More Silver (Continued)

He's been in a very bad mood lately.

Gu Wanning drew a line between them first, and then he fell ill.

It seems like I've never had a harder time than this. I feel terrible, and I have a fever so high that my bones feel like they're going to crack.

A double breakdown of body and mind.

"No, the Marquis said that his subordinates are not allowed to mention the Lady..." Gao Lan said weakly.

He's having a really tough time.

"What happened to her?" Xu Weibei asked irritably. "She went to Baoji's again?"

"Yes." Gao Lan nodded repeatedly, "Madam, go to Baoji to buy the recipe for white sugar."

Xu Weibei was not surprised.

He had previously heard Gu Wanning say that she wanted to sell the recipe to Baoji.

"So what?" Xu Weibei said arrogantly, but then he coughed.

"My Marquis, please drink your medicine first." Gao Lan was about to pick up the medicine.

"I'm not drinking anymore," Xu Weibei said. "If I take any more medicine, I'll become a walking pharmacy. The cough isn't serious; it's not easy to get better anyway, and it'll probably take a while to heal."

He returned that day feeling extremely distressed, so he took his sword and went to the lake to practice swordplay to vent his emotions.

However, during the Lunar New Year holidays, the weather was warm, and the ice wasn't very solid. Coupled with the surging anger within him, he couldn't control his power...

Then he fell into the ice hole he had dug for himself.

Then he contracted this illness and has missed five days of court sessions.

However, no one is helping him with the work, so his desk is piled high with official documents.

These past two days, apart from his cough, Xu Weibei has felt much better and has started processing official documents. However, because his cough is too severe, he cannot attend court or go to the Ministry of Revenue —he would be disliked by others.

"She went to sell her daughter's house, such a trivial matter, and you have to report it to me?" Xu Weibei said coldly. "I told you when I came back that day that you are not allowed to mention her in front of me again."

Everyone has a temper, right?

Gu Wanning was angry, and he was willing to be careful and considerate.

But the more Gu Wanning distanced herself, the angrier he became—why did he go to such lengths to help her when she was in trouble? Now that he had a troublesome grandmother and troublesome concubines, she refused to help and even took her anger out on him?

He knew it was because of him, and he had tried his best, but that bastard was so cold-hearted.

"So you mean, are we going to do this business or not?"

"Let him decide for himself!" Xu Weibei said, "Business is business."

"Yes, Your Marquis, I understand." Gao Lan nodded repeatedly.

That's good.

It seems that the Marquis has truly let go of his wife.

That's true, there are plenty of fish in the sea, and a good horse doesn't eat the grass it's already grazed.

Gao Lan turned to leave, but as soon as he stepped out the door, he heard Xu Weibei say, "Baoji's has always been honest and fair to everyone, young and old. We never engage in malicious price-cutting."

Gao Lan: Isn't that how we found out?

"My Marquis, isn't three thousand taels of silver a bit too low?"

Three thousand taels?

Only three thousand taels?

That's definitely too low.

"Give her five thousand taels," Xu Weibei said coldly, while simultaneously convincing himself that he was only talking business and had no personal feelings involved.

Gao Lan silently felt a headache coming on for the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper has already told him the cause and course of events.

Now he has to tell the shopkeeper that the two thousand taels of silver you painstakingly negotiated back now have to be painstakingly added back, with some fabricated excuse...

Is this crazy?

Even he, an outsider, thought the shopkeeper had gone mad.

The shopkeeper also felt it was inappropriate. "No, Mr. Gao, are you saying there's such a thing? I'm too slow-witted; I really can't figure out how to give someone extra money..."

He felt like a joke.

The masters above issue orders without a second thought, completely disregarding the lives of those below!

Seeing his pitiful state, Gao Lan hatched a plan. "Here's what you'll do," he said, "Tell the madam that so that she can sell her good stuff to Baoji's again in the future, the owner said he'd give her five thousand taels of silver this time."

"Yes, yes, thank you very much, Master Gao," the shopkeeper said repeatedly.

"Also, didn't I tell you you weren't allowed to come to the manor?" Gao Lan said. "Next time, have someone else deliver the message."

The Marquis didn't want his wife to know that Baoji belonged to him.

The main problem is that the lady always complains behind Baoji's back, saying the owner is heartless.

Xu Weibei felt that he couldn't let Gu Wanning dislike him, so he had to keep it a secret.

"Yes, yes, yes."

Gu Wanning was unaware that she was about to receive such an unexpected surprise.

She was still thinking about Xu Weibei's "drowning himself in the lake".

She was really curious, but she didn't want Gu Anqi to think that she was still worried about Xu Weibei. After thinking it over, she could only go to her third brother Gu Anfang.

Gu Anfang and Xu Weibei became acquainted through horses, and their relationship was quite good.

Although Gu Wanning and Xu Weibei divorced, Gu Anfang felt that it wasn't necessarily Xu Weibei's fault.

He harbored deep prejudice against Gu Wanning, and even developed a psychological trauma because of Gu Wanning troublesome nature. He would avoid women and had no desire to marry or have children.

Therefore, Gu Anfang and Xu Weibei's relationship has not been affected by the divorce.

Gu Anfang often led his little horse—or more accurately, the little horse that Xu Weibei had given to Gu Wanning —to the Marquis's Residence's stables to discuss horse-related matters with Xu Weibei.

He'll probably go see Xu Weibei during the rare few days of leisure he has during the Spring Festival.

Therefore, Gu Wanning asked Er Ya to Gu Anfang, who had returned from his shift to rest, over.

"What do you want?" After Gu Anfang An's attitude towards Gu Wanning softened somewhat.

Although he was not corrupted by wealth and status, he did love horses and did indeed benefit from Gu Wanning's influence.

Have you heard about the Marquis's drowning?

"I've heard about it, what's wrong?" Gu Anfang sat down in the chair, raised one leg, put his foot on the chair, and leaned back lazily, without any proper posture.

"Did the Marquis really drown himself in the lake?" Gu Wanning asked in disbelief.

"He didn't drown himself, he fell into the lake. The Marquis said he accidentally fell in while practicing swordsmanship. You don't actually think he committed suicide because he couldn't bear the thought of divorcing you, do you?"