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

Chapter 64 Lu Jinshi Cannot Become the Seventh Prince's Consort

Seeing Princess Yongjia's expression, Lu Jinshi felt a pang of pity and quickly said, "Your Highness, you must not show any compassion for Yuan Jie."

Princess Yongjia looked at Minister Liu and said, "Let's compromise. Thirty strokes of the cane will suffice. There's no need to cause a death. I just need you to clear my name."

Liu Siqing breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "Yes, Your Highness. Someone, go to the Duke of Zhenguo's residence and summon Yuan Jie."

Princess Yongjia said to Minister Liu, "You may deal with Yuan Jie properly. I will not stay here any longer."

Lu Jinshi followed Princess Yongjia and said, "Your Highness, don't you want to see Yuan Jie being punished with caning and vent your anger?"

Princess Yongjia gently shook her head and said, "There's no need for that. We've come to this point as husband and wife. I only wish that I have nothing to do with Yuan Jie from this day forward. I just want the Dali Temple to clear my name and restore my reputation."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jinshi sighed slightly and then escorted Princess Yongjia back to her residence.

After Lu Jinshi escorted Princess Yongjia back to her residence, she did not go to the Dali Temple to see Yuan Jie being punished, but instead returned to East Street.

We entered the villa on East Street.

Rong Yi looked at Lu Jinshi and said, "You went to your sister's place, why did you only come back when it was almost dark?"

When Lu Jinshi saw that Zhang'er in Rong Yi's arms had seen her, he started to cry. Lu Jinshi quickly took Zhang'er from Rong Yi's arms.

When a child sees his mother, he cries three times for no reason.

Lu Jinshi had gotten used to the fact that if she came home late these days, Xiao Zhang'er would definitely cry for a long time.

Lu Jinshi looked at Rong Yi and said, "Today, Yuan Jie took a concubine, a maid, into the family."

Rong Yi scoffed and said, "This Yuan Jie is really bold. Has Father already ruined his future? How dare he still marry a concubine? He doesn't respect the royal family at all. It seems he has given up on himself. With such behavior, which girl will be willing to marry him in the future, and which young man will be willing to befriend him?"

If his daughter wants to get married in the future, he'll probably find no one willing to talk to them about it.

Lu Jinshi said, "He kept saying that he married the stepmother for the sake of the princess and for the sake of the princess's reputation. It was disgusting. So I went to the Dali Temple and asked Minister Liu to punish Yuan Jie, who slandered the princess, properly."

According to the laws of Dasheng, Yuan Jie could have been punished with sixty strokes of the cane, but Her Highness the Princess couldn't bear to say it would cause a death, so she only allowed him to be beaten thirty times. Alas..."

Rong Yi said, "Sixty strokes of the rod would cripple someone even if they don't die. My elder sister is kind-hearted, and she just didn't want to cause any death. It's not that she still has feelings for Yuan Jie."

Lu Jinshi sighed softly, "I hope it's as you say."

Lu Jinshi looked at Zhang'er in his arms, listening to her talk to Rong Yi about the princess and her husband. Little Zhang'er's eyes were bright and she finally stopped crying.

Lu Jinshi chuckled and said, "Such a little one, and he already loves listening to us talk."

Rong Yi said, "By the way, the Empress Dowager will be returning to Chang'an the day after tomorrow."

"The Empress Dowager has returned?"

Lu Jinshi was overjoyed. "I haven't seen the Empress Dowager for a long time. I miss her terribly."

Rong Yi said, "Still calling her Empress Dowager? Why don't you just call her Imperial Grandmother? Imperial Grandmother will be very happy to hear that." Lu Jinshi ignored Rong Yi and only looked at Xiao Zhang'er in his arms and said, "The Empress Dowager has returned. Xiao Zhang'er, don't cry when you're in front of the Empress Dowager."

Rong Yi smiled calmly.
-
The news that Yuan Jie had married a concubine and was subsequently flogged thirty times by the Dali Temple spread throughout Chang'an the next day.

Many people have only just learned that the prince consort and the princess have already divorced.

The people of Chang'an couldn't help but sigh at this matter.

After all, Yuan Jie and the princess had been a loving couple for six years. Just a few days ago, on the princess's twenty-fourth birthday, the prince consort was still very affectionate towards her.

At the residence of the Minister of Personnel.

Madam Sun held up the "Magu Presenting Longevity" painting and said to Sun Xian, "This is a painting that I had an embroiderer work on for a long time. You can embroider a few stitches these days, and then present this embroidery to the Empress Dowager at her birthday banquet in a few days. The original painting has long been lost, and what exists in the world now are all imitations. Your embroidery is much better than those imitations."

Sun Xian said, "Mother, I just heard that Her Highness the Princess and her husband have divorced?"

Madam Sun said softly, "Alas, yes, such a loving couple has fallen apart just like that."

Sun Xian said, "In the end, it's just that Her Highness the Princess can't give birth. This world is really harsh on us women."

Madam Sun said, "All men in this world are the same."

Sun Xian whispered, "The Seventh Prince might not be..."

Madam Sun looked at Sun Xian and said, "Xian'er, although His Majesty dotes on the Imperial Noble Consort and also favors the Seventh Prince, the one with the highest popularity in the court right now is Prince Jin. Prince Jin's wife asked me to go to Prince Jin's residence yesterday, saying that she really liked your embroidery and wanted you to embroider a pair of boots for Prince Jin. I agreed."

Sun Xian frowned and said, "Mother, you know that I like the Seventh Prince. Besides, didn't you and Father say before that I could become the Seventh Prince's concubine and try my luck for wealth and status?"

Madam Sun said, "Xian'er, the Seventh Prince's intended wife is the daughter of Princess Mingzhu. You were slapped by her before. Living under such a wife will definitely not be easy for you."

“How could His Highness the Seventh Prince marry a woman who conceived a child through artificial insemination and whose father died while the child remained?” Sun Xian looked at Madam Sun and said, “Shouldn’t the Seventh Prince’s consort be He Jinlan?”

Madam Sun said, "How could it be He Jinlan? Unless His Majesty dislikes the Seventh Prince, he would not make He Jinlan the Seventh Prince's consort."

Sun Xian asked, "Then why does He Jinlan always refer to herself as the Seventh Prince's consort?"

Madam Sun said, "That's just wishful thinking on her part. After being the eldest daughter of the He family for more than ten years, she really thinks she is one.

Sun Xian felt sorry for the Seventh Prince and said, "Wouldn't the Seventh Prince have to become someone else's child? How could that be? Lu Jinshi is very arrogant. She is not a virtuous wife and mother at all. I'm afraid she won't manage the harem properly for His Highness the Seventh Prince, or treat his concubines well. If she becomes the Seventh Prince's wife, she will only hold His Highness back."

Sun Xian gripped her handkerchief tightly and said, "We absolutely cannot let Lu Jinshi become the Seventh Prince's consort."

Madam Sun said, "The royal family has already extended the betrothal gifts and set the wedding date, so why can't Lu Jinshi become the Seventh Prince's consort?"

Sun Xian shook her head and said, "Doesn't Lu Jinshi have a child? Doesn't His Majesty dote on the Seventh Prince the most? How could he let a woman who already has a child become the Seventh Prince's consort?"

Sun Xian was filled with disbelief. She stood up and said, "I'm going to find the Seventh Prince. I absolutely cannot stand by and watch him marry Lu Jinshi, who is of no help to his great cause, does not know filial piety, and will ruin his future, as his princess consort."

(End of this chapter)