The Corn Harvest

However, the Third Concubine knew the Grand Princess too well, so what she said was mostly true.

Gu Wanning nodded. "However, the Marquis is very disappointed."

She could clearly sense that Xu Weibei had been depressed ever since he learned that Linglong had given birth to a daughter.

He must be sexist, since he kept insisting that I give him two legitimate sons, without ever mentioning a daughter.

However, Gu Wanning noticed that Xu Weibei was becoming increasingly tolerant of her.

She used to scold him a few times, but now, seeing Xu Weibei's distress, she actually felt, why couldn't she let him have a son as he wished?

Xu Weibei's merit in protecting the country should be rewarded with eight sons and sixty-four grandsons, so that the country could be protected like an iron fortress.

"Not necessarily. The Marquis is just stubborn and insists on going against the princess. But deep down, he probably also hopes that the eldest son is yours..."

"No, didn't you say that the Marquis is impotent? I don't have that kind of charm to make him impotent again."

"Speaking of this, Madam, I've been spending a lot of time close to the Marquis these past few days, intentionally observing this matter..."

How did you observe it?

Where are you looking?

The Third Concubine blushed slightly. "It's not what you think. We still need to examine her, observe, listen, inquire, and feel her pulse."

Oh, so you're judging by looks.

Xu Weibei's face, however, is quite remarkable.

"What did you see?"

"It seems that something is truly wrong with the Marquis. But I didn't take his pulse, so I can't say for sure."

"If you were to say that pulse diagnosis could detect problems, I think we would have discovered them long ago."

Since everyone lived in the same room, she sometimes received some "benefits".

Xu Weibei had many old injuries.

The doctors in the army must have examined him, and if there really was a problem, they wouldn't have kept quiet about it.

"But what if it's recently?" Third Concubine asked.

"They weren't injured, so how could they suddenly be so weak? There are five of us, we're not that bad, are we?"

Xu Weibei couldn't handle looking at them?

"This servant feels something is amiss; please take another look, Madam."

"Oh."

What is she looking at?!

How could she possibly pry into such a private matter?

Friendships need boundaries, and besides, that's not her business, so she won't look at it!

Chapter 120 Corn Harvest

Gu Wanning's attitude towards Linglong's matter was to not ask about it proactively.

Xu Weibei didn't mention it, she didn't ask either.

However, one day Xu Weibei got drunk and didn't return until the middle of the night. He had drunk so much that he lay motionless on the bed like a dead dog.

Gu Wanning initially didn't want to pay him any attention, but seeing how pitiful he looked curled up on the bed, she went to cover him with a blanket.

Upon closer inspection, she unexpectedly discovered that Xu Weibei had some dark, grimy substance on him.

She reached out and touched it; it felt like incense ash?

Her first thought was, "Could it be that the men got drunk and swore an oath of brotherhood?"

That seems to be their thought process.

However, she still felt that Xu Weibei's heavy drinking was related to Linglong giving birth to a daughter.

The preference for sons over daughters is ingrained in their bones; there's really no way to persuade them otherwise.

However, Xu Weibei did not remain depressed for long, because there were still many things waiting for him.

The Ministry of Revenue is such a wretched place, it's a real headache, especially as the weather gets colder, Xu Weibei practically has no time to rest.

Early on, snow fell in the north, and it was a snow disaster that was rare in a century.

Disaster relief, give money.

He had previously promised to provide new clothes for the Northwest Army, which would be another huge expense.

Second Concubine came to chat with Gu Wanning, saying dejectedly that her plan to establish a relationship with Baoji to cooperate in horse trading had fallen through.

"... If I really can't be chosen, so be it. I'll just be angry. In the end, I'll Baoji job. Isn't that just playing games with people?"

"Baoji closing down?" Gu Wanning perked up at the mention of this. "I always thought it was strange that things were so much cheaper when I went shopping last time. I always said they were going to go out of business. Now it seems like it really might be true. Don't be angry, it's better than throwing all your money away and getting nothing in return. At least you didn't lose money, even if it was all for nothing."

The Second Concubine, wringing out her handkerchief, cursed, "That's right. Last time I accompanied you there, I saw all that rubbish inside, and I knew they were definitely no good."

Xu Weibei: Where can I seek justice regarding the gossip about me behind my back, from "I'm finished" to "My shop is finished"?

Xu Weibei had lofty ambitions, but he didn't actually have much of a desire for money.

He opened this shop to make money, but the money was for the purpose of strengthening his army.

But right now the national treasury is empty, and the disaster-stricken people are waiting for help. What can he do?

Money is limited, so we must prioritize the most important things.

It was after he arrived at the Ministry of Revenue and sat in that position that he gradually discovered many drawbacks and began to understand Gu Yuanshi's original intention to carry out reforms.

--It's rotten, the system is rotten to the core, and if it's allowed to continue like this, it might endanger the country.

So these days, Xu Weibei hasn't been cursing Old Thief Gu much.

The Corn that Gu Wanning planted on the Estate is ripe, and she needs to go and supervise the Corn.

Although everyone was very busy, Xu Weibei and Gu Anqi still went.

This matter is of utmost importance.

The yield of Corn can have a profound impact on the entire country.

Gu Wanning went to the Estate with her concubines and Jiaoniang.

Although she told everyone to act on their own, they all followed her closely, waiting to witness a "miracle."

The Corn stretched as far as the eye could see, but because it was late-season Corn stalks had turned yellow and withered after the frost, giving it a somewhat desolate appearance, a stark contrast to the neat and orderly harvest scene during the wheat harvest.