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

Chapter 73 Selecting a Residence

After leaving Duke Qin's mansion, Chu Mingzheng asked Leng Lingfeng beside him, "Is he really sick?"

Leng Lingfeng nodded: "Except for the coma, which was fake, everything else is true."

"It's so hot?" Chu Mingzheng glanced sideways. He had never seen anyone with such a hot fever.

Leng Lingfeng was also impressed. "If the fever doesn't go away, you'll become crazy. It seems that Duke Qin really likes you."

……

As night fell, the Duke of Qin's Mansion, which had been busy all day, fell silent again.

Qin Miao got out of bed with the help of her maid, but her legs were sore and weak from being bedridden for so many days, and she fell to the ground due to exhaustion.

Duke Qin walked in, helped her up with concern, and waved his hand for the maid to leave.

Qin Miao felt dizzy and weakly sat down on the couch, supporting herself on her father's arm. "Dad, has the Queen Mother agreed?"

Duke Qin said, "Now is not the time to bring it up. Miao'er needs to endure a few more days of suffering."

"My daughter is fine!" Qin Miao looked out the window, "Daddy, help my daughter go for a walk outside!"

The twelfth lunar month brought a damp, chilly wind, biting to the bone, yet also carrying a faint hope for the coming year. Duke Qin watched his daughter's stumbling steps, feeling both distressed and relieved.

"Miao'er, now that the Ningyuan Princess has been canonized, there's no hope for her to become the official wife. That's why you must be even more determined. Back then, the Empress Dowager was only the Crown Prince's Consort, and when the late Emperor ascended the throne, she was only given the title of Consort Shu. But now, she's the most honored woman in the world."

"Father, I understand. Fame and reputation are not as important as the future and destiny of our Qin family." When they reached the river, Qin Miao looked at the icy water with a sharp gaze, "Father, please help me a little longer."

After saying this, he knelt down by the river.

"Hey!" Duke Qin took the gourd ladle handed to him by the servant, scooped up the river water mixed with ice chips, and poured it over his head. Ladle after ladle.

"Enough, enough!"

After three scoops of water, Duke Qin couldn't bear to let his daughter suffer any longer.

Qin Miaodong's lips were purple, but her back was straight, her eyes were firm, "Not enough, Daddy, come again. If I can't be sicker than today, how can the Queen Mother agree? This is related to the honor of the Qin family, and there must be no mistakes."

"Okay!" Duke Qin scooped up some cold river water and poured it on his daughter one ladle at a time.

Qin Miao's frail body could no longer withstand the biting cold, and she collapsed headfirst onto the ground. Duke Qin dropped the gourd and heartbrokenly carried his daughter back to his room.

"If the Queen Mother hadn't long forgotten that she was a daughter of the Qin family, and if the men of the Qin family hadn't all been so unpromising, my daughter wouldn't have suffered such a terrible crime."

The Qin family is rich enough to rival a country, but if they have no power to rely on, they will be like a mirage and will collapse at any time.

Qin Miao lay on the bed and slowly opened her eyes. "Daddy, I will never let you down."

Ever since the daughter of Duke Qin fell seriously ill, the rumor that the Qin family girl had fallen deeply in love with Prince Ningyuan and that it was the Immortal Crimson Pearl Grass that had come to the mortal world to repay her gratitude spread throughout the capital and became more and more intense.

Whenever King Ningyuan came to give her medicine in person, Miss Qin would be able to take some of the medicine. She even called out King Ningyuan's name in her sleep.

One day, the daughter of the Qin family slowly woke up under the careful care of Prince Ningyuan. Upon learning that her secrets had been discovered, she was so ashamed and angry that she hanged herself. Fortunately, she was discovered by a maid and saved her life.

But the marks on his neck were shocking, and his voice was hoarse.

"Uncle Zhong, please don't tell me these things."

In the study of the Chengyang Marquis's Mansion, Lu Mingyang lay on the desk, peeking out from his book with a look of grievance. What could he do about these things? He was only adding to the frustration.

A servant walked to the door and reported: "Fourth Miss, Prince Ningyuan has arrived."

Yang Nian'er poked her head out from the bookshelf, "Are you here to break off the engagement?"

"Miss Nian'er, don't talk nonsense! The words and deeds of the royal family are role models for the rest of the world. How can you just call off the engagement? Besides, the fourth lady has already gone through the canonization ceremony, offering sacrifices to the heavens, the earth, and the ancestors. The royal jade book has been entered, and she is now the legitimate Princess of Ningyuan."

Yang Nian'er scratched her head: "Then what is King Ningyuan doing here?"

"Never mind him. When the enemy comes, we will fight him with our soldiers. When the water comes, we will block it with earth." Lu Mingyang dusted himself off and strode out of the library.

In the main hall, Chu Mingzheng heard footsteps, put down his teacup, and walked towards the hall door, accurately blocking the girl from entering. Lu Mingyang held his head, which had hit someone's chest, with a wronged look on his face, and stepped back to salute.

"I have done this in a rude manner, Your Highness, please forgive me."

Really, who is waiting at the door?

While the little girl was bowing her head obediently, Chu Mingzheng raised his hand and pulled out the silver plum blossom hairpin on her head. He strode out and hid the hairpin in his sleeve at the right time.

"Follow me!"

"Where are you going?" Lu Mingyang picked up her skirt and trotted after him. But the man's steps were so big that she couldn't help but complain, "Your Highness, could you please slow down? Walking so fast is not good for your health."

Someone gradually slowed down his pace, waiting for the girl next to him to catch up.

"I heard from the Empress Dowager that you have taken a fancy to several mansions. I will take you to choose some."

"Oh!" He was just picking a house, why was he so happy? Lu Mingyang really didn't understand the meaning of the smile on his face, so he obediently followed him into the carriage.

After the enthronement ceremony, it was time for the wedding. However, as the Lunar New Year was drawing to a close, it was not auspicious to get married in the first month of the year, as it would bring bad luck. Therefore, the Emperor set the wedding date for the second day of the second month, the day when the Dragon raises its head.

Only one month left.

Lu Mingyang looked at the man sitting next to him and suddenly felt different, but he couldn't tell what was different.

"Do you like this mansion?"

When they reached the third mansion, Chu Mingzheng stopped in front of the lotus pond and asked the girl beside him. Lu Mingyang, her legs already sore from exhaustion, nodded repeatedly.

"Which one do you like best?"

Chu Mingzheng was slightly displeased. She had approved all three houses, clearly just giving them a perfunctory nod. If she hadn't been pounding her legs, he would have wanted to show her around all the dozen or so houses they had rejected on the blueprints.

Lu Mingyang looked at the bare lotus pond in front of him and said, "Then let's choose this one!"

"Why this one?" Chu Mingzheng gestured for her to go to the lotus corridor to rest.

The lotus corridor meandered across the lotus pond. Lu Mingyang lazily lay on the beauty chair, gazing out at the lotus pond, where a few dead branches and leaves, still uncleared, floated.

"Lotus is wonderful, it's full of treasures. You can enjoy it in the summer without missing out on picking lotus pods in July and digging lotus roots in August. It's not like other flowers that are just for show but not for use."

Lu Mingyang looked up at the King of Ningyuan, who was standing beside him with a puzzled expression, and felt that he had said something wrong. He was a member of a royal family, so how could he be short of a few lotus roots?

It's all her fault. Although she has been the daughter of a marquis for many days, her mind is still full of the small peasant mentality of Shangyang Village.

As expected, Chu Mingzheng smiled, "Are you worried that I can't afford to support you?"

"no!"

Lu Mingyang opened his mouth to explain, but Chu Mingzheng raised his hand to stop him: "I understand!"

"What do you understand?" Now it was Lu Mingyang's turn to be confused.