Linglong's Discontent

Since this matter was decided by the Emperor himself, Xu Weibei's bringing it up now is tantamount to challenging the Emperor's authority.

The emperor even directly and bluntly scolded Xu Weibei, telling him to just manage the Ministry of Revenue properly.

However, Xu Weibei argued forcefully, presenting a variety of conclusive evidence to prove that the Xue family was implicated, while Xue Fengxian served the country and the people and should be exonerated and commended.

In short, Xu Weibei was basically dancing on the emperor's skin.

Even if it were truly a mistake, with so many people dead, the Emperor wouldn't want to admit it.

But Xu Weibei insisted on forcing the emperor to change his ways.

Gu Wanning learned about this from her second brother.

Gu Anwei told her that she should forget about Xu Weibei standing up for her before.

The gist is that Xu Weibei is just a busybody, not someone who still cares about you. Don't let this incident stir up any emotions in you or move you.

Gu Wanning found this second brother to be really interesting.

He is clearly a man, but he is wary of all men.

Gu Wanning knew that she could not rekindle her relationship with Xu Weibei, but she was still quite concerned about the progress of this matter.

It's good to stand up for your friends, but it's not good if it gets you involved.

"Second brother, what if the Emperor, in a fit of anger, just execute Xu Weibei?"

As she spoke, she made a gesture of touching her neck.

Gu Anwei understood the meaning of the question and shook her head, saying, "It's not that bad. At the time of the incident, the Marquis was fighting the Oirat in the Northwest and was not involved in the matter. Moreover, the Grand Princess was credited with the exposure of this matter, so the Marquis should be fine. However, whether the Emperor will hold a grudge is unknown."

If someone tries to sow discord between the emperor and the emperor, how could the emperor not hold a grudge against Xu Weibei?

But why is it that everywhere I look there's the Grand Princess?

It seemed like nothing was wrong; she just didn't get involved.

"It's good that you're alright." Gu Wanning breathed a sigh of relief. "If there really is a grievance, I also think we should seek the truth."

Xu Weibei was the kind of person who couldn't tolerate any injustice.

He has the heart of a child.

Sigh, Gu Wanning felt a pang of regret. Why couldn't such a sincere and upright man just be a normal man?

Gu Wanning felt that those minor "imperfections" did not affect Xu Weibei's towering image in her mind at all.

However, Xu Weibei was too concerned about it.

Ugh, this is so difficult.

He and Xue Fengxian had a very good relationship.

"Is it possible for Your Majesty to admit your mistakes and correct them?" Gu Wanning asked.

"That's hard to say."

Gu Wanning sighed and said, "I still hope that the Marquis can achieve his goal, otherwise he probably won't give up. The Grand Princess is probably going crazy with anger."

Even a fool could guess that the Grand Princess was involved in this matter back then, and now that her own grandson has come out to slap her in the face, how furious she must be.

The already strained relationship between the grandfather and grandson is now even more precarious.

Hopefully, Xu Weibei can get through this difficult time smoothly.

A few days later, there was a new development in this matter.

Chapter 213 Linglong's Dissatisfaction

Xu Weibei succeeded.

He successfully exonerated the Xue family.

Gu Wanning felt that things were going too smoothly, almost unbelievably so.

So many lives were lost, and back then it was handled swiftly and decisively, leaving no stone unturned. Now that Xu Weibei has stepped forward, has the situation been reversed without a thorough and rigorous investigation?

Isn't this reversal a bit too arbitrary?

To find out the inside story, you'll have to ask your own father.

Her biological father was the emperor's confidant and knew many inside stories that others could not.

Gu Wanning didn't go directly to him, but instead asked her older brother, Gu Anqi.

Gu Anqi told her that, on the surface, Xu Weibei's troubles only started recently, but in fact, he had been investigating the matter ever since he returned to the capital.

His eventual confrontation with the Emperor was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather the result of a thorough investigation and the acquisition of irrefutable evidence.

However, out of consideration for the emperor's feelings, he did not reveal everything in public, but instead presented it to the emperor quietly.

"And right now, it's just exonerating the Xue family. In this matter, the Xue family is at most an ant caught in the crossfire."

The truly important matter still needs investigation, and the outcome is unknown.

The Emperor is likely unwilling to overturn his previous conclusions.

At most, he can admit that some people were innocently implicated.

This way, it's easier to give an explanation to the people.

Accidental injuries do not diminish his brilliance and prowess; they are merely a necessary price to pay for eliminating treacherous officials.

No one would have thought that the "Xiaoxiao price" actually cost hundreds of lives.

As long as they don't kill you, human lives are like consumables in a major event, not worth mentioning.

"The Marquis should calm down now," Gu Anqi said. "He just wants to help Xue Fengxian."

Moreover, this matter involved the emperor taking action against an ambitious person, so it cannot be considered wrong.

Xu Weibei cared about his close friend and was unwilling to get involved with others.

"If Xue Fengxian knew this in the afterlife, he would be Qingxing that he once had such a friend," Gu Wanning said sincerely.

"It's a pity the entire Xue family is wiped out," Gu Anqi said with a sigh.

The things my father did were also fraught with danger; if he wasn't careful, the whole family would be implicated.

Could the Gu family possibly become the next Xue family?

However, there's no turning back now that the reforms have begun; we can only win, we cannot afford to lose.

Gu Anqi wanted to give Zhi Nu to Gu Wanning for adoption.

Since Gu Wanning now lives in a separate household, strictly speaking, she is no longer considered Gu family.

If something unexpected happens in the future, perhaps she can still protect herself Zhi Nu.

However, the He Shi disagreed.

He Shi said that if that day ever comes, the whole family will be together again.

If you've enjoyed privilege, you must also bear the risks.