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

Chapter 145 Meeting the Queen's Aunt

She did this simply to make everyone realize that Prince Ningyuan was not the emperor's biological son and was ungrateful for God's grace.

Although everyone remained silent, they all looked at Lu Mingyang. At this moment, a childish cry broke her embarrassment.

"Sister Yang!" King Guangcheng showed his two little canine teeth and grinned.

Lu Mingyang walked over and handed a small watermelon the size of a grape to the little guy in front of everyone's gaze.

"A little watermelon for His Highness."

She had pulled this from a watermelon vine while riding on the donkey cart. It was a bit ridiculous to use this as a gift, but she just wanted to tell everyone that she had a better relationship with King Guangcheng.

Fortunately, the little guy was very cooperative and was very curious about the things he had never seen before.

"Sister Yang, if I bury it in the soil, will it grow into a big watermelon?"

Lu Mingyang didn't answer the question for the time being, and corrected his address: "Your Highness, I am now the princess consort of your eldest brother. You should call me the Emperor's eldest sister-in-law, or you can call me the eldest sister-in-law."

"Sister-in-law!" A clear female voice came with uncontrollable excitement.

Lu Mingyang turned around and saw a strange little girl sitting behind Chu Mingzheng and his own dining table, and Qin Miao sitting next to her.

The little girl has an oval face, and the cleverness between her eyebrows is similar to the mischievous smile of Chu Mingzheng.

"Sister-in-law, it's me, Ling'er, Ling'er..." Seeing Lu Mingyang stunned, the little girl's eyebrows were furrowed in anxiety: "Didn't my eldest brother tell you about me?"

Their seats were close to the front, and Concubine Song heard everything clearly. She asked with a smile, "I heard that the Prince of Jin is still unmarried. Who is Princess Qinghe calling her sister-in-law?"

It must be Chu Mingzheng’s sister who likes to lie on his back and pick peach blossoms.

Lu Mingyang said hurriedly, "Yes, although Tanghuang's eldest sister-in-law is a bit awkward to pronounce, it cannot be omitted like that. Princess, you can just call me Wang's sister-in-law."

The Empress Dowager was quite satisfied with Lu Mingyang's answer. She looked at Concubine Song unhappily, as if to say: The Emperor is not here, who are you doing this for?

Concubine Song finally calmed down.

Princess Qinghe stood up and took Lu Mingyang's arm, as if she wanted to whisper something. Lu Mingyang gently brushed her touch away and said distantly, "Father and His Highness will be here soon. Princess, please return to your seat!"

Princess Qinghe curled her lips, looking depressed.

Yes, no one would feel comfortable running here happily to recognize one's relatives, but the person being recognized treats them with such a cold attitude.

Lu Mingyang pretended not to see anything, but fortunately the maid beside Princess Jin asked her to go back.

Qin Miao, whose plan was shattered, kept staring at Lu Mingyang. When she saw her turn around, she bounced back.

Lu Mingyang smiled and said, "Sister, this is my seat."

After saying that, he pursed his lips.

Qin Miao followed her gaze and looked at the uncarved snack table behind her, feeling aggrieved and wanting to cry.

She just wanted to stay with Brother Zheng, but was worried that Brother Zheng would say she didn't know the rules, so she specially called Princess Qinghe to talk to her, making it look like Princess Qinghe asked her to sit over.

But now, Lu Mingyang is here.

But why?

Lu Mingyang stared at her unconvinced eyes, smiled and blinked, thinking that it was not him who was embarrassed anyway.

"Your Majesty is here!"

As the eunuch's shrill voice came, Qin Miao hurriedly picked up her complicated skirt and fled to the snack table at the back.

"I'm late!"

The emperor smiled heartily, and after taking his seat, he looked at Chu Mingzheng who was walking towards his seat, and greeted him with a loving face: "Zheng'er, go meet your aunt first."

"promise!"

Ten years had passed since they last met. The mother in his memory was not as haggard, and there were no more white hairs on her temples.

In a trance, Chu Mingzheng walked to his mother's table and bowed: "Greetings...Auntie."

"Grown taller..."

After saying only three words, Princess Jin was choked with sobs and could not speak. She could only tremble with a handkerchief to hide her loss of composure.

When the Emperor arrived, Concubine Song became more alert and said slowly, "Why are you crying for no reason, Princess Jin?"

The Prince of Jin, who had just sat down, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Since my father passed away, my mother has often shed tears. It was not intentional."

"Take good care of your mother!"

The emperor comforted him and waved his hand for Chu Mingzheng to sit back down.

The singing and dancing began, and the banquet officially began.

Princess Jin sat on the lower left side, Chu Mingzheng sat on the lower right side, and the swaying sleeves danced like a long river across the center, clearly separating the mother and son.

Princess Jin could only sneak a peek at her son through the gaps between the dancers.

Prince Guangcheng was young and didn't quite understand these things. He gently tugged at Lu Mingyang's sleeve, his face full of curiosity: "Sister Yang, why is the Queen Aunt always wiping her tears while she eats?"

How could Lu Mingyang explain this kind of question? He dealt with King Guangcheng awkwardly, and his eyes swept around, finally landing on the emperor.

Because his smile was so out of tune with this depressing palace banquet.

Lu Mingyang truly felt that the emperor was a bit of a psychopath, enjoying observing and appreciating the suffering of others, especially Chu Mingzheng. She looked at the man beside her and grasped his cold hand with a distressed look.

"I'm fine!" Chu Mingzheng smiled at her.

For him, being able to see his mother from afar was enough, but he didn't expect that his appearance would make his mother so sad.

But for the emperor, it is far from enough.

After the singing and dancing, the emperor felt unsatisfied. He looked at the Prince of Jin and said with emotion, "Among my brothers back then, Prince Jin was the most skilled in martial arts and was often praised by my father. Come, let me see your martial arts and see how well I, your younger brother, have taught you."

After saying that, he looked at Chu Mingzheng and said, "Go, test his skills. Don't embarrass me!"

That means we can’t lose!

Indeed, how could the emperor's son be any worse than the Prince of Jin's? However, rumors of him feigning illness had already spread because of the Lantern Festival incident. If he won again this time, the emperor's suspicions would undoubtedly rise again.

Lu Mingyang declined, saying, "Father, Your Highness's injuries haven't healed yet, and he hasn't practiced martial arts in years. I'm afraid his body can't handle it."

"Zheng'er, you just got married, and you're already letting your wife take charge?" The emperor smiled, but still didn't give her a chance to refuse. "Since this is a competition, just stop when you're done."

"promise!"

Chu Mingzheng stood up and walked with the Prince of Jin to the center of the hall, where everyone was watching. The Imperial Guards stepped forward and handed over two long swords.

The sounds of the zithers harmonized with each other, and with a clang, the two swords clashed. The golden collision was like the roar of thousands of horses.

King Jin's moves were truly as fast as lightning. Chu Mingzheng was very clumsy but was able to dodge every move.

In the eyes of everyone, he looked like someone who had neglected practice and was tired of dealing with the situation. Only the masked man behind Princess Qinghe had the light in his eyes slowly gathering.

For an expert, he knows how clever his response is.