Chapter 430: Concubine
Chapter 430: Chapter 430: Concubine
He figured she was his concubine; what kind of joke was it that she wasn’t here serving him?
Gu Kaichen opened his eyes and looked at Xu Yulan, who was still chattering away. "Aren’t you thirsty after talking for so long?"
"A little," Xu Yulan replied, pouring herself a cup of cold tea. She started cursing again. "These people are such snobs. They only deliver tea once; if we want more, we have to go to the kitchen ourselves. I’m the second young madam, for crying out loud..."
"Then go call Mei Bao back..."
Xu Yulan froze. She had almost forgotten about that matter. To think this heartless man would bring it up first! Her expression darkened. "What did you say? Say that again."
"Stop being unreasonable. We need someone to serve our household, and having Mei Bao return is the best solution."
Xu Yulan looked him up and down. "Best for you, you mean. It seems the Family Head didn’t beat you hard enough. You’re in this state, yet you’re still thinking about women."
She had tried her best to forget Gu Kaichen’s past betrayal. Seeing that the two of them had no interaction lately, she had slowly let it go. She hadn’t expected this man to get restless after only a few days of peace. He made it sound nice—bringing her back to do chores—but in reality, he was just lusting after her again.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I’m telling you to call her back to serve you tea and water. In name, she belongs to our second household. She’s a barren hen; I have no interest in her now."
In the past, Gu Kaichen might have been driven by lust, but Mei Bao was too much trouble. Now that she couldn’t bear children, keeping such a woman around as eye candy and a servant was enough. He wouldn’t entertain any other thoughts. Besides, now that he was back in the capital, the rule against taking concubines had long become a joke. It wouldn’t be a problem to take in a few more concubines later if he found suitable ones.
Seeing his lecherous smile, Xu Yulan nearly ground her back teeth to dust. One look was enough to tell he was up to no good. That little charmer Mei Bao had been out of the picture for so long. Why bring her up now? Could it be that they had secretly hooked up again while she wasn’t at the manor? Mei Bao might be barren, but she was still younger and prettier than her. That wouldn’t stop these men from fooling around. Damn it.
She hadn’t brought it up recently, assuming this wretched man had forgotten. Who knew they were entangled again? But it didn’t matter. She now had a promising son, and her maiden family wasn’t far away. No matter how much of a scumbag Gu Kaichen was, he wouldn’t dare threaten her position.
Men were all the same. Gu Kaichen was getting older and had become increasingly useless over the past few years. If he wanted Mei Bao, he could have her. At least she was barren and could never threaten her status. Bringing her over would also mean someone else could handle the heavy and tedious chores. Thinking of this, her mood improved.
She flashed a smile and said, "You make a good point, Husband. She belongs to our household anyway, so it’s only right she lives with us. Rest here for a bit; I’ll go fetch her for you."
It just so happened she was losing patience with serving Gu Kaichen. Handing him over to Mei Bao would give her more time to keep an eye on the first household.
Meanwhile, Mei Bao was dying of frustration. She had been hiding in her courtyard these past few days, terrified that the second household would remember her. Unexpectedly, she couldn’t escape her fate.
"I don’t care, I’m not going! You two go refuse them and handle this for me," Mei Bao threw a tantrum. She had previously thought this life wasn’t bad, with food to eat and people to serve her. But now, asking her to serve an old man? She absolutely refused.
"Mei Bao, there’s nothing we can do. You are already Gu Kaichen’s woman." Mei Lin had been scheming for her own future recently and certainly didn’t want these trivial matters to affect her. She was still working hard on getting closer to the Third Prince. However, the Third Prince never visited their manor, and Gu Antong’s status was too low. Without a summons, her maiden family couldn’t even visit her. This created a massive chasm that made it impossible to get close.
Still, being in the capital meant there were many other options. The person pulling the strings behind the scenes hadn’t contacted their mother lately, so they had tentatively begun searching for a good match. Although the Gu family’s reputation in the capital was poor and they had no real status, they were ultimately connected to the Third Prince, so some people were still willing to associate with them. These families weren’t of high status, but they were still far better than anyone they could have interacted with in the past.
"Mei Lin, stop making sarcastic remarks! You still have choices, but I have none left. I just want to live comfortably for a few years. Is that too much to ask?" Mei Bao knew exactly what she would face if she returned to the second household. She wasn’t foolish enough to walk right into it.
"Don’t forget, we are still living in the Gu family’s home," Mei Lin reminded her.
"So what? Isn’t Mother the Madam of the Gu family now?" Mei Bao said disdainfully, turning to Xu Shuanghong. "Since you’re the matriarch, why must I be pushed into the fire pit? Who really knows what happened on the road during our exile? As long as we don’t admit it, and since they don’t have my slave contract or a concubine certificate, what can they do to us?"
"You little brat, what do you know?" Xu Shuanghong scolded. "They might not have any documents, but don’t forget the people who were exiled with them. Many of them have returned to the capital, and they’ve been seen gathering together frequently these days. If even a few of them step forward to testify, you’ll still be forced to sign a slave contract in the end."
Concubines could be bought and sold. Everyone had forgotten about this; why remind them now?
"So, you and Mei Lin are insisting that I return to the second household?" Mei Bao asked.
Xu Shuanghong and Mei Lin felt a chill run down their spines. The memory of how Mei Bao had thrown a fit back then still made them shudder.
Mei Lin hurriedly comforted her, "Mei Bao, this is just a temporary measure. We haven’t established a firm foothold in the capital yet, so we can’t clash head-on with the Gu family. Don’t worry, I promise you: as soon as I find a good way out, I will definitely take you and Mother away from here."
"That’s right, Mei Lin is correct. We are just using this place as a stepping stone," Xu Shuanghong added. "I know you feel wronged, but we have to look at the big picture. If you are forced to sign a slave contract or a concubine certificate, your life and death will be entirely in their hands. Before they remember to demand those documents, we just have to play along..."
Mei Bao glared at them with a vicious expression. "What if I tell you to take me away right now?"
"I’d love to," Xu Shuanghong said, feeling unsettled. She was genuinely afraid her daughter would do something irrational again. "But I spent all the silver I had on the road. If the three of us leave now, where would we stay? We probably wouldn’t even be able to afford a meal."
Mei Lin nodded in agreement. "Why don’t you wait a little longer, Mei Bao? Let Mother figure out a way to reach out to the person who contacted us before. After all, if someone wants our lives, we won’t have a say in the matter."