After I disguised myself as a man, I became everyone's white moonlight

Zhou Qingmin returned to the palace. Before she even entered the door of her own bedroom, she was startled by the nanny waiting outside. This nanny was the most trusted confidant of her mother.

Her appearance represented two meanings. Either it was the Queen Mother's intention to summon her to Kunning Palace for an audience, or... the Queen Mother was in her bedroom.

Before Zhou Qingmin had the chance to step forward and ask the nanny what was going on, she saw the nanny glance towards the inner hall.

The hint was very obvious, telling Zhou Qingmin that the Queen was in her bedroom.

"Greetings, Her Royal Highness the Princess." The nanny bowed.

The people inside heard the noise and a palace maid came out. Zhou Qingmin saw the first-class palace maid beside her mother and finally became afraid and did not dare to step into the palace.

She was afraid that her mother would ask her about leaving the palace without permission.

"Your Highness, the Queen invites you in." The palace maid Qingyue reported cautiously.

Zhou Qingmin took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold, but as soon as she entered the room, the door was closed from the outside.

She turned her head to glance at the closed palace gate, and entered the inner hall with her heart tense again. She saw her pampered mother sitting in the seat of honor, flipping through a book in her hands.

Zhou Qingmin felt that if she withdrew her head, she would be stabbed, and if she stretched her head, she would also be stabbed. She walked to the woman and knelt beside her, holding her hand and acting coquettishly, "Mother."

The queen was dignified without getting angry. She did not behave as usual when facing her daughter's coquettish behavior. Her brows were softened and she continued to flip through the book calmly, as if she had not heard anything.

Zhou Qingmin was not discouraged and continued to act coquettishly, "Mother, I know I was wrong, please don't be angry, okay?"

"I'm back. I came back from such a dangerous place like Yunzhou, and I was almost killed by bandits. Don't you want to talk to me?"

The queen's eyes changed slightly when she heard this. "It's ok for you, a legitimate princess, to follow the relief team to Yunzhou, but you also openly showed your goodwill to Chu Jiang under the eyes of so many people. Have your modesty and sense of propriety as a princess been eaten away?"

Zhou Qingmin was a little scared by her harsh scolding. In her memory, her mother was always gentle and smiling, like a bodhisattva, who would respond to her every request.

When has he ever been rebuked so harshly?

"Mother...I was just afraid that you would be angry and not let me leave the palace, so I kept it a secret from you." Zhou Qingmin, the Ninth Princess who was able to call the shots outside, was now so frightened that her speech was confused.

Sometimes I am, sometimes you are my subject.

"Ping An, your mother has told you that it is very dangerous outside and you should not leave the palace without permission. Why didn't you listen? Do you know how unpleasant the rumors about you are outside?"

What about being rescued from a bandit's lair? I'm afraid that his innocence is gone. No one dared to say these things openly, but there was no shortage of discussions in private.

No matter how open this era is, this kind of blatant slander can still destroy a person.

Especially for women, such words are a fatal blow to them.

If Zhou Qingmin was not a princess but an ordinary daughter of an official family, she would be abandoned by her family and sent directly to a nunnery to spend the rest of her life, or commit suicide with a white silk thread.

"Mother, let others say whatever they want. Anyway, I know in my heart that I have not violated my chastity. Qibai and the others can also testify for me on this matter."

Zhou Qingmin knew that people would just follow the crowd. When she was rescued from Qingfeng Mountain, there were hundreds of people there, and the fact that she was tied up on the mountain could not be concealed at all.

She was not surprised that the news reached Beijing, and she once asked Qi Bai about it. Qi Bai said that a person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear, so she did not need to take those words to heart, and other people's slander would naturally be defeated.

"Ping An, don't be silly!" The Queen sneered, "On the third day after you were rescued from Qingfeng Mountain, the wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery brought back three of Chu Qibai's cousins ​​one after another."

It would be fine if Chu Qibai was not mentioned, but the queen got angry as soon as she mentioned this person.

She had always known her son's plan, but she had not given in before.

Sons are important in winning the throne, but daughters are equally important.

She didn't want to marry her daughter into the Marquis's mansion. First, she knew that Chu Qibai was too close to the Prince of Yan, and the possibility of him inciting rebellion was not great. Instead, she might lose her daughter and not get Chu Qibai's sincere treatment.

Rather than marrying her daughter to Chu Qibai, who was against them, the queen had already made a decision. Either marry her daughter to her nephew to strengthen the relationship, or choose Tang Yuhuai.

Tang Yuhuai represents the Tang family. General Tang holds military power and is a young talent. At most, he is a little playboy. His backyard is relatively clean and it is said that there are no connecting rooms.

The queen was genuinely thinking about her daughter. She also knew that her son had always wanted to use her daughter to win over Chu Qibai. She had thought about betrothing Ping An to Chu Qibai in order to alienate his relationship with the King of Yan.

From a big picture perspective, there doesn't seem to be any problem, but the queen herself is a woman, and she knows the importance of a son-in-law to a woman, so she doesn't want to sacrifice her daughter in this way.

In this case, the only option is to cut off all of Ping An's expectations and thoughts about Chu Qibai.

"This matter has spread all over the capital. Who doesn't know that Chu Qibai is going to get married?"

Zhou Qingmin suddenly fell to the ground, and the hands holding the queen seemed to lose their strength and collapsed, "No."

"Ping An, I have already said that Prince Chu is not your ideal match. There is no possibility for you and him."

Zhou Qingmin didn't listen. She stood up suddenly and wanted to run out.

The queen spoke first, "You can't run away. I have replaced all the maids in your palace. From today on, you will be confined to the palace for three months. Without my order, you are not allowed to leave the palace."

"Mother!" Zhou Qingmin's eyes were full of disbelief. House arrest for three months?

If Qi Bai really wanted to get engaged to his cousin, three months would be enough time for them to propose and get engaged.

When Zhou Qingmin thought of this possibility, she couldn't wait any longer.

"Mother, I beg you, please let me leave the palace. I want to see him." Zhou Qingmin knelt down, grabbed the queen's phoenix robe, pulled it, and begged with tears in his eyes.

"Ping An, you only have two choices now. Choose between your cousin and Tang Yuhuai."

The Queen felt that Zhou Qingmin had become possessed by evil spirits. Rather than letting her go crazy like this, it would be better to force her.

"Ping An, don't blame mother. She is doing this for your own good. Chu Qibai doesn't love you, and the King of Yan and your brother are in opposition. There will be no result if you two are together."

She didn't want to see Ping'an crying every day in the back house of the marquis's mansion in the future.

"I will only marry Chu Qibai." Zhou Qingmin's eyes were red as she spoke each word carefully.

"In that case, let your mother decide for you. You should reflect on yourself in your bedroom before getting married." Facing Zhou Qingmin's crying, the queen ruthlessly tore off her robe.

After saying this, she walked out of the palace. Zhou Qingmin wanted to take the opportunity to escape, but the queen said mercilessly without even turning her head.

"Watch the princess closely. If you let her escape from the palace again, you will bring your heads to see you."

This one sentence made everyone's heart rise to their throat, and they dared not slack off or let down their guard in the slightest.