Chapter 9 — Van Quan's Friendship and Ambivalence

The more I spoke, the lower my voice became, my throat gradually became hoarse, and finally I was completely unable to continue speaking. The wound in his chest is still bleeding. But there wasn't just this one wound on his body... Trieu Tuan didn't care at all, saying: "If I don't risk my life to establish military achievements, what will I have to defeat Chu Diep? And what will it take for my father to give me a favor?" "Third sisters, I want the position of Crown Prince, and my sister also wants it." "Among the confidants under my command, who doesn't know that Trieu Tuan has a cruel heart and acts decisively?" "But the only thing I'm afraid of is the young lady." She hid it at the top of her heart, but in the end she still refused to need me." Those words made my tears suddenly fall. I choked and said: "Can't you go a little slower? The wound must be very painful, right?" Trieu Tuan suddenly reached out and pulled me into his arms. I carefully avoided the wound on his chest, letting him hug me tightly. He leaned close to my ear and gently said: "Mid-Autumn Festival, I want to return to celebrate the festival with you."... On the eighteenth of the eighth month, the Emperor gave me a wedding and ordained me as Crown Princess. It is said that that day, Chu Diep knelt outside the royal study room, begging the Emperor to revoke the edict. An autumn rain poured down. Chu Diep knelt in the rain all night, until the next morning he vomited blood and fainted. He was sick for more than a month, then asked to leave the capital and go guard outside the border gate. Before leaving, he sent someone to bring a gift to Minh Palace, saying it was a wedding gift for the Crown Princess. Therefore, Minh Phu naturally had to accept. The gift he sent was placed in a red wooden brocade box. When I opened the box and saw what was inside, I was stunned for a long time. In the box is a golden lock. This is the token of trust that Ming Palace gave to Marquis Hien Binh in the past when the two families settled down. Its meaning is to use this lock to lock the two families together, from now on they will become one family. "Tang Lac, where is the brocade box I brought from the last flower tea banquet?" That day, when I brought back Chu Diep's token from the banquet, I never opened it. Tang Lac smiled and said: "I will go get it for you right away." Not long after, Tang Lac brought an identical red wooden box. We open the box. Inside was clearly a jade necklace. I have seen this bracelet countless times. Mrs. Chu, Chu Diep's mother, once smiled and told me: "The bracelet on my wrist was from the past, when I got married to the Marquis, the old lady passed it on to me." "The next day, when you and Diep Nhi get married, this bracelet will be passed on to you." At that time, I covered my red face, feeling extremely happy. I had no idea that Chu Diep had already given such a precious thing to me. Perhaps that day he personally came to ask his mother to give him this bracelet. Perhaps I misunderstood Chu Diep. He really just doesn't know how to treat the person he loves. It's just... If you miss it, you've missed it. I carefully handed over the brocade box to Tang Lac: "Tomorrow, you will personally go to Marquis Hien Binh's palace and return this bracelet to Mrs. Chu."... October twenty-ninth is a good day to get married. After Trieu Tuan and I finished worshiping heaven and earth, Tang Lac helped me back to the temple. Trieu Tuan still hasn't come back. Tang Lac was afraid that I would be resentful, so he said: "Your Highness, I went out to take a look. Perhaps His Royal Highness the Crown Prince drank too much and went to the wrong room." However, not long after Tang Lac ran out, he quickly returned. "Your Highness, the Eastern Palace is too large, I got lost just now." "I just saw two guards brought back from Tran Chau by His Highness the Crown Prince. I also accidentally heard them talking about Chu The. that day..."... When Trieu Tuan walked in, on

His body smelled of alcohol, his mouth kept muttering: "Third sister, I finally got you back." He lifted my headscarf, intending to drink wine with me. But my face darkened and I raised my hand to stop him. I asked: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is proficient in archery and arrows. Is it true?" Trieu Tuan smiled and said: "Of course it's true. Tomorrow I will take you to the school and let you see with your own eyes my ability to cross the ocean on foot." I gritted my teeth and asked: "Let me ask you one more thing." "That day, when I was hung on the city gate by the rebels, when Chu Diep gave the order to attack the city, an arrow flew and shot through the rebels. The army is holding me." "Who was the person who shot that arrow?" Trieu Tuan was immediately stunned. After a long while, he replied: "It's me." In that moment, my tears fell like rain. Seeing me like that, he immediately panicked, wiped my tears, and honestly told me the whole story. It turned out that the Emperor had long suspected that the princes were rebellious, so he secretly summoned Trieu Tuan back to the capital in advance. On the way back to the capital, Trieu Tuan learned that the rebels had taken him hostage. He was both angry and impatient, and immediately urged his horse to run back without stopping. When he just arrived at the capital, he heard Chu Diep give the order: "Claim the city." He didn't even have time to use his identity as Ninh Vuong to negotiate with the rebels. I could only shoot an arrow at a moment like a hair's breadth, piercing straight into the traitor's heart. One guy lost his life. The wine used on the wedding night is a bit spicy, but more of a sweet taste. A pair of red candles with the word "two joys" burned brightly. The candlelight slowly swayed on my red face. He wrapped his arms around me and gently took off his clothes. Finally, we hugged each other and fell asleep. Full text complete.