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

Chapter 12 Please, Seventh Prince, uphold justice for my daughter.

He Jinlan hurriedly asked her maid to find her a white satin dress, not caring about anything else in the brocade garden, and took out a bronze mirror to look at her makeup.

Seeing the red, swollen finger marks reflected on her face in the bronze mirror, He Jinlan glared at Lu Jinshi.

Liu Xiuxiu also looked at Lu Jinshi. He Tan was a handsome man who was famous throughout Chang'an when he was young. Lu Jinshi inherited the good looks of his parents. Such good looks should not be shown in front of the Seventh Prince.

Liu Xiuxiu chuckled at Lu Jinshi and said, "Jinshi, it would be difficult for me to come up with 15,000 taels of silver in a short time. How about I give you 5,000 taels of silver first, and you come with me to the bank to get the banknotes. I will write you an IOU for the remaining 10,000 taels of silver."

Lu Jinshi looked at Liu Xiuxiu and knew exactly what she was thinking. She just didn't want him to see the Seventh Prince.

The Marquis of Changping's family is the maternal family of the Seventh Prince's mother. Rong Yi is the young master of the Marquis of Changping's family, so isn't he the Seventh Prince's cousin?

Lu Jinshi was also curious about the Seventh Prince's appearance. Rong Yi had come to Tianzhang Academy to study, but the Seventh Prince had come to Jiangnan and didn't come to Tianzhang Academy to study.

Lu Jinshi said to Liu Xiuxiu, "Why do I have to go to the bank to collect the silver myself? You'd better write an IOU quickly. You and your daughter don't want the Seventh Prince to know that you two have been usurping his place for more than ten years, do you?"

While applying face powder to cover the redness and swelling on her face, He Jinlan frowned and said, "It's not that we've usurped this place. This is the Marquis's residence. You don't live in the countryside anyway."

Lu Jinshi admired He Jinlan. As expected of a woman who stole another woman's husband, she could so easily take what belonged to others.

Liu Xiuxiu glared at He Jinlan, "Shut up and hurry up and kneel down in front of the old Marquis to show your filial piety!"

He Jinlan knew that instead of arguing with Lu Jinshi, it would be better to go to the Seventh Prince first.

Liu Xiuxiu gestured to her nanny, who understood and accompanied He Jinlan to the mourning hall.

Liu Xiuxiu gave Lu Jinshi a sheepish smile and said, "Jinshi, writing an IOU is fine. Wait a moment while I have a maid bring you paper and pen."

Lu Jinshi knew that Liu Xiuxiu was trying to keep him from seeing the Seventh Prince, but he let her have her way. He simply sat on the wooden chair that Caifeng had brought over, took the tea that Caiyun offered, and leisurely drank his tea while waiting for Liu Xiuxiu to write down the IOU.

Liu Xiuxiu stood to the side, not daring to leave, fearing that Lu Jinshi would go to see the Seventh Prince.

Her servants couldn't bring chairs into the Jin Garden, so Liu Xiuxiu could only stand aside and watch Lu Jinshi drinking tea while sitting in a chair, her heart filled with resentment.

She wasn't afraid of Princess Mingzhu back then, and she won't be afraid of this little brat today.
-
He Jinlan rushed to the mourning hall and saw the extremely handsome Seventh Prince with a face like jade. Her face turned red.

The seven prince, now nineteen, was noticeably more handsome than he had been two years ago, having shed his childishness. However, why did the seven prince also have the same faint finger marks on his face as she did?
Who dares to hit His Highness the Seventh Prince?

Was it pressed down on by the Seventh Prince while he was sleeping?

He Tan said to the Seventh Prince from the side, "The Seventh Prince is even more handsome and elegant than he was two years ago, and has the demeanor of an immortal."

The Seventh Prince replied to He Tan's praise, "Your Highness is too kind."

“Seventh Prince, my father is not exaggerating.” He Jinlan walked up to the Seventh Prince, her eyes sparkling, and bowed to him, saying, “Your Highness.”

He Tan said to the Seventh Prince, "Your Highness, this is my daughter, He Jinlan."

The Seventh Prince didn't even glance at He Jinlan. "I heard that Princess Mingzhu's daughter has also returned to Chang'an? Is she at home?"

Upon hearing the Seventh Prince's words, He Jinlan said aggrievedly, "My sister is back. As soon as she came back, she wanted to sell the bed I slept on to those dirty men outside, trying to damage my reputation. She forced my mother to pay ten thousand taels of silver to protect my reputation."

He Tan frowned and looked at He Jinlan, saying, "Lan'er!"

He Jinlan looked at He Tan with a wronged expression and said, "Father, I know you haven't seen my sister for more than ten years and feel sorry for her, so you always protect her. But I am also your daughter. You can't be biased and make me suffer such a great injustice."

He Jinlan was on the verge of tears, looking quite pitiful. Many guests who came to pay their respects whispered among themselves upon hearing He Jinlan's words.

Listening to the guests' discussions, He Jinlan felt smug, thinking that He Jinshi's reputation was about to be completely ruined after what had happened.

He Jinlan looked at the Seventh Prince with a pitiful expression and said, "I beg the Seventh Prince to do justice for me."

The Seventh Prince glanced at He Jinlan and, seeing her crying, said, "I'm not the Prefect of Chang'an. If you want someone to stand up for you, report it to the Prefect of Chang'an. Why are you asking me for help? I'm not here to meddle in your infighting among the sisters in the inner quarters."

He Jinlan was still wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, thinking about how to cry in a way that would make her look like a pear blossom in the rain, when she heard the Seventh Prince's words and she was stunned for a moment.

He Tan repeatedly scolded He Jinlan, "Get down."

He Tan said to the Seventh Prince, "My daughter has offended Your Highness. It is my fault for not teaching her properly. I will definitely teach her well in the future."

The Seventh Prince asked He Tan, "Where is Miss He? Where is she?"

He Tan said, "I will send someone to Jinyuan to summon her to pay her respects to Your Highness. Please come to the guest courtyard for a cup of tea and rest for a while."

He Jinlan was extremely indignant, wondering why the Seventh Prince would want to see that country bumpkin.

The Seventh Prince said, "Jinyuan, is it the mansion that Princess Mingzhu meticulously built for Miss He in Chang'an? I heard that many royal gardens are now modeled after Jinyuan. I'd like to go and see the layout of Jinyuan."

He Tan said, "Your Highness, I will lead you there."

The Seventh Prince said, "The funeral arrangements for the old Marquis are complicated. You just go ahead and do your work. I will go by myself."

He Tan hurriedly had someone guide the Seventh Prince to Jinyuan.

Upon seeing this, He Jinlan gestured to the nanny beside her, who then jogged over to Jinyuan.

Inside Jinyuan Garden.

As Liu Xiuxiu realized that the time was almost up and was about to write down the IOU, the old woman beside her rushed over and whispered something in her ear.

Liu Xiuxiu's expression changed slightly, and she said to Lu Jinshi, "Jinshi, I remember now, I have 15,000 taels of silver notes in my room. Come with me to get them."

Lu Jinshi did not intend to get up, but simply said, "Caifeng, go with her to get it."

Liu Xiuxiu said, "Fifteen thousand taels of silver is no small sum. Miss, you should come with me to get it. If we are short of a five hundred tael silver note, we can't even afford to sell this maid to make up for it."

Lu Jinshi said, "It's alright. Even if my maid loses all 15,000 taels, it won't matter. Just give her the silver notes."

Cai Feng looked at Liu Xiuxiu and said, "Let's go."

Upon seeing this, the nanny beside Liu Xiuxiu rushed towards Lu Jinshi, soaking Lu Jinshi's skirt with tea.

Lu Jinshi frowned and looked at the old woman next to Liu Xiuxiu.

The old woman knelt down and said, "Young lady, this old servant lost her balance for a moment. Please come inside and change your clothes."

Lu Jinshi frowned when he saw the skirt that had been soaked with tea. He went into a room and asked Caiyun to fetch the clothes.

As soon as Lu Jinshi entered the house, he heard Liu Xiuxiu's voice coming from the courtyard gate, "Your Highness has come at an inopportune time. The eldest young lady's dress was soaked by tea and she is changing it."

(End of this chapter)