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

Chapter 13 Where Did the Child Come From If Weren't Married?

When Lu Jinshi heard Liu Xiuxiu's words outside, he couldn't help but laugh. Liu Xiuxiu was really foolish. Did she think that she would not be able to see the Seventh Prince in this way?

She wanted to see the Seventh Prince, and she could go to the palace to see him anytime.

However, there was no need for him to meet the Seventh Prince.

Liu Xiuxiu's voice came from outside again: "Your Highness, why don't you wait in the guest courtyard for a while? Once the eldest young lady has changed her clothes, I will have her come to find you."

Lu Jinshi waited inside for about fifteen minutes before Caiyun brought the clothes.

After changing into a simple dress, Lu Jinshi went to find Liu Xiuxiu to ask for money. She was not familiar with the He family's backyard and got lost after leaving Jinyuan.

The front courtyard was bustling with activity, but not a single maid or servant of the He family could be found in the back courtyard.

Lu Jinshi followed the sound of chanting in the backyard, and as he passed a path, he saw a familiar figure.

Just as Lu Jinshi was about to pretend she didn't know her and walk over, Rong Yi quickly walked up to her and said, "Jin'er, what are you doing here?"

Lu Jinshi looked at Rong Yi and said, "And what are you doing here?"

Rong Yi said, "I've come to pay my respects to Lord He and offer incense. What about you? Are you a relative of the He family?"

Lu Jinshi thought that Rong Yi was the young master of the Marquis of Changping's mansion, and he would definitely come to pay his respects after hearing the news of the old Marquis He's death.

However, Lu Jinshi did not want to tell Rong Yi his identity. It was a matter of leaving the father behind and keeping the son, so there was no need to let him know too much, lest it cause any complications.

Seeing that Lu Jinshi was frowning and ignoring him, Rong Yi asked again, "In the backyard of the He family, do you know the eldest daughter of the He family?"

Lu Jinshi frowned, looked up at Rong Yi, and said, "Why are you asking about the eldest daughter of the He family?"

Rong Yi chuckled and said, "You're not jealous because I went to see the eldest daughter of the He family, are you?"

Lu Jinshi scoffed coldly, ignoring Rong Yi, "What are you jealous of? I don't need to be jealous over a seed!"

Upon hearing the word "seed," Rong Yi's face turned ashen. He grabbed Lu Jinshi's wrist and slammed her against a nearby pillar, catching her off guard. "Lu Jinshi!"

Lu Jinshi looked defiantly at Rong Yi, "This is the Yongxing Marquis's residence, not your Changping Marquis's residence. Let me go."

Rong Yi, mindful of the crowd, had no choice but to release Lu Jinshi and said, "I know you're still angry. I have business with the eldest daughter of the He family, and I'll explain things to you properly another day."

Lu Jinshi said, "There's no need to explain. I just want us to be like strangers from now on."

After Lu Jinshi finished speaking, he ignored Rong Yi behind him and went to the mourning hall to find Liu Xiuxiu.

Before even reaching the mourning hall, Lu Jinshi could hear the female relatives who had come to pay their respects whispering among themselves.

"What's the story behind the eldest daughter of the He family? Does the He family have another eldest daughter?"

"Isn't He Jinlan the eldest daughter of the He family? How come there's another eldest daughter here?"

"The He family also has an older daughter, the daughter of Princess Mingzhu, who was famous throughout Chang'an. Later, it was heard that Princess Mingzhu remarried to a schoolteacher in the countryside of Shanyin City, and the eldest daughter of the He family lived with Princess Mingzhu in the countryside."

"That eldest daughter of the He family is truly ignorant of etiquette and extremely greedy. She actually used her own younger sister's reputation as a threat, demanding a staggering ten thousand taels of silver."

Hearing the whispers of the women, Lu Jinshi walked up to them and said, "How could I be greedy and ruin my own sister's reputation?"

Several women who were chatting and relaxing over tea saw the beautiful woman approaching, but none of them knew who she was.

Lu Jinshi looked at the lady who had just said he didn't know the rules and said:
"I am the eldest daughter of the He family. Liu Xiuxiu and He Jinlan, mother and daughter, have been living in the courtyard that my mother carefully built for me for eighteen years, and have been using my mother's dowry golden nanmu bed for more than ten years."

"I'm concerned about He Jinlan's reputation, so I didn't just throw away the bed she slept in. And out of sisterly affection, I sold her the golden nanmu bed. Fifteen thousand taels of silver isn't much." Madam Bai hadn't expected that Lu Jinshi would overhear her gossip behind her back. Her face flushed, and she said, "You yourself said we're family. Why use your sister's reputation to demand fifteen thousand taels of silver?"

Lu Jinshi said, "Does this lady have any half-sisters? Do she have any half-daughters or half-sons? Since you are so generous, then give all the dowry your mother prepared for you to your half-sisters, and give all the things that belong to your legitimate children to their half-sisters and half-sons. Only in this way can it be shown that your family is harmonious, with brothers being friendly and respectful, and sisters being affectionate."

Madam Bai's face flushed red and then paled after Lu Jinshi's words. "Miss He, I was just saying... I didn't know before that the Crown Prince's wife and He Jinlan were actually usurpers."

Seeing Madam Bai's face turning red and then pale, Lu Jinshi said, "What kind of lady is Liu Xiuxiu? A lady of the heir needs to be granted an imperial title by the court. Back when she was a guest in the Marquis's mansion, she had an affair with a married man and became pregnant. How can such a person with a wicked heart be a lady of the court?"

Madam Bai repeatedly replied, "Yes, yes."

Lu Jinshi said to the ladies in front of him, "Although I do not know the identities of you ladies, you all appear dignified and upright. You must not associate with Liu Shi, lest you tarnish your own reputations. Aren't you afraid that others will think that you ladies are also women who covet married men, or that you are also eyeing the dowry of other men's wives?"

Upon hearing Lu Jinshi's words, the ladies quickly replied, "Miss He is right."

"We and the Liu family are on different paths and cannot work together."

Seeing that the ladies in front of him were trying to distance themselves from Madam Liu, Lu Jinshi bowed to them and said, "I'll take my leave now."

As soon as Lu Jinshi left, the ladies gathered together and chatted.

"In recent years, Lady Liu has been the envy of many in Chang'an. Her husband has no concubines in the backyard, and she is always fawned over at banquets. Her arrogance is evident in her daily life. Now, the true eldest daughter of the He family has returned. There's going to be a good show to watch."

"However, the eldest daughter of the He family is still a junior. Back then, even Princess Mingzhu was defeated by the Liu family. I heard that the Liu family's daughter even became the Seventh Prince's wife... Would it be inappropriate for us to help the eldest daughter of the He family offend the Liu family?"

"I heard that the imperial decree of marriage was written for the eldest daughter of the He family. We all thought that the eldest daughter of the He family was He Jinlan, but upon closer inspection, this one is the real eldest daughter!"
-
Lu Jinshi went to the mourning hall in the front yard and found Liu Xiuxiu. He spread his hands and said, "Fifteen thousand taels of silver. Don't give me any more excuses. You don't need to go to great lengths to stop me from seeing the Seventh Prince. I just don't want to see the Seventh Prince. If I wanted to see him, this jade pendant my mother gave me allows me to freely enter and leave the palace."

Liu Xiuxiu couldn't help but glare venomously at Lu Jinshi, and ordered her trusted nanny to fetch the silver notes.

After receiving the silver notes, Lu Jinshi prepared to leave the Marquis's residence.

He Tan hurriedly called out to Lu Jinshi, "Miaomiao, where are you going? Didn't Jinyuan already move out?"

Lu Jinshi said, "Jinyuan is very dirty where they lived. I will stay outside. I will come to see my grandfather off on the day of his funeral and do my best to fulfill my filial duty."

After Lu Jinshi finished speaking, he ignored He Tan's expression and went back to her courtyard.
-
Inside Fengkun Palace.

Imperial Noble Consort Rong Shuang looked at Rong Yi, who had returned from outside the palace, and frowned slightly, asking, "What happened to your face?"

Rong Yi touched his cheek and said, "Mother, I'm fine."

"Have you seen the eldest daughter of the He family?"

Rong Yi shook his head and said, "I haven't seen her. My father asked me to comfort her and help her grieve. I suppose she doesn't need comforting. When I went to the Marquis's residence, I heard that she took back the dowry that the princess had left for her."

The Imperial Noble Consort chuckled and said, "That Miss He is as beautiful as a fairy, and she is a perfect match for you. It's a pity that you are not destined to be together in this life. Miss He already has a child and cannot marry you as a concubine."

Rong Yi asked, "Miss He has a child? She's married?"

Rong Shuang shook her head slightly and said, "She is not married."

Rong Yi asked curiously, "Did the eldest daughter of the He family also have a child before marriage?"

When Rong Yi recalled Lu Jin, whom he had just met at the He family's residence, a thought crossed his mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

Lu Jinshi's surname is Lu, not He. Her mother was just a female teacher at a girls' school, gentle, kind and simple.

She was not the spoiled and arrogant Princess Mingzhu who was rumored to be someone who only used luxurious things and only ate the finest delicacies.

(End of this chapter)