NFBE Chapter 218 Precious Gift
Chapter 218 Precious Gift
"Oh no!" Zheng Hao realized belatedly: "Miss Nian'er is here."
Lu Mingyuan hurried to the study and pulled Yang Nian'er away, "Nian'er, that was Yang'er's fault in the first place. Don't do anything stupid."
"What do you mean it's my second sister's fault? What my second sister did must be right." Yang Nian'er shook off Lu Mingyuan, climbed the stone steps again, and the door opened.
Chu Mingzheng was standing inside the door in a white robe. At first glance, he looked no different from usual, but upon closer inspection, his eyes were dull, like a statue that had lost its spirit.
Yang Nian'er stepped forward, pointed at Chu Mingzheng, and asked angrily, "My second sister doesn't want to have children, what's wrong?"
"Do you know how dangerous childbirth is? That year, three new brides in our village died during childbirth."
"My second sister just doesn't want to have children herself. She didn't stop you from having children with others. If you want to have children, go find Qin Miaosheng. Oh, and she also bought you five women for ten thousand taels of silver. She hasn't even spent that much money on me."
"My second sister is so good to you, and you don't let her eat."
Thinking of her second sister who had been hungry for a whole day and night, Yang Nian'er burst into tears, gasping for breath.
Chu Mingzheng had never encountered such a situation before. His eyebrows trembled slightly: "What do you want me to do by saying this?"
Yang Nian'er stopped crying. She was only concerned with defending her second sister and didn't even think about Chu Mingzheng's problem. After thinking for a while, Yang Nian'er said bitterly, "Wait, I'll ask my second sister."
Chu Mingzheng watched Yang Nian'er disappear from view and walked down the stone steps: "Eldest sister, that matter..."
"Don't worry!" Lu Mingyuan naturally knew he was referring to contraception, and said, "I'll have Yang'er tell her not to talk nonsense."
Chu Mingzheng asked, "Is she okay?"
Lu Mingyang nodded slightly. She had come here to talk about Yang'er, but love between a man and a woman is a matter between two people, and it would be inappropriate for her to say too much. She just said, "Yang'er is still young and there are many things she can't figure out. I hope Your Highness will give her some time. I want her to come to the military camp with me and train with the female soldiers. It's better than having random thoughts at home. What do you think, Your Highness?"
If the news of the princess going to the military for training gets out, it will be a big problem.
"As long as she's willing." Chu Mingzheng smiled helplessly: "You come to ask me, if she knows, she will be unhappy again."
Lu Mingyuan was stunned.
……
After Lu Mingze returned, the emperor ordered the return of all the property taken from the Chengyang Marquisate by the Imperial Clan Court, including the camp where the Chengyang Marquisate's soldiers were stationed. The camp was located at the foot of Xilong Mountain. From a distance, the hundreds of houses scattered in an orderly manner were a spectacular sight.
Lu Mingyuan and Lu Mingyang came on horseback.
Lu Mingyuan pointed to the endless fields and said, "These are the fields of the Chengyang Marquis's Mansion, cultivated by 800 palace soldiers."
Lu Mingyang watched with a sigh. No wonder the emperor was trying so hard to depose the dukes' guards. They were paid by the imperial court, yet used for the private benefit of the dukes. Anyone would be uncomfortable with them.
But then he thought about the tragic death of his father and brother on the battlefield, and felt that the Chengyang Marquisate deserved it. If everyone was like the emperor, who would be willing to be loyal to the country?
"Eldest sister, is there any other family in the capital that has palace soldiers?"
"No, there are only five dukes and marquises in the entire Dasheng who have their own guards, and we are the only one in the capital." Lu Mingyuan gently rubbed his sister's head and said with a smile, "So, our Yang'er is the most powerful."
Lu Mingyang sighed, "It's a pity that she's a female soldier. The Emperor won't let her go to the battlefield."
"There's nothing to regret. Male soldiers have their uses, and female soldiers have their uses. As for whether they can go to the battlefield, it's still unknown."
But after just a few days of leading the troops, Lu Mingyuan exuded an unprecedented sense of pride. The resounding sounds of drills echoed her lofty sentiments.
Lu Mingyang was greatly encouraged, and his depressed mood dissipated a lot.
The female soldiers in the camp, with the exception of a few young women whom Lu Mingyang had brought back to the Chengyang Marquis's mansion, were unaware of Lu Mingyang's identity. She ate, lived, and trained with the female soldiers every day. Although it was tiring, she felt very comfortable.
Only occasionally would she see a figure standing in the distance, the figure that she had copied countless times every night.
"Second sister, what are you looking at?"
Yang Nian'er came over with a bowl of fragrant drink. Knowing that her second sister was training with the eldest girl, she specially brought two carts of fragrant drink.
"Nothing!" Lu Mingyang retracted his gaze and drank the delicious drink.
Yang Nian'er brushed the dust off her second sister and said disdainfully, "You're living a good life, but you have to come and roll in the mud."
"I feel good. At least I still have control over my body, instead of relying on..." Lu Mingyang looked at the man in the distance again, and Chu Mingzheng had already turned and left.
Lu Mingyuan came over and handed her a dagger, "Your Highness gave it to you for self-defense."
It was a dagger with a jade handle and a golden sheath, as solid as ice and as bright as the rising sun. The words "Lu Mo" were engraved on it. Lu Mingyang suddenly remembered that Chu Mingzheng had once used this dagger to mobilize the secret guards.
She stuffed the coarse earthenware bowl into Nian'er's hands and hurried after him.
"Your Highness!"
Chu Mingzheng paused and turned to look at the girl he had been thinking about day and night. He hadn't seen her for a long time, and his expression was a little reserved. "You look very heroic in this dress."
The female soldiers' uniforms were newly made and distributed today. They were red tunics paired with dark leather armor and a red turban. The leather armor gave the originally petite girls an unstoppable air of heroism.
Lu Mingyang asked inexplicably, "Do you like it?"
"I like it!" Chu Mingzheng was also stunned.
Lu Mingyang asked cautiously, "Tomorrow is Yin'er's first birthday party. Are you coming?"
"Do you want me to come?" Chu Mingzheng asked back.
"hope!"
She was very direct, and Chu Mingzheng smiled: "Then I'll come."
Lu Mingyang looked at his relaxed expression, took two steps forward, and presented the dagger to him. "This is too valuable. Take it back!"
Chu Mingzheng's smile froze, "I thought you liked it."
Lu Mingyang knew that he only had those secret guards who could protect him. Handing those secret guards over to him meant handing their lives over to him. But he couldn't utter a single soft word, and said coldly, "I like it, and I'll find a way myself. I won't take yours."
"Yangyang, it doesn't matter how you get the power in your hands. What matters is that you can control it." After Chu Mingzheng said this, he turned and left.
Lu Mingyang watched the receding figure, tears falling on the jade handle. She had rambled that day, so much so that she herself didn't even understand what she was saying, but he had understood.
……
The next day, the Chengyang Marquis's Mansion was decorated with lanterns and was bustling with activity. Lu Mingyuan watched, feeling guilty, "Yang'er, isn't this a bit too much?"
The Chengyang Marquisate was still in mourning, so it was not appropriate to celebrate a birthday. She had been living in the military camp with her sister for some time, and she had thought it would just be a simple meal, but she hadn't expected her brother to make it so grand.