Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

Jaidi still remembers when he and Chaya first met.At that time, he had not made his debut for long and had just finished a Muay Thai match.He didn't remember who his opponent was, but he only remembered that when he came out of the Muay Thai ring, everyone was congratulating him, and everyone said that he was better than Naikondong.He drank quite a bit that night, then staggered around the streets with his friends, all laughing and kicking sepak takraw, a grotesque bunch of drunks, all overwhelmed by triumph and The joy of life went to the head. At that moment, he saw Chaya.She's in front of her parents' little shop, which sells marigolds and newly reworked jasmine flowers, both for offerings to the shrine.It was closing time, and she was boarding up the front door of the shop.He smiles at her, and she casts a look of disgust at him and his drunken friends.But what Jaidi felt was a kind of shock—as if they had met in a previous life, and he knew that they would eventually meet again and become the destined lovers.

He stared at her fixedly, as if struck by a thunderbolt; and his friends noticed the strangeness—Sutipong, Chaipong, and everyone who was there at the time when the violet epidemic broke out When he went to burn villages with diseased plants and died there—he remembered how they all caught him staring at her like a fool in love, and how they teased him.But Chaya gave him a few contemptuous glances, and drove him away as he stumbled. Attracting girls was easy for Jaidy.Some girls are drawn to his Muay Thai boxing, others to his white uniform.But Chaya ignored it completely, she just turned her back to him.

It took him a full month to work up the courage to return to the flower shop.That first time, he changed into his best clothes, bought some temple offerings, collected his change, and left without a sound.He went to the store for weeks on end, trying to find an opportunity to talk to her, to make some kind of connection.At first, he thought she knew he was the drunk fool and came here to apologize; but after chatting a few times he found that she didn't connect him with the annoying drunk, maybe she had forgotten That's it. Jaidy never told her that was how they first met, not even after they got married.For him to admit that the fool she had seen in the street that night was himself, to tell her that the man she loved was the same fool—it would be too humiliating.

And now, he was about to do something more humiliating than that.He changed into his white uniform under the watchful eyes of Niwo and Surat.They looked very serious.He knelt down so that his eyes were at their level. "Whatever you see today, don't be ashamed of it." They nodded solemnly, but he knew they didn't understand.They were too young to understand the pressure he was under and the necessity of it.He hugged them lightly, then stepped outside into the blinding sunlight. Kanya waited for him in a rickshaw, and though she was too polite to say what was on her mind, there was sympathy in her eyes.

They drove down street after street in silence.The Ministry of Environment building appeared ahead, and they drove straight in through the gate.Servants, rickshaw pullers, and coachmen gathered in groups outside the gate, waiting for their patrons to emerge from inside.So the witnesses were almost all there. The rickshaw the two of them took drove directly to the monastery.Phra Sewubu Temple is built in the compound of the Ministry of Environment to commemorate this martyr who died for biodiversity.It is here that White Shirt solemnly takes the oath, thus officially becoming the protector of the kingdom, before being awarded the first rank.They were ordained here, and here they are...

The scene in front of him surprised Zaidi, and he almost jumped up in anger.The Farangs gathered at the foot of the steps of the monastery.There are foreigners in the compound of the Ministry of Environment.Traders, factory owners, Japanese, sunburned, sweating unclean creatures, they invaded the most sacred places of the Ministry of Environment. "Jai yen yen," Kanya whispered, "Akarat did it. It's part of the deal." Jaidi could hardly hide his disgust.To make matters worse, Akarat was standing beside Somdej Chao Phraya, talking to him, maybe telling a joke.Lately, the two of them had become much closer than before, maybe too close.Jaidi glanced over and saw that General Pracha was standing at the top of the temple steps, expressionless on his face.Brothers and sisters who had worked and fought with him entered the temple on both sides of the general.Bromber Cardy was there too, the guy grinning smugly, overjoyed at getting revenge on whoever robbed him of his funds.

Discovering that Jaidi had arrived, boos erupted from the crowd. "Jai yen yen." Kanya whispered again.They jumped out of the car and entered the main hall of the temple under the guard of others. The golden statues of Buddha and Pa Sewubu solemnly look down on the neatly lined up people.There are decorative screens along the walls of the main hall, and the pictures on it describe the fall of old Thailand: Phraang unleashed their plagues and let them ravage the earth, animals and plants were driven to extinction due to the collapse of the food chain; Under the protection and help of Hanuman and his monkey warriors, His Majesty Ma XII gathered the meager manpower available to fight against the disaster.There are also drawings of Kroot, Keltimha, and an army of half-humans battling rising sea levels and plagues.Zaidi glanced across the screens, and couldn't help but think of his pride when he was appointed.

Cameras are not allowed anywhere in the Environment Ministry compound, but the sketchers hired for the handwritten leaflets have arrived with pencils.Zaidi took off his shoes and walked into the hall, followed by a group of people who were like wolves salivating over the death of the great enemy.Somde Chao Phraya knelt beside Akarat. Jaidi looked at this person who was appointed by the late King as the protector of the Child Queen, and couldn't help thinking how a holy person like the late King could be fooled to this point, appointing Somdej Chao Phraya as the protector of Her Majesty the Child Queen, There was hardly any kindness or benevolence in this man.Zaidi couldn't help but shiver: Her Majesty is so close to this evil person...

Jaidi took a sharp breath.The man who had been at the pad was kneeling on the other side of Akarat.The expression on that obnoxious long face was wary and haughty. "Calm down." Kanya leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "This is for Chaya." Jaidi suppressed anger and shock.He leaned towards Kanya, "He's the one who took Chaya. He's the one who spied on us at the landing pad. Right there! Next to Akarat." Kanya scanned everyone's faces, "Even if it was him, we have to do it. It's the only way." "You really believe that?"

Kanya lowered her head, revealing the stress she was under, "Sorry, Jaidi. I really hope..." "Don't take it to heart, Kanya." He nodded at the man and Akarat, "Just remember them two, and remember that their pursuit of power will never stop." He stared at her, "You will Remember?" "I will." "Would you swear to Pa Sevub?" She looked embarrassed, but nodded anyway, "If I could kowtow to you three times, I would." Before she turned around, he seemed to see tears in her eyes.Somdej Chao Phraya stood up and stepped forward to witness the whole process, followed by the crowd.Four monks began to chant scriptures.On joyous occasions, such as witnessing a wedding or praying for the laying of a new building, the number of monks should be seven or nine.But what they will witness today is a humiliation.

Minister Akarat and General Pracha stepped forward and stood in front of the neatly formed crowd.Cigarettes linger in the room, monks' chanting surrounds the entire hall, and the monotonous beeping sound of Pali reminds everyone: all conditioned dharmas are like dreams and bubbles.Even when Phra Sevub lost faith, even when he was swallowed up by the nature he sympathized with, he did not forget this truth. The chanting of the monks ceased.Somde Chao Phraya motioned for Akarath and Pracha to come up to him, salute and obey him.Somdej Chao Phraya looked at these two senior officials who were old enemies with a blank face. There is only one bond that can connect them, and that is their respect for the royal family and the court. Somdej Chaophya was tall and well nourished, and he looked down upon them like a pagoda, the lines of his face cold and hard.There were many rumors about him, his tastes, and his wickedness, but he remained the appointed protector of Her Majesty the Child Queen, the one who reigned until she came of age.He had no royal blood, and certainly never could, but to Jaidy's horror, Her Majesty lived in the circle of his influence.If the fate of this man had not been so closely linked with the fate of Her Majesty the Queen, it was entirely possible that he... Zaidi suppressed that almost blasphemous thought, at this time, Pracha and Akarat had already walked over . Zaidi knelt down on his knees and kowtowed to Akarat, and the pencils in the hands of those sketchers were frantically waving.Akarat gave a satisfied smile, and Zaidi resisted the urge to knock the man down with a punch.I will return to you at a time of my choosing.He stood up cautiously. Akarat leaned over. "Good job, Captain. I almost believed you were sincerely apologetic." Jaidi tried to keep his face expressionless, he turned around, facing everyone, facing the sketchers-his heart clenched, he saw his two sons were also there, they will be there Here's how their father was humiliated. "I have committed an act of ultra vires." His eyes drifted to General Prachar, who was standing on the edge of the podium, staring at him indifferently, "I have shamed my officer, General Prachar, and the entire Ministry of the Environment shame." "The Ministry of the Environment has been my home all my life. I am ashamed of it: I have used its power selfishly for my own gain, I have misled my subordinates and supporters, my morals have Bankrupt." He hesitated.Niwo and Surat were watching him, and Chaya's mother, their grandmother, held them in her arms.All of them were watching him lose his dignity. "I beg your forgiveness. I beg you to give me a chance to correct my mistake." General Praca strode towards him.Zaidi got down on his knees again and offered him a kowtow of submission.General Pracha walked past his bowed head as if he hadn't seen it, his feet were only centimeters from Jaidi's head.He said to the people below: "Based on a third-party investigation and an independent trial, Captain Jaidi was found guilty of bribery, extortion and abuse of power." He glanced at Jaidi kneeling at his feet, "Thus We have decided that he is no longer suitable for any position in the Ministry of Environment. He will become a monk and undergo nine years of penance. All his property will be confiscated. His sons will be adopted by the Ministry of Environment, but their surnames will be removed." He looked at Zaidi who was kneeling at his feet, "If the Buddha can forgive you, you will eventually understand that your complacency and greed are the reasons for your punishment. If you can't understand in this life, we hope that maybe you will in the next life I've made some progress." He turned around and let Zaidi kneel where he was. "We accept the apology from the Ministry of Environment and we are willing to forgive General Pracha for his negligence. We look forward to strengthening working ties in the future, after all, the viper's fangs have been pulled out," Akarat said. Somdej Chaophya gestured to the two titans of the government to respect each other.Jaidi was still on his knees.Sighs came from the crowd one after another.Then people came out of the hall, ready to tell others what they had seen and heard. It was not until Somdej Chaophya left that two monks asked Jaydi to stand up.They were serious in appearance, clean-shaven, and wore old, faded saffron robes.They told him where they would take him next.He is their man now.Nine years of penance, just because he did the right thing. Akarat walked up to him, "Captain Jaidi, it seems that you finally know our bottom line. It's a pity that you didn't heed our warning. All of this was unnecessary." Jaidi forced himself to give him a Namaste. "You got what you wanted," he whispered. "Let Chaya go." "I'm so sorry. I don't know what you're talking about." Jaidi searched the other's eyes for signs of lies, but he was not at all sure. Is my enemy you or someone else?Is she dead?Is she still alive, as a nameless prisoner, in some friend's prison of yours?In the end is alive, or dead? He suppressed the anxiety in his heart, "Send her back, or I'll kill you like a mongoose kills a poisonous snake." Akarat was unmoved. "Put your threats away, Jaidi. I don't want to see you lose what's left." His eyes wandered to Niwo and Surat. Jaidi trembled all over, "Stay away from my child." "Your children?" Akarat laughed. "You have no children now. You have nothing now. You are lucky that General Pracha is your friend. If I were him, I would send your two throw their sons into the street and make them beg for a morsel of rust-stained food. That's the real lesson."