Chapter 172: Return The Favor
By the time Xie Rong and Mo Yan returned to the courtyard, the scene before them made Xie Rong’s heart nearly stop.
A maid was kneeling on the floor directly in front of Wang Gege’s bed, her entire body trembling as tears streamed down her face, while Wang Gege remained sitting against the headboard, pale from her recent injury but otherwise unharmed.
"Young Madam!" Mo Yan was the first to rush forward.
Xie Rong followed immediately, his eyes fixed on Wang Gege. "Furen!"
He reached her side without hesitation, carefully taking hold of her shoulders as his gaze moved over her face, her neck, her hands, and the rest of her body as though searching for even the smallest sign that she had been hurt. "Did she hurt you?"
Wang Gege blinked at him. "No."
"Are you certain?" His eyes were still swapping up and down over her body.
"I’m fine." She replied, once again assured him.
His gaze immediately fell toward the bandage around her neck. "Did she touch your wound?"
"No." She shook her head.
"Did she try to give you anything?"
"No."
"Then why was she kneeling here?" Xie Rong turned toward the mad, his forehead frowned deeply.
Wang Gege glanced toward the trembling maid. "I don’t know. She came in and suddenly knelt down in front of me. Asking for my help."
The maid immediately shook her head, tears falling even harder. "This servant did not mean to hurt Young Madam! This servant really did not!"
Something in Xie Rong’s expression changed.
The fear that had been gripping him since he realized An’an’s deception had nowhere else to go, and the moment he saw the maid kneeling beside Wang Gege, that fear turned into fury.
He suddenly turned toward Mo Yan. "Your sword."
Mo Yan froze for half a breath before immediately handing it over.
Xie Rong pulled the sword free and crossed the distance between them in an instant, the cold blade stopping directly against the maid’s neck.
The maid’s face went completely white. "Young Master!"
Xie Rong’s voice was filled with barely restrained rage. "What were you intending to do to my Furen?"
The maid trembled violently. "This servant... this servant didn’t..."
"Didn’t what?" The blade pressed slightly closer. "You entered my wife’s chamber while I was away." His voice dropped into something far more frightening than a shout. "Tell me exactly what you intended to do."
The maid’s lips trembled beneath the blade. "This servant... this servant was ordered to come here..."
Xie Rong’s eyes narrowed. "By whom?"
The maid’s tears fell faster. "This servant cannot..."
The sword pressed slightly closer to her neck.
"Cannot, or will not?"
"I—" She immediately dropped her gaze, terrified. "Young Miss Xie ordered this servant to come here."
The entire chamber fell silent. Wang Gege’s expression changed and Xie Rong’s face, however, became frighteningly calm.
"What did she order you to do?" Xie Rong continued asking.
"This servant was told to..." The maid’s voice broke. "To find an opportunity to make sure Young Madam would never wake up."
Wang Gege’s eyes widened.
Xie Rong’s grip around the sword tightened. "And yet my Furen is unharmed."
The maid hurriedly shook her head, "This servant didn’t do anything! This servant really didn’t!"
"Then why were you kneeling in front of her?" He was already pressing the sword more.
"This servant..." She began sobbing uncontrollably. "Because this servant couldn’t do it!"
Xie Rong’s eyes narrowed further.
"I was ordered to come here and kill Young Madam while Young Master was away, but when this servant saw Young Madam lying there..."
Her voice trembled, "She had only just survived such a terrible injury, and she was still so pale. This servant couldn’t bring herself to do it."
She lowered her head until her forehead nearly touched the floor, "So this servant begged Young Madam to help this servant."
Wang Gege blinked.
"Help you?" Xie Rong’s confused tone was clear.
The maid nodded desperately, "This servant knows Young Miss will never forgive this servant for disobeying her. Once she learns that this servant failed, she will kill this servant too."
Her shoulders shook, "So this servant can only beg Young Madam to spare this servant’s life."
Xie Rong stared at her coldly. "She sent you here knowing that you could be killed if you failed?"
The maid nodded. "Yes, Young Master..."
A dangerous silence settled over the chamber.
Wang Gege looked toward Xie Rong. She had never seen his expression like this before.
There was no anger on his face anymore. It was something colder. Something that made even Mo Yan instinctively lower his gaze.
Xie Rong slowly lowered the sword but his voice remained icy. "Mo Yan."
"Young Master." Mo Yan cupped his fists immediately.
"Take her." He glanced toward the trembling maid. "She will tell us everything she knows."
Then his gaze shifted toward Wang Gege. "And after that, I will personally deal with Xie An’an."
Mo Yan was ready to take the maid away when Wang Gege suddenly stopped them.
"Wait..."
Everyone paused.
Wang Gege looked toward the trembling maid, who was still kneeling on the floor with tears streaking down her face.
"What is your name?"
The maid looked up in surprise, seemingly not expecting the question. "This servant... is called Lian’er."
Wang Gege nodded slowly. "Lian’er."
"Yes, Young Madam..."
Wang Gege studied her for a moment before asking, "Are you good at acting?"
"Acting?" Lian’er repeated in confusion.
"I mean... Can you pretend convincingly?" Wang Gege tried to explain in an ancient way, her eyes unconsciously drifting toward Xie Rong.
"She means, can you put on an act convincingly enough to deceive others?" Xie Rong translated calmly, his tone carrying the faintest hint of amusement.
Lian’er immediately nodded, "This servant understands now."
She hesitated before answering, "This servant... should be able to."
Wang Gege’s eyes brightened slightly. "Good."
Xie Rong looked toward her, already sensing that she was planning something. "Furen, what are you thinking?"
Wang Gege gave him an innocent smile. "I just want to return the favor."
"Return the favor?" Xie Rong titled his head a bit in confusion.
She nodded toward Lian’er.
"If An’an sent her here to kill me, then perhaps we should let An’an believe that her plan worked."
Xie Rong’s brows slowly lifted.
Wang Gege’s smile became slightly mischievous.
"And this time, we’ll see how she reacts when she thinks I’m dead."