When the Iron Tree Blooms (Continued)

Paranoid and self-righteous.

No relationship can accommodate these two things, including familial love.

This is just a Xiaoxiao microcosm. From childhood to adulthood, Xu Weibei has been interfered with countless times by the Grand Princess under the guise of "good intentions."

What could he do? He was desperate.

But his own grandmother raised him and was his only family. She wasn't a heinous criminal; how could he possibly distance himself from her?

Cannot.

Life is never simply black and white.

Gu Wanning felt a little sorry for Xu Weibei.

Compared to them, the Gu family seems alright.

For many, the desire for their family's understanding is a luxury.

Gu Wanning pretended not to know anything about it.

Perhaps, if things escalate, it might even help her get a smooth divorce.

Divorce is the only way to address both the symptoms and the root cause, to completely distance oneself from the Grand Princess and from all troublesome matters related to Xu Weibei.

Xu Weibei was naturally able to trace the source of the rumor.

He went directly to the Grand Princess's Residence.

Gao Lan tried to stop him but couldn't, and he was sweating bullets, really afraid that Xu Weibei would cause a major disaster.

Xu Weibei did not cause a major incident.

For the first time, he overturned the table in front of the Grand Princess.

He overturned the screen, bonsai, and teacups on the table, leaving a mess on the floor.

The Grand Princess was so angry she nearly fell over, her face turning purple. She slammed her hand on the edge of the bed and roared, "You think you're all grown up now?!"

The servants around him trembled and knelt on the ground.

Xu Weibei told them all to get out, and no one dared to move until the Grand Princess spoke, at which point everyone stood up and respectfully withdrew.

"Why would Grandmother do that! Do you know that ruining someone's reputation is like murder!" Xu Weibei's eyes were red with anger. "Even if it were true, let alone if it were completely fabricated, how could you, as an elder, do such a despicable thing!"

"What did you say?" The Grand Princess could hardly believe her ears, clutching her chest. "Say it again!"

She raised her grandson with so much care and effort, scheming and plotting for him, only to be met with a single word of "despicable" in return?

Xu Weibei's forehead veins bulged, his hands clenched at his sides, and he looked at the Grand Princess, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "Grandmother, please do not interfere in our marital affairs! And from this day forward, please do not do anything for me under the guise of doing what is best for me. Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what? Are you going to kill me?" The Grand Princess had always been a strong-willed person; when had anyone ever spoken to her like this?

What's more, this is her own grandson.

"I'm afraid I'll become an unfilial descendant!" Xu Weibei looked at the Grand Princess, his eyes weary, disappointed, yet resolute.

"Fine, fine, Xu Weibei, you've grown wings! Do you still want to sever ties with me? Get out, get out of here!"

Xu Weibei lifted his robe and knelt down.

The Grand Princess's heart skipped a beat when she saw the broken porcelain shards scattered on the ground, fearing that he might have been cut.

"Grandma, I've told you so many times that I'm all grown up now, that I know what I'm doing and what I should be doing. But you've never listened."

"I know what your purpose is. You think the Gu family will be my fallback in the future, right? But the Gu family doesn't even care about Gu Wanning, so why would they care about me?"

"Yes, you see the Gu family putting on an act now, but do you really think they care about Gu Wanning? Do you believe they'll abandon her at the slightest conflict of interest?"

Yes, Xu Weibei does not deny that the Gu family wanted to make amends to Gu Wanning.

But what were they doing all this time?

When their core interests are threatened, they won't care whether Gu Wanning lives or dies.

In some ways, he and Gu Wanning are very similar.

They are both loved, but they could both be abandoned at any time for seemingly noble reasons.

None of them could compare to the importance of the four words "the country and its people".

But in the hearts of their own family, it shouldn't be like that.

Even if I am meaningless to the whole world, I hope to be the most important person to my family.

Because I also place you in an equally important position.

"Grandmother, you are a princess, unafraid of gossip. But Gu Wanning is different; she cherishes her reputation. Although she doesn't say it, she actually cares a lot about what others think of her..."

Being kind and tolerant to others and thorough in one's actions—isn't that just trying to please the whole world?

"Nothing happened at all. She was clearly prepared to sacrifice herself for a cause. She did everything she could, and her actions were more admirable than any other woman's in that situation. Why did she end up like this? And you were the one who stabbed her?"

"How can I face her now!"

"As her husband, shouldn't I give her an explanation for this?"

"But you are my grandmother, what am I supposed to do?"

Liking someone should be sincere and open, not something to be done in such a petty and calculating way.

"Grandmother, you make it impossible for me to face Gu Wanning."

"You don't want a divorce?" The Grand Princess looked at him, her sharp gaze seemingly trying to see into the depths of his heart.

Xu Weibei found it difficult to speak.

He needs some time to process this relationship on his own; he can't bring himself to tell others.

"That's my problem," Xu Weibei finally said through gritted teeth. "Grandmother, I beg you, please don't let this happen again, or I'll go even crazier than I did today."

"So, how do you plan to handle today's events?" The Grand Princess, after all, possessed a clear understanding of the world. "Don't you know very well why I did what I did? Now that things have come to this, isn't the best way to make the best of a situation and go with the flow?"

"I have no face to tell her that this whole thing started because of me," Xu Weibei took a deep breath, a brief look of helplessness and dejection in his eyes, but it quickly turned into determination. "That's hypocrisy, that's despicable. But if I really gained even the slightest benefit from this, then I will never be worthy of her!"