Chapter Seventeen
Before Xu Heming could answer, a young eunuch outside the door came in to announce that the Ruan Marquis, his wife, the heir, and Consort Lin had arrived.
Hearing this, Li Zhiwei felt a sense of relief wash over her.
In fact, she really had no idea how to answer that question.
"Don't worry, I'm here," Xu Heming said soothingly, as if he could sense Li Zhiwei's nervousness.
"Okay," she replied.
As Lin Qihua and the others entered, they saw Xu Heming and the others standing to one side.
Lin Jitong, seeing Li Zhiwei protected behind Xu Heming, felt his eyes redden with anger and was eager to step forward and pull her away.
After all, in name, she was his wife, yet here she was, being so close to another man. How improper!
Consort Lin also frowned as she looked at Li Zhiwei standing beside Xu Heming. She thought that if this woman weren't still useful to her, a woman like this simply didn't deserve to enter the Ruan Marquis's mansion.
"Your humble subject pays respects to the Emperor," Lin Qihua said. Despite his anger, he knew that the Emperor was sitting above them, so he first paid his respects. There would be plenty of ways to deal with Li Zhiwei later.
He thought that the Emperor wouldn't embarrass the Ruan Marquis's mansion for the sake of a mere merchant's daughter.
"Your servant pays respects to the Emperor," Consort Lin said softly, curtsying gracefully to Zhu Jingchen.
"Consort Lin is pregnant. You don't need to come forward so often," Zhu Jingchen said, looking at the rather naive Consort Lin. He thought to himself that if the imperial child took after its mother, it would be a disaster.
"Your servant thanks the Emperor for his concern. Your servant is in good health now and will definitely not harm the imperial fetus," Consort Lin replied obediently with a sweet smile.
"Ruan Marquis, do you have anything to say?" Zhu Jingchen asked impatiently, not wanting to engage in idle chatter.
"Your Majesty, please seek justice for your humble subject!" Lin Qihua knelt down quickly as soon as he heard the Emperor's question and shouted.
Seeing Lin Qihua kneel, Madam Zhou and Lin Jitong also quickly knelt down.
"Oh? What kind of justice does the Ruan Marquis want me to seek for you?" Zhu Jingchen asked, pretending not to know.
"Your Majesty, my son got married yesterday. However, the heir of Prince An publicly abducted my daughter - in - law on the street. Later, when I went to Prince An's mansion to demand her return, they refused. Your Majesty, Prince An's mansion has gone too far!" Lin Qihua said, looking sorrowful.
"Oh? If I remember correctly, didn't you marry a daughter - in - law four days ago? At that time, I even sent Eunuch Liu to give you a reward. Why, did your son get married again yesterday?" Zhu Jingchen asked sarcastically.
"Your Majesty, the engagement between my son and Miss Li from the Li family was made a long time ago," Lin Qihua said nervously. He had actually forgotten that when Lin Jitong married Zhou Yutang, the Emperor had indeed sent Eunuch Liu with a reward.
"Your Majesty, the Ruan Marquis's mansion promised the position of the main wife to Miss Li from the Li family. Unexpectedly, the Ruan Marquis's mansion first married the heir a main wife and then left the new bride outside the mansion on the wedding day. My son couldn't bear to see Madam Li being wronged like this. Also, because my son misses his mother, he brought her back to the mansion. It's my fault that I've been too busy with official duties and haven't had time to accompany my child, which made him miss his mother and do such an improper thing," Xu Heming calmly admitted his guilt.
Anyway, he was taking the blame for the Emperor, although he was the one who had brought his future wife back.
However, the money wasn't what he asked for.
If the Emperor didn't make things convenient for him, it would only be the Emperor who would be in trouble.
"Your Majesty, in your servant's opinion, it's quite normal for a five - year - old child like the heir of Prince An to miss his mother. Now that the matter is clear, just let Jitong take his sister - in - law back," Consort Lin said with a smile, pretending to be magnanimous.
If it weren't for knowing the Ruan Marquis's mansion's schemes, Zhu Jingchen might have believed that the Ruan Marquis's mansion was innocent.
"Your Majesty, please punish me. It's my fault for not disciplining my son well. My son somehow got hold of aphrodisiac powder and made me and Madam Li drink it last night. We consummated our marriage last night. Please understand that I lost my wife early and my son lost his mother early. Please complete this fateful marriage between me and Madam Li. Since the heir of the Ruan Marquis's mansion is already married and the Ruan Marquis's mansion intended to take her in as a concubine, why not let me marry Madam Li as my second wife? I'm willing to offer one thousand taels of silver as compensation to the Ruan Marquis's mansion," Xu Heming said sincerely.
"Your Majesty, please fulfill the marriage between this common woman and Prince An," Li Zhiwei quickly knelt down and said.
Actually, the one thousand taels was decided after their discussion just now. It was deliberately meant to humiliate the Ruan Marquis's mansion.
Compared with the one - million - tael dowry from the Li family, one thousand taels was like sending off a beggar.
Hearing this, Lin Jitong glared angrily at Li Zhiwei. He never expected that this woman would be so eager to seduce Prince An.
Now that Prince An said that he and Li Zhiwei had already become husband and wife, he couldn't say that he wanted to take her back to the mansion.
Lin Qihua's face turned black and then red again. He wanted to give up, but when he thought of the Li family's dowry, he was extremely reluctant.
"Your Majesty, Madam Li is the main wife that I married through proper match - making procedures. What happened between Madam Li and Prince An last night was also the fault of the Ruan Marquis's mansion. Now, we just want to go back to the way things were. My son and I will keep what happened yesterday a secret," Lin Qihua said through gritted teeth.
He decided to let his son wear the cuckold.
Compared with his son's humiliation, the Li family's wealth was more important.
Maybe the Li family would feel guilty and give them more silver. Thinking of this, Lin Qihua decided that this marriage must not be called off.
Consort Lin was stunned at first, but then she also thought of this. For the sake of the silver, she decided not to argue with this bitch Li for the time being.
Li Zhiwei's face darkened. She never expected that the people in the Ruan Marquis's mansion would be so shameless.
She was already with someone else, yet these father and son still wanted her to marry into the Ruan Marquis's mansion.
"Father!" Lin Jitong said, looking dissatisfied at Lin Qihua. He had never been willing to marry Li Zhiwei, and now, with her having lost her virginity, he was even more reluctant.
"Your Majesty, since the Ruan Marquis doesn't mind that this common woman has had a relationship with the prince, I'm sure that the heir of the Ruan Marquis also has deep feelings for this common woman. However, this common woman knows that she has committed a serious sin and really has no face to marry the heir of the Ruan Marquis," Li Zhiwei said, looking remorseful.
She didn't want to enter the abyss of the Ruan Marquis's mansion at all.
"Madam Li!" Consort Lin said, looking displeased.
She never expected that Li Zhiwei would be so ungrateful. They had already made such a concession, yet she still didn't want to marry into the Ruan Marquis's mansion. What right did this merchant's daughter, who had lost her virginity, have to decide whether to marry or not?
"Consort Lin, Madam Li is the princess of Prince An," Xu Heming said angrily.
After all, he was Prince An, while Consort Lin was just a sixth - rank consort, and he was a first - rank prince. Similarly, his princess was also of the first rank. According to the rules, Consort Lin should even bow to his princess.
"Your Highness, Prince An, even though you are a prince, you can't forcefully seize someone else's wife, can you?" Consort Lin never expected that Prince An would stand up for Li Zhiwei. She cursed Li Zhiwei as a slut in her heart again.
