Chapter 48: Volume 1, Chapter 48: Severing Ties

Chu Ke had not seen Rong Luoge since the divorce, and now, looking at Rong Luoge dressed in a crimson pleated skirt and a jacket with a floral pattern and a buttoned front, she could not help but startle.

Before, though Rong Luoge was beautiful, she always liked to wear plain colors, and even a ten-point beauty could only show five.

But now Rong Luoge had her long black hair coiled into a side cloud bun, with a pair of red-gold butterfly hairpins set with gems pinned in her hair, willow brows, apricot eyes, and cherry lips. Especially those apricot eyes of hers—not only large and bright, but the outer corners slightly upturned—when she glanced sideways at someone, her presence was extremely piercing.

Chu Ke did not know why her heart tightened. She took a deep breath, then lifted her feet and walked over to sit across from her.

Only then did Rong Luoge look straight at Chu Ke opposite her. It had only been a short while since they last met, yet Chu Ke seemed to have aged considerably. Fine creases had already appeared between his brows, clearly caused by constant worry.

"Why did you ask me out?" Chu Ke felt that continuing to stay silent like this was somewhat uncomfortable, so she simply broke the silence and spoke first.

Rong Luoge looked at her and said with a smile, "I have a deal I'd like to discuss with you, Madam. I wonder if you'd be interested?"

Chu Ke could not figure out Rong Luoge's purpose, but she also knew that the current Rong Luoge was not to be trifled with. She stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "Tell me first."

"Simple. You help me sever ties with the Zhen Guo Gong Fu, and I'll help you secure Rong Yan's position as Heir Apparent, preventing Rong Dai and her siblings from being acknowledged into the clan. How about it?"

Chu Ke looked at Rong Luoge in astonishment upon hearing this. "Sever ties?"

Was she crazy? Once she severed ties with the Zhen Guo Gong Fu, she would be nothing more than a divorced woman. Without the Zhen Guo Gong Fu standing behind her, wouldn't she be at the mercy of others' bullying?

Then again, thinking of Rong Luoge's temperament, she probably would not be easily bullied. But losing the status of the Zhen Guo Gong Fu's legitimate eldest daughter was no small matter.

Chu Ke instantly grew alert and looked at Rong Luoge, saying, "How could I help with something like that? You should know that right now your father is thinking of selling you off again for a good price."

Hearing Chu Ke's words, it was clear that the relationship between this couple was quite poor now. Rong Luoge looked at Chu Ke. "That is exactly why I want to sever ties with him. Even if he sells me off again, I have ways to escape, but once leads to twice, and I have no patience to keep dealing with him. Might as well end it once and for all. Besides, you presumably don't want Rong Dai and her mother and siblings being a nuisance right under your nose either. This is a good thing for both of us, isn't it?"

Chu Ke had been truly troubled lately. Especially since Di Yue Nu had brazenly been meeting with Rong Dai and her siblings at a place not far from the Zhen Guo Gong Fu, which made her anger burn ever hotter.

It was not that she had not raised the matter with her husband, but clearly his attitude had shifted somewhat now. From the sound of his words, he actually had thoughts of letting them be acknowledged into the clan. How could that be allowed?

They were already causing this much trouble before being acknowledged. If they were acknowledged and had legitimate standing, who knew how much more trouble they would cause.

"How can you make it so they can't be acknowledged back into the Fu?" Chu Ke was no fool and did not want to be schemed against by Rong Luoge, so of course she had to ask clearly first.

Rong Luoge said, "I have leverage over Di Yue Nu in my hands."

Chu Ke had not expected this. "Then how do you want me to help you? You should know that given the current situation, it won't be easy for you to sever ties with the Guo Gong Fu. Consort Ming has her eyes on you."

What Han Xinglan said was indeed true. It seemed Consort Ming truly hated her to death over the divorce and wanted to ensure she could never turn things around for the rest of her life.

"Simple. Just tell the Protector Duke that you suspect I've already found out the cause of my mother's death back then." Rong Luoge stared at Chu Ke and spoke slowly.

Chu Ke's heart leapt. Under Rong Luoge's gaze, she nearly failed to maintain her composure. Her face turned green and pale, wanting to squeeze out a smile, but her face was stiff as stone.

Rong Luoge was only bluffing casually; she had not expected that Chu Ke apparently really did know something. Without changing her expression, she let out a faint sigh. "Back then, the moment you entered the household, the Protector Duke sent me away. For so many years, he paid me no attention at all. I've always been puzzled in my heart, so all these years I have indeed been quietly investigating this matter."

Facing Rong Luoge's serious expression, Chu Ke fell silent for a long while before saying, "I did not harm your mother."

Rong Luoge only smiled and did not reply.

Chu Ke looked at Rong Luoge. "Whether you believe it or not, I truly did not harm her. It was her own bad luck—difficult labor led to a weakened body and early death."

"You didn't act directly, Madam, but what about indirectly? If not for the fact that you two had a secret affair beforehand, why would he have found my mother an eyesore and then schemed to get rid of her?" Rong Luoge had no evidence; she was probing step by step.

Chu Ke's face darkened, and this time she did not defend herself. Looking at Rong Luoge, she simply said outright, "That's right. I shouldn't have fallen for him, shouldn't have been deceived by his sweet words, to the point of marrying into his household as a second wife back then. Now I've received my retribution. There's nothing more to say."

Looking at Chu Ke's expression, Rong Luoge estimated in her heart that although Chu Ke had not directly harmed the original owner's mother back then, the Protector Duke must have given her promises and she knew certain things.

Chu Ke's current situation was indeed not good—not quite retribution, but close enough. Rong Luoge looked at her and said, "The Protector Duke is deeply guilty. Just tell him I've already found part of the evidence, and that once I obtain all of it, I'll go to the authorities to seek justice for my mother. Rather than letting things spiral out of control then, it's better to expel me from the clan and sever ties now on the grounds that I disobeyed my parents' orders and divorced without permission. This way, I lose the status of the Zhen Guo Gong Fu's legitimate eldest daughter, making whatever I want to do in the future inconvenient, and investigating the truth will be even more difficult."

Hearing Rong Luoge's words, Chu Ke's heart jolted in alarm. She had not expected Rong Luoge to have calculated everything so clearly. She could not help but wonder—if she refused to cooperate, how would Rong Luoge scheme against her?

Thinking of how her husband now favored Di Yue Nu and her children, staying away from home every night—where was the deep affection between them from back then? Just thinking of his callous and fickle behavior now, she gritted her teeth and agreed to Rong Luoge's proposal.

Rong Luoge severing ties with the Zhen Guo Gong Fu was no concern of hers anyway, but Rong Dai and her mother and siblings were a great worry on her mind.

After the two finished their discussion, Chu Ke headed back to the Fu. Upon returning, she first went to visit her son. Her husband was unreliable; she could only rely on her son. Moreover, with the Heir Apparent position at stake, after thinking it over, she still recounted today's events to her son in full.

Rong Yan was silent for a long time before saying, "I didn't expect Eldest Sister to actually want to sever ties with the family. I thought she was just throwing a tantrum by not coming back."

He thought she would come back sooner or later.

Hearing her son's words, Chu Ke said, "Rong Luoge is not someone easy to deal with now. Severing ties is for the best. Otherwise, if she really returned to the Fu, wouldn't we be the ones suffering?"

Rong Yan sighed and said, "Father is now scheming over Eldest Sister's marriage again. Since she found out and wants to protect herself, this method isn't bad. But we still need to think about how to do it. We have to find a timing that strikes in one blow."