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

"Second sister, second sister..."

Hearing her sister's voice, Lu Mingyang opened her red and swollen eyes. The dazzling sunlight shone on her face, and she subconsciously raised her hand to block it.

"Don't block it, look!" Yang Nian'er pointed to the two mahogany boxes on the couch. "They were sent from the Zhongxin Marquis's Mansion. They said it's your dowry. You should take care of yourself in the future."

Is this to sever ties with myself?

"What about people?"

After picking up his shoes, Lu Mingyang hurried out and caught up with Zhu Xin at the gate of the mansion, who had not yet stepped out of the door.

"Sister Zhuxin, doesn't my elder sister want me as her younger sister anymore?"

Zhu Xin watched the fourth girl chase after her in her thin nightgown, and she felt a mixture of emotions. It was she who caused the eldest girl's difficult labor, and it was she who called the doctor to save her.

"What the eldest lady cares about most is the reputation of the Marquis. How can you expect her to forgive you?"

Lu Mingyang begged, "Sister Zhuxin, please help me and let me see my elder sister again. Please."

"Why are you begging me for help? You know the way to the Marquis Zhongxin's mansion!"

"I'm afraid she'll get emotional when she sees me and something bad might happen again."

Zhu Xin sighed and said, "The eldest girl said that you are sorry to the Marquis. If you really want to admit your mistake, go to the ancestral hall and kneel down. If the Marquis forgives you, she will naturally have no reason to blame you."

After saying that, he left, leaving only a thin figure behind.

Sunrise and sunset, sunrise and sunset, sunrise and sunset,

In the ancestral hall of the Chengyang Marquis's residence, Lu Mingyang had been kneeling on a mat for three days. In the dead of winter, the ancestral hall was chilly and even though she was wearing a thick cloak and clutching a hot water bottle, she was still shivering with cold.

Even she herself didn't know why she could hold on for so long.

Looking at the cold and unfamiliar names in front of me one after another, I gradually developed a sense of dependence, wanting them to come out and save me.

"The eldest lady punished you to kneel in the ancestral hall, why are you kneeling so honestly?"

Uncle Zhong came in carrying a food box, and the more he looked at her, the more distressed he felt: "The eldest lady has always been broad-minded. When she was in the mansion, she never criticized the servants. How could you be so cruel to your own sister? Besides, it's not your fault. Why don't you go back first and come back when someone from Uncle Zhongxin's mansion arrives."

Lu Mingyang pointed at the tablet and said with a smile, "Gods beseech you, I'm asking for forgiveness, so how can I lie? Besides, they didn't even ask me to kneel."

"But how long do you have to keep kneeling? If you keep kneeling, your legs will become lame."

"Let's see how long I can hold on!" Lu Mingyang silently took the new hot water bottle and placed it on his calf, then picked up the bowl to eat.

Thinking of her elder sister's situation, she didn't blame him for what happened to her in her husband's family, but only blamed him for damaging her father's reputation. Lu Mingyang felt strange, holding the bowl and looking at his father's tablet on the high platform.

"Uncle Zhong, does my matter have a serious impact on father?"

“Three years of good deeds go unnoticed, but one day of evil deeds is known to everyone.”

Zhong Bo sighed, "The Marquis has been loyal to the emperor and the people his entire life. Although he was punished by His Majesty, many scholars and soldiers in the army have spoken up for him. I, the eldest girl, have always hoped that one day His Majesty would vindicate him. But now, those who spoke up for him have lost face. It's a good thing they don't turn around and criticize him."

"Does Fourth Miss know how the court officials humiliated Lord Shen Yan, who wrote a letter to appeal for justice on behalf of the Marquis?" asked Uncle Zhong.

Lu Mingyang was stunned for a moment, thinking of the stubborn man in blue robes he met at the palace gate, and said self-deprecatingly, "Did they say he had a romantic relationship with me?"

Uncle Zhong was also stunned for a moment, his eyes filled with heartache, and he said bitterly, "It's all the fault of Prince Ningyuan. He has harmed the Fourth Young Lady to this point. It's a waste that the Marquis praised him so many times when he was alive."

"Is reputation that important?" Lu Mingyang was puzzled.

Zhong Bo said in a clear voice: "Nature is important. Isn't the purpose of living a life to seek a good reputation after death?"

Lu Mingyang was speechless, thinking that if he knew that it was him who designed that thing, he would probably hate him even more than his elder sister.

After dinner, Uncle Zhong left with his empty lunch box. Turning around, he saw the girl. Hidden in the darkness, he didn't know how long she had been listening.

"Miss, why are you here at this time?"

Lu Mingyang looked in the direction of Zhongbo's voice, stood up excitedly, and fell heavily to the ground. Her legs no longer obeyed her.

Lu Mingyuan asked Zhong Boli to leave, reached out and helped Lu Mingyang sit on the futon, and asked, "Do you hate me?"

Lu Mingyang smiled and shook his head: "If my elder sister no longer treated me as her younger sister, why would she punish me? I am very happy."

"You are good at understanding people's hearts."

Lu Mingyuan grumbled, brushing off her clothes and sitting down. She lifted her clothes from her knees, revealing her swollen, red knees. For three days and two nights, she hadn't expected to actually kneel down.

To be honest, she was more worried than she was that she wouldn't be able to kneel down, but that was her father, and she wouldn't allow anyone to damage his reputation during his lifetime or after his death. She also wouldn't allow someone who didn't respect and love her father to be his daughter.

"Although you were not raised by your father since childhood, you have his blood in your veins, and your every word and action represents the virtues of the Chengyang Marquisate."

"But the Chengyang Marquis Mansion is about to be destroyed!"

Lu Mingyang blurted out, and Lu Mingyuan paused as she wiped her knees. After a long moment, she said, "That's why we must protect our father's dignity."

Lu Mingyang looked at the emaciated woman before her, who had come to see her only three days after giving birth, and nodded silently. Although, she didn't quite understand, nor did she quite agree.

Lu Mingyuan asked: "You hate Qin'er. If it weren't for her, you would be the Princess of Ningyuan."

Lu Mingyang knew that she wanted a harmonious family, so he quickly shook his head, "With Duke Qin around, how could I possibly keep my position as princess? Whether my fifth sister is here or not, it makes no difference."

Lu Mingyuan sighed, "Although the concubines of the royal family are different from those of ordinary families. But if my father were still alive, even the royal family would not dare to let our daughter become a concubine."

Seeing that his elder sister was about to cry, Lu Mingyang hurriedly said, "Eldest sister, you should go back and rest. It would be bad if you develop a chronic illness."

"Okay!" Lu Mingyuan had a thousand words to say, but he didn't know where to start, so he helped her up.

After leaving the ancestral hall, Zhuxin and Qinxin, who were guarding the courtyard, supported the two of them and slowly walked towards Xunyang Pavilion. Although it was within the palace, the journey was not short and the wind was biting. Even men would feel cold, let alone a woman who had just given birth.

Lu Mingyang said, "Eldest sister, I can go back by myself. You can't get caught in the wind."

Zhuxin and Qinxin also tried to persuade him, so Lu Mingyuan asked Qinxin to send his fourth sister back.

Qin Xin helped the Fourth Lady around the corridor and happily announced the good news to her, "Fourth Lady, your words of admonishment to Lord Zhongxin really frightened him. He made Aunt Sun kneel outside Yanchu Pavilion and slapped herself a hundred times. Her face was so swollen that she dared not see anyone."

"What about demoting your wife to a concubine?" Lu Mingyang asked.