My husband, who abandoned his father and kept his son, actually wants me to be his concubine.

Chapter 26 The Seventh Prince's Concubine

Lu Jinshi found it all laughable: "Rong Yi, how dare you ask what you mean to me? You were the one who wanted me as a concubine first, you were the one who looked down on me and humiliated me!"

Rong Yi said, "Didn't you also harbor the intention of abandoning your father and keeping your child from the very beginning? You were just using me to have a child."

Lu Jinshi said, "Since you already know, why ask me? Haven't I already given you 15,000 taels? Why bother me anymore? Leave my bedroom now, and we'll pretend we don't know each other anymore."

Rong Yi was truly furious. He stepped forward, took Lu Jinshi's hand, and placed it on his heart. "Lu Jinshi, can you pay back what you owe me with silver?"

Lu Jinshi touched Rong Yi's chest, feeling his heartbeat, and felt his palms getting slightly hot.

Lu Jinshi whispered in Rong Yi's ear, "Our relationship was just a fleeting affair. I didn't force you to give me the child at knifepoint. Weren't you happy during the days I borrowed the child from you?"

Rong Yi was so angry that he laughed, and then lowered his head and bit Lu Jinshi's earlobe.

Lu Jinshi winced in pain and stomped hard on Rong Yi's foot. "Rong Yi, I already have a fiancé. You'd better leave now. If you don't leave, I'll have no choice but to report you to the authorities for trespassing."

Seeing that it was getting dark outside, Rong Yi did not linger there any longer.

It won't be long before Lu Jinshi finds out his identity.

Lu Jinshi watched Rong Yi's departing figure, took a silk handkerchief and wiped her earlobe where he had bitten her. Her gaze darkened slightly. She believed that she had not done anything to wrong Rong Yi.

Although she did initially intend to take advantage of Rong Yi, she did not force him. If Rong Yi had any faults, he could only blame himself for lacking self-control.

What about Rong Yi? If he never considered making her his concubine, his status as a young master of the Marquis of Changping's mansion would be a good match for her.

They could have been a perfect match, but he treated her so badly and looked down on her.

She was, after all, a daughter of the Tianzhang Academy, and she would never become Rong Yi's concubine.

Lu Jinshi was so angry that she couldn't sleep all night. It wasn't until the middle of the night that she comforted herself, telling herself that after she married the Seventh Prince, Rong Yi would have to kneel and kowtow to her, that she finally managed to fall asleep.

The next day, on the carriage to the academy.

Lu Jinshi yawned repeatedly. After arriving at the academy and drinking a cup of cold tea, he regained a bit more clarity.

With Rong Yi absent today, Lu Jinshi can focus more intently on his lectures.

At noon, Lu Jinshi put down the book in his hand and went to Mu Yan and said, "Senior Brother Mu, my grandfather's funeral is the day after tomorrow, so I will no longer be teaching at the academy tomorrow or the day after."

Mu Yan said, "I hope Junior Sister Lu will take heart."

After Lu Jinshi left, she returned to East Street. She changed into a white dress and prepared to attend the funeral at the Yongxing Marquis's residence the next day.

The Yongxing Marquis's Residence.

Inside the Shouhe Courtyard.

Madam He looked at He Tan in front of her and slammed her fist on the table in anger, saying, "That unfilial daughter He Jinshi, her grandfather's funeral has not even taken place yet, and she actually went to Princess Yongjia's birthday banquet yesterday and stole the show!"

He Jinlan walked to Old Madam He's side and patted her on the back, saying, "Sister, you went to Princess Yongjia's birthday banquet yesterday. Could it be that you went to see the Seventh Prince?"

Liu Xiuxiu frowned and said, "It is really ill-considered for the eldest young lady to wear mourning clothes to the princess's birthday banquet."

Madam He said angrily, "I also heard that He Jinshi slapped Miss Sun and offended the Minister's daughter. Now that your petition to be granted the title of Marquis of Yongjia has not been approved for a long time, and you need the Minister's help, how can Minister Sun help you to be granted the title of Marquis after He Jinshi slapped Miss Sun?"

He Tan sighed, "Mother, do you really think that the reason my title of Marquis hasn't been granted these past few days is because Minister Sun is unwilling to help?"

Madam He said, "Since you are already the heir of the Marquis of Yongxing and your father has passed away, you will be the next Marquis of Yongxing. Your son, He Tan, should also be the heir of the Marquis's mansion. Moreover, you are the father-in-law of the Seventh Prince. If it weren't for the people below suppressing this memorial, how could His Majesty's decree not have been issued yet?"

He Tan sighed, "Mother, although Mingzhu is not His Majesty's biological sister, she is His Majesty's adopted sister whom he raised himself. The late Emperor and the current Empress Dowager also treated Mingzhu as their own daughter. How could His Majesty possibly let our Yongxing Marquis's Mansion off the hook when you bullied Mingzhu like that back then?" He Jinlan said, "Father, these are all old stories. If His Majesty didn't let our Yongxing Marquis's Mansion off the hook, why would he make me the Seventh Prince's consort and marry his most beloved youngest son?"

He Tan shook his head helplessly and said, "Do you really think His Majesty would abandon his goddaughter and bestow a marriage upon you?"
He Jinlan nodded and said, "Of course, even if He Jinshi is the daughter of His Majesty's sworn sister, He Jinshi left Chang'an when she was three years old. She grew up in the countryside and doesn't know any manners. Just a few days ago, she was disrespectful to her mother and is very greedy. More importantly, she is two years older than the Seventh Prince. It is really inappropriate for her to be the Seventh Prince's consort. Who in Chang'an doesn't know that Miss He is me?"

Madam He patted He Jinlan's hand and chuckled, "That's right, my Lan'er is the proper legitimate daughter of a marquis's family, unlike those ignorant and unfilial daughters who don't know any rules."

"He Jinshi has returned to Chang'an and is not staying at home. I don't even know where she lives. She has completely disgraced the He family. If she comes to the funeral banquet tomorrow, I will definitely teach her a lesson!"

He Tan sighed again. He looked at his elderly mother, whose hair had turned white, and shook his head gently, feeling utterly helpless.

The following day, the funeral banquet for the old Marquis of Yongxing was held, and guests came in an endless stream to pay their respects.

The Marquis's residence held a birthday banquet to entertain the guests who came to pay their respects, and the banquet was packed with guests.

Lu Jinshi arrived at the mourning hall around noon. Today, she was dressed in a plain white gauze dress and wore a white silk flower in her hair. She sat in front of the mourning hall, pretending to be sad.

But Lu Jinshi wasn't really that sad.

When she arrived, she thought it was indeed her grandfather who wanted to see her one last time before he passed away, and she was somewhat moved.

Unexpectedly, their intention in sending her back to Chang'an was merely to pressure her into marriage under the guise of filial piety, so as not to delay He Jinlan's marriage to the Seventh Prince.

Lu Jinshi felt that he was already being filial by not laughing much.

He Jinlan walked up to Lu Jinshi in a fierce manner and said, "How dare you come back? Do you know that you offended Sun Xian yesterday and slapped her? That's the same as offending Minister Sun, which is equivalent to offending the Six Ministries. If the Six Ministries interfere, and if Father fails to become the Marquis of Yongxing, you will be the culprit!"

Lu Jinshi raised his phoenix eyes slightly and looked at He Jinlan, saying, "If Father cannot be the Marquis of Yongxing, who is the culprit? You might as well ask your mother."

He Jinlan said angrily, "Did you go to see the Seventh Prince at the Princess's birthday banquet a couple of days ago?"

"Don't you know how old you are? The Seventh Prince would never like an old woman like you."

Lu Jinshi scoffed, "In your eyes, twenty-one is old? Then I wish you never reach twenty-one, and that you stay young forever."

He Jinlan's anger flared even more as she listened to Lu Jinshi's sarcastic remarks. "He Jinshi, I'm warning you, don't be so shameless as to try and take the position of the Seventh Prince's Consort that rightfully belongs to me."

You, coming from the countryside, probably don't know that His Majesty originally intended for Sun Xian, the daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, to be the consort of the Seventh Prince.

The Imperial Noble Consort also summoned Sun Xian to the palace many times. It was a pity that Sun Xian's background was not as noble as mine, so she could not become the principal wife. But even if Sun Xian was not the principal wife, she could still be a concubine.

The Sun family had never arranged a marriage for her, because they wanted her to marry the seventh prince.

"You slapped Sun Xian a couple of days ago; the Seventh Prince won't let you off the hook. After Grandfather's burial, you'll come with me to apologize to Sun Xian properly and make her slap you back. That will also appease the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and His Highness the Seventh Prince."

"I'm talking to you!" He Jinlan was annoyed when she saw that Lu Jinshi's expression remained unchanged and he didn't reply. "He Jinshi, did you hear me?"

Lu Jinshi withdrew his gaze from the two people mourning outside the mourning hall and said indifferently, "I didn't hear anything."

After offering incense outside, Ah Hui helped Madam Shen into the mourning hall.

When He Jinlan saw someone approaching, she stopped talking to Lu Jinshi.

"Miss He, please accept my condolences." Ah Hui walked to He Jinlan's side and bowed.

When He Jinlan saw that the visitor was the sister of a minor official in the Hanlin Academy, who was fawning over her, she nodded condescendingly to Ahui.

Ah Hui, supporting Madam Shen, looked at Lu Jinshi, who was sitting on a wooden chair in white, and asked, "Lu Jinshi, what are you doing at the Yongxing Marquis's residence?"

(End of this chapter)