Rebirth of Her Royal Highness the Princess

Everyone in the Yan family also left the Lu Mansion.

Lu Qingqing was crying while burning paper in the mourning hall. "Mom, why did you give birth to a son? The Lu family doesn't care about you anymore."

When Lu Zhi heard this, he yelled, "Qingqing, what are you talking about? Why didn't I take care of your mother?" Lu Zhi glared at Lu Qingqing, his eyes full of anger and disappointment. He didn't expect his most beloved daughter to say such a thing, which made him feel very sad.

Lu Qingqing was startled by Lu Zhi's scolding. She raised her head and looked at Lu Zhi, her eyes full of grievance and tears. She knew she had said the wrong thing, but she felt very wronged because she felt that the Lu family did not take good care of her mother.

Lu Zhi sighed, walked to Lu Qingqing, patted her shoulder gently, and said, "Qingqing, we are all family, don't say such hurtful words. Your mother is gone, we must take good care of your brother and don't let her worry anymore."

Lu Qingqing nodded and wiped away the tears from her eyes. She knew that what she said just now was a bit too much, but she said it on impulse. Now after listening to Lu Zhi's words, she realized that she should be more sensible and should not cause trouble to the family anymore.

Lu Zhi looked at Lu Qingqing with a lot of emotion in his heart. He knew that his daughter had always been filial, but sometimes she did speak directly and easily hurt others.

Lu Qingqing hugged Lu Zhi and said softly, "Dad, I'm sorry, I won't say that again. I will take good care of my brother." Lu Zhi smiled with relief and stroked Lu Qingqing's hair, "Well, Dad believes you." At this time, a servant hurried over and said breathlessly, "Master, the Xie family sent someone to deliver a letter." Lu Zhi took the letter, opened it, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Uncle? Why did they suddenly invite us?" Lu Qingqing came over curiously to take a look, "Dad, why don't we go and take a look. Maybe uncle has something to discuss with us."

Lu Zhi thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, in that case, let's go to the Xie family." He turned to the servant and said, "Get ready, we'll leave soon." Lu Qingqing was secretly looking forward to it, wondering what would happen on this trip to the Xie family.

It turned out that Xie Siqi, the Minister of Rites, learned that his concubine sister had died while giving birth. However, the Lu family did not make her the principal wife, which made him very dissatisfied and angry. He felt that the Lu family had gone too far and did not take into account their relationship. So, he decided to find an opportunity to ask the Lu family for an explanation.

After careful consideration, Xie Siqi came up with an idea. He thought the best way was to invite Lu Zhi and Lu Qingqing to the Xie family and explain the matter to each other face to face. This way, direct conflict could be avoided and both parties could step down. Moreover, through face-to-face communication, perhaps a solution to the problem could be found.

Therefore, Xie Siqi sent a letter to the Lu family, inviting the father and daughter to visit the Xie family. Although the tone of the letter was euphemistic, it also revealed his concern and attention to this matter. He hoped that the Lu family could understand his feelings and give a reasonable explanation and treatment.

When Lu Zhi and his daughter arrived at Xie's house, the Xie family's housekeeper led them to the living room. As soon as Lu Zhi and Lu Qingqing sat down, Xie Siqi walked in.

"Brother Lu, how are you?" Xie Siqi said with a smile.

"So it's Brother Xie. Why did you invite me here today?" Lu Zhi went straight to the point.

"Brother Lu, let's not beat around the bush. My sister at least gave birth to a son for the Lu family, but your Lu family has always refused to give her a status. Is this reasonable?" Xie Siqi's face gradually darkened.

Lu Zhi's heart tightened. He didn't expect Xie Siqi to bring up the matter so directly. "This... there are some reasons. I hope Brother Xie won't blame me."

"Hmph! No matter what the reason is, you shouldn't treat my sister like this. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer today, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Xie Siqi slammed the table and stood up.

"Although Qingrou was not born to my mother, she was raised by her. She just didn't give her the status of a legitimate daughter. Who would have known that she would fall in love with you and willingly marry you as a concubine. Now, in order to give you a son, she has even risked her own life. Is it so difficult to give her the status of a legitimate wife?" Xie Siqi's tone was filled with anger and questioning.

He looked at Lu Zhi in front of him, his eyes full of disappointment and confusion. He didn't understand why Lu Zhi was so heartless and so cold and indifferent to a woman like Qingrou.

He hoped that the other party could give a reasonable explanation so that he could understand what was going on.

"Brother Xie, I want to give Qingrou the status of a principal wife. But my eldest daughter and her maternal family...she is now the Princess of Duan!" Lu Zhi said helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Xie Siqi's eyes widened: "Your eldest daughter is now the Princess Duan? What about Qingqing? Are you going to let her become an old man's second wife and take care of his son and daughter? Is this fair?" His voice was filled with anger and dissatisfaction.

"She's already married, what else can we do? She's guilty of deceiving the emperor. She'll go to jail." Lu Zhi said seriously. His eyes revealed a hint of helplessness and determination.

Lu Qingqing was listening nearby, and was shocked. She stared at her father with wide eyes, looking at him in disbelief. She had never thought that her father would treat her so coldly. She could not help but feel a chill, as if the whole world had become strange.

She had always thought that her father loved her the most. No matter what happened, her father would stand by her side, protect her and support her. But now, she found that she was extremely wrong. Faced with the crime of deceiving the emperor, her father seemed to have chosen to abandon her without hesitation.

"Dad... I..." Lu Qingqing tried to explain, but her throat seemed to be blocked and she couldn't make a sound. Tears welled up in her eyes and she didn't know how to face this situation.

"Qingqing, Dad has no choice!" Lu Zhi sighed, with a trace of pain in his eyes. He knew how cruel his decision was to his daughter, but he also knew that if he didn't do this, the whole family would be in trouble.

Lu Qingqing shed tears silently, her heart filled with despair and helplessness. She had never thought that her fate would become so tragic in an instant. Her former pride and confidence were gone, leaving only deep self-blame and regret.

"Dad, what should we do now?" Lu Qingqing asked tremblingly, her voice tearing up. She hoped her father could give her an answer, even if it was just a little comfort.

After a moment's silence, Lu Zhi slowly said: "Qingqing, things have come to this point, we can only leave it to fate. You'd better tell the emperor about this, maybe there is still a glimmer of hope." After that, he turned and left, leaving Lu Qingqing alone crying.

Xie Siqi walked over quickly and gently helped Lu Qingqing up, his eyes full of concern and heartache: "Qingqing, you should live in Xie's house for the time being..."

Lu Qingqing raised her tearful face and replied with a sob, "Thank you, uncle... I... I don't know what to do..." Her voice was filled with endless sadness and helplessness.

Xie Siqi patted her shoulder gently and comforted her, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. You need to rest well and adjust your mood now. As for your brother, he is not even a month old yet, so he will stay in the Lu Mansion and be taken care of by the wet nurse for the time being. After he is a month old, your uncle will take him over to reunite with you, okay?"

Lu Qingqing nodded slightly, tears still flowing. She looked at her uncle gratefully, her heart full of dependence and trust in him.

Xie Siqi held Lu Qingqing's hand tightly and said softly, "Don't be afraid, Qingqing. We will always be by your side to help you through this difficult time. Believe me, everything will get better slowly."

Lu Qingqing tried hard to force a smile and nodded.