Who Was More Formidable, He or the Marquis?

Before having this dream, she swore she had never heard of the name Qin Lie.

But in her dream, she became Qin Lie's woman.

With the Marquis's death and the complete downfall of his Marquis's Residence, the wife, who was irreconcilably at odds with them, led them to rely on the Gu Residence for support and struggled to survive.

Unlike in reality, in the dream, the lady only seemed to change completely after the Marquis's death.

However, the Gu Residence later encountered a great calamity and fell apart.

How could the First Concubine dare to mention such a nightmare?

But everything in her dream felt so real, so real that she dared not recall it carefully.

She thought it was all a lie.

But Qin Lie appeared.

Just like in his dream, he wanted to be his own man again.

The First Concubine broke down in tears as she spoke.

"To protect me, Madam risked falling out with the Marquis. I dare not hide anything from you anymore. These things weigh heavily on my heart. I fear I'm overthinking, but I'm even more afraid they might be omens..."

Some things matched, some didn't, which made her feel uneasy and easily startled, like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow.

This heavy burden almost crushed her.

But Gu Wanning vaguely understood at this moment.

First Concubine, would you call this... being reborn?

Or perhaps, in her dream, she foresaw another possibility—a story that didn't unfold because she didn't time travel?

"I believe you, and I won't blame you for overthinking," Gu Wanning said in a deep voice. "Now, tell me everything you can remember from your dream, down to the smallest detail."

"Yes."

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the First Concubine was finally able to speak out.

Gu Wanning grew increasingly terrified as she listened.

My First Concubine said that Xu Weibei would later be imprisoned for attempting to force the Consort of the Prince of Qin, Gu Wanqing.

Xu Weibei said he didn't, and Gu Wanqing also said he didn't.

However, no one cared about the denials of the two parties involved; some people were determined to nail them to the pillar of shame.

The matter is still under investigation. At Gu Wanning's request, the eldest brother, Gu Anqi, went to visit Xu Weibei in prison, hoping to help clear his name.

However, after his visit, Xu Weibei suddenly fell ill and died that very night.

The Grand Princess, having lost her son, was unable to bear the blow and soon died in sorrow.

There was no evidence to suggest that Gu Anqi was involved in the matter, so Gu Anqi was not punished.

Gu Wanning refused to accept the claim that Xu Weibei died of a sudden illness; she firmly believed that Xu Weibei was murdered.

Therefore, she demanded an investigation into the truth.

But her efforts were destined to be in vain.

Even after Xu Weibei died, the emperor had no intention of letting him go.

Many people fabricated charges against Xu Weibei, framing him and causing him to be stripped of his title after his death.

If it weren't for the Grand Princess, he might have been whipped after his death.

Upon hearing this, Gu Wanning understood even more why her First Concubine had kept quiet.

Who would dare to utter a single word about something like this?

Chapter 54 Who's more powerful, him or the Marquis?

"Chief Grand Secretary Gu and your brothers are all very, very good. They have taken excellent care of you, and even your servants and others have not been left to wander the streets."

The First Concubine continued talking about the Gu family.

But even such Gu family didn't bring good fortune.

When the Chief Grand Secretary Gu was framed, the Gu family was not spared either.

What charges were used to frame my father?

"At that time, I had already married Qin Lie, but because of some misunderstandings, I was very cold to him. When he came home, he would mention things outside, so I overheard bits and pieces of what he said."

My First Concubine said that the Gu family had been framed for many crimes, so many that they were too numerous to count.

One of the things she vaguely remembered was soliciting bribes using calligraphy and paintings.

"That's impossible." Gu Wanning had memories of her past life. "My father never wrote calligraphy for anyone who asked him for it. He only gave his calligraphy to people very close to him."

For example, one's children at home, or old friends of many years.

Gu Yuanshi was a cautious person who did not seek fame or praise.

He has always remained clear-headed about the adulation he receives from others.

Even in his high position, he treads on thin ice, proceeding with extreme caution.

"Because this matter concerns you, I know more about it."

"Does this concern me?"

"Yes, some of those paintings and calligraphy that were lost were yours..."

Gu Wanning: "..."

The clown is herself again; the clown is always herself.

"Of course, it's not just you. The Consort of the Prince of Qin has many more titles, because she has many more."

"I'll accept it if I want to, but why should she?"

Didn't her man give her a grand wedding procession?

"The life of the Consort of the Prince of Qin didn't seem to be very good. But she was truly remarkable; later, her son became the emperor, and she became the Empress Dowager."

In other words, Gu Wanqing had the last laugh.

"There's another charge," the First Concubine realized she'd gone off-topic and quickly steered the conversation back on track, "It seems the Chief Grand Secretary Gu has a prized disciple who sends him wine every year. The wine jars are exquisitely carved, so the Chief Grand Secretary has kept them as collectibles."

But when they searched the house later, they discovered that all the wine jars were filled with gold.

That was used as evidence of Gu Yuanshi's embezzlement and bribery.

Gu Wanning knew nothing about this matter.

Even after she returned to the Gu family, she felt out of place and was unaware of many things about the Gu family.

"Furthermore, the Marquis's death was later blamed on his maternal uncle."

"When someone is down on their luck, there are always plenty of people who will kick them while they're down," Gu Wanning said quietly.

"Oh, by the way, Madam, there's one more thing. It seems that some people in a certain area are causing a huge uproar because of Chief Grand Secretary Gu's reforms. They say it's driving families to ruin, forcing people to sell their children, and it's a very big commotion."

"But more than ten years later, everyone said that Chief Grand Secretary Gu's reforms were excellent, excellent. I was completely confused and didn't understand..."