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

At night, Lu Mingyang changed into pajamas and stood at the head of the bed in a daze.

"Nian'er, what do you think is the best way to overcome fear?"

"What?" Yang Nian'er, lying on the bed, frowned.

"Face your fear." Lu Mingyang picked up the soft pillow and headed towards Yuanzhi Pavilion with a fearless attitude.

Qin Xin was combing Lu Mingyuan's hair. When she turned around, she saw the fourth girl standing at the door, hugging a soft pillow obediently.

"Fourth Miss, why are you here?"

"Eldest sister, can I sleep with you tonight?"

Lu Mingyang mustered up the courage to speak out. Lu Mingyuan turned around and met her slightly timid yet stubborn gaze.

"Okay."

She smiled, but Lu Mingyang became even more nervous. Lying in bed, his whole body was shaking.

The two of them were under a brocade quilt, only an inch apart. Lu Mingyuan, who had practiced martial arts for many years, could clearly feel her body trembling.

"Are you afraid of me?" She took her hand.

Lu Mingyang shook his head: "You are my eldest sister, how could I be afraid?"

"Then why are you shaking?" Lu Mingyuan turned his head and looked at her straight with his beautiful almond-shaped eyes.

That look was so frank that Lu Mingyang felt inexplicably guilty.

"I'm cold." She made an excuse.

"Go to sleep!" Lu Mingyuan helped her tuck in the corner of the quilt without asking any more questions.

Lu Mingyang turned over, put his arms around Lu Mingyuan, and boldly pressed his legs against her. "Eldest sister, His Majesty has ordered Prince Ningyuan to secretly investigate the cause of Earl Zhongxin's death."

"I know."

Her answer was calm. Lu Mingyang pressed her, "Aren't you worried?"

"What are you worried about?" Lu Mingyuan smiled. "If he dares to find out, I'll thank him."

What do you mean?

Lu Mingyang couldn't quite understand her smile. It was like a crack under an iceberg, as if it would shatter if touched. At this moment, she couldn't bear to ask any more questions.

"Eldest sister, why did you give me so much dowry?"

She changed the question, and Lu Mingyuan asked back, "Don't you like it?"

Lu Mingyang shook her head. How could she not like so many good things? But, "I can't accept rewards without merit. I can't afford it."

"You can bear it." Lu Mingyuan's eyes were full of determination: "From the moment you protected father's coffin, you have been able to bear it."

"..."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyang was even more afraid to accept it. "There are too many things. I won't have to worry about food and drink in the palace in the future. But you will have many expenses in the future. You should keep them and give them to me as a token of your appreciation."

Lu Mingyuan shook his head firmly. "Even though my father is gone, the marriage of the daughter of the Chengyang Marquisate cannot be looked down upon by anyone. Most people in the world flatter the powerful and bully the weak, and they are opportunistic. The dowry is your face when you enter the palace. You are entering the palace together with the daughter of Duke Qin. If you fall behind in the dowry, how will you establish your authority in the palace in the future? As for the future..."

Lu Mingyuan held his sister's hand and said slowly, "I won't hold it against you for what you did in the past. I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for me to show up in public in the future. My father's reputation after his death depends on you."

Every word she spoke revolved around her father's reputation, and Lu Mingyang felt uneasy. As expected, good things don't come easy, and the title of daughter of the Marquis of Chengyang wasn't something one could claim for nothing.

But at least she was sure of one thing: her elder sister would not kill her, and she could finally close her eyes and sleep. However, her sleep was fuzzy and extremely restless.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Mingyang felt something cold on his hands. He opened his eyes and found that his elder sister was gone.

Lu's Ancestral Hall

Lu Mingyuan was wearing thin pajamas, kneeling on the cold floor, with his long black hair hanging down.

"Father, I am unfilial. I know I should report this matter to the Emperor to clear your name and restore your good reputation. But if I do, Yin'er will be ruined."

"I know I have let my father, my two brothers, and the thirty thousand soldiers who perished outside Yanmen Pass. I dare not ask for your forgiveness, but only ask that you allow me to raise Yin'er until he is twenty years old."

"Today, my daughter uses her face as a token of her guilt to confess to her father."

As he spoke, Lu Mingyuan took out a dagger and slashed it across his face.

"Sister!"

An embroidered shoe hit the dagger, and Lu Mingyang staggered over with his left foot bare and snatched the dagger from Lu Mingyuan's hand.

"Eldest sister, what are you doing? Are you hurt?"

Lu Mingyang knelt in front of her and anxiously checked the injuries on her face.

Fortunately, fortunately, my shots were quite accurate.

Lu Mingyuan stared at the face that looked so much like his mother, and threw himself into her arms.

"I don't have the face to see my father anymore."

This was the first time Lu Mingyang had seen Lu Mingyuan cry, his sobs like a mournful bird. One was her father, the other her son. No matter what choice she made, it was heartbreaking.

At this moment, the fear in Lu Mingyang's heart disappeared, and what was left was only heartache.

Everyone says that Lady Zhongxin had a miserable life, having lost her father and then her husband, but no one knows how heartbreaking it was for her to stab her husband's heart with her delicate hands.

Lu Mingyuan fell asleep in her arms. Lu Mingyang helped her back to her room and lit some soothing incense to help her sleep. The morning light streamed in, illuminating Lu Mingyuan's pale face.

Lu Mingyang helped her tuck in the corners of the quilt and called Qin Xin over.

"Take good care of my elder sister. I'm going to the Marquis Zhongxin's residence to bring my nephew over."

Qin Xin hurriedly stopped her: "Fourth Miss, the eldest lady doesn't allow the young master to come."

"Why?" Lu Mingyang asked, "Because he has Chen Hong's blood flowing in his veins?"

Qin Xin lowered her head sadly. It was only after the death of Lord Zhongxin that she realized what the eldest girl had done.

"Just pretend you don't know."

Lu Mingyang's voice was resounding, carrying an irresistible command. For a moment, Qin Xin felt as if the Second Young Master had returned, and she nodded obediently.

Hearing about picking up the child, Yang Nian'er sat in the carriage, rubbing her hands excitedly and nervously, "Second sister, why do we have to pick up the child?"

Lu Mingyang said, "My eldest sister isn't in good condition. I'm worried something might happen to her, so I'm asking her to stay at the Chengyang Marquis' Mansion for a few more days."

Yang Nian'er nodded: "They gave you so much dowry, we should take good care of them."

"What?" Lu Mingyang laughed, "I didn't give me a dowry, and you don't care?"

"Yeah!" Yang Nian'er nodded as a matter of course, "She's not good to you, why should I care about her."

At the residence of Marquis Zhongxin, Lu Mingyang got off the carriage and saw Zhu Xin running out in a hurry.

"What happened?" Lu Mingyang stopped her.

Ever since her daughter had a difficult birth, Zhu Xin had considered the fourth daughter her savior. Seeing her now, tears of guilt immediately flowed down her face.

"It was my fault. I didn't stop them. Yesterday, the girl and Qin Xin went back to her parents' home, and the old lady took the little boy away. Unexpectedly, she fed him meat porridge."

"Feeding meat to a child under two months old?"

Even though Lu Mingyang had never given birth to a child, she was still shocked.