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

Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Mingyang ordered, "Ningxiang, this is the new sister who just arrived in the mansion. Please arrange a place for her to stay."

Jiuge was surprised and asked quietly, "Aren't you living in the East Palace?"

Ningxiang waved her hands hurriedly: "What's the point of living in the Eastern Palace? His Highness needs to know about this. You can still live here. It's right to listen to the Empress."

Lu Mingyang smiled and said, "Your Highness will soon ascend the throne, and you won't be staying in the Eastern Palace for many days, so you won't be moving around all the time. The old people from the palace are all here, so it's a good opportunity for you to get to know each other."

Jiuge felt uncomfortable listening to this. "Even if it's a royal palace, there should be a sedan chair. My daughter is the daughter of a decent family after all. If she moves in here without any clear reason, how will others view her?"

She really wanted to go to the gate of the mansion again to see if she had gone to the wrong mansion and met a scammer.

"Jiuge, shut up."

Chen Qingyin drank the medicine and felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She forced herself to stand up and bow, "I will obey your orders, Your Majesty."

Jiuge hurriedly supported him.

Lu Mingyang continued, "As for your position, the Eastern Palace has many rules, so it's difficult to decide right now. I'll first have the Imperial Clan Bureau register you and Ningxiang as concubines of the Ningyuan Prince's Palace in the Imperial Jade Book. After His Highness ascends the throne, I'll discuss your ranks with His Highness."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." This time, Chen Qingyin was really happy.

Although only a low-ranking concubine, she was the only concubine with a rank during His Highness' reign as Prince of Ningyuan, aside from the concubines who were not in accordance with the rules. When His Highness ascends the throne in the future, it would be in accordance with etiquette to appoint her as one of the Four Consorts.

Ningxiang was so shocked that she was speechless. She choked up and asked, "Fourth Miss, can I also be given the title of Ruren?"

"You have served His Highness the longest, so naturally he will not abandon you." Lu Mingyang reminded Chen Qingyin with a smile: "Ningxiang will enter the mansion first, and from now on you can call her sister."

"Thank you, sister!" Chen Qingyin saluted.

Ningxiang happily led the master and servant away, instructing them as they left: "Sister, remember this. In this palace, you don't have to listen to His Highness's words, but you must listen to the Princess's. If you offend His Highness, the Princess will protect you. If you offend the Princess, His Highness will punish you twice as much. Remember this, remember this."

Chen Qingyin really couldn't accept this, but since she was new here, it was difficult for her to refute anything. She asked, "May I know your surname, sister? And which master's family is your mother from?"

"What do you mean by 'mansion' or not? I was bought by the Crown Princess from Chunxiang Pavilion. I don't have a surname." Ningxiang saw the two people's puzzled expressions and knew that this was a rich lady who never left the house. She smiled and explained, "It's a brothel."

"Ah!" Jiuge cried. The Crown Princess actually asked her daughter to call a prostitute "sister" and to share the same rank with her. This was just a way to humiliate the girl.

Chen Qingyin's face also looked a little ugly. When he turned around the moon-shaped door, he turned around and secretly glanced at the Crown Princess standing under the porch.

Ruying stamped her feet anxiously when she saw the person disappear: "Miss, why did you leave a vixen behind to compete with you for His Highness?"

Lu Mingyang retracted his gaze and said with emotion, "I'm a little curious why she wants to marry His Highness so much."

"What else could it be?" Ruying said disdainfully, "These days, you don't know how many women have been peeking outside the palace, just hoping to run into Your Highness. She's the most shameless, actually coming to ask, and asking you."

"Not bad, very brave." Lu Mingyang nodded.

"Girl," Ruying reminded angrily, "She came here to compete with you for His Highness."

"No, she came to me first."

"She begged you because she knew it was useless to ask Your Highness."

"That just proves that she is quite smart."

"Girl, you really piss me off."

Ruying stamped her feet and tears streamed down her face.

"Alright!" Lu Mingyang gently rubbed her little face. "Pack some clothes for me and send them to the palace, and also to His Highness. I have to go back quickly. Remember, tell everyone in the mansion to shut up and not talk nonsense."

If Chu Mingzheng knew about this, I really don’t know what would happen.

Lu Mingyang walked into the East Palace, feeling inexplicably guilty.

Zheng Hao hurried over and said anxiously, "Your Highness, please go and see His Highness. He doesn't look well and has been locked in his study for a long time."

"So fast?" All the secret guards in the palace had withdrawn.

Lu Mingyang walked to the study door, patted his face, and with a determined heart, pushed the door open and walked in. The hall was a little dark, with scattered candlelight illuminating Chu Mingzheng's back. He stood beside the map, as if looking at a sword, which shone slightly coldly.

"Your Highness, there's no need to resort to swords and knives!" This is too much.

Lu Mingyang walked over gently, trying to close his sword. Chu Mingzheng turned around and hugged Lu Mingyang in his arms, "Yangyang, I, I, he was right, I really am arrogant."

The voice was more fragile than ever before, even more heartbreaking than the voice after being executed.

Lu Mingyang held his face in his hands and asked hurriedly, "What happened?"

Chu Mingzheng pulled Lu Mingyang to sit at the desk and handed her a military newspaper.

"Zizhou said that although the Xiongnu cavalrymen he faced tried their best to imitate Jin Yiluo's formation, there were still problems. He suspected that Jin Yiluo was not in the army."

Lu Mingyang guessed: "Did he go back to the Xiongnu first?"

Chu Mingzheng handed her another military report. "This was sent back by Zizhao. He said that the Xiongnu tribes they encountered were all old, weak, and sick. They didn't encounter a single tribe with strong soldiers and horses."

Seeing his frightened expression, Lu Mingyang asked directly, "Where do you think he went?"

"Jin Yiluo is likely hiding a large number of troops outside Yanmen Pass. He used the entire Xiongnu as bait to get me to transfer Zizhou and Zizhao out."

"The point is, this isn't the scariest thing."

Chu Mingzheng spread out several memorials on the desk. "It's not just Yanmen Pass. Zhijie said that the memorials sent from Quanzhou, Ganzhou, Yuzhou, Jizhou, and Yunzhao all have problems. I've also carefully reviewed them."

"Jin Yiluo is very likely colluding with the Qiang people in the north and the Fan people in the south. Once Jin Yiluo starts a war at Yanmen Pass, the Qiang people will attack Jizhou and the Fan people will attack Yunzhao. There is a high probability that riots will occur in Quanzhou, Ganzhou, and Yuzhou."

There were internal riots and external enemies, with wars breaking out in at least six places. In other words, the entire Great Sheng was at war. Where would the Sheng Dynasty get so many troops and money?

"Don't worry. At least we know his intentions in advance, which is a good thing."

Lu Mingyang tried his best to calm himself down and pointed to the map behind him. "Yun Zhao has only mobilized 30,000 troops. I'll write to Grandmother. She will definitely be able to protect Yun Zhao. As for Jin Yiluo, can't Third Brother make it there?"

Chu Mingzheng said, "He is in the Xiongnu. Jin Yiluo has arranged for him to face elite cavalry. If he forces his way to Yanmen Pass, his entire army will be annihilated. Therefore, I have to lead the troops myself."

Lu Mingyang said anxiously, "You can't go. Who will protect you in Jizhou if you go there?"

If Jizhou were captured, the capital would be the next in line, and there would be riots. He had obtained the throne of crown prince by such means, and if things went wrong, the whole country would rebel.

Therefore, he must stay in the capital and take charge of the overall situation.