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

Chapter 173 The Queen's Henchmen

Jiang Yin listened to the slight anger in his wife's words and said, "I... I advised His Majesty to take a concubine, naturally for the sake of the royal bloodline and to prevent the maternal relatives from seizing power. Lu Jinshi already has the Prince An's Mansion behind her. She even changed her surname from He to Lu, not to mention her cronies from Tianzhang Academy."

If this continues, even His Majesty's power may not be as great as Lu Jinshi's. I grew up with His Majesty since childhood..."

Anjing said, "On the day of the coronation ceremony, His Majesty ascended the throne with the Empress, who was about to give birth. Don't you understand?"

"Your Majesty and the Empress now have a Crown Prince, whose position is secure. The couple is deeply in love. Even if there are some disagreements in court, they are all for the future benefit of the Crown Prince. If you were to advise Your Majesty to take a concubine and have a child with another woman, wouldn't the Empress truly become estranged from Your Majesty and want to seize power?"

Anjing said, "As long as His Majesty does not change his mind, wouldn't the Empress's supporters all be His Majesty's supporters? Only when His Majesty takes a concubine and has another son will the Empress fall apart from His Majesty. You are lucky that you grew up with His Majesty. First of all, you are disregarding His Majesty's wishes, and secondly, you are also harming His Majesty."

If you hadn't said it was for His Majesty's sake, I would have thought you wanted to take a concubine yourself, which is why you advised His Majesty to take one too..."

Jiang Yin quickly grasped An Jing's hand and said, "I don't want to take a concubine. You don't need to overthink it. I was wrong before. I will not persuade His Majesty to choose a concubine again in the future."

Anjing said, "Her Majesty the Empress said that our daughter is about the same age as the princess. When the princess is older, our daughter will be her study companion... This is an immense favor. You must not be an enemy of Her Majesty the Empress anymore. After all, she taught you to read."

Jiang Yin nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, then about you going to teach..."

Anjing said quietly, "Husband... I want to go to school; it's the Empress's decree..."

Jiang Yin frowned slightly. He was wary of the Empress's power and faction, but his wife was rushing to join the Empress's camp. Jiang Yin couldn't dissuade her and could only sigh.

After another dance, a minister stood up and said, "Your Majesty, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival and also the hundredth day of the princess's life. It is a day of great joy and celebration. It is an auspicious day, but it is a pity that Your Majesty's harem is empty. Your Majesty should hold a selection of concubines as soon as possible to fill the harem."

Prince Qi also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, what Lord Liu said is true. Now that the harem is empty and the royal bloodline is not abundant, Your Majesty should fill the harem. Your Majesty's spirit in heaven must also want to see a house full of children and grandchildren."

Lu Jinshi smiled faintly and said, "Sixth Brother is right."

Upon hearing Lu Jinshi's words, many of the young ladies at the palace banquet displayed various expressions.

Some were young ladies who did not wish to enter the palace; they lowered their heads, unwilling to enter the strictly regulated inner palace.

Some were young ladies tidying their hair and clothes, afraid of making any mistakes.

There are also dignified and composed young ladies who do not let outsiders see through their thoughts.

Prince Qi said, "Your Majesty, since the Empress also agrees, please set a date for selecting consorts as soon as possible, as it is of utmost importance for the continuation of the imperial line of our Great Sheng."

Lu Jinshi smiled faintly and said, "I think what my sixth brother said about Father Emperor wanting to see a house full of children and grandchildren makes sense. Your Majesty is the youngest among the brothers. Since the late Emperor wanted a house full of children and grandchildren, it is only right that the brothers should take the lead."

Rong Yi slowly said, "I have just ascended the throne and am very busy with official duties. I will have to trouble my brothers to help with the matter of having more children for the royal family. Lord Liu, do you have any daughters at home?"

The minister who had just stood up to suggest that Rong Yi take a concubine said, "I have three daughters in my family. My eldest daughter is already married, and I still have my second and third daughters."

Rong Yi said, "Minister Liu is truly loyal, considering the imperial offspring. Therefore, I will bestow your second daughter upon Prince Qi as a concubine. In six months, she will enter Prince Qi's residence to continue the imperial lineage." Minister Liu was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and knelt on the ground, "Your subject kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your grace."

Lu Jinshi raised an eyebrow and looked at Prince Qi, saying, "Your Majesty, you are overjoyed to have gained a concubine. How can you not be happy?"

Although the King of Qi's face was ashen, he still had to bow and say, "Your subject obeys the decree."

After King Qi sat down, his queen glared at him angrily, clearly disliking him, and moved to sit to the side.

King Qi frowned slightly and lowered his voice, saying, "This concubine is not someone I wanted to take. I cannot disobey His Majesty's decree."

Princess Qi said, "You must be very happy inside!"

Looking at his wife's pale face and pouting red lips, King Qi was not happy at all. He didn't know how long she would cause trouble with another concubine.
The King of Qi could only say, "It is common for men to have three wives and four concubines. Don't be jealous anymore."

Princess Qi said, "Then in my next life I will definitely be reborn as a man."

The singing and dancing continued at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.

Lu Jinshi glanced at the bickering Prince Qi and his wife and couldn't help but shake his head. The six princes and their wives were not heartless, and Prince Qi seemed to care about Princess Qi.

Unfortunately, he probably thought he was a prince, and having three wives and four concubines was normal for him.

So when Princess Qi was throwing a tantrum because of the concubine, he didn't choose to appease her or guarantee that the concubine would be his last woman. Instead, he dragged Rong Yi down with him.

If Rong Yi were to choose a concubine, Prince Qi would have an excuse in front of Princess Qi: His Majesty has three palaces and six courtyards, so why can't the prince have three wives and four concubines?

King Qi really couldn't figure out what he cared about.

The Mid-Autumn Festival moon at night was large and bright, and the newly risen moon was as big as a silver plate.

This was the first time Lu Jinshi had performed the moon-worshiping ceremony as Empress. After worshipping the moon according to the rules, she called Princess Qi to go for a walk in the garden to admire the moon.

"The Queen..."

Lu Jinshi chuckled and said, "It was my idea for His Majesty to bestow a concubine upon Prince Qi today."

Princess Qi looked at Lu Jinshi and said, "Your idea? Didn't Princess Mingzhu hate men taking concubines the most? Why would you..."

Princess Qi didn't dare to really blame Lu Jinshi, and stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.

Lu Jinshi said, "Sixth sister-in-law, you and I both know that Sixth brother has repeatedly advised His Majesty to select consorts, not because he really wants the royal family to have many offspring, but because of you."

(End of this chapter)