EBE Chapter 418 The Playboy's Divorced Woman 14
Chapter 418 The Playboy's Divorced Woman 14
Presumably to explain the matter of the courtesan, Gu Shenbai went to Xie Qingyu's courtyard again that night.
This time, he timed his meal to be right around lunchtime, eating at Xie Qingyu's place.
When he arrived, Xie Qingyu didn't say anything, but simply asked someone to add an extra pair of chopsticks.
Although Gu Shenbai disliked some constraints, he still followed the rule of not speaking while eating or sleeping very well.
The two finished their meal quietly, rinsed their mouths, and then began to speak.
"I went a bit too far before," Gu Shenbai said first, apologizing.
His attitude was serious, as if he genuinely apologized for hurting Xie Qingyu.
"Is that woman your lover?" Xie Qingyu asked bluntly.
Gu Shenbai hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"Then why did you bring her back to demand a title? Was it just to embarrass me?" Xie Qingyu's words were devoid of any emotion.
Gu Shenbai felt inexplicably flustered. "That's part of the reason."
Xie Qingyu sat in the chair, her eyes fixed on Gu Shenbai, looking at him without saying a word, waiting for him to continue.
Gu Shenbai hesitated for a moment, and his voice inexplicably lowered. He glanced outside and saw Qili standing in the corridor by the door. There was no one else in the courtyard.
He then spoke, "His Majesty has no son."
A hint of confusion flashed in Xie Qingyu's eyes.
Seeing this, Gu Shenbai had no choice but to be more explicit, "The imperial family has never had many offspring, and he is my maternal uncle."
Gu Shenbai couldn't have explained it any more clearly.
With Xie Qingyu's quick thinking, she naturally understood after only hearing a couple of sentences.
If it were just these two sentences, it wouldn't be a big deal, since there are still male members in both princely residences.
However, since the Emperor and the First Lady are siblings from the same mother, it is still possible that he might have harbored such thoughts, or even secretly hinted at it.
"You don't like being restrained." Xie Qingyu's words indicated that she understood Gu Shenbai's meaning.
If His Majesty has this intention, those members of the imperial clan would never agree to it.
Unless, of course, Gu Shenbai is the only one left in their generation.
Although the First Lady was favored by the late Emperor, the Emperor himself was not particularly prominent among the princes.
The battle for the throne was also quite turbulent. Even after ascending the throne, he was still wary of his two brothers, probably because he was unwilling to give the throne he had just obtained to the people he had previously suppressed.
Xie Qingyu thought to herself, "No wonder the First Madam had to feign illness to avoid the palace's invitations."
Seeing that Xie Qingyu understood his meaning, Gu Shenbai felt a little more relaxed.
“However, I don’t think that’s a reason for you to humiliate me like this.” Xie Qingyu looked into Gu Shenbai’s eyes and said, “You were prejudiced against me even before I married into the family. Although you never said that you didn’t get along with me, there were many rumors in private that you were dissatisfied with me.”
Perhaps it's because their relationship has improved recently, or perhaps Xie Qingyu has a divorce agreement in hand and isn't afraid to confront Gu Shenbai directly.
"You didn't even enter my room on our wedding night, and there were no rumors outside that you'd remained celibate for any other girl, so you simply have a problem with me." Xie Qingyu's voice was devoid of emotion. "I want to know, where does your prejudice against me come from?"
Xie Qingyu looked at Gu Shenbai with a probing gaze, seemingly just curious about the matter.
This slightly eased Gu Shenbai's initial embarrassment, and he began to think along the timeline in Xie Qingyu's words.
At first, he had no impression of Xie Qingyu. If he had any impression, it was just a vague outline. He knew that she was an outstanding woman with a good reputation in the girls' school.
However, he didn't have any sisters around him, so he never brought up such a topic.
Later, when he reached marriageable age, Xie Qingyu's name appeared more and more frequently.
But he only thought that he shouldn't delay the girl's life, so he might as well marry a commoner and avoid being seen as a thorn in someone's side.
But his mother was unwilling.
It wasn't until his mother went to the capital to formally arrange the marriage that he truly remembered Xie Qingyu.
But he couldn't remember his original thoughts at all; he only remembered wanting to rebel against the marriage.
He originally wanted to secretly take a look at the girl he was going to marry, but Xie Qingyu usually stayed at home and never went out during the three months before the wedding.
Later, he gave up entirely and kept remembering that he disagreed with the marriage and needed to get a divorce as soon as possible.
Now, when Xie Qingyu asked him this question, he was stunned for a moment, unable to recall how he had become so opposed in the first place.
He remembered that at first he just thought he couldn't marry a woman from an official family, but it never came to this extent.
Xie Qingyu simply watched the changing expressions on his face without saying a word.
"It was my oversight; that thought just popped into my head when I saw that woman," Gu Shenbai apologized.
Looking back now, such behavior is really quite incomprehensible. Although he had a bad reputation, he never had any intention of bringing women home.
Who knows how someone could have been such a bastard back then.
He can't even remember the name of that courtesan now.
Gu Shenbai stood up and bowed deeply, saying, "Such a thing will never happen again."
"Anyway, we're already divorced..." Xie Qingyu said calmly, looking at Gu Shenbai with a serene gaze. "I hope that, considering how decisively I've divorced you, you can give me some dignity in these twenty days."
"Don't worry," Gu Shenbai immediately assured him.
"After all, this was a marriage ordained by the emperor. I hope you'll lend a hand when we get a divorce," Xie Qingyu reminded him.
Given the Emperor's doting affection for Gu Shenbai, a divorce wouldn't be a big deal.
Of course, this is on the premise that it was Gu Shenbai who proposed the divorce, not Xie Qingyu.
After this explanation, Gu Shenbai felt guilty towards Xie Qingyu. He glanced at the darkening sky outside and said, "I'll sleep here tonight."
He spoke these words rather cautiously.
Xie Qingyu simply pointed to the cup still on the bed, "Then I'll have to trouble you to make the bed yourself later."
Gu Shenbai glanced at it; Xie Qingyu had made up the bedding for him last night.
"it is good."
Gu Shenbai wanted to stay overnight again.
Tao Hong, who usually jokes with Xie Qingyu while untangling her hair and removing her makeup, remained silent today. She quickly finished her work and then closed the door.
After Xie Qingyu finished removing her makeup, she went to wash up.
This time, Gu Shenbai was already familiar with the process and went to wash up while Xie Qingyu was taking off her hair. By the time Xie Qingyu returned from washing up, Gu Shenbai had already laid out the quilt on the couch and was lying there reading a storybook.
Hearing Xie Qingyu come out, he looked over.
Gu Shenbai had washed and dressed up last time, and Xie Qingyu was already in bed when he came out.
This time was different. As he watched Xie Qingyu come out, only four words seemed to be on his mind.
A beauty under the lamp.