Forced to Share a Bed (continued)

But!

She left behind Nanny Chu, whom she trusted most.

Nanny Chu was an old nanny who had watched Xu Weibei grow up. She was highly respected, and also very... strict.

She personally supervised the servants as they put away all the bedding Xu Weibei kept in his outer study, then replaced the bedding in Gu Wanning's room with a brand-new scarlet set.

After dinner that evening, she said to Gu Wanning, "Madam, it's time to rest. Please bathe and change first. This old servant will go ask the Marquis to return."

Gu Wanning picked on the weak and feared the strong. Seeing Nanny Chu was like seeing her menopausal homeroom teacher from middle school; in front of her, she was as timid as a quail.

Once Nanny Chu had gone out, Er Ya said, "Madam, are you consummating the marriage already? Does that mean you'll have a baby in a few months?"

Gu Wanning thought, I'll give birth to a dog!

"Never mind that. Go tell Second Concubine the Grand Princess demanded this, so it doesn't count as me breaking our agreement. I haven't forgotten what she asked me to do. I'll put my back into it for her later."

She had said she would arrange things for Second Concubine first, but now she was the one getting a bite to eat first.

That was a bit unfair.

More importantly, she was also afraid Second Concubine would feel she had gotten the short end of the stick and come asking her for compensation.

All the silver had gone into filling the hole, so she couldn't afford to compensate her.

So Gu Wanning felt she needed to give Second Concubine an explanation.

Er Ya went off to carry out her orders.

When Second Concubine heard the message Er Ya passed on, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Tell Madam," she said, giving Er Ya a handful of coins, "I wouldn't dare compare myself to her. If she can put in a good word for me in the future, I'll be endlessly grateful."

Happy to have gotten the money, Er Ya went back to report.

But Nanny Chu stopped her at the door, saying Xu Weibei had already returned to the room and telling her to go back and rest; there was no need for her to go in and attend to them.

Worried, Er Ya called into the room, "Madam, are you all right?"

Gu Wanning and Xu Weibei were staring at each other, wide-eyed. Hearing that, she could no longer quite keep up her imposing front. "I'm fine. Go back and rest."

Nanny Chu sat under the covered walkway like a door god, letting neither the people inside come out nor anyone outside go in.

"There are lots of mosquitoes. Here, fan yourself." Er Ya produced a large palm-leaf fan from somewhere and stuffed it into her arms. "This servant is going to sleep."

Then she left.

Nanny Chu looked at the coarse palm-leaf fan in her arms and couldn't help smiling and shaking her head.

The maid by Madam's side really had no manners, but she made up for it by being honest and simplehearted.

"I'm going to sleep," Gu Wanning said, breaking the silence. "You sleep in the bed, and I'll sleep on the daybed. You rock the bed, and I'll do the shouting. How about it?"

The idea was for everyone to do their part.

Xu Weibei said, "...Behave yourself!"

Gu Wanning thought, The emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is worried to death.

His grandmother was the one making demands now, so why should she run herself ragged?

She simply ignored Xu Weibei, climbed onto the daybed, and lay down.

Xu Weibei sat there like a giant Buddha, motionless, as though waiting for someone to present offerings.

Gu Wanning couldn't help thinking that he really was made of iron. It was as though all those blows from the paddle had landed on a dog instead of him.

Forget it. Why should she care about him?

She still had to go check on her corn first thing tomorrow morning. How could she have the mind to bother with him?

Gu Wanning gave a huge yawn, then closed her eyes and went to meet the Duke of Zhou.

Playing Werewolf during the day had gotten her a little worked up. Even in her dreams she heard "Werewolves, please kill someone," and then she bumped Xu Weibei off.

Xu Weibei was a little depressed today.

The beating was nothing, but his grandmother had used her own health to threaten him into consummating his marriage with Gu Wanning. The breath stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down, leaving him terribly uncomfortable.

But although he had many grievances against his grandmother, she was also the one who had raised him.

He couldn't disregard his grandmother, but neither was he willing to "sacrifice himself" for the realm.

Before she left, his grandmother told him she would only consider withdrawing Nanny Chu once Gu Wanning became pregnant.

This annoyed Xu Weibei to no end.

When they didn't live together, she was out of sight and out of mind. Now that they faced each other day and night, he had nowhere to put his hatred.

Seeing Gu Wanning reminded him of Old Thief Gu.

No, he couldn't just sit and wait for death.

Tomorrow, he had to make Gao Lan come up with a solution.

Gao Lan, in the outer room, sneezed violently.

Xu Weibei lay down on the bed without undressing.

He didn't know whether it was his imagination, but he vaguely heard Gu Wanning mutter something that sounded like—

"Kill Xu Weibei."

She certainly dared to think it.

A mocking smile appeared at the corner of Xu Weibei's lips. As long as she had the ability, she was welcome to bring it on.

Right now, he would love nothing more than for Gu Wanning to murder her husband, so he could have a reason to separate from her.

"Murder her husband?" Gao Lan's teeth ached. How could the Marquis dare to imagine such a thing?

You killing your wife seems a little more realistic.

"This subordinate truly has no ability to make Madam do anything." Gao Lan felt he was going to grow gray hairs over the past few days.

"I don't care. Find a way. In any case, I must separate from her by mutual agreement as soon as possible, even if it costs more silver and the price is higher."

"Even if it leaves you utterly disgraced?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you glare coldly at Madam, but if someone were to ask after her every comfort..."

Xu Weibei understood.

Gao Lan wanted him to wear a bit of green on his head.

Really... it didn't seem entirely out of the question.

"Ahem, what this subordinate means is, since you don't want to make things work anyway," Gao Lan said, summoning his courage and getting it all out in one breath, "let's do something big. Find Madam a man, then catch them in bed together. Even if the Heavenly King himself came, she wouldn't have a leg to stand on."

"Since you put it that way, have you already picked someone out?"

"As a matter of fact, I have." Gao Lan scratched his head. "This subordinate thinks Jiang Qiubai would be quite suitable. I heard the steward say that Madam used to go and support Jiang Qiubai often."

"That actor?"

The last time Gu Wanning was stopped and invited to hear Young Master Jiang perform, the man in question had been Jiang Qiubai.

Jiang Qiubai was at the height of his fame in the Capital, so even Xu Weibei had heard of him.