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

Chapter 229 The Year

"She's so shameless! What did her mother teach her? She even dares to talk back to the men in the family. She's really rebelling."

"No wonder her father didn't want her. Such an unfilial and evil girl should have been beaten to death as soon as she was born."

"That's right, this woman can't be treated well. Hurry up and exchange the betrothal gift for her husband and let him beat her a few times so she will behave herself."

"..."

Lu Mingyang, standing in the crowd, heard it all clearly. To top it off, a bearded man not far from her slapped his wife in the face and angrily shouted, "I told you there's no point in having a baby girl, and you dared to talk back to me."

The woman didn't dare to talk back, protecting her daughter and glaring at Yang Nian'er angrily. The daughter was only seven or eight years old. She frightenedly took out a candy from her bosom, which she was reluctant to eat, and handed it to the man, "Daddy, don't be angry. I will give you all the money I earn in the future."

Lu Mingyang looked away awkwardly. He didn't know if it was a coincidence, but the accusing voices in the crowd gradually shifted to women, their scolding harsher and more venomous than the men's. The men, on the other hand, folded their arms and watched quietly.

Jingzhao Yin gave an order, and the place was temporarily quieted down. He was a little embarrassed to speak, because according to the rules, the money his daughter earned before she got married belonged to her father.

Fortunately, Prince Wei came to the rescue. Not only was he willing to return Yang Nian'er's 1,600 taels of silver, he also refused to allow Yang Tiezhu to pay the difference.

Yang Tiezhu was, of course, delighted. He was returning the money to his daughter, but it wasn't his own. Yang Nian'er stood there, lips pursed, silent. The Jingzhao prefect hurriedly struck the gavel, adjourning the court.

"Wait!" A loud voice penetrated the lobby of Jingzhao Mansion, and Lu Mingyang stepped into the hall from the crowd.

"Your humble servant pays his respects to Princess Ningyuan!" Jingzhao Yin stood up and saluted helplessly.

Lu Mingyang asked, "Sir, if I am dissatisfied with the verdict in this case, can I still appeal?"

"Of course!" Jingzhao Yin nodded.

Lu Mingyang asked again: "How long can the case file be kept?"

Jingzhao Yin nodded again: "Ten years!"

"Okay, I'll come back in ten years. Please keep the case file." Lu Mingyang took Yang Nian'er's hand and turned to leave.

Everyone made way for them.

Lu Mingyang held her sister in her arms as they walked through the crowd. After stepping onto the stone steps leading to the palace gate, she turned to look at the huge crowd and said loudly, "Whoever dares to buy the house at the entrance of Zixia Lane, near Nianluo Xiangyin Shop, don't blame me for being rude."

After saying that, she pulled Yang Nian'er and disappeared from everyone's sight.

At Fanyue Restaurant, on the second-floor terrace, a table laden with food sat Lu Mingyang and Yang Nian'er opposite each other. Lu Mingyang stared blankly at the people passing by, while Yang Nian'er buried her head in her meat. Tears fell into her bowl, mixing with the lily porridge as she drank it.

Yang Nian'er had expected such a result, she just didn't understand why women like herself would blame her on men.

"Second sister, tell me why, do they like being bullied?"

Lu Mingyang said, "They are afraid. Because of fear, they compromise, become cowardly, and help the evil, just to survive. My Nian'er is different. My Nian'er is the bravest girl."

"As long as my second sister thinks I'm not wrong, I don't care about others." Yang Nian'er smiled stubbornly with tears in her eyes.

Lu Mingyang glanced at the tightly closed doors and windows, then leaned over and asked, "Nian'er, do you ever want to have your name written on those land deeds and house deeds one day?"

Yang Nian'er looked up. She remembered that her second sister had told her about this matter, but she was a little confused at that time. But now, she was willing to listen carefully.

Lu Mingyang continued, "Come with me to the military camp. Once we've achieved military success and returned to the capital, we can ask the emperor to amend the laws of Dasheng. Then, women will be able to study, hold official positions, engage in business, work the land, and do anything men can do."

Yang Nian'er was moved by what she heard, but she said, "Isn't the emperor a man too? Will he agree?"

Lu Mingyang said, "If he doesn't agree, we will overthrow him and become emperor ourselves."

Yang Nian'er covered her second sister's mouth in shock.

Lu Mingyang took his sister's hand away and asked with a smile, "Why, are you afraid of death?"

"I'm not afraid!" Yang Nian'er raised her head proudly: "Didn't Old Yang say that all the money I earn will belong to him? If you want to get close to me so much, then all the nine clans will belong to him. I will make a profit whether I win or lose."

"You little devil." Lu Mingyang pinched his sister's cheek lightly, "Eat, and then I'll take you to the military camp."

Yang Nian'er lowered her head and ate obediently.

Lu Mingyang said, "Then study hard with me and practice martial arts. Don't be lazy anymore."

Yang Nian'er nodded fiercely, "Second sister, I don't want to be called this name anymore. I want to change it."

When Lu Mingyang was little, he wasn't called Yang Xier. Yang Nian'er didn't even have a name until she was six. Later, hoping to have a son, their father consulted a Taoist priest, who gave them three characters: Pan, Xi, and Nian. That's how the three sisters got their current names.

Lu Mingyang said, "Then you can take my surname and we can pick a nice name."

"No, my last name is Yang. Otherwise, how could I implicate his entire clan?" Yang Nian'er jokingly rejected the suggestion. In reality, she simply didn't want to deceive herself by covering up the truth.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Nian'er said, "From today on, I will clean up my act and learn some skills. You always say that studying is the most useful thing, so I'll be called Yang Nianshu."

"Yang Nianshu?" Lu Mingyang shook his head in disdain. "That's too ugly."

Yang Nian'er frowned: "Is it hard to hear?"

Seeing that his sister was serious, Lu Mingyang read it twice more and said with a smile: "It's okay after reading it twice more."

"Then I'll call it this." Yang Nian'er made the decision.

After dinner, the two of them rode in a carriage to the military camp. Yang Nian'er, now known as Yang Nianshu, lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the crowd gradually retreating. Her passion was gradually drowned out by the difficulties of reality. "Second sister, can we do it with just the two of us?"

Lu Mingyang said, "Why are there only the two of us? There's also my eldest sister, my third brother, and him."

He, of course, refers to King Ningyuan.

Yang Nianshu smiled: "Then I'm not afraid anymore. He's obviously more reliable than you. With him around, it's a sure thing."

"How come he is more reliable than me!"

Lu Mingyang patted her unconvinced, and gradually, the patting turned into tickling. Yang Nianshu giggled, pressed her second sister under him, and kissed her.

……

In the female barracks, Lu Mingyang watched the female soldiers practicing archery, and took his sister back to the room secretly to change into military uniforms.

"stop!"

A majestic voice rang out in his ears. Lu Mingyang shuddered and looked at Lu Mingyuan with a smile, "Eldest sister, I..."

"What about sisters? In the military camp, it's called a military position."

"Yes, General!" Lu Mingyang held his head high and chest puffed out, saying in a clear voice, "I have come specially to rejoin the team."

As he said this, he did not forget to pull his sister who was standing sloppily.