the limit." I suddenly stopped moving. All fear and resistance sank at that moment, like a drowning person stepping on the bottom of a cliff. I pulled out the brooch from my hair and placed it on my neck. The cold metal stuck to the skin of his throat, causing a tiny layer of trembling. The tip of the brooch was sharp, I used a little more force, a drop of dark red blood flowed down my neck, dyeing my snow white collar red. Tieu Truong Minh's movements suddenly stopped. "Let go." I looked at him, my voice so calm that it was not like myself, "If you touch me one more time, I will die in this bed. Tomorrow the news that the Crown Prince failed to capture someone and forced to kill the daughter of a good family will spread throughout the capital." He squinted, his eyes darkened, unable to see anger or joy. "You think she will believe it?" He slowly retracted his hand, but did not stand up, just looked down at me, as if looking at a miserable animal that had fallen into a trap and was still struggling, "Your life, in her eyes, is not worth a few coins." "It's not worth money." I pushed the brooch in a little more, and more blood flowed out along the way

His collarbone soaked into his shirt, "But if I die, this will turn into a plot to harm my sister-in-law. The Emperor is angry, the Queen will not protect you. Your Highness acts according to his emotions, at the expense of his future, is it worth it?" He was silent. Only the blood vessels blocked by the tip of the hairpin were pounding, each sound echoing like a war drum in the eardrum. I don't know how much time passed when he suddenly let go, stood up, and took a step back. I rolled over on the bed, staggered back, my back leaning against the door panel. He stood in place, the moonlight outlined his cold face, his expression could not be seen clearly. "Tham Chi Oanh." He suddenly opened his mouth, his voice was ungrateful without the slightest wavering, "You'd better pray, don't fall into her hands." I yanked open the door and rushed out. 11 Outside, I don't know when the rain started pouring down, pouring straight down on my head like a torrent. The late autumn rain was cold to the bone, my whole body was soaked, my clothes were disheveled, my hair bun was half scattered, one leg was bare, walking on the paved road. In the night rain, people were trembling, not knowing if it was because of the cold or because of fear. I hugged him tightly with both hands and walked forward step by step. Behind me there was no sound of footsteps chasing me, but I didn't dare turn around, didn't dare stop. I'm afraid that as soon as I stop, I'll be dragged back to that hellish room. I don't know how long I've been gone, I don't know how far I've gone.