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

Back in the main hall, the food was already heated up. The hall was filled with warm mist, like the smell of home. Yang Xier couldn't help but smile happily.

The journey was dangerous, and Old Madam Yu felt that she should have a confidant, but her people were far away in Yunzhao, so she set her sights on Yang Nian'er.

"Are you the sister from my adoptive mother's family that Yang'er mentioned?"

Yang Nian'er nodded.

Madam Yu continued, "Are you willing to accompany Yang'er to the Xiongnu?"

"I do." Yang Nian'er nodded, her voice rising. "Two days ago, I asked Second Sister... Fourth Miss if she could take me to the Xiongnu. She said the list was drawn up by the palace and couldn't be changed. But you're so powerful, there must be a way. If you can let me go with Fourth Miss, I'll kowtow to you."

As he said this, he knelt down and kowtowed.

"Nian'er, don't mess around." Yang Xier scolded. Although her uncle would come to save her, what if something unexpected happened?

Madam Yu interrupted her granddaughter and continued, "Do you know that the Xiongnu are suffering from the cold? They even consider us Dasheng enemies. Going there would be life-threatening."

"So I can't let my second sister go alone."

Faced with Yang Nian'er's straightforward answer, Old Madam Yu was a little puzzled: "This is no small matter. Have you thought it through?"

"I don't need to think about it." Yang Nian'er was filled with sadness when she thought of the past.

"At home, my mother favored my eldest sister, while my father only wanted my younger brother. Later, when they had a son, they became even more partial. From childhood to adulthood, only my second sister was kind to me.

When I was eight years old, I hadn't eaten meat for a long time and was laughed at by the little boys in the village. They said I was not a boy and was not worthy of eating meat. I was so angry that I ran to the mountains to catch wild game. Unexpectedly, I fell into a ravine and broke my leg.

It was my second sister who braved the danger to carry me out of the ravine. My parents saw that my leg was only lame and I could still walk, so they were reluctant to spend money to treat me. It was my second sister who secretly worked for Doctor Li for a year before I was cured.

Mrs. Yu was very moved when she heard this. "Good boy, get up quickly and sit down to eat."

There were only four people at the table: Madam Yu, Duke Weiguo, Wei Luo, and Yang Xier. Wei Luo had been sitting next to Yang Xier, but upon hearing his grandmother's words, he quickly made way for her. As he sat down, he subconsciously glanced at Yang Nian'er's legs.

Because it was a period of mourning, the food on the table was all vegetarian. Wei Luo saw his grandmother talking to his cousin and whispered to Yang Nian'er, "After your uncle passes the 37th day of mourning, I'll take you to eat meat."

When everything was harmonious, two uninvited guests arrived.

Aunt Liu brought her daughter to the front hall and greeted them excitedly. Old Madam Yu didn't even raise her eyes, saying calmly, "Sit down!"

"Yes!" Aunt Liu hurriedly pulled her daughter to sit down.

Madam Yu said coldly, "A servant like you is unworthy of attending the host's banquet?"

"I will serve you dinner, Madam!"

Aunt Liu was stunned for a moment, but she quickly recovered and went forward to serve Old Madam Yu with her meal. Old Madam Yu waved her away in disdain, and she could only stand behind her daughter dejectedly, watching Yang Nian'er, who was even lower in status than herself, sitting there to eat.

But for my daughter's future, face is nothing.

Concubine Liu leaned forward and said, "Madam, Qin'er will be coming of age after the New Year. There is no one in the mansion who can take charge of things now. I would like to ask Madam to find a good family for Qin'er."

Uncle Zhong lowered his head speechlessly. He had just cheated someone's granddaughter, and now he came to ask someone to be a matchmaker for his daughter. How could there be such a shameless and stupid person in this world?

As expected, Old Madam Yu lost all her appetite and slammed her chopsticks on the table. "Lu Zhong, please count Yuan'er's dowry and take it away when I return to Yunzhao."

"Yes!" Uncle Zhong nodded in agreement. After his wife passed away, it was only natural for her family to come and take away the dowry. He didn't want to say much, but it had been so many years, and it seemed that Concubine Liu was really angry with her.

Aunt Liu didn't expect that she would end up losing more than she gained. She was heartbroken, but she was doing it for her daughter, so what was wrong with that?

"Ma'am, why do you suddenly say this?"

The Marquis of Chengyang had always lived in poverty, with most of his salary going to the wounded and disabled soldiers in the army. The food, clothing, and other expenses of the mansion were basically supported by his wife's dowry.

If she lost her daughter, how could she get a dowry and marry in style, and she would not be able to find a good family. Aunt Liu knelt on the ground and begged: "Please love Qin'er too, she is also the Marquis's daughter."

As she spoke, she hurriedly reminded Lu Mingqin: "Qin'er, kowtow to your grandmother quickly."

Madam Yu snorted coldly, "What does the daughter of the Marquis of Chengyang have to do with my Duke of Weiguo's Mansion? Asking me to add to the dowry is a joke."

Aunt Liu's face was full of grievance, "But Qin'er is also the eldest lady and the fourth lady's biological sister."

It would have been fine if she hadn't mentioned this. As soon as she said this, Old Madam Yu smashed the teacup in her hand on Aunt Liu's head.

"Let me ask you, since you know Yang'er's whereabouts, why don't you tell me?"

Aunt Liu knelt on the ground trembling, not daring to say another word.

Madam Yu was too lazy to watch her being an eyesore anymore, so she pulled Yang Xier away and said, "Let's go to the Wei Mansion with grandma."

Although the Duke of Wei was in Yunzhao, he still had an old house in the capital.

Yang Xier followed her into the courtyard and took her arm: "Grandma, I have to go to Xiangguo Temple with the princess to bathe and fast tomorrow, so I can't leave."

Marriage was a big event, and the princess had to bathe and fast in Xiangguo Temple for seven days before setting off for the Xiongnu.

Madam Yu followed her to Xunyang Pavilion where she lived, and slept with her at night. Although it was her first time sleeping with an old lady she had just met, Yang Xier could feel that she really cared about her and was not too reserved.

"Grandma, please don't let Nian'er go with me. I'm worried that she'll be bullied by the Huns before she even meets her uncle."

Madam Yu said, "I'm afraid it's impossible. When I came back today, I heard that Jin Yiluo personally asked Duke Song to add Yang Nian'er's name as your personal maid."

"What?" It turned out that grandma was just testing whether Nian'er was reliable or not.

Madam Yu said, "Don't worry. After all, we still have the Dasheng envoys to escort the bride. The Xiongnu won't dare to go too far."

At this point, this is the only way I can comfort myself.

Yang Xier suppressed the fear in her heart and chatted with Old Madam Yu: "Grandma, why don't you like Aunt Liu?"

Thinking of this, Old Madam Yu became angry. "When Lu Shao proposed marriage, he said all sorts of nice things. He promised me that I would never take a concubine, and that even if Yuan'er died early and had no children, I would never remarry. But less than two months after Yuan'er passed away, that lowly servant was already three months pregnant. The key is, she was the maid I hand-picked for your mother's dowry. My daughter was kept in the dark by him until her death."

No wonder it was like this, it turned out that he felt guilty towards his daughter.

Yang Xier asked: "How did mother die?"

In fact, she wanted to ask more about why her mother had abandoned her. But she was her mother's mother after all, so she didn't dare ask. Although she knew her father and brother had been looking for her for many years, she couldn't imagine why a mother who had no worries about food and clothing would abandon her.