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

Chapter 27 Filial Piety Suppresses People
He Jinlan then looked at Ah Hui and asked, "What did you call her?"

"Lu Jinshi." Seeing that He Jinlan had taken the initiative to speak to her, Ahui hurriedly stepped forward to flatter her, saying, "Miss He, do you also know Lu Jinshi?"

He Jinlan frowned and looked at Lu Jinshi, saying, "Why would she call you Lu Jinshi? Aren't you surnamed He?"

Lu Jinshi put down his teacup and said, "I changed my surname to Lu after my mother, is that not allowed?"

He Jinlan said, "Then how dare you come back to the He family and call yourself the eldest daughter of the He family? You've even changed your surname to Lu."

Lu Jinshi said, "Why can't I return to the Yongxing Marquis's Mansion as the eldest daughter just because I have the surname Lu? My father has not severed ties with me. Although I have the surname Lu, I am still a member of the He family and a daughter of the He family."

Madam Shen, who was standing next to Ahui, was surprised to hear Lu Jinshi's words and exclaimed, "You are actually a daughter of the Yongxing Marquis's family?"

Lu Jinshi replied, "Yes."

A hint of regret flashed in Madam Shen's eyes.

Ah Hui also stared at Lu Jinshi in disbelief. How could Lu Jinshi be the daughter of a marquis in Chang'an?
Seeing Madam Shen's expression, Ahui felt anxious. She coughed and looked at Lu Jinshi, saying, "Sister Jinshi, where is your child? I only heard that you had a son, but I haven't seen him yet. Your son should be about seven months old by now, right?"

He Jinlan raised an eyebrow at Lu Jinshi, "A child? What's going on? You already have a child? Aren't you married yet?"

"Lu Jinshi, you yourself dared to commit the immoral act of getting pregnant out of wedlock, how dare you come here to insult my mother?"

Lu Jinshi slowly said, "Although I became pregnant out of wedlock, both of my fiancés fell seriously ill after getting engaged to me. I didn't want to involve any other innocent men, so I had a child through surrogacy. What's wrong with that?"

I am not like Liu Xiuxiu, who seduced a married man, stole his husband, and corrupted moral principles.

At this moment, He Jinlan was more happy than angry.

Lu Jinshi had already said that she already had a child, so her mother no longer needed to be on guard against Lu Jinshi trying to compete with her for the position of the Seventh Prince's consort.

He Jinlan felt less resentment towards Lu Jinshi at this moment, and even felt sorry for Lu Jinshi. The legitimate daughter of a marquis's family had been reduced to having a child out of wedlock, and was destined to be a laughing stock for the rest of her life without any status or identity.

Lu Jinshi was so arrogant just a few days ago; he'll only be a laughingstock in the future. He's truly pathetic.

Lu Jinshi knew that she had a child, and it was impossible to hide it from the He family. His Majesty, the Empress, and the Seventh Prince all knew about it, so she no longer needed to conceal it from the He family.

"absurd!"

Old Madam He arrived, supported by Liu Xiuxiu. She angrily said, "This is utterly absurd! How dare you, an unmarried young woman, have a child out of wedlock? This is a disgrace to the Yongxing Marquis's Mansion! Today, I will use the He family rules to beat you to death, you shameless little beast who knows no propriety or righteousness."

Lu Jinshi was not afraid of Madam He and said slowly, "Grandmother, I have a child out of wedlock, but neither of us is married. Even if it damages my reputation, it is only because I did not want to get engaged to another man. It is not a big deal."

And what about Liu Xiuxiu and my father? If Grandmother cared so much about propriety and shame, she wouldn't have stood by and watched her distant niece, whom she kept in her quarters, seduce a married man and become pregnant with his child. If you want to invoke family rules, please use them on my father and Liu Xiuxiu first!

Madam He said angrily, "What a sharp tongue you have! Your mother has really spoiled you. How dare you, a junior, talk about your elders?"

Lu Jinshi said, "Where did I make up stories? If their elders could do such a thing, why would they be afraid of what people say? Grandmother doesn't need to feel that I have disgraced the He family by getting pregnant out of wedlock. After all, I am following the example of my elders. If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked too. The He family has long lost face."

Madam He was so angry that her hands trembled. "You wretched daughter!"

Seeing that Old Madam He was panting heavily, Liu Xiuxiu said to Lu Jinshi, "Young lady, please say less. Your mother-in-law's health is not good."

Madam He walked up to Lu Jinshi and said, "I heard that you slapped the daughter of Minister Sun a couple of days ago. Who gave you the audacity to do that? You'd better go to the Sun family later, kneel down, admit your mistake, and beg for forgiveness!" Lu Jinshi said, "If I slapped her, it must be her fault. I'm innocent, so why should I beg for forgiveness?"

Madam He said, "He Jinshi, I am still your grandmother. How dare you disobey your grandmother's orders? You are so unfilial and disrespectful. You are simply not worthy of being a human being."

Lu Jinshi looked up at Madam He, who was using filial piety to pressure him, and said, "The reason I slapped Miss Sun was because she talked about me behind my back, cried and wailed at the princess's birthday banquet, which was very unlucky, and even claimed to teach me the rules of Chang'an. I was just teaching her what the rules are."

My grandmother insisted that I confess my sins, even resorting to the threat of filial piety. Did she think it was right for Sun Xian, as the daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, to gossip and speak ill of others behind their backs? Or was it right for her to disrespect Her Highness the Princess and cry and whine at Her Highness's birthday banquet?

If Grandmother thinks Sun Xian's actions are right and insists on forcing her granddaughter under the guise of filial piety, then the granddaughter will go to the Sun family to apologize and let everyone in Chang'an know that Lady Yongxing Marquis approves of Miss Sun crying and sobbing at the princess's birthday banquet.

Madam He was so speechless after being choked by Lu Jinshi's words that she couldn't utter a single word.

Liu Xiuxiu chimed in, "Young lady, even if Miss Sun's crying at the princess's birthday banquet was wrong, the princess should punish her herself. You shouldn't have hit her..."

Lu Jinshi said, "I punished her on behalf of Princess Yongjia, and even the princess approved of it. Why are you guys protecting Sun Xian like this?"

Liu Xiuxiu clenched her fists and said, "Young lady, the position of Marquis for the heir apparent cannot be obtained without the help of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Now that you have offended Sun Xian, it is equivalent to offending the Six Ministries. When your father becomes the Marquis of Yongxing and Tan'er becomes the heir apparent of the Marquis of Yongxing, it will definitely cause the Six Ministries to interfere."

Lu Jinshi said, "Sun Xian doesn't have the ability to represent the Six Ministries. If a mere daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat can represent the Six Ministries, where do you place His Majesty and the court?"

Liu Xiuxiu's words were indeed laughable.

Even Sun Xian's father, Minister Sun, wouldn't dare say that offending him was equivalent to offending the Six Ministries.

Seeing Liu Xiuxiu's changing expression, Lu Jinshi continued, "Also, out of consideration for my being a member of the He family, I will tell you the truth: Father is currently only the heir apparent and has not been granted the hereditary title of Marquis of Yongjia. It is only because he married you, Liu Xiuxiu."

"My father had an affair with my cousin who lives in the manor, and they had a child. How can he be worthy of being a marquis? Besides, He Tan is the son of adultery; he will absolutely not be the heir of the marquis's manor!"

Madam He was so angry that her hands trembled even more violently, and she began to panic.

But thinking about it, that little wretch has been gone from Chang'an for almost twenty years, and her feelings for His Majesty and Empress Dowager must have faded by now.

Since it is a hereditary title, there is no need to worry about not having it.

His Majesty may simply not have seen the memorial yet.

He Jinlan said to Lu Jinshi, "Why is it absolutely impossible for him to become the heir of the Marquis's mansion? My elder brother, He Tan, is the legitimate brother-in-law of the Seventh Prince. After I become the Seventh Prince's wife, my brother will definitely become the heir of the Marquis's mansion."

Lu Jinshi admired He Jinlan's ability to dream.

More and more guests came to pay their respects, and both Madam He and Liu Xiuxiu had to go out to entertain them. Madam He said fiercely, "He Jinshi, you better behave yourself. After you take your grandfather to the funeral, I will definitely teach you proper etiquette and manners."

As Lu Jinshi watched Madam He's departing figure, he couldn't help but shake his head. Back then, his mother had suffered so much when she encountered such a mother-in-law.

Lu Jinshi thought of his future mother-in-law. Perhaps because the Imperial Noble Consort looked similar to Zhang'er, Lu Jinshi felt that the Imperial Noble Consort was quite kind and would not put on airs as a mother-in-law in front of him.

He Jinlan just said that Sun Xian is the tacitly acknowledged concubine of the Seventh Prince in the palace. Why did the Seventh Prince swear that he would not take a concubine that day?

Although the Seventh Prince has made a vow, will His Majesty and the Imperial Noble Consort agree that the Seventh Prince will not take a concubine?

(End of this chapter)