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

Chapter 42 Waiting to be Married at the Marquis of Yongxing's Residence

Lu Jinshi was taken aback. "Isn't getting married in April too early?"

Lu Jinshi thought that when she and Rong Yi came back, they were still resentful of each other and argued endlessly. If they got married in April, they would really become a resentful couple.

"Your Majesty, even though my grandfather was concerned about my marriage before he passed away and wanted me to get married as soon as possible, so that I could mourn and get married within a hundred days, my parents were not able to come from Shanyin to see me off. This is a regret..."

Emperor Huiyuan said, "I will send a special messenger with 100,000 urgent letters to Shanyin City to report the news. It may not be too late."

Lu Jinshi looked up at Rong Yi, wanting Rong Yi to refuse.

Rong Yi smiled and said, "I also think that April is the perfect time. We should hurry and send word. Mr. Qin and Aunt Mingzhu will surely be able to come to Chang'an."

Emperor Huiyuan said to Lu Jinshi, "Zhang'er is a descendant of the royal family. His identity cannot remain unclear forever. He is clearly the eldest son of the legitimate wife, but you have ruined his status by making him a son of a concubine or an adopted son. The sooner you and Yi'er get married, the better. Someone, summon the Grand Astrologer."

When Lu Jinshi heard that Emperor Huiyuan was concerned for Zhang'er in his arms, he couldn't find the words to refuse.

After all, she couldn't refuse His Majesty's decree.

Emperor Huiyuan looked at Zhang'er and said, "I only thought Zhang'er looked like Shuang'er before, but after looking closely today, I can see some resemblance to Mingzhu, especially her phoenix eyes, which are very similar to those of your maternal grandfather and your mother."

Lu Jinshi handed Xiao Zhang'er to His Majesty and said with a smile, "I think Zhang'er looks more like the Imperial Noble Consort."

Emperor Huiyuan looked at the soft, cuddly baby in his arms and was very happy. It wasn't the first time he had been a grandfather, but this was the first time he had a grandchild with the woman he loved.

Especially since Zhang'er resembled the Imperial Noble Consort, Emperor Huiyuan doted on her even more.

Emperor Huiyuan stroked Xiao Zhang'er's face and said, "Your father was very bad. He almost made you go from being the legitimate son to an illegitimate son. Your grandfather has to make it up to you. After your parents get married, your grandfather will make your father the crown prince and then make you the imperial grandson."

Lu Jinshi wasn't surprised. She said softly, "Your Majesty, Rong Yi... no, the Seventh Prince is still young, not yet of age. Your Majesty is also in your prime, there's no need to establish an heir too early."

Instead of establishing a crown prince, why not establish an empress first? After all, Your Majesty has never bestowed an empress since ascending the throne, and the Great Sheng Dynasty has been without an empress for over twenty years… If the Imperial Noble Consort could be made empress, it would be a double blessing.”

If it were any other emperor, Lu Jinshi would not have dared to be so bold.

However, Lu Jinshi also knew that Emperor Huiyuan probably wanted her mother-in-law to be empress even more than she did.

Emperor Huiyuan sighed softly, "I have owed Shuang'er twenty years. It is time to make her empress. However, every time, court officials would try to commit suicide by hitting their heads against pillars, starving themselves to show their resolve."

I don't care about the reputation of being a tyrant. Even if history records my bad name and future generations criticize me, I still want to make Shuang'er my empress.

However, Shuang'er was concerned about Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi had never entered the court, and his birth mother had forced several civil officials to their deaths in order to become empress. This was tantamount to making enemies of the entire court of civil officials, which was really inappropriate.

Besides, Shuang'er didn't want Xiao Qi to be implicated and have a bad reputation because of us; she felt that the Imperial Noble Consort was already enjoying the highest level of favor in the harem.

Lu Jinshi smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty, you have issued an edict to make the Imperial Noble Consort Empress. As for the court officials who want to commit suicide, you can leave that to me. I guarantee that this time their attempts to kill themselves will be in vain."

Emperor Huiyuan looked at Lu Jinshi and asked, "Do you have a good idea?"

Lu Jinshi simply chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, you can trust me."

Rong Yi looked at Lu Jinshi and asked, "What's your plan?" Lu Jinshi replied, "I won't tell you yet, but I can assure you that their attempts to kill themselves will be futile this time."

As soon as Lu Jinshi finished speaking, the Grand Historian came to pay his respects.

Emperor Huiyuan instructed the Grand Astrologer: "Choose an auspicious day in April for the Seventh Prince to marry the eldest daughter of the He family."

The Grand Astrologer hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. Speaking of days in April, there is indeed an excellent one, which is April 26th, an auspicious day for marriage."

Emperor Huiyuan said, "Then let's set the wedding date for the 26th of April. The Seventh Prince's wedding will be held on the 26th of April. The Grand Secretary, the Chancellor, and the Minister of Rites will be appointed."

Upon seeing this, Lu Jinshi took Zhang'er from Emperor Huiyuan's hands, curtsied, and said, "Your Majesty, I will not disturb you any longer and will take my leave now."

Emperor Huiyuan chuckled and said, "Alright, after you go back, you can rest assured and wait to be married in the Yongxing Marquis's residence."

Lu Jinshi said, “Your Majesty, the Jinyuan Garden that my mother built for me in the Marquis’s mansion was occupied by someone else. The He family rushed me back, intending to force me to marry Huang Teng, the second son of the Marquis of Anping, the day after I arrived in Chang’an. Therefore, they did not prepare a courtyard for me to live in at all, and I dare not live in the He family’s house.”

Upon hearing Lu Jinshi's words, Rong Yi frowned and looked at her, "Is this how the He family treats you?"

Rong Yi now understood that Lu Jinshi was not deliberately avoiding staying at the He family's residence to conceal her identity. When she heard that the He family was forcing her to marry Huang Teng, Rong Yi felt both heartache and anger.

Emperor Huiyuan's smile vanished, and he said angrily, "Didn't I already issue an imperial decree to bestow the marriage upon them? How dare the He family be so audacious as to disobey the decree?"

Lu Jinshi said in a low voice, "There are still many people in Chang'an who believe that the eldest daughter of the He family is my sister He Jinlan, not me. The He family is using this as an excuse to say that the eldest daughter of the He family mentioned in the imperial edict is He Jinlan, not me..."

Emperor Huiyuan was furious: "He Tan is so utterly foolish! They dare to disregard my imperial edicts so easily! How did they force you to marry Huang Teng?"

Lu Jinshi said, "Before my grandfather passed away, he asked me to marry Huang Teng to bring him good luck. After my grandfather died, my grandmother said that my grandfather would not rest in peace if he did not see me marry Huang Teng, and she also used filial piety to force me to comply..."

Emperor Huiyuan was furious and said, "The Yongxing Marquis's family truly does not respect me and the Empress Dowager. When Mingzhu was bullied by them back then, I did not punish them too severely because of the loyalty and bravery of the Yongxing Marquis's ancestors."

"I originally intended for you to marry as the daughter of the Marquis of Yongxing, thinking that you would ultimately be a descendant of the Marquis of Yongxing. But I never imagined they would treat you like this! It seems He Tan doesn't even want to be the heir of the Marquis of Yongxing anymore."

Rong Yi looked at Lu Jinshi and said, "They forced you to marry someone using the pretense of 'marrying for good luck and filial piety,' why didn't you come to your father sooner to seek justice for you?"

Rong Yi dared not imagine Lu Jinshi's situation in the He family. In those few days, he had even made Lu Jinshi his concubine. No wonder Lu Jinshi was so angry.

Lu Jinshi smiled faintly and said, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? There's no need to trouble Your Majesty with such a trivial matter. Besides, I also want to see if the He family will truly defy the imperial decree, bring about their own destruction, and become a laughing stock in Chang'an."

Rong Yi asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Lu Jinshi said, "He Jinlan still believes that she is your seventh prince's wife... I will let her think that way. When she is full of joy and invites relatives and friends to a banquet to marry you, she will naturally become a laughing stock and suffer the consequences of her own actions."

By then, there will be evidence that the He family disobeyed the imperial decree and deceived the emperor. The imperial decree clearly states that it is the eldest daughter of the He family who is marrying He Jinlan. This constitutes true disobedience and is a capital offense. Your Majesty can openly and justly revoke the imperial edict of the Yongxing Marquis's Mansion and strip it of its title..."

Rong Yi glanced at Lu Jinshi and smiled faintly. He had forgotten that Lu Jinshi was not the type to let himself be wronged.

(End of this chapter)