Chapter 8 — Tran Bac Vuong Phi

He lowered his eyes and looked at me. There was no noble and distant look in his eyes, just a man looking at his bride, seriously and carefully. That night, the palace brought warm wine to both places. One part went to the Eastern Palace, the other part went to Tran Bac Vuong Palace, said to be the Queen's will, to support the two weddings. Tieu Truong Linh poured wine into the cup, bowed his head to smell it, frowned slightly, then said to the servant: "This wine... bring it down." I pressed the back of his hand. Under the candlelight, he raised his eyes to look at me, his eyes filled with doubt and some suppressed worry. I didn't explain, I just took the cup of wine and tilted my head back to drink it. The alcohol is pungent, burning along the throat all the way down, making my eye sockets red from the heat. Then I grabbed the robe in front of his chest, stood on tiptoe, placed my forehead on his chest, my voice was as soft as a sigh. "Husband..." His whole body stiffened in the blink of an eye. He put one arm around my waist, helping me walk towards the interior. The brocade curtain falls, the red candles burn high, the antique screen of the lovebirds casts long and short shadows by the candlelight, the warmth in the room mixes with the scent of sandalwood, flattening the memories of that night into a soft red patch. And that night in the Eastern Palace, the candlelight was bright until dawn. 13Later, my younger sister Tham Man Nhi married me into the Eastern Palace and became the Crown Princess. In the beginning, she was indeed prosperous for a while, the Crown Prince protected her everywhere, he held her in the palm of his hand and loved her, everyone in the court admired her. But the path after that, step by step she took was no different from my previous life. After the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he recruited many concubines, and there were countless banquets in the harem. Tham Man Nhi's temperament is inherently timid, how can she suppress such a situation? It's just that people have planned several times over the past three years, from a noble concubine to a noble concubine, and then from a noble concubine to a talented person. She cried and went to beg the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince simply replied, "It's because you don't know how to fight," and then never entered her palace again. Before she died, I visited her once. She had become so thin that she was deformed, the shy lady of the past, now only a skeleton supporting a layer of skin. She lay under the brocade blanket, opened her sunken eyes and looked at me, her lips moved for half a day, only able to squeeze out one sentence. "Sister... your heart is so cruel." I did not answer. Outside the window, the sunset is as red as blood, exactly like the previous life. Tieu Truong Minh became emperor for five years, no different from his previous life. He was decisive in his killings, people in the court were in danger, and because of inadequate handling of the town, he finally died in an out-of-control military incident. As for Tieu Truong Linh, the second brother he had never laid eyes on, the court appointed him as the new king. On the day of my coronation, I was appointed queen. Tieu Truong Linh held my hand, step by step walking up the hundred steps in front of Kim Loan Palace. His hand was warm and dry, his joints were clear but not arrogant, he held my hand very tightly. The courtiers shouted long live, he raised my hand to his lips, bowed his head and gently kissed the back of my hand, the corner of his lips curled slightly. "Queen, from now on, this thousand miles of mountains and rivers, I will only look at you with you." I blinked, the morning light was too bright, making my eyes sting. He did not go back on his word. Thirteen years in office, I am the only one in the harem. Under our knees we have a boy and a girl. The five-year-old boy is already intelligent and stable, and was made Crown Prince. The girl grows up like him, but has a personality like mine. Her mother lived a very leisurely life in her old age, was appointed Lady An Quoc, and lived with the Queen Mother in the auxiliary palace of Khon Ninh palace.

The two old men kept company every day, enjoying flowers and listening to songs, occasionally sparring a few words, and after arguing, they were close friends, drinking tea and eating breakfast. My father passed away from illness the second year after learning that I was appointed queen. The day I arrived at the grave, I wore a white shirt, my mother stood next to me, her face calm, no sadness in her eyes, she only said one sentence. "From now on, you and Truong Linh will live well, that is my greatest blessing." I turned around and saw Tieu Truong Linh standing next to the carriage waiting for me. He was wearing black casual clothes, and between his eyes there was a bit more calmness of a middle-aged man, but his eyes looking at me were still as gentle and affectionate as that big wedding night. Willow silk in spring filled the city. He reached out to me, his sleeve blowing slightly in the wind. I put my hand up. His palm, still like that rainy night seventeen years ago, was warm and peaceful.