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

Chapter 3 Return to the Marquis Mansion

"Ah."

Lu Jinshi, inside the carriage, sneezed softly. She pulled her white fox fur cloak tighter around herself. It was already February, and spring in Chang'an was quite chilly.

"Girl, here we are."

Hearing the voices of the carriage driver outside, Lu Jinshi lifted the curtain and looked at the plaque in front of her that read "Yongxing Marquis's Residence." She then got off the carriage and walked to the entrance.

When Lu Jinshi saw the tightly closed vermilion gate and was about to knock, the gatekeeper from the side door came over.

The gatekeeper stopped Lu Jinshi and said, "May I ask who you are, young lady? Please allow me to go in and inform you."

When the servant saw that Lu Jinshi was dressed in shimmering brocade, the colors were simple, but the subtle patterns and fabric made it look like a top-quality product, the servant dared not be negligent towards Lu Jinshi.

Lu Jinshi said, "There's no need to go in and announce my arrival. I am the eldest daughter of the Yongxing Marquis's mansion. Just open the gate."

The gatekeeper glanced at Lu Jinshi, and was stunned for a while. The girl in front of him was truly beautiful, like a fairy from heaven.
“Miss, I am the gatekeeper of the Yongxing Marquis’s residence. How could you not recognize my young lady? Although you are as beautiful as my young lady, you are definitely not my young lady.”

Lu Jinshi raised her eyebrows slightly and said in a calm tone, "The eldest daughter of the Yongxing Marquis's mansion left Chang'an eighteen years ago and has never returned. How do you know the eldest daughter of the Yongxing Marquis's mansion?"

The gatekeeper said, "Our young lady of the Yongxing Marquis's mansion has always been here. She is only seventeen years old. How could she have left Chang'an eighteen years ago?"

Cai Feng and Cai Yun, the two maids, were very annoyed with Lu Jinshi.

Cai Feng said, "Miss, what a mess the Yongxing Marquis's mansion is! They've completely disowned you as their eldest daughter."

Caiyun was also furious: "The Marquis's mansion is really going too far. They don't even treat you as their daughter anymore. Why did they write a letter asking you to come and see the old Marquis one last time?"

Lu Jinshi also found it absurd. No wonder it took eighteen years for a letter to arrive. It turned out that the He family no longer treated her as their daughter. In that case, she wouldn't be surprised if she settled all her old and new scores.

The gatekeeper of the Marquis's mansion looked at Lu Jinshi and said, "Go, go, go. Our Marquis's mansion doesn't have another young lady. Leave quickly."

Lu Jinshi chuckled softly and said, "Leave?"

Lu Jinshi looked at the guards his younger brother had left him behind and slowly instructed, "You guys go forward and find a way to open the main gate."

The gatekeeper hurriedly said, "This is not a place for you to act arrogantly. This is the Yongxing Marquis's residence!"

Lu Jinshi walked to the side and gestured for several guards to come forward and open the door.

These guards were quite strong; some went forward to bang on the door, while others kicked it.

Upon seeing this, the gatekeeper went to the Marquis's residence to summon the guards, and then went to Shouhe Courtyard to report the matter to the steward.

"Steward Liu, something terrible has happened! A woman with guards has come to smash the gate of the Marquis's mansion."

Inside the Shouhe Courtyard, several masters of the Marquis's mansion gathered together.

Upon hearing the gatekeeper's report, He Tan, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Yongxing, frowned and said, "What kind of woman is so arrogant as to dare to smash the gate of my Marquis's mansion?"

Liu Xiuxiu walked to He Tan's side and said, "Husband, did that woman know that something big was going to happen in our manor these days and came here to cause trouble? Just give her some money to send her away."

The gatekeeper whispered, "That woman claims to be the eldest daughter of our Marquis's mansion; she must be insane."

Upon hearing this, He Tan first frowned, then hurriedly rushed to the main gate of the Marquis's residence.

Liu Xiuxiu hurriedly followed He Tan, only to find that her right eyelid was twitching violently.

This wasn't the first time the gate of the Marquis's mansion had been smashed. Back when Princess Mingzhu came to reclaim her dowry after her divorce, the gate was smashed once as well.

He Jinlan caught up with Liu Xiuxiu and said, "Mother, who is so fearless as to dare to cause trouble at the future father-in-law's house of the Seventh Prince?" Liu Xiuxiu said, "Lan'er, stop mentioning the Seventh Prince."

He Jinlan's twin brother, He Qin, caught up with Liu Xiuxiu and said, "Mother, why is Father so agitated? I have never seen Father so agitated before."

Liu Xiuxiu rubbed her throbbing temples and went to the main gate of the Marquis's residence.

Upon arriving at the main gate of the Marquis's residence, they found that the gate had already been opened, and a woman dressed in a simple blue brocade robe stepped over the threshold and entered.

Looking at the stunning beauty of the woman before her, Liu Xiuxiu closed her eyes slightly. She really had come…

Liu Xiuxiu opened her eyes and said with a smile, "You must be Jinshi, right?"

Lu Jinshi stared directly at the bearded man opposite him, who must be his father. He looked to be only in his thirties, but his appearance was no less than that of his stepfather.

That's true, the husband my mother chose can't be too ugly either.

Upon hearing the woman's voice, Lu Jinshi looked Liu Xiuxiu up and down, "Yes."

Behind Liu Xiuxiu, He Jinlan looked at Lu Jinshi with disbelief. How could her older sister, who had gone to the countryside of Shanyin since childhood and grew up in the home of a poor schoolteacher in the mountains, have grown up to be so beautiful and arrogant?

Liu Xiuxiu laughed and said, "Oh my, Xiao Jinshi has grown into such a graceful young lady. Why didn't you send a message or send an invitation before you arrived? Why did you have to bang on the door? It only makes you a laughing stock."

Seeing Liu Xiuxiu's fake smile, Lu Jinshi chuckled and said, "Do I need to send a letter or invitation to return to my own home? Since it was my grandfather who wrote to me asking me to come back, can't I knock on my own door?"

Lu Jinshi looked at He Tan, who was staring blankly at him, and said, "Father, don't you think so?"

He Tan came to his senses and looked at Lu Jinshi. His daughter, who used to be so soft and sweet in his arms, had grown up so much.

Liu Xiuxiu said, "Breaking down your own door will only make you a laughingstock. Just have the gatekeeper inform the master..."

Caiyun crossed her arms and said, "What you're saying is truly laughable. Does my young lady need a gatekeeper or servant to announce her return home? To whom should she announce her return? My young lady is the rightful mistress of this Marquis's mansion."

Caifeng added, "Besides, the gatekeeper of the Marquis's mansion actually said that the eldest young lady is not my young lady and that he wants to drive her away. Why would he bother to inform him?"

Liu Xiuxiu just smiled awkwardly, "It was my fault."

“Mother, what have you done wrong, sister? My mother is still your stepmother and your mother. You just arrived in Chang'an today, and first you banged on the door, and now you're letting your servants disrespect my mother. What does this mean?”

Seeing the woman's arrogance, He Jinlan was truly furious. "Sister, you grew up in the countryside, so it's understandable that you don't know the rules. But this is Chang'an City, in the Marquis's mansion. How can you be so disrespectful to your mother?"

Lu Jinshi glanced at He Jinlan and said, "My mother is the adopted daughter of the Empress Dowager and Princess Mingzhu, the adopted sister of the current Emperor. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry is worthy of being my mother."

He Jinlan was furious and said, "How dare you be disrespectful to the wife of the heir of the Yongxing Marquis?"

Lu Jinshi gave a light sneer, "I wouldn't dare to be disrespectful to the wife of the Marquis of Yongxing's heir, but... is she?"

The current emperor is her mother's sworn brother. Liu Xiuxiu bullied her mother so much back then, and now she wants the title of madam, but the emperor will only reject her time and time again.

Liu Xiuxiu looked at He Tan with a wronged expression and said, "Husband."

He Tan said to Lu Jinshi, "Go in. Your grandfather has been bedridden for a long time and has been waiting to see you."

Lu Jinshi said, "Wait, Father, I received a letter from my grandfather two months ago. Why is it that the gatekeeper of the Marquis's mansion still says that the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion has only just turned seventeen?"

Lu Jinshi glanced at Liu Xiuxiu and her daughter and said, "Who's in charge of the backyard of the Marquis's mansion now? The one in charge is so incompetent that even the gatekeepers and servants don't know who their young lady is. This mansion doesn't need to be in charge anymore."

(End of this chapter)