On the eighth day of the ninth month in the forty-third year of Yong'an, though everyone was restless over Jun Fuying's matter, with the courtiers all secretly watching and gossiping behind each other's backs, the focus of today's morning court was not on Jun Fuying.
Yesterday, Liang Luming had actually gone back to her maiden home to complain. In merely three months of marriage, Qian Xingzhi was about to take a concubine, and it seemed the concubine had an undisclosed past with Qian Xingzhi, which nearly made Liang Shi'an faint from anger.
Although he had originally pushed for this marriage, both on the Crown Prince's orders and with his own ulterior motives, as a high-ranking official, he had thought he could easily control Qian Xingzhi. Little did he expect that this wretch would be so brazen as to give the Liang family no face at all!
Even with the Third Prince's current prominence, Liang Shi'an could not swallow this insult. Early this morning, he submitted a memorial that tore into Qian Xingzhi. Jun Anche naturally had no mood to deal with such trivial matters, but Liang Shi'an was a veteran official whose face could not be disregarded. He had intended to call the parties involved to the Imperial Study after court for a private word of appeasement and be done with it. Who would have thought Liang Shi'an would insist on Qian Xingzhi publicly admitting her fault to him?
"Lord Qian is not yet forty and has no sons, yet he has just taken a wife. Taking a concubine without the wife's consent is against ancestral law!" Liang Shi'an fumed, drawing a chorus of agreement from the old officials.
Just as Qian Xingzhi was about to retort, the Third Prince spoke up: "Lord Liang is mistaken. Lord Qian has a title. What harm is there in taking a concubine? Where does it break the rules?"
Jun Fulin seemed a bit overly pleased. He felt that his official career had been going smoothly lately, and his relationship with Qian Xingzhi had grown closer. It was time to press harder in matters of the heart. Now that Qian Xingzhi had both a wife and a concubine, it was clear that the Liang girl didn't really appeal to him. The best outcome would be to stir up chaos in his household. Once Qian Xingzhi grew tired of women's games, he would understand the benefits of aligning with him.
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