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

Chapter 41 The Grand Wedding in April
Lu Jinshi looked into Rong Yi's eyes and said, "The imperial edict is not a child's play, but I only live once. I don't want to be trapped in the harem for the rest of my life. I studied for so many years, not so that I could be confined to the inner quarters after marrying you."

Rong Yi said, “It’s not that I forbid you from going out to teach, but Lingxiao Academy is full of young men, so it’s really not suitable for you to go. If you want to go, you need to do two things: first, go in and out with me, and second, live with me and share a bed.”

Lu Jinshi sneered and said, "So that's what you were thinking!"

Lu Jinshi pushed Rong Yi away and said, "After you made me your concubine, you deliberately deceived me and played with me. I was unwilling to marry you in the first place. If it weren't for Zhang'er, I would have risked disobeying the imperial decree to ask His Majesty to cancel our marriage. I am willing to become the Seventh Prince's consort only for Zhang'er."

"You don't apologize for what you did to me, and you still want to take advantage of me? You're dreaming!"
After we get married, I have no choice but to accept it, but before we get married, don't even think about taking advantage of me.

"I must go to the academy. If you think that the Seventh Prince's consort showing her face in public would be a disgrace to you, then that's fine too; I don't really want to be the Seventh Prince's consort anyway."

Rong Yi took a deep breath as he listened to Lu Jinshi's words.

Lu Jinshi gently brushed the clothes that Rong Yi had touched with his fingers.

Seeing this, Rong Yi frowned even more. "Then have you admitted your mistake in what I did?"

Lu Jinshi said, "What wrong have I done? Did I deliberately deceive you about my identity? I just never said that my biological father's surname is He. And what about you?"

"You knew I was already suspicious of you, yet you still sent someone to impersonate you?"

Rong Yi scoffed and said, "You clearly already knew the truth, so how dare you let Xiao Zhang'er call Rong Lang 'Daddy'?"

Lu Jinshi was so surprised and angry that he raised his hand to slap Rong Yi's cheek. "You still have the nerve to ask me how I dared to do this?"

Rong Yi grabbed Lu Jinshi's wrist, trapping her in his arms once more, pressing her against the small couch, biting her red lips, and only releasing her after a long while. "Between you and me, we are both at fault. Why can't we each take a step back?"

Lu Jinshi said, "We are both at fault? Clearly, your fault is deeper than mine. I did intend to abandon the father and keep the child, but it was a child you voluntarily had with me without any matchmaker... It wasn't a child I forced you to have by holding a knife to your throat. Why should I admit my fault for this?"

Rong Yi said, "Don't put it so harshly. What do you mean by 'unmarried couple'? It's mutual affection!"

Rong Yi's hand brushed against Lu Jinshi's cheek. "And why didn't you put a knife to my throat?"

Lu Jinshi brushed Rong Yi's hand away and said, "Where did I...?"

Rong Yi whispered in Lu Jinshi's ear, "Lust is a double-edged sword. Can you honestly say you didn't use your beauty?"

Lu Jinshi took a deep breath and said, "Let me go. You haven't admitted your mistake in making me your concubine, and I won't forgive you easily!"

Rong Yi said, "At that time, I didn't know that you were my legal wife. If I hadn't made you my concubine and had insisted on marrying you, would you have blamed me for not making the eldest daughter of the He family my legal wife?"

Lu Jinshi said, "You're using a fallacy to confuse the issue."

Rong Yi said, "You have to apologize to me first. You took advantage of my sincerity by abandoning your father and keeping your son. Shouldn't you be more in a position to apologize than I am? I am the dignified Seventh Prince. You want me to apologize to you? Besides, I don't think I did anything wrong. If you had told me earlier that you were the eldest daughter of the He family, I would not have made you my concubine. It was clearly you who deceived me first."

Lu Jinshi said, "You haven't lied to me? Since we're arguing endlessly, let's not be this unhappy couple anymore. I'll go to the palace right now and beg His Majesty..."

Rong Yi said in a deep voice, "Since we are arguing endlessly, we should let bygones be bygones. After all, if we don't become husband and wife, what will happen to Zhang'er?"

However, we must indeed go to the palace to find Father and tell him the truth; he is currently unaware of this matter.

Lu Jinshi got up from the small couch. She thought that this matter should not have been kept from His Majesty forever.

She agreed to go into the palace with Rong Yi, partly because she didn't want to argue with him anymore, especially since there was still Zhang'er.

Lu Jinshi went outside, found the wet nurse to take Zhang'er in, and got into the carriage with Rong Yi.

East Street is some distance from the palace, and Lu Jinshi and Rong Yi rode in the same carriage.

In the carriage, Rong Yi coaxed Zhang'er in a low voice to call him "Daddy." But this time, Zhang'er didn't give him any face at all, and couldn't say "Daddy" for a long time. He even fell asleep in Rong Yi's arms.

Upon arriving at the palace, Zhang'er woke up in Lu Jinshi's arms, and Lu Jinshi couldn't help but smile.

Rong Yi and Lu Jinshi then carried Zhang'er into the Zichen Palace.

"My maiden pays homage to Your Majesty."

"My son, I pay my respects to my father."

Emperor Huiyuan looked up and saw the baby in Lu Jinshi's arms. He smiled and said, "This is Mingzhu's little grandson. Bring him over so I can see him."

Lu Jinshi chuckled and walked up to Emperor Huiyuan with the child in his arms, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Emperor Huiyuan looked at the baby in front of him and found it very familiar. "Isn't this Zhang'er?"

Lu Jinshi said in a low voice, "Yes, he is Zhang'er."

Emperor Huiyuan looked at Rong Yi, then at Lu Jinshi, and said, "Zhang'er's biological father is Yi'er, and his biological mother is you?"

Emperor Huiyuan was both delighted and furious: "You are simply making a fool of yourselves! Qi Yi, you are a disgrace to the royal family. How could you, a prince, be treated like this, having your father taken away and your son left behind?"

Rong Yi looked at Lu Jinshi.

Lu Jinshi coughed and said, "Your Majesty, there was some misunderstanding and argument between His Highness and me earlier. In fact, there was no question of father leaving son. His Highness and I are... two..."

Lu Jinshi simply couldn't bring himself to say the words "mutual affection."

Rong Yi frankly said, "Father, Jin'er and I are in love. However, because you arranged this marriage for me without saying a word or consulting me, I had no choice but to let Jin'er become my concubine. That's why she deliberately said that she was leaving her father and keeping her son..."

Emperor Huiyuan snorted and said, "So you're blaming me now?"

"I don't dare!"

Lu Jin pretended to be aggrieved and said, "This matter is not His Majesty's fault. If anyone is to blame, it is the Seventh Prince for concealing his identity and deceiving me. I was so sincere to him, and I was afraid that my fate of bringing bad luck to my husband would affect him, so I gave birth to a son for him without any status or title. But he disregarded my sincerity, concealed his identity, and played with me..."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Huiyuan turned his sharp gaze toward Rong Yi.

Rong Yi was unable to explain himself for a moment, and could only say to Lu Jinshi, "I didn't mean it. I didn't know that my father had chosen you as my wife. It was really hard to disobey the emperor's orders and my father's orders. I was wrong, I'm sorry."

Lu Jinshi smiled smugly at Rong Yi when the Emperor couldn't see him.

Rong Yi looked at Lu Jinshi's provocative and smug smile and couldn't help but smile as well. What was he doing arguing with Lu Jinshi for so long?

If all Lu Jinshi wants is an apology, then give it to her.

Emperor Huiyuan said to Lu Jinshi, "Now that you two have a child, you should get married as soon as possible."

Rong Yi said, "Your subject also wishes to get married as soon as possible, but... she is still wearing the mourning clothes of the Marquis of Yongxing's mansion."

Emperor Huiyuan said, "In Chang'an, there is a rule that one can get married within a hundred days of mourning. Marquis Yongxing must also want to see his granddaughter get married as soon as possible. Let the Grand Astrologer find a date in April. Take advantage of the late spring and early summer in April and you two can get married. This will also give Zhang'er a legitimate identity. Such a good child, but you two have ruined him... Sigh!"

Emperor Huiyuan was heartbroken for his grandson, who was almost turned from a legitimate son to an illegitimate son and from a biological son to an adopted son by Qi Yi!

(End of this chapter)