I Want an Amicable Divorce

Gu Wanning thought, Xu Weibei's back. Want him to plant a son in each of you?

Grumbling aside, she still had to keep up her imposing air.

"The Marquis said someone complained to him that I'd been bullying you. Hmm? I heard you recently took something to the Marquis?"

"In answer to Madam, yes, this servant did, no, I didn't..." First Concubine immediately began to tremble, her words tumbling out in confusion. "This servant only sent the Marquis a new set of clothes, not a letter. I swear to heaven, I never had any intention of harming you."

"Is that so?" Gu Wanning drew the words out.

Silence fell over the surroundings once more. Even the air seemed to congeal, weighing oppressively on everyone.

Li Shi's father was a petty sixth-rank official, nobody worth mentioning in the capital.

She was usually quiet and reserved, and did needlework in her spare time. She was an excellent embroiderer, so the original owner had treated her fairly well.

She probably wasn't that bold... right?

As for the other three...

"If you want to know who complained, you can ask me directly." A man's cold, stern voice came from the garden entrance, interrupting Gu Wanning's thoughts.

Gu Wanning looked up and saw a man standing at the entrance. He looked to be in his early twenties, with swordlike brows, starry eyes, deep-set eye sockets, a high, straight nose, and a tall, upright figure. He wore silver armor and held a sword, cutting a commanding figure.

Who else could it be but Xu Weibei, that stallion?!

Xu Weibei looked at Gu Wanning, his gaze sharp and icy, hiding an edge like a blade. "In broad daylight, you dare act so outrageously!"

"Marquis, let's talk this over nicely. Careful the wind doesn't catch your tongue." At the sight of him, Gu Wanning's combat power rose exponentially. She spoke with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Though she was scared out of her wits, she wouldn't allow herself to lose.

Yes, the original owner had been wrong to torment these women, who were just as pitiable as she was.

But the question was, what right did Xu Weibei have to shout and bellow?

He'd brought four concubines into the household on his wedding day. What kind of decent man did that make him?!

If he really wanted to make a scene and pit needlepoint against wheat awn, she'd accuse him of favoring his concubines and trampling on his wife!

At that thought, Gu Wanning sneered. "I'm lecturing the concubines. Does the Marquis have something to say about that?"

Though she didn't want to stir up trouble, now that it had come to her doorstep, she'd fight.

You're the Marquis of Yingchuan, and your grandmother is a Grand Princess. But my father is the Grand Secretary, my eldest brother is in the Hanlin Academy, my second brother married a princess, my third brother is in the Imperial Guards, and my brother-in-law is a Prince. You think I'm afraid of you?

She felt somewhat guilty facing the concubines, but faced with a stallion, Gu Wanning rose to meet strength with strength, her battle meter instantly filling to the brim.

"Jealousy and excessive talk. You've committed two of the Seven Grounds for Divorce. I'm divorcing you," Xu Weibei said sternly.

Chapter 2: I Want an Amicable Divorce

Gu Wanning didn't want to be tied to a stallion like him either.

But being divorced would mean she had a blemish on her virtue, and every stray cat and dog would point fingers at her afterward.

That would never do.

Even if she had to leave, it had to be an amicable divorce!

"What evidence does the Marquis have that I'm jealous?" Gu Wanning asked, forcing herself to hold firm, though inside she was panicking.

Xu Weibei was so angry he nearly laughed. He pointed a large hand at the four lumps of "black charcoal" kneeling on the ground. "Aren't they evidence?"

"How are they evidence?"

After Gu Wanning retorted, her heart was still bobbing up and down.

First Concubine, Li Jinxiu, was the daughter of a minor official. Quiet and reserved, she kept to her place.

Second Concubine, Jin Rongrong, came from a merchant family. She was the quickest-witted of them, but also slippery as an eel, and wouldn't be the bird that stuck its head out.

Third Concubine, Wen Huaying... you couldn't kick a fart out of her in three tries either. She came from an Imperial Physician's Family and was a female physician. The Grand Princess liked her and had therefore bestowed her on Xu Weibei.

She had a backer, and she didn't seem like the troublemaking type either.

Fourth Concubine, Zhou Yaya, was the youngest. She had only been thirteen when she was taken into the household, and was still only sixteen this year.

She was a silly, sweet innocent who had come down from the mountains. She was said to be a girl from a Jianghu Family, knew martial arts, and had a fiery temper.

She was the most dangerous one.

Sure enough, the moment Fourth Concubine saw Xu Weibei, it was as if she'd seen her savior. She rattled off Gu Wanning's "crimes" one by one.

"It's bad enough that she punishes us at the drop of a hat, but she even withholds our monthly allowance..." The more Fourth Concubine said, the angrier she became. Her eyes spitting fire, she looked almost ready to drag Gu Wanning down with her.

"You're young, so there are some things you don't understand." Gu Wanning lied through her teeth. "Just like a child who's been beaten—how can they appreciate the care their parents put into it? Silly girl, I'm strict with you, but is that to hurt you? It's because I love you."

"You, you..." Fourth Concubine's lips trembled with anger, but she couldn't get another word out.

Gu Wanning smiled like a blooming flower. "You've practiced martial arts since childhood, so you should understand better than anyone how important it is to build a strong body. Besides, a marquis's manor as large as this has such great expenses that we can barely make ends meet. That's why I had you reclaim wasteland and farm it yourselves. You can build strong bodies, so you can help the Marquis put forth branches and leaves in the future, and you can also provide for yourselves and reduce expenses..."

As she went on, she was nearly moved by her own words.

What had she done wrong?

"The Marquis says I'm jealous. That truly chills my heart. I'm clearly planning for their long-term good out of love. The Marquis says I talk too much, but you can ask them whether I usually say much to them at all."

They didn't even have to come pay their respects morning and evening, because she couldn't be bothered to see them.

Let alone talk to them.

None of Xu Weibei's accusations held water.

Fourth Concubine was trembling all over with anger. She wanted to pull the other three concubines into denouncing Gu Wanning with her, only to find their heads bowed nearly to their chests. Where was any sign that they meant to help her?

Fine, fine, fine! She'd stood up for them all, not even caring whether she lived, and this was how they treated her!

"Smooth words and a pleasing face!" Xu Weibei forced the words out through clenched teeth.

His subordinate Gao Lan had previously looked into Gu Wanning's background and said she was petty and narrow-minded, stupid and wicked.

But he hadn't said she had a tongue as smooth as a reed, with lotus blossoms spilling from her lips.

Xu Weibei disliked her even more.

"Thank you for the compliment, Marquis." Gu Wanning raised a hand and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, looking languid and at ease. "You've only just returned, Marquis. Why don't you have a good rest? I'm not feeling well today, and I'm not pleasing to your eyes anyway, so I won't stand here offending you. Look at these lovely concubines of yours. Keep whichever one you like to attend you, or you can keep them all."