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

Chapter 279: Scandal in the Royal Palace

"Because..." Lu Mingyang looked at the petals in his palm and raised his eyes, "He is like a book. I can read, admire, and love him from afar, and flip through it with joy. But if this book falls into my hands, I will not allow anyone to touch it."

She will have expectations, and those expectations will turn admiration into harsh scrutiny.

Upon closer inspection, expectations were dashed, leaving only a mess.

Yang Nianshu scratched his head: "Second sister, I don't understand."

Lu Mingyang placed a petal between his sister's eyebrows and said with a smile, "I hope you will never understand."

"What?" Yang Nianshu took it down angrily and asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"Let me rest for a while!" Lu Mingyang leaned on the edge of the bucket and closed his eyes.

The water gradually turned cold, and the overflowing bathtub could no longer be filled with hot water. Lu Mingyang looked out the dark window and said helplessly, "Nian'er, find me some clothes."

She couldn't stay hidden in the tub forever.

The door opened, Chu Mingzheng turned around, looked at his beloved woman, and walked closer step by step.

"Done?" he asked.

Lu Mingyang nodded, her wet hair draped over her shoulders, frozen in the cold wind. Chu Mingzheng frowned and pulled her back to her room.

"Why don't you dry it?"

As he said this, he pulled her to sit by the fire and personally took the dry hot towel to wipe her hair.

Lu Mingyang glanced at him secretly, "Your Highness, I'm hungry."

"Of course I have to eat before leaving." The hair couldn't be dried in a short time, so Chu Mingzheng agreed readily.

Lu Mingyang smiled, "Your Highness, please go to the front hall. This is not very convenient."

They are not husband and wife now, so he shouldn't appear in her boudoir.

"You're so picky." But Chu Mingzheng didn't refuse. He helped her dry her hair, covered her with a cloak, and took her to the front hall.

A bit ostentatious.

Lu Mingyang felt a little regretful, but the words had already been said and it was too late to regret.

At the dinner table, Chu Mingzheng drank glass after glass of wine. He finally couldn't help himself and looked at the woman who was diligently pouring the wine.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingyang felt uneasy.

"Nothing!" Chu Mingzheng smiled faintly and picked up his wine glass. "Can you get me drunk and send me back? Can you uproot the Chengyang Marquis Mansion and hide it somewhere I can't find it?"

No, but she thought that after tonight, he would be able to calm down.

Lu Mingyang put down the wine jug and said angrily, "Your Highness Prince Ningyuan, you won't suffer any loss, will you? You are a grown man, and you still want me to take responsibility."

"Cough cough..." This time Chu Mingzheng really choked.

Fortunately, there were only two of them in the hall.

"Your Highness, please leave after your meal. Don't make the same mistake again." Lu Mingyang finally picked up a piece of fish for him and stood up to leave.

"Yangyang!" Chu Mingzheng held her wrist. "If I just left, if you didn't see me when you woke up, would you be happy? I don't believe you would be happy."

Even if there were countless difficulties and dangers, he didn't want to see her disappointed and sad about him.

The sound of someone's footsteps broke the silence in the room.

Zheng Hao walked in hurriedly, "Your Highness, something happened in the mansion."

Chu Mingzheng glanced sideways: "What's the matter?"

"...Big deal! Your Highness, you should go back and take a look."

Zheng Hao secretly glanced at Lu Mingyang and winked at Chu Mingzheng, anxiously wanting to say something but hesitant. Chu Mingzheng let go of Lu Mingyang's hand and said, "Go to bed early today. I'll take you to the palace tomorrow morning."

After that, he stood up and left.

"what's up?"

Chu Mingzheng asked again after they left the Chengyang Marquis Mansion. Before Zheng Hao could speak, Lu Mingyang chased him out and got into the carriage with him.

"Great..."

"Didn't you say you would take me back?"

Lu Mingyang interrupted him and got on the carriage first. Zheng Hao smiled bitterly, and Chu Mingzheng waved his hand and followed him into the carriage.

All the way back to the Ningyuan Palace, Zheng Hao led the way with his head down, all the way to Luqi Pavilion. The closer he got, the lower his head hung.

Inside Luqi Pavilion, two people knelt on the ground, a man and a woman. The man was naked from the waist up, bound with hemp ropes. The woman's clothes were disheveled, her face bowed as she wept.

Qin Miao was sitting on a side chair. When she saw Chu Mingzheng coming in, she greeted him with a smile on her face.

"Brother Zheng!"

Chu Mingzheng brushed away her outstretched hand and walked over. Qin Miao saw Lu Mingyang following behind him, and her smile froze instantly. Lu Mingyang smiled awkwardly as a greeting.

Seeing this scene, she knew what was going on without asking. She saw Zheng Hao peeking at her while delivering the message and thought it was related to her, but she didn't expect it to be a scene of catching an adulterer in bed.

If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have come.

Lu Mingyang stopped silently, turned around and left.

"Stop!" Chu Mingzheng called her and pointed to the seat next to him: "Sit."

Lu Mingyang wanted to cry but had no tears, but it was his own fault that he was so stupid that he had to follow.

Qin Miao watched Lu Mingyang take the seat next to His Highness. She felt uncomfortable, but she didn't dare say anything. She bowed and said angrily, "Your Highness, Mrs. Xu and her lover were having an affair in the room. Fortunately, a servant saw it and risked her life to inform me. I was able to catch them and wait for Your Highness to return."

Lady Xu looked up, her beautiful face, lips purple with fear, and she shook her head tremblingly: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I dare not, I really dare not."

"How dare you quibble!" Qin Miao threw the white handkerchief stained with virgin blood at Mrs. Xu in disgust. "You whore, you have completely disgraced His Highness."

Lady Xu was filled with shame and indignation, and frantically explained, "He said he was His Highness and asked me to serve him. I have never met His Highness, so I don't know whether it's true or not."

"How dare you come up with such an excuse?" Qin Miao sternly accused the "adulterer," who kowtowed and begged for mercy. "We have been in love since childhood. I slipped in here in a moment of confusion. I beg Your Highness to spare my life."

"You're talking nonsense. I don't even know you."

"Huan'er, how can you be so heartless?"

"..."

The two of them were arguing back and forth, making such a chaotic noise that it gave people a headache. With a loud bang, Chu Mingzheng slammed his palm on the table, and the room instantly became quiet.

Chu Mingzheng looked at Mrs. Xu, his face livid: "So, you did it after all?"

Lady Xu frantically tucked her handkerchief into her arms, but it couldn't hide the fact that she was bleeding. She raised her head with a pale face and said, "Your Highness, this is all my stupidity. Please don't implicate my parents. Please, Your Highness."

As she spoke, she stood up and rushed towards the beam. The white handkerchief was clasped in her arms, with a long corner exposed. Lu Mingyang hurriedly grabbed it. With a thud, blood stained the beam, and she fell to the ground instantly.

Lu Mingyang knelt on the ground, sighed, and shook her head weakly. She pulled again, but he didn't release her strength, which showed how desperate she was to die.

"Miss!" The two maids who were kneeling beside her crawled over and threw themselves on Mrs. Xu, crying bitterly.

Qin Miao looked at Chu Mingzheng fearfully and said in panic, "Brother Zheng, she clearly committed suicide out of fear of punishment."