Xie Wanqing felt an icy chill in her heart. The dream was real, and according to the timeline in the dream, they were probably already secretly expecting a child.
"Consider it an interrogation," she said, her gaze stubbornly meeting his. "Are you avoiding giving an answer because this young woman is your beloved, or have you already brought her into your home?"
The young woman's manner grew increasingly aggressive. Lu Ziyuan's expression turned cold. He looked at her for several moments before calmly saying, "Wanwan, why are you acting this way? Not only are we not yet married, but even if we were, having another person beside me is not wrong."
Even if we were married, having another person beside me is not wrong...
Prior to this, they had never discussed this topic.
The Xie family's rules included that the men of the family could only take concubines after the age of thirty.
The three Xie brothers were all over thirty, yet each had only one wife and no concubines.
Growing up in such a family environment, Xie Wanqing had never imagined that her fiancé would think having another woman beside him was not wrong.
In the dream, she was foolish enough to marry him, maybe because she was naive, unwilling to see years of affection come to nothing. She always felt they shouldn't end up going their separate ways.
But now, she clearly felt the warmth in her heart was gradually turning cold.
The pain of her nails digging into her palm brought her clarity. Xie Wanqing stared firmly into his eyes and enunciated clearly, "What if I disagree? I don't agree with you having others beside you. You've never had maidservants attending you before, and you can't in the future. Like my father, you must not take another woman for the rest of your life, just me, do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ziyuan was taken aback for a moment, then he chuckled as if he had heard a joke.
He looked at her as if meeting her for the first time, examining her face, seeing her stubbornness and waiting for his answer, which made him pause.
After a long time, he countered her with a question: "Why does Wanwan believe that just because I never had maidservants around me before, I should spend the rest of my life with only you?"
Perhaps the greatest pain had already been endured in her dreams. When she heard his words now, Xie Wanqing surprisingly didn't feel upset. Her eyelashes trembled numbly, and she said softly, "But you didn't say that before."
On the day they agreed to marry, he had clearly said she was the best girl in the world, and having just her was enough.
Lu Ziyuan also recalled those young and naive years, his expression slightly dazed, his tone a mixture of sympathy and mockery: "The Lu family has few descendants. I thought Wanwan wouldn't be so naive.
"Do you know the pressures I bear?"
Xie Wanqing slowly nodded.
He had to support the Lu family, a family of widows, and take the helm, at a young age rivaling those seasoned old foxes in court without falling behind.
His exceptional abilities were frequently praised by the current Holy Emperor, truly admirable among the younger generation.
She understood his pressures so well that over the years, she faced his increasingly indifferent demeanor with enthusiasm, gentleness, and a warm smile.
Yet she completely forgot, besides the pressures of court, he also bore the pressure of expanding the Lu family lineage.
The Lu family had four branches, yet he was the only male of the main branch left; his three uncles had no descendants. According to current customs, Lu Ziyuan, even if not formally succeeding the family's branches, should at least adopt sons for his uncles to continue their lineage.
Relying on just one woman to give birth would never suffice.
In the dream, didn't he elevate the mother of his child, Liu Manrou, to the status of a secondary wife?
He even took Er Xia as a concubine.
Lu Ziyuan continued, "Since you know the pressures I face, you should understand that I cannot live my life with just you."
For a moment, Xie Wanqing was at a loss for words.
In front of him, she naturally felt weak in arguments, even when she was in the right, let alone now when his words left no room for criticism.
People everywhere valued descendants, especially when it came to the nearly extinguished lineage of the loyal and valiant Lu family.
After standing still for a long time, she finally found her voice: "So, is she your newly taken concubine?"
Lu Ziyuan paused for a moment and said, "She won't affect you."
"I just want to know one thing," Xie Wanqing asked, not blinking, "Is your relationship with her pure?"
After exchanging glances for a few moments, he was the first to look away, not directly answering, "I assure you, you will be my only wife. No matter how many women there are beside me, it will not affect your status."
"So," Xie Wanqing's expression remained unchanged, "you've already had physical intimacy with her?"
She had never been so aggressive before. Lu Ziyuan's eyes darkened, and he said impatiently, "You must understand, I will take concubines eventually. If not her, there will be others. Since you want to be my wife, you shouldn't cling to the unrealistic notion of me staying with just you."
His tone was decisive, with no softness.
Xie Wanqing was silent for a long time, slowly nodding. The brilliance in her eyes dimmed, as if something shattered, disappearing little by little into nothingness.
The scenes she had intermittently dreamed of during these days resurfaced in her mind one by one.
After they married in the dream, his continuous cold treatment, Liu Manrou's provocations, mockery, and their illegitimate eldest son.
That child indulged in love from birth, Liu Manrou, by the grace of her child, was elevated to secondary wife, and even when Old Madam Lu suggested making the illegitimate eldest son her own to recognize as legitimate, he refused.
He defied many to have the child recognized under the branch that had lost its male heir, making it a legitimate one.
And Liu Manrou truly became his legitimate wife.
He wasn't taking concubines for the sake of offspring; he genuinely fell in love with Liu Manrou, which is why he went to such lengths to grant her the title of wife.
In the dream, she suffered from depression due to frustration, shortening her lifespan, enduring all sorts of humiliation.
Erqing, who protected her, was ordered by Lu Ziyuan himself to be beaten to death.
If the dream were true, then it was heaven's pity for her wrong choices, granting her a chance to start over.
Thinking this through, the heartache dulled by numbness seemed to be infused with a hint of vitality. Xie Wanqing pressed her lips together, using her remaining courage to make one last attempt: "Brother Ziyan, if I say I absolutely cannot accept my future husband seeking other women, would you still not compromise for me just this once?"
Lu Ziyuan's voice deepened slightly: "Are you trying to make things difficult for me?"
"No, not at all." Xie Wanqing smiled bitterly. How could it be difficult?
She just couldn't bear to see her sincerely invested marriage end here.
Between them, it was always her who compromised first. She learned to change, learned to be considerate, and he never took a step back.
He would never lower his head for her.
She needed to ask clearly, so she could lose hope completely, sever all thoughts, all false hopes.
She could not let her heart forever be influenced by him, summoned and dismissed at his whim.
Xie Wanqing sniffed back her tears, mustered her strength, and looked seriously at the man before her. "Lu Ziyuan, thank you for not deceiving me and for speaking to me honestly."