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

Chapter 83: She's about to elope!

Lu Jinshi chuckled softly, “The He family doesn’t know that Zhang’er is the Seventh Prince’s child, so they assume that the eldest daughter of the He family refers to He Jinlan.”

Princess Yongjia frowned and said, "They don't even use their brains. Where did the He family get two young ladies?"

Lu Jinshi smiled and said, "Because the He family no longer treats me like a young lady, they dare to act so recklessly. I'll wait and see if they commit the crime of deceiving the emperor tomorrow."

As soon as Lu Jinshi finished speaking, Lu Mingzhu came in from outside and said, "Miaomiao, this girl is..."

Lu Jinshi smiled faintly and said, "Mother, this is Princess Yongjia."

Princess Yongjia stood up and smiled faintly at Lu Mingzhu, saying, "Aunt Mingzhu."

Lu Mingzhu also bowed to Princess Yongjia and said, "Your Highness, it has been eighteen years since we last met. Little Yongjia has grown into such a beautiful young woman."

Princess Yongjia smiled shyly and said, "I am not as beautiful as you, Aunt Mingzhu."

Lu Mingzhu said, "You don't need to be modest. You were so small when I left, and now you've grown up so much."

Princess Yongjia chuckled and said, "Aunt Mingzhu, you've been gone for so many years, but you haven't changed at all."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, they heard Caiyun announce that Princess An had arrived.

Upon hearing the words "Princess Consort An," Princess Yongjia's expression changed slightly.

Princess An arrived with her two daughters and said with a smile, "Jinshi will be getting married tomorrow, so I've come today to bring her some dowry."

"Thank you, aunt."

"Your Highness," Lu Yiran greeted Princess Yongjia, "Your Highness, it's been a long time since I've seen you. You look radiant and even more beautiful than before."

Princess Yongjia looked rather uncomfortable when she saw the Lu family members in front of her. She could only smile in response to Lu Yiran's praise.

Princess An presented Lu Jinshi with a white jade Guanyin statue, saying, "Knowing that you still want to have a daughter, I'm giving you this white jade Guanyin statue. It hasn't been consecrated, so it's fine to keep it in the storeroom."

Lu Jinshi looked at the Guanyin statue made entirely of white jade and felt a deep sense of compassion. She respectfully closed the lid of the brocade box and said, "Thank you, Aunt, for giving me this as a dowry. I hope that, as you have said, my next child will be a daughter."

Princess Yongjia withdrew her gaze from the Guanyin statue, and unconsciously touched her lower abdomen, letting out a soft sigh.

After chatting for a while, Princess Yongjia took her leave, while Princess An stayed at the Princess's residence to continue helping them.

Princess An said to Lu Jinshi, "I thought Princess Yongjia would look very unwell these past few days, after all, she encountered such a scoundrel of a man. But I didn't expect that Her Highness would look quite well, not at all like someone who is depressed."

Lu Mingzhu asked curiously, "What happened?"

Princess An told Lu Mingzhu about Princess Yongjia and Yuan Jie, "The Yuan family is really too much. They don't respect Her Highness the Princess at all. They deserve to be in this half-dead state now."

Lu Mingzhu sighed and said, "I never thought that what happened between me and He Tan would be repeated in Chang'an City after eighteen years."

“Sister, you are different. It’s not that you can’t have children; you were drugged by the He family. There’s no evidence to prove it, so your brother and I can’t avenge you.”

Lu Jinshi smiled and said, "After tomorrow, we will be able to avenge my mother." As darkness fell, Lu Jinshi, after taking a bath, couldn't fall asleep. She was worried about whether Zhang'er was doing well in the palace, and also about the days to come.

Marrying into the royal family and becoming a royal daughter-in-law means losing your freedom forever.

What will follow is the intrigue and backstabbing surrounding the position of crown prince.

Furthermore, even before she married the Seventh Prince and became his princess consort, many young ladies already wanted to become his concubines.

How long will Rong Yi's oath be valid? After he uses himself to seize the position of crown prince, will he keep his oath?

Lu Jinshi thought for a long, long time, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Only after Caifeng lit some incense to help her sleep did she slowly fall asleep.

Lu Jinshi was woken up and made up after only a short time.

The prince's marriage to a princess was a morning ceremony, with the groom arriving at dawn to fetch the bride and the wedding ceremony taking place at dusk. Therefore, before dawn, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Lu Jinshi had to get up to dress and do her makeup.

When Lu Mingzhu arrived in front of Lu Jinshi, she combed her long hair and said, "Miaomiao, if I had known you were going to marry into the royal family, I shouldn't have let you have your way. With your personality, marrying into the royal family... sigh... I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."

Lu Jinshi looked up at Lu Mingzhu and said, "Mother, if you say that, I'm going to run away from the wedding."

Knowing that Lu Jin was joking, Lu Mingzhu couldn't help but smile: "Mother was originally thinking of asking you to be more tolerant of the Seventh Prince, but I don't think you're the type to be tolerant. There's another reason why Mother is going back to Jiangnan, which is that if one day you can't stay in Chang'an anymore, you can escape back to Jiangnan..."

Lu Jinshi looked at Lu Mingzhu and said, "Mother, fleeing the palace is a capital offense."

“But I don’t want you to suffer alone,” Lu Mingzhu said. “If you really can’t bear it anymore and life becomes unbearable, then go back to Shanyin City.”

"Oh dear, sister!" Princess An said as she entered, "How could Mother say such things on her daughter's wedding day?"

Lu Mingzhu patted Lu Jinshi's head. "Of course I hope my Miaomiao will have a smooth life and a harmonious marriage, but a harmonious marriage is inseparable from mutual respect and agreement. Miaomiao is not a woman who is willing to live a life of mutual respect and agreement."

Lu Jinshi smiled faintly at Lu Mingzhu and Princess An and said, "Mother, you don't need to worry about me. I won't let myself be wronged."

Lu Mingzhu reluctantly combed Lu Jinshi's long hair, then asked the hairdressing matron sent by the palace to come and style Lu Jinshi's hair into a bun.
-
Inside the residence of the Marquis of Yongxing.

Inside He Jinlan's house, all the women of the He family gathered.

Liu Xiuxiu felt her right eyelid twitching violently. "Why haven't the officials from the Ministry of Rites come to fetch the bride yet?"

Madam He said, "When the Ministry of Rites came to present the betrothal gifts, didn't they say that the auspicious time for the wedding ceremony was at dusk? It's only the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) now, which is very early. Our Marquis's residence is so close to the palace, how could the wedding procession from the palace arrive so early?"

"Sister-in-law," Madam He said with a light laugh, "you don't need to worry anymore. The Seventh Prince's consort must be your daughter He Jinlan's. If she were really He Jinshi, she should be back home waiting to get married by now. There's no reason for a daughter of the He family to be getting married outside."

He Jiayi, standing to the side, breathed a sigh of relief. With a cousin who was a princess consort, her future marriage would be smoother.

After all, in ancient times, the only way for her to live a better life was to get married. Marrying a good husband and obtaining a title that everyone envied, along with her husband's power, would allow her to be respected when she returned to her parents' home, no longer the illegitimate daughter whom everyone could bully.

He Jinlan smiled faintly as she looked at herself in the mirror. From today onwards, she would never be bullied by Lu Jinshi again. Whatever Lu Jinshi had done to her before, he would have to pay for it all after today.