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

Chapter 142 No Interference in Politics
Lu Jinshi frowned as he looked at the smug expression on the Prince of Yan's face. Fortunately, Emperor Huiyuan was cautious; otherwise, if he had fallen for the Prince of Yan's treacherous scheme, he would probably be at the Prince of Yan's mercy now.

After the Prince of Yan left, Lu Jinshi and Rong Yi entered the Zichen Palace.

When Emperor Huiyuan saw his son and Lu Jinshi coming hand in hand, he couldn't help but frown. "Yi'er, I have summoned you here because I have important matters of state to discuss with you."

Rong Yi said, "Father, Jin Shi is not an outsider either."

Emperor Huiyuan frowned slightly, but still said, "The Minister of Revenue is about to retire and return to his hometown. I plan to choose one of Wei Yong and Xiao Hui to be the Minister of Revenue. In your opinion, who is better to choose between these two?"

Rong Yi slowly said, "Wei Yong is forty years old this year and has been in the Ministry of Revenue for ten years. He is quite competent. Xiao Hui is only twenty-nine years old and has only been in the Ministry of Revenue for three years, but he has made great achievements. Wei Yong has seniority, but his political achievements are mediocre. Xiao Hui has good political achievements, but he is too young."

Emperor Huiyuan nodded and said, "Yes, the Ministry of Revenue is of great importance, and the Minister of Revenue must be carefully selected. I am also struggling with this."

Lu Jinshi said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I think neither Wei Yong nor Xiao Hui should be chosen. The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the granaries of the country, and the Minister of Revenue is an important position. Although Wei Yong is honest, he is not good at managing his subordinates, and Xiao Hui is young and likes to take shortcuts. Neither of them is suitable to be the Minister of Revenue."

Emperor Huiyuan, whether he had been feigning a headache or not, now genuinely had one. "Wonderful! Women must not interfere in politics."

Lu Jinshi said, “Father, I think that Lin Yunhai, the governor of Jiangnan, is worthy of being the Minister of Revenue. During his three years in Jiangnan, the taxes in Jiangnan were paid in full every year, and the people’s granaries were full. When Jiangnan was flooded two years ago, there was no shortage of food. This is because he collected taxes in two ways, one for good years and one for bad years. He is a man of integrity and uprightness, and is worthy of being the Minister of Revenue.”

Emperor Huiyuan rubbed his temples and looked at Qi Yi, saying, "Lin Yunhai served as the governor of Jiangnan for three years, and his political achievements were indeed good. However, he is not from one of the Six Ministries. It is probably not appropriate for him to be suddenly demoted to the Ministry of Revenue."

Rong Yi said, "Father, when I was in Jiangnan, I also had dealings with Lin Yunhai. He is not afraid of a sudden attack."

Emperor Huiyuan said, "I will think about it again, but Miaomiao, you must not interfere in politics in the inner palace."

Lu Jinshi knelt down and said, "Father, the reason why there are rules in the palace that the empress dowager cannot interfere in politics is simply because they are afraid that the emperor is young and the mother is strong, and the imperial power will fall into the wrong hands. Our Lu family is loyal to Your Majesty and would do anything for you. Father, you are strong and healthy, so naturally you are not afraid of me interfering in politics."

Upon hearing Lu Jinshi's words, Emperor Huiyuan smiled helplessly and said, "You are much more eloquent than your mother was when she was young. Fine, I won't bother with you anymore."

Lu Jinshi chuckled and said, "Thank you for your mercy, Father Emperor."

Emperor Huiyuan said, "You may leave now, but Yi'er will stay."

Lu Jinshi glanced at Rong Yi, then bowed and withdrew.

After Lu Jinshi left, Emperor Huiyuan said to Rong Yi, "You, you're even disregarding the rules left by our ancestors for her sake?"

Rong Yi said in a low voice, "Father, I do not mean to break the rules. I just feel that Jin Shi has the ability, but it is a pity that she is wasting it in my Eastern Palace. She has been taught by Qin Zhao since childhood, and her literary talent is no less than that of the men in the court. I just cherish her talent."

Emperor Huiyuan said, "Stop speaking so grandly. You're just afraid of your wife. For the Crown Prince to be afraid of his wife is something to be laughed at."

Rong Yi smiled and said, "Father, the empress dowager is not allowed to interfere in politics. Just as Jinshi said, it's just to prevent the maternal relatives from controlling the court. Now her maternal family is the Prince An's Mansion. Regardless of whether the Prince An's Mansion is loyal to us, Lu Xiao married the Empress. If Lu Jinshi really doesn't even care about Zhang'er and wants to support her maternal family, she is supporting the Empress's bloodline. What is there to worry about? Besides, Jinshi regards Zhang'er as her life."

Emperor Huiyuan said, "But your elder sister's child will ultimately not bear the surname Qi."

Rong Yi smiled and said, "Father, Jinshi can't possibly be confused about the inside and outside of the family. She loves Zhang'er more than anyone else."

Emperor Huiyuan sighed helplessly, "I'm getting older and older, and I don't care about you anymore. Your birthday is coming soon, and you'll be twenty years old. I hope you're aware of that." Rong Yi replied, "Yes, Father."

As Rong Yi stepped out of the Zichen Palace, Lu Jinshi went to greet him. "Does Father forbid me from interfering in politics? I am extremely loyal to Father."

Rong Yi said, "Father Emperor only felt that breaking the rules was inappropriate; he did not forbid you from interfering in politics."

Lu Jinshi smiled at Rong Yi.

Rong Yi looked down at Lu Jinshi and said, "My birthday is in a few days."

Lu Jinshi said, "Is it already September 19th?"

Rong Yi smiled and said, "It's kind of you to remember my birthday."

Lu Jinshi said, "I will prepare a nice birthday gift for you."

Rong Yi lowered his head and whispered something in Lu Jinshi's ear. Lu Jinshi blushed and glared at Rong Yi.

Rong Yi said, "I only want this birthday gift."

Lu Jinshi said, "We'll see."
-
The Prince of Yan's Residence.

Inside the Buddhist hall.

Prince Yan hurriedly went to Consort Rong and said, "Mother, great news! Father is becoming increasingly dependent on his medicine. He just said he wants to reinstate my title of Prince."

Consort Rong frowned and said, "You're so happy about a mere prince's position? It's not like it's the position of crown prince..."

"Father is now inseparable from his medication. In a few days, his mind will be controlled by the medication, and then I will be able to get any rank I want."

Consort Rong chuckled and gently touched Prince Yan's face, saying, "Good child."

Prince Yan looked at the mark on Consort Rong's collarbone and frowned, saying, "You went to the temple again today? Who did you see?"

Consort Rong said, "The Minister of Revenue is about to retire and return to his hometown. This old man is stubborn and won't listen to reason. I went to see Wei Yong, who will become the Minister of Revenue in the future."

The Prince of Yan asked, "How do you know he will be the Minister of Revenue in the future?"

Consort Rong said, "Wei Yong is the most senior official in the Ministry of Revenue. He has never made a mistake and acts prudently. His Majesty will surely give him the position of Minister of Revenue in order to ensure stability. With the Ministry of Revenue and the assistance of Qingshan, even if that little bastard Qi Yi has the support of Prince An's troops, it will be useless. The lifeline of the Ministry of Revenue is in our hands, and the words of the civil officials in the court are in our hands. That little bastard Qi Yi dares to rebel and has obtained his position illegitimately. Everyone has the right to kill him!"

Prince Yan frowned slightly and said, "Mother, Father has been controlled by drugs. As long as Father is alive, Qi Yi will definitely not dare to rebel."

Consort Rong said, "It's hard to guarantee that even if your father gives you the position of crown prince, that little bastard Qi Yi won't be satisfied. After all, the troops in Prince An's mansion are not to be underestimated."

“We still have Yuan Jie’s troops in the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion!” said the Prince of Yan. “Yuan Jie has promised me that he is willing to help me become emperor. If it is successful, I promise to give him the Princess Yongjia!”