I Need You to Cooperate with Me

"... I should have been the one to pay my respects to you, but instead you've come all this way to see me. I'm truly ashamed."

It's just polite talk, you have to say a few words.

Then Gu Wanning got to the point. "The Marquis accidentally injured Meng He while saving me. The Emperor won't blame the Marquis, will he?"

"It wasn't an accident, it was intentional," Xu Weibei said. "He hurt you, so he has to pay the price."

"Won't His Majesty punish him?" The Grand Princess asked, somewhat angrily. "You mean well for Gu Wanning, but what you're doing is truly impulsive."

"I was impulsive? Grandmother thinks that, given the Emperor's temperament, as long as Prince of Lu makes a plea, Meng He hasn't harmed anyone, would the Emperor punish him? Perhaps Meng He his silver tongue and send the man back safely."

Meng He had calculated everything correctly.

He deliberately wanted to escalate the situation, so he carefully selected his target.

--Gu Wanning is both the daughter of the Chief Grand Secretary and the wife of a Marquis; she alone can influence powerful civil and military officials in the court.

If someone in the Central Plains were to forge an imperial edict, then the nature of such an act would be extremely serious.

However, if it were the Qiang State caused no real harm, it would only become a topic of curiosity for casual conversation.

Meng He wanted to make this matter known to many people.

When the emperor ascended the throne, Prince of Lu had contributed greatly to the effort.

Lady Meng personally raised Prince of Lu, and Prince of Lu took good care of his half-sisters.

Lady Meng couldn't bear to part with the Meng family, and Prince of Lu, out of love for Lady Meng, wouldn't allow the last of the Meng family's bloodline to be lost, since he now had the power to do so.

However, the Emperor's attitude towards the Meng family was not as one of deep hatred as that of the late Emperor.

Now, the Meng family clearly poses no threat to the stability of the nation, Meng He can even say that he is willing to serve as a friendly envoy between the two countries...

Even from the Emperor's perspective, Xu Weibei had no reason to kill him; in the end, he simply sent him away.

Xu Weibei had also foreseen Meng He's predictions, so he had to take action against Meng He in front of the Emperor to avenge Gu Wanning.

"The country is of utmost importance. Even if the Emperor ultimately decides to do it that way, Gu Wanning will understand, won't she?" the Grand Princess said earnestly.

Gu Wanning: "I... I still feel a little aggrieved."

Grand Princess: "..."

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Xu Weibei's lips.

He knew she was different from others.

"Sigh," the Grand Princess sighed, "You're all still young and impetuous. Fine, what's done is done. I'll clean up the mess. Gu Wanning, you should try to persuade him more often in the future. That's just how Xu Weibei is—so sincere and devoted; if he wants to be good to you, he'll do anything."

Chapter 102 I Need Your Cooperation

"Grandmother, there's no need to say those things," Xu Weibei said stiffly and awkwardly.

This time, Gu Wanning replied, "Yes, I've remembered."

Since everyone had agreed to help with the cleanup, they decided to accept the situation and call it a day.

Although she sometimes disliked the Grand Princess's mannerisms, the Grand Princess might not have truly liked her either.

Let's all make do with each other for now; after all, when it really matters, family members will have to step up.

After seeing the Grand Princess off, Xu Weibei returned and "admonished" Gu Wanning: "Stay away from your grandmother."

"Am I not far off?" Gu Wanning said quietly, "I haven't even gone to pay my respects once, so I felt a little guilty just now."

"You don't need to go. Don't have too much contact with her. It's for your own good."

Gu Wanning nodded.

Although she didn't understand why, she mainly spent time with Xu Weibei after all.

What he says goes; they're his family.

It is the duty of both spouses in a marriage to take good care of their own family members.

On the other hand, one should not try to overstep one's bounds, try to make a show of oneself in front of the other person's family, or think of oneself as a savior trying to mediate their relationship.

The most annoying thing is when someone points fingers without knowing the inside story.

When Er Ya heard that Gu Wanning was in trouble, she rushed back from home. Only after seeing that Gu Wanning was safe and sound did she breathe a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but complain, "I didn't even have time to get the dried vegetables my mother was drying; I'll have my younger brother bring them to me another day. That damned bastard, why did he target you?! He killed them all!"

Gu Wanning said, "The Marquis cut off his arm, so I didn't suffer a loss. No matter what the Emperor decides afterward, I have no more worries."

Sometimes, a person's magnanimity may stem from not suffering a loss.

"You know what, what the Marquis did is exactly what I wanted. Madam, don't you think the Marquis is quite good now?"

"It's quite good."

"So, are you still going to get a divorce?"

When he returned home this time, even Er Ya's mother asked if Xu Weibei had spent Fifty Thousand Taels of silver to buy Gu Wanning a pet.

Er Ya said, "I bought it! The Marquis bought me a father who spits at me every day."

That Fifty Thousand Taels is excessively worthwhile; I can't bear to complain.

But thinking about it carefully, the Marquis is actually quite good.

He's generous and always ready to step up when it counts; at the very least, he's a real man.

"Why not?" Gu Wanning asked.

They've become even more determined!

Yes, Xu Weibei saved her, which moved her deeply and made her very grateful.

But the problem is, wasn't it he who brought this storm?

This is not Xu Weibei's fault.

But when Xu Weibei is involved, there are so many things to deal with!

"But I think it would be even more difficult for you to get a divorce now, wouldn't it? Even my mother thinks you made a good choice marrying the Marquis..."

"If we can't get a divorce, let's run away," Gu Wanning said. "Let's save money first!"

Although there will be other difficulties and challenges after you've saved up enough money, money is always the first step.

Gao Lan reported to Xu Weibei: Your wife thinks you're too fussy and still wants a divorce; all she needs now is money.

Xu Weibei: Very good. From now on, make sure your wife doesn't have a single penny!

Just as Xu Weibei had predicted, the emperor eventually released Meng He and his group, and even bestowed gifts upon them, which he then gave to the Queen of Qiang State.