Die Early, Reincarnate Early

But this man became prime minister at such a young age?

Gu Wanning felt that this country might not be very big...

"Yes, Qiang State." Meng He raised his hand, gesturing an invitation to Gu Wanning, "Madam, why don't you come forward? Let's talk slowly."

Gu Wanning naturally didn't want to go forward, but the "Imperial Guards" behind her roughly pushed her forward.

Meng He, who seemed like a good person, remained silent, only watching with a smile.

Alright, so it turns out it was a smiling tiger.

Gu Wanning didn't want to suffer for nothing, so she stepped forward herself.

"We should have prepared tea to properly entertain you, Madam, but unfortunately, the conditions are limited. Please forgive us."

"You're impersonating the Imperial Guards?" Gu Wanning said. "How did you manage to get the eunuchs who deliver imperial edicts to work for you? Did your Qiang State plant spies in the Central Plains?"

"Madam has asked quite a few questions, leaving me unsure where to begin," Meng He said. "Well then, since the Marquis and Chief Grand Secretary Gu are on their way and will take some time, how about I tell Madam a story..."

Gu Wanning remained silent.

She was at the mercy of others, like a fish on a chopping board; she was well aware of her situation and had no right to say no.

The man before me looks refined, but he's actually like "a silent dog that bites"—he might be incredibly crazy at heart.

The best course of action is to avoid provoking him and patiently wait for rescue.

Gu Wanning didn't believe she could escape unscathed under the noses of such a group of burly men.

It's not that she wasn't capable; it's just that the time-traveling god forgot to give her a cheat code, so she can't be blamed.

"I am actually from the Central Plains," Meng He said. "I am a year older than the Marquis. My grandfather, as your wife may have heard of, was named Meng Hui."

"It's him?" Gu Wanning was surprised.

Meng Hui was a contemporary of Emperor Gaozu Grand Princess.

When Emperor Taizu was conquering the country, Meng Hui made great contributions.

However, when the Gaozu brothers later quarreled, Meng Hui chose the wrong side and was forced to his death by the Gaozu.

All the male members of the Meng family were executed.

The woman's fate was relatively good. Because Lady Meng was beautiful, she was taken into the palace by Emperor Gaozu and became very favored. She also gave birth to a son for Emperor Gaozu, who is the emperor's half-brother and the current Prince of Lu of Lu.

Lady Meng saved all the women in the household, allowing them to either remarry, return to their parents' homes, or even become nuns.

Lady Meng also paid for people to raise the girls who had no one to care for them.

Unexpectedly, some male members of the Meng family went to the Qiang State.

"It seems Madam is aware of this," Meng He said. "I am not accepted in the Central Plains and can only seek a place to settle down in the Qiang State. However, the Marquis is too valiant and has driven the Oirat people to the Qiang State..."

Gu Wanning almost laughed.

So this is like the eldest and second eldest brothers fighting, and the third brother is gone?

Suddenly, I felt a little sorry for the Qiang State.

The Oirat Mongols were driven back to their homeland by the monstrous Xu Weibei. On their hasty escape, they vented their anger on the Qiang State.

Good heavens, that's really good heavens.

However, the boomerang has now returned to Xu Weibei.

Oh no, it came back to me.

Logically, the grievances should be attributed to the perpetrators, but in reality, the Qiang State is unable to defeat the Oirat, so they can only come to find Xu Weibei's weakness.

But brother, you're wrong!

Where am I, Xu Weibei, the spineless one?

I am a thorn in his side.

You've wasted your effort by arresting me.

She didn't expect Xu Weibei to compromise for her sake.

However, Meng He is quite clever in that she has a dual identity.

She was both Xu Weibei's wife and Gu Yuanshi's daughter.

If either of them is unwilling to sacrifice themselves, then he may be able to achieve his goal.

But...

Compared to Xu Weibei, Gu Yuanshi is even less worthy of expectation...

Gu Wanning even imagined that scene--

She was hung from the city wall, while Xu Weibei and Gu Yuanshi watched from below.

Xu Weibei threatened to release the hostage, but Gu Yuanshi guessed that the answer was simply to shoot, so that his daughter would die for her country!

So, brother, you've really caught someone who seems important but is actually as insignificant as a feather!

Why don't you go and capture the Grand Princess?

Despite Xu Weibei's rebellious and childish behavior, he is actually very filial to the Grand Princess at heart; otherwise, why would she have married him?

Gu Wanning genuinely wanted to offer some advice and suggestions!

"So please rest assured, Madam. I have no intention of harming you; I simply wish to have a proper talk with the Marquis."

Gu Wanning: "..."

Her life is in grave danger!

Chapter 95 Early Death, Early Reincarnation

Gu Wanning felt that she wasn't being pessimistic, but rather that reality was just that cruel.

The Gu family may care about her, but they care more about the greater good.

She and Xu Weibei got along fairly well, but they were just ordinary friends.

She couldn't ask Xu Weibei to disregard his principles for her sake.

After all, Meng He was talking about matters of national importance; who could agree to that?

He's dead.

Die early and be reborn early.

"... Madam, please don't worry, I don't ask for much," Meng He said.

"How much is 'not much'?"

"One hundred thousand shi of rice. In return, the Qiang State is willing to defend the lost territory of the Oirat Mongols for the Central Plains, serving as a buffer between the Central Plains and the Oirat."

Gu Wanning sneered, "Prime Minister Meng, I may not be well-educated, but don't try to fool me. You want 100,000 shi of rice, I can't say anything about that. But as a condition for the exchange, you said you would defend the lost territory of the Oirat for the Central Plains. How come you're the only smart person in the whole world who benefits from everything?"

The Qiang State was originally a small, insignificant place, and now it wants to curry favor with the Central Plains, claiming it's willing to act as a buffer and pawn. But with so few people, does the Central Plains even consider them worthy of its attention?

If the Oirat make any move, the Central Plains will still be attacked.

The Qiang State clearly wanted to curry favor with a powerful ally.

"What you say is true. However, for a small country sandwiched between large countries, survival is extremely difficult."