The Grand Princess's Schemes
"Marquis, you're truly amazing." Gu Wanning gave Xu Weibei a thumbs up.
Xu Weibei sneered, "He falls for that, dreaming of the world paying tribute and subduing the enemy without a fight; little does he realize that all of that was won with the lives of our brave men."
No amount of moral persuasion can change a barbarian's mind; only sufficient iron-fisted discipline can instill awe and deter them from overstepping their bounds.
Meng He was very good at manipulating people's hearts. He told the emperor that the Qiang State was willing to become a vassal state of the Central Plains in the future, but the Qiang State was poor and therefore unable to pay tribute for the time being.
And so, the emperor happily agreed.
Gu Wanning thought to herself, "Even if the emperor is terrible, I can't let you be the one. Just bear with it."
"It's all over now, so please don't take it to heart, Marquis," Gu Wanning could only advise him in this way.
If you can't change reality, you can only accept it, nothing more.
"This isn't over," Xu Weibei said. "You see, Meng He is cunning, but the Queen of Qiang State is no simple character to be able to command Meng He."
"Does Your Marquis mean they will come back again?"
"No need for later."
"Ah?"
I might need your help.
"Sure!" Gu Wanning nodded excitedly immediately.
She hasn't repaid the favors she owes yet; she should be made to do so quickly.
"Originally, I didn't want to tell you, but I was afraid that with your personality, you would cause trouble for me. So after thinking it over, I decided to tell you first so that you can cooperate with me. But you must keep this a complete secret. You absolutely cannot tell Er Ya word." Xu Weibei stared at her, his gaze serious.
Gu Wanning waved her hands repeatedly, "Since it concerns a secret, Your Marquis, please don't tell me. I'm afraid I might accidentally leak it."
You have to cooperate with me!
"Alright, Your Marquis, please speak."
Xu Weibei spoke, Gu Wanning's mouth opened wider and wider.
No, how come the enemy has so many tricks up their sleeve?
It's simply impossible to guard against!
Her admiration for Xu Weibei was like a surging river.
She truly hadn't expected this at all. Fortunately, with people like Xu Weibei working tirelessly and personally to protect the country, a naive and innocent girl like her could live carefree.
"My Marquis, is it really necessary to consult with the concubines about this matter?"
Won't that scare people half to death?
"Now that they know the truth, can their reactions still be genuine? Can they still fool people? Those lurking in the shadows aren't fools. What we're showing them isn't a play, but what really happened."
"That's true," Gu Wanning complained, "You shouldn't have even told me."
The time has come to test your acting skills.
"I'm afraid if I don't tell you, you'll cause a huge scene and make it impossible for me to save face." Xu Weibei looked at her, his expression knowing.
Gu Wanning quickly changed the subject. "I'll listen to you, Marquis! Let me know when they make their move, and we'll wait."
"Yes, don't worry, I'm here for you."
My First Concubine has been feeling uneasy and deeply worried lately.
It wasn't because of Qin Lie, but because the bad things in her dream didn't seem to have happened.
It's good that nothing happened, but it still leaves you on tenterhooks, worried that something else might happen.
She could only confide in Gu Wanning.
"Madam, I clearly remember the massacre at Baoguang Temple, where many people died. How could this be...? Could it be something else entirely? Could you perhaps remind the Marquis?"
"Alright, I'll tell the Marquis. Marquis 'll be prepared, so don't worry."
Before, she might not have understood; but now that Xu Weibei had told her more, Gu Wanning knew what was going on.
That day, a tragedy almost actually occurred.
However, by a twist of fate, they narrowly escaped it.
What Xu Weibei needs to do now is to clean up the mess and end things completely.
With Xu Weibei, I really feel safe!
Chapter 103 The Grand Princess's Scheme
Xu Weibei said that they should continue to wait for the right opportunity.
Then let's wait and see.
The Corn in Gu Wanning's backyard was finally ripe, and she and her aunts harvested Corn all.
Because it was so precious—not that it was rare, but that every single seed now could become an ear of Corn next year—it needed to be stored away. So Gu Wanning had the Corn placed in the main courtyard to dry.
Little Flower always wanted to come and try some, so Gu Wanning had someone make a large iron cage, put the Corn inside to dry, and locked it.
"Madam, there's no need to lock it. Little Flower isn't that smart. If you close the door, it won't be able to open it."
"No, it has to be locked," Gu Wanning insisted.
"It's freshly harvested, so yours is relatively new. But can you manage the vast fields you planted in the suburbs of Beijing like you do now?"
Gu Wanning said that she really could.
Xu Weibei has already dispatched over a thousand men to patrol the area day and night, maintaining strict vigilance. While this may be an exaggeration, it is indeed effective.
It's really not a big deal if some naughty child steals a bite of the Corn, or even if a greedy neighbor secretly picks some and takes it home.
The problem is, if these Corn fall into enemy hands before they can be widely cultivated in the Central Plains, that would be disheartening.
Yes, they still have enemies around them.
However, Gu Wanning didn't explain much to Er Ya.
"In another month, the Corn on the Estate will be ripe. I'll take you Estate for a few days to watch them harvest the Corn," Gu Wanning told her aunts, and everyone was looking forward to it.
Third Concubine came to see Gu Wanning, saying she wanted to have her pulse checked for good fortune.
Gu Wanning laughed and said, "Why are you taking my pulse for no reason? Do I look like I'm sick?"
"Madam," the Third Concubine said gently, "You may not know this, but the ladies of the palace, as well as many wives of wealthy families, regularly have their pulses checked by others."
Gu Wanning understood; it was just a physical examination!
She had just extended her wrist when she heard her Third Concubine say, "It's also to prevent you from being pregnant without knowing it, and from not paying enough attention when the fetus is unstable."