Chapter 2 — Truong Minh Lights Are Off

The blood on her forehead had dried and swollen into a large clot. She kept kneeling like that, bowing her head in front of the Buddha statue over and over again. "Buddha is very compassionate, Chieu Tuyet was already suffering too much when he was alive." "Please protect him, after his death, don't let others disturb his peace anymore." It was just dawn, the birds outside the temple had not yet had time to sing. Tham Nghien Tu incorrectly brought Dai Ly Tu's translation into the temple again. This time, behind him were not only the servants, but also the princess's mama and guards. The staff quickly ran to the front door of the heavenly hall. "Amitabha Buddha, Lord Tham, the soul examination of the deceased cannot be opened casually." "This is a big taboo, it will disturb the undead!" Tham Nghien Tu did not listen to this at all. He directly took out the golden token from his waist and looked coldly at the staff. "Dai Ly Tu investigates the case, does the staff want to cover up the court's serious criminals?" The staff had no choice but to retreat. I stand in front of my mother. I want to block her, I want to push out the soldiers who are rushing in. But their shoes went straight through my body. Even a gust of wind cannot create it. My mother rushed forward like crazy, hugging him tightly, holding her soul on the offering table. She raised her face, tears mixed with blood flowing down. "Tham Nghien Tu!" "When he was still alive, you tortured him like you wanted to cut him with a thousand knives. Now he's dead, turned into ash, don't you even let go of his ashes?" Tham Nghien Tu didn't answer. He tilted his head, signaling his subordinates. Two tall and strong soldiers stepped forward, one left, one right, holding my mother. My mother's finger clung tightly to the carved slot on the soul examination door. Using such force that the nail bounces back and breaks on the spot. The ten fingers are connected to the heart, fresh blood covers the dark red wooden surface. But she was still forcibly pulled to the ground and pinned down. A soldier stepped forward and used force to break the soul lock. The soul examination door opens. Inside should have been my crude urn of ashes. Originally, there should have been a death notice sent by the Ninh Co Thap government and a few bloody relics. However. The small vase was empty. The lid of the jar was opened and the inside was clean, without a speck of ash. The death notice with the great seal also disappeared and was nowhere to be found. Inside, only half of the old faded red wire remained. My mother's struggling movements stopped. She looked bewildered at the empty urn. After that, she let out a ferocious scream that did not sound like a human voice, desperately trying to escape the translation and rushed forward. Her hands continuously searched the empty vase. The more you search, the faster you get. The blood in her fingernails stuck to the white porcelain. She seemed crazy, thinking that if she searched deep enough, she could make my ashes appear again. "Where are the ashes?" "Where are my Chieu Tuyet!" Tham Nghien Tu looked at the empty vase, the corner of his mouth curled into a cruel smile. "Indeed." "Not even a bit of ashes were there and she kept saying she was dead." My mother sat on the ground, crying and shaking her head. "No, the ashes are the ashes." It was placed there by the people's father's own hands, and the death notice was also kept there by the people." "Someone must have stolen it!" Tham Nghien Tu looked at her struggling appearance. "The two of you even faked death to fill in the loopholes." "That's ridiculous." He took a step forward, lifting up the long lasting lamp that had been burning for six years on the offering table. Right in front of my mother, he turned it upside down. The fire immediately went out, and the lamp oil flowed all over the ground. "A sinner who colludes with the enemy does not deserve to have a long-lasting lamp." I suddenly remembered a snowy night many years ago. The wind at Han Son Pagoda was so strong that the lamp we lit several times almost blew out. Tham Nghien Tu cupped his hands in front of his head

Light, shield some of that firelight for me. He laughed at me foolishly and said: "It's just a light, is it worth making you so anxious?" But after saying that, he still stayed by my side to guard it until morning. Now he personally extinguished that light, and also personally extinguished my mother's last hope. My mother screamed, rushing forward to catch the weak sparks with both hands. The palm of his hand pressed against the hot copper wall, burned by the remaining lamp oil until the skin was burned. She hugged him tightly for the remaining warmth, refusing to let go no matter what. Tham Nghien Tu looked at my mother lying on the ground. In the bottom of his eyes flashed a look of frustration that was suppressed to the extreme. "If Giang Chieu Tuyet is so filial, even her biological mother may not need it." "I want to see how long she can hide." He waved his hand, ordering the translator to arrest someone. "Take him back to the abbey." My mother was roughly dragged out of the temple. Before leaving, Tham Nghien Tu threw a cold sentence back in the empty Buddha hall. "Tell Giang Chieu Tuyet, before noon tomorrow, if she doesn't come out to see me." "Her mother will kneel for her until she dies." 4 I followed Tham Nghien Tu back to the capital. Everywhere in the palace there are hanging lights and flowers, everywhere is a dazzling red color. My mother was escorted and forced to kneel in the cold hallway of the abbot's house.