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

"Your Highness knows!"

Lu Mingyang raised her head, trying her best to suppress the fear in her heart. "I am a humble servant, and I shouldn't have admired Your Highness's grace. I shouldn't have taken advantage of Your Highness's drunkenness and lost my temper. I have damaged Your Highness's reputation, and I cannot redeem myself even if I die. However, Your Highness has done nothing wrong. Please forgive the Queen Mother for not punishing His Highness Prince Ningyuan."

"Now that you know that I have punished you, do you have any complaints?"

"Please punish me, Queen Mother." Lu Mingyang clenched his fists.

The Queen Mother calmly ordered, "Take him away and give him twenty strokes of the cane. Execute him in the courtyard."

On the windowsill stood a pot of orchids. They were fresh flowers, grown in a glazed greenhouse overlooking a tranquil pond of clear water. Placed in such a cold window, they would wither in just a few days.

The Queen Mother pushed aside the petals and looked at the woman being tortured in the yard. She was lying on a bench, biting her arm. Even though her veins were bulging, she did not beg for mercy.

It has been many years since I have seen such a strong-willed woman.

The Empress Dowager looked at Xu Pei, who nodded slightly. She walked out of the palace and asked loudly, "Miss Lu, do you have anything to defend yourself? Speak out, and the Empress Dowager will make the decision for you."

"no!"

The Queen Mother's heart was with Prince Ningyuan, so why would she want to defend herself? Hearing Xu Pei's questioning, Lu Mingyang became more certain of his guess and shook his head firmly.

"The rumors in the capital are true. It was this servant who was delusional and blasphemed His Royal Highness Prince Ningyuan. His Highness has done nothing wrong, and this servant has no grievances to redress."

"In that case, let's continue with the execution."

Xu Pei looked at her arm that was bitten to a bloody mess, took a piece of cotton handkerchief and stuffed it into Lu Mingyang's mouth, signaling everyone to be gentler.

Even if the blows were light, the first few blows had already torn his skin and flesh apart. Lu Mingyang was in so much pain that he saw stars. After being hit by twenty sticks, his head was dizzy and he was about to fall down.

Xu Pei squatted down and asked softly, "Why is Fourth Miss Lu so protective of Prince Ningyuan?"

Lu Mingyang gritted his teeth and shook his head: "This subject did not defend King Ningyuan. This subject was telling the truth."

The empress dowager walked out of the palace gate with the help of the eunuchs, and specially asked someone to place the mahogany chair closer to Lu Mingyang so that he could hear her words more clearly.

"I want to ask you, when did you become enamored with Prince Ningyuan?"

Lu Mingyang said, "Reporting to the Queen Mother, Your Highness once saved my life in the Imperial Garden. Even if he hadn't saved my life, I would still have deep and unwavering feelings for Your Highness."

A blush appeared on the pale and weak face, as if showing infinite yearning.

"How dare you!" the Queen Mother cried angrily, "Don't you know who you are? How dare you covet Prince Ningyuan?"

Rumors in the capital said that she had not been chosen as a dowry for the marriage. Lu Mingyang did not dare to say anything more, but just rolled down from the bench and knelt down again to confess his guilt.

The Queen Mother couldn't bear to look at the girl on the ground. Another idea suddenly came to her mind. If there was such a devoted woman by her grandson's side, taking care of him during his last few years, he would be able to spend his last years comfortably and happily.

But thinking of the emperor, she immediately suppressed this fleeting thought to ensure safety.

"I originally wanted to show some mercy and allow you to shave your head and become a nun. But since you have taken all the responsibility, I will grant you three feet of white silk! Seeing that you are sincere, I will allow you to return home and commit suicide."

Lu Mingyang looked up in surprise, wanting to cry but unable to.

Old woman, I have thought so much about your eldest grandson, and you still want to kill me. How shameless of you!

and many more!

Bai Ling was ready in the morning, why would she want to become a nun?

Besides, what was the big deal about him dying in the Empress Dowager's palace? She had originally wanted to punish him with a stick and then let him return home to commit suicide so that it could be spread out that he committed suicide out of shame and anger.

But why did she go to the trouble of saying she wanted to be a nun to test me?

Lu Mingyang heard a contradiction in the Queen Mother's words that even she herself was not aware of. Thinking of the prescription given by Leng Lingfeng, she decided to take another gamble.

"Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask."

"Say it!"

"Thank you, Queen Mother!" Lu Mingyang wiped her bloody palms on her shoulders again and again. Only after wiping away the blood stains did she carefully pull out a piece of thin paper from her bosom and tremblingly presented it to him.

"This is the remedy I requested for Your Highness. I beg Your Majesty to try it on Your Highness."

The Queen Mother looked at the girl kneeling on the ground in shock, but only for a moment.

"let it go!"

Since she had already made the decision, she didn't want to cause any more trouble. She waved her hand for Xu Pei to accept it, then got up and left.

Lu Mingyang cried out, "Empress Dowager, the palace doctors are only concerned about their own health. Who is willing to treat Your Highness with all their heart and soul? This is a prescription that I have painstakingly obtained. The doctor said that as long as Your Highness takes it regularly every day, you will be safe for ten years. Please, Your Highness, please try it for Your Highness. I beg you."

As he said this, he kowtowed with tears in his eyes.

The Queen Mother stopped and turned to look at the girl on the ground. Her voice softened as she asked, "What unfulfilled wish do you have?"

Lu Mingyang looked up, blood running down his cheek.

"Your Highness saved my life. I have no regrets even though I die. I only ask the Queen Mother to allow me to die in a different way." Under the cover of fear, Lu Mingyang cried sincerely.

"Your Highness is so kind. I do not wish to see you saddened and further injured. I only beg the Queen Mother to allow me to stay at home and fall into the water and die."

The Queen Mother closed her eyes and said, "I agree."

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

Lu Mingyang stood up, her bloodstained white dress swaying as she made her way towards the gates of Shoukang Palace. Xu Pei waved, and a young eunuch stepped forward, donning a cloak and helping Lu Mingyang leave.

Lu Mingyang looked at the palace gate getting closer and closer, and his heart began to panic: I can't go out, I absolutely can't go out, if I go out, I will die.

"Empress Dowager, the person who gave me the medicine was called Leng..."

Lu Mingyang turned around, but before he could finish his words, his weak body fell to the ground.

……

In the side hall of Shoukang Palace, Lu Mingyang lay unconscious on the bed. A young palace maid carefully applied medicine to her wounds.

The Empress Dowager sat on the couch beside her, holding the prescription in her hand, while Doctor Zhang knelt on the ground and apologized repeatedly.

"Miss Lu asked me about Prince Ningyuan's illness. I didn't think too much about it. I deserve to die."

The Empress Dowager handed the prescription to Xu Pei, who then handed it to Imperial Physician Zhang, saying, "Take a look, sir. What do you think of this prescription?"

"promise!"

Imperial Physician Zhang examined it for a full quarter of an hour, then looked up in shock. "Where did the Empress Dowager get this from? Such an exquisite prescription could only have been prescribed by the legendary doctor Zhang Jingzhi."

The Empress Dowager had heard of Zhang Jingzhi's name. When she first invited famous doctors from all over the world for Prince Ningyuan, she had never seen Zhang Jingzhi come before, so she thought he was just a name with a false reputation.

"Is it possible to keep King Ningyuan safe for ten years?" she asked.

Doctor Zhang said, "Your Highness needs to take the medicine for a while before we can see anything."

Seeing his timid look, the Queen Mother felt that what Miss Lu said was right. She raised her eyes and looked behind the screen, "Go check on Miss Lu."

"promise!"

Doctor Zhang went in carrying the medicine box. The empress dowager sat for a while and then went in as well.