Chapter 187: Taking Concubine
"Am I disturbing both of you?"
"Yes," Wang Gege instantly answered, without even attempting to hide it.
Gu Ruyan blinked, caught off guard.
Xie Rong slowly turned to look at his wife.
Wang Gege, however, only stared back at Gu Ruyan with a perfectly serious expression.
"Should I leave?" Gu Ruyan asked after a moment.
Wang Gege nodded immediately. "Yes."
"Furen..." Xie Rong finally called her name.
She turned toward him. "What?"
He stared at her for a moment before helplessly pressing his lips together. "Nothing."
Xie Rong suddenly felt the need to keep quiet and decided not to interfere.
"Ah—hmm..." Gu Ruyan smiled awkwardly as she continued walking forward. "I need to talk to Xie Rong Gege..."
Wang Gege immediately raised her hand, stopping Gu Ruyan in her tracks.
"Please address him properly. He is neither your brother nor your lover, so there is no reason for you to address him so intimately..."
Her biting remarks immediately made Gu Ruyan’s expression drop.
For a moment, an awkward silence fell between them.
Xie Rong glanced at Wang Gege before slowly lowering his gaze, pressing his lips together again.
He still did not interfere. After all, his wife was the one currently speaking.
Gu Ruyan’s expression dropped for a moment. However, she quickly composed herself and turned toward Xie Rong instead.
"I apologise, Young Master Xie," she said softly before continuing, "but I truly came because there is something important I need to discuss with you."
Wang Gege’s brows rose slightly.
Gu Ruyan glanced at her briefly before looking back at Xie Rong. "It concerns... our relationship."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Wang Gege’s expression remained calm, but her eyes slowly shifted toward Xie Rong.
Gu Ruyan noticed. Her lips curved into a faint smile, "It seems Young Madam has not yet been informed."
Wang Gege’s brows slowly furrowed.
Before she could ask what Gu Ruyan meant, Xie Rong’s expression had already turned cold. "There is nothing between us that requires discussion."
Gu Ruyan’s smile stiffened slightly, "Young Master Xie, even if you refuse to acknowledge it, the matter has already been brought before Master Xie and my father."
Wang Gege’s gaze moved between the two of them.
’What matters?’
Xie Rong’s arms slowly loosened from around her waist.
The movement was subtle, but Wang Gege immediately noticed the change in him.
"This one has already made my position clear," Xie Rong said coldly. "There is nothing more to discuss."
Gu Ruyan’s expression dimmed, "But this is not something that can be decided by you alone."
Wang Gege finally looked directly at her. "What exactly is going on?"
Gu Ruyan seemed to hesitate, but her eyes flickered briefly toward Xie Rong. "Young Madam truly does not know?"
"Know what?" Wang Gege frowned.
Xie Rong’s gaze turned sharper. "Gu... Ruyan."
Yet instead of stopping, Gu Ruyan took a quiet breath. "There is an order from the palace."
Wang Gege’s expression changed.
Gu Ruyan continued, her voice softening. "His Majesty wishes for the Gu and Xie families to remain connected."
The silence that followed seemed to stretch.
Wang Gege slowly looked toward Xie Rong. "Connected... how?"
Xie Rong’s jaw tightened.
Gu Ruyan lowered her gaze. "I am to enter the Xie Residence."
Wang Gege blinked once. "As a guest?"
Gu Ruyan looked up at her. Her silence was answer enough.
Wang Gege’s expression slowly stiffened. "As his concubine?"
Gu Ruyan gave a small nod, "That was His Majesty’s intention."
"No." Xie Rong’s voice immediately cut through the air.
Both women turned toward him.
His expression was colder than Wang Gege had seen in a long time. "That was not His Majesty’s decree."
Gu Ruyan’s face changed.
Xie Rong stepped forward slightly, "The palace merely expressed its wish for the two families to discuss the matter. There was no decree, no imperial command, and no order requiring this one to accept anyone into my household."
Wang Gege slowly turned toward Gu Ruyan.
’Oh.’
Gu Ruyan’s lips pressed together. "But the palace’s intention was clear."
"The palace’s intention is not an order." His voice remained calm. "And this one already refused."
Wang Gege’s eyes widened slightly. So that was why he had left the meeting earlier. He had not run away because the matter did not concern him.
He had left because he had already given his answer. Yet Gu Ruyan had still come looking for him.
Wang Gege’s eyes widened slightly. So that was why he had left the meeting earlier. He had not run away because the matter did not concern him.
He had left because he had already given his answer. Yet Gu Ruyan had still come looking for him.
Wang Gege slowly looked toward Gu Ruyan.
The other woman had already composed herself, though the slight stiffness around her expression made it clear that she had not expected Xie Rong to expose the matter so directly.
"Even if it was not an imperial decree," Gu Ruyan said after a moment, "the palace has already made its wishes known. My father cannot simply pretend not to understand."
Xie Rong’s expression remained cold.
"Then that is a matter for Master Gu to consider. It has nothing to do with this one."
"Young Master Xie—"
"You should have heard my answer clearly in the main hall," Xie Rong cut her off immediately.
Gu Ruyan’s lips tightened. "I did. But I thought perhaps Young Master Xie had not considered the matter carefully enough. This is not something Young Master Xie can simply reject just because you do not agree with it..."
Wang Gege’s brows rose.
’Ah. So this is why she came here.’
She had not come to discuss the matter. She had come to stir trouble between them.
Xie Rong reached for Wang Gege’s hand and gently intertwined his fingers with hers.
"Then this husband could also say that the imperial family wishes for this husband to remain loyal to my Furen. Young Miss Gu would not object to that either, would you?"
Gu Ruyan’s expression stiffened.
Xie Rong did not wait for her answer.
"If Young Miss Gu claims this matter is an imperial decree, then bring this one the decree." His voice remained calm, but there was no warmth in it. "Until then, this one has nothing more to discuss."
He tightened his hold on Wang Gege’s hand before turning away. "Come, Furen."
Wang Gege allowed him to lead her away, though not before briefly glancing over her shoulder.
Gu Ruyan remained standing where she was. Her fingers had slowly curled into fists at her sides, while her teeth clenched tightly in suppressed frustration.
Wang Gege’s eyes narrowed slightly.
’Well... it seems someone really did come here intending to stir trouble.’