I just want to be a princess, no, you want to be a queen

"In the next two days, the palace should send an imperial decree..."

Uncle Zhong sighed again, not knowing what else he could do. He just said, "You should get some rest early," and turned to leave.

Yang Xier called out to him, caught up with him and asked, "Uncle Zhong, who is the brother Mingzheng that the little Xiongnu princess mentioned today?"

"If my guess is correct, it should be Prince Ningyuan. Prince Ningyuan's name is Chu Mingzheng."

"Could you tell me more?"

"Yes!" Uncle Zhong didn't know why the fourth lady was concerned about such trivial matters, but he still told her everything he knew.

"Prince Ningyuan was originally the eldest legitimate son of Prince Jin. After the Emperor ascended the throne, he remained childless for many years. So, at the request of his ministers, he adopted the eldest legitimate son of His Majesty Prince Jin as the Crown Prince. Unexpectedly, three years later, His Majesty's own son was born: Prince Guangcheng, son of Concubine Song.

This adopted eldest son of the emperor became an awkward presence in the imperial city. The following year, the eldest son volunteered to guard the border. His Majesty then appointed him the Prince of Ningyuan and sent him to Ningwu Pass. However, two years earlier, the Prince of Ningyuan had been impeached by the Ningwu prefect for his lack of moral integrity. His Majesty had recalled him and imprisoned him in a secluded pond outside the city.

Why does it sound like a palace drama?

Yang Xier asked directly: "What kind of moral flaws are there in forcibly seizing a woman?"

"Uh..." Zhong Bo choked, "That's just one of the reasons. Prince Ningyuan was seriously injured on the battlefield, and now he's been indulging in sensual pleasures, and his health is deteriorating. The imperial physician predicts he'll have no more than three years to live."

"By the way, the Marquis mentioned King Ningyuan before he went to war." Zhong Bo suddenly remembered.

"What did they say?" Uncle Zhong shook his head. He only heard a sentence or two when he went to the study to serve tea.

Yang Xier didn't really care about this, she just asked casually, and then she got to the point: "I see that little Xiongnu princess cares about King Ningyuan very much. If I can ask King Ningyuan to help me plead with the little Xiongnu princess, is there any hope of getting someone else?"

Zhong Bo looked hurt.

"Go and do your work!" Yang Xier also felt that her idea was a bit childish and laughed at herself.

After she sent Zhong Bo out, she closed the gate of Xunyang Pavilion and turned to look at Yang Nian'er who was standing in the distance.

"What's wrong with you? Are you unhappy?"

Just now when Uncle Zhong took Yang Xier to visit the mansion, Yang Nian'er stood far away.

"No!" Even now that her second sister had become a family with someone else, she was still willing to take action for someone else. Yang Nian'er felt strange. But what she was more worried about was the Xiongnu prince's strange words.

"Second sister, what did that Xiongnu prince mean when he said 'I want you'?"

"Nian'er, do you know why Aunt Liu came to find me?" Yang Xi'er pulled her sister into the room. Yang Nian'er was so angry that she jumped up and down as she listened to her sister's story.

"Second sister, let's go. I'll accompany you to find Tian Qing."

"Silly sister, you can't leave."

Yang Xier held her sister, looked out the window, and said sadly: "After I leave, you can go home."

"No, no matter what time it is, I want to be with my second sister." Yang Nian'er hugged her sister tightly.

The cold wind was still blowing, the branches of the wooden horse rustled, and the swing swayed slightly.

That night, Yang Xier had a nightmare. In the dream, Jin Yiluo ripped off her clothes and threw her into a tent with drafts on all sides. One after another, hairy Xiongnu men pounced on her, ferocious and bloody.

"Second sister, second sister!" she called out.

Yang Xier opened her eyes and stared blankly at the Shu tent hung on a golden hook. The silk was smooth, the patterns were gorgeous, and the light was dazzling. It was a wealth she had never dared to imagine, but now she had to exchange her dignity and life for these few days of prosperity.

News came from the palace that three days later His Majesty would host a banquet at the Imperial Garden Terrace to entertain the Xiongnu envoys and celebrate the successful peace talks.

Women were not required to attend such a banquet, but Jin Yiluo specifically asked Princess Jing and Princess Chang to attend. Naturally, the second daughter of Marquis Chengyang, who was a concubine in the dowry, also had to attend with the princesses.

Concubine Song, mindful of the Xiongnu princess, invited women of appropriate age from the capital to accompany her and held a separate women's banquet. This also prevented Princess Jing and Princess Chang from being at a loss after their departure from the main banquet.

……

The Imperial Garden, located west of the capital, was a landscape garden dedicated to the royal family's hunting and recreational pursuits. The Imperial Garden Terrace, situated in the center of the garden, towered over the mountains and exuded extraordinary grandeur.

The women's banquet was held in the Lakeside Garden not far from the Imperial Garden Terrace.

When Yang Xier followed Princess Jinghe, everyone at the banquet had arrived except the host, Concubine Song.

Lu Mingqin was dressed in a red shisha skirt, looking charming and alluring. Holding a peach blossom fan, she chatted animatedly with several women, occasionally chuckling softly.

There is nothing wrong with this attire for a banquet, but she is still in mourning.

After Yang Xier helped Princess Jinghe to her seat, she sat down at the dining table beside her and started eating without caring that the meal had not yet started. The noble ladies of the clan came forward one after another to congratulate Princess Jinghe.

Princess Jinghe was already feeling depressed, and after hearing the false congratulations, her words became even more sharp. The noblewoman, having been dealt a blow, dared not complain to the princess and instead cast her gaze on the unruly Yang Xier.

"As a princess's bride price, how can you be so vulgar? If the Xiongnu see you, they will laugh at our Da Sheng for being uncultured. It would be a disgrace to the women of our Sheng Dynasty."

Suddenly being called out, Yang Xier spat out the bone and asked impatiently, "Who are you?"

The woman who spoke snorted coldly, her hair in a bun reaching up to the sky. The woman next to her introduced her flatteringly, "This is the daughter of the Marquis of Bei'an, the Princess of Anhe County."

This time, the Marquis of Bei'an was the first to send reinforcements to the border, leaving the city to negotiate peace with the Xiongnu. In recognition of Marquis Bei'an's achievements, the emperor conferred upon his daughter Zheng Xuan the title of Princess of Anning County.

After the Xiongnu came to the Sheng Dynasty for peace talks, she claimed to be the daughter of a meritorious official and has been quite active among the women of aristocratic families recently.

Zheng Xuan looked at Yang Xier with a look of arrogance: "If it weren't for my father, your father's old bones would still be somewhere."

Yang Xier clenched her fists, feeling the humiliation of the father she had never met.

"Your father is loyal to the emperor and his country. I believe his daughter will also follow his father's wishes."

She put down her chopsticks and ate a piece of lamb leg even more roughly. "Since you care so much about the reputation of a woman from the Sheng Dynasty, why don't you volunteer to go to the Xiongnu and serve your country?"

"you……"

Zheng Xuan had never suffered such humiliation before, and she raised her hand to hit him.

"County Lady, she's a concubine, you can't hit her. Calm down." The woman next to her hurriedly stopped her. If she got hurt, they would also be implicated.

Zheng Xuan suppressed her anger. She caught a glimpse of Lu Mingqin admiring the flowers nearby and sarcastically said, "You're so vulgar. No one would want to marry you if you stayed in the Sheng Dynasty. No wonder they chose you as a dowry to the Xiongnu."

Yang Xier smiled and said, "I was chosen by the Xiongnu prince himself. Yes, what Anhe County Lady said is right. Uncivilized and unrefined people will naturally choose someone equally uncivilized."