No Fortune to Enjoy It

Xu Weibei: I've learned something. Here's a gift.

"Furthermore, men care about their image, and so do women. Men like to compare whether a woman is beautiful and talented, gentle and virtuous; women like to compare how men treat them."

Did I make her feel embarrassed?

"What do you think?" Gao Lan asked weakly. "Having three wives and four concubines is one thing, every family is about the same. But to bring a mistress and her illegitimate daughter into the house, if the wife has any shame, she'll be slapped in the face."

Gu Wanning: Thanks for the invitation, but it wasn't me who lost face.

"You didn't announce to the world that you like Madam, but you've inadvertently revealed to the world that you don't care about Madam at all."

"Furthermore, you may disagree with Chief Grand Secretary Gu policy, but shouldn't you at least put on a show of politeness?"

They could easily learn from civil servants and flatter each other to your face while stabbing each other in the back!

Xu Weibei: I've learned something new. I'll announce to the world that I'm good to her.

As for that Old Thief Gu, he voluntarily ignored it.

Gao Lan went on to ramble on, but Xu Weibei summarized it into these two points and perfectly combined them into one.

That is—to send her gifts, to announce to the world, and to let everyone know that he is good to her!

Gu Wanning slept for a while and then returned to her usual peaceful state.

She went to the backyard and looked at her Corn that had already sprouted ears; she was in a good mood.

The concubines, who were "warned" to stay away from the battlefield yesterday, came early this morning to inquire about the battle situation.

Gu Wanning smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

We've lost, but there will always be a chance to turn the tide.

No one else spoke, except for the Fourth Concubine, who chuckled foolishly and said, "Madam, you actually managed to beat the Marquis! You're truly a hidden master."

Gu Wanning rolled her eyes at her. "Never fought."

"So you lost out? I told you, we should all go together!"

She is the key player.

Gu Wanning chuckled, her gaze sweeping over the Corn in front of her. "If all goes well, I'll be brewing tea in my little house by winter. Then, wherever you are, you're welcome to come visit."

Life is about giving yourself hope.

Once you get through this muddy road, you'll be reborn.

The First Concubine nervously wrung out her handkerchief.

She couldn't imagine who would protect her without the lady of the house!

The Second Concubine was also very worried.

How could a new, intolerant matriarch allow her to have any involvement with her family's business? What about her younger brother?

The Third Concubine thought, "Let's go, let's go. The lady deserves a better future."

She, a person without any expectations, grew old and died in a corner of the Marquis's Residence.

Fourth Concubine: "I'll sneak out tonight to find you, but don't let your dog bite me!"

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Apart from the Fourth Concubine, everyone else understood that Gu Wanning had completely given up on living together.

"Madam, Madam, there's a great commotion outside, with people bringing gifts to the Marquis's Residence!"

Chapter 80 Unable to Enjoy

Delivering gifts with gongs and drums?

Gu Wanning felt that Xu Weibei had probably angered her so much that she couldn't immediately understand what was going on.

Second Concubine reacted quickly, "Could it be that the Marquis has rendered meritorious service in battle, and the Emperor has sent someone to reward him?"

Gu Wanning thought to herself, "Military merits, huh? He's already been kicked straight into the Ministry of Revenue. Don't bring up the sore spot."

But then I thought again, could this be the Emperor making amends to Xu Weibei?

You know what, it's actually possible.

The old saying goes, "Give a stick and then a sweet treat," and that's how imperial power politics are portrayed on TV.

"Someone, set up an incense table. Regardless of whether it's an imperial edict or not, prepare to receive it beforehand, so as to avoid chaos later," Gu Wanning said.

Although I was very angry, this was an imperial edict, and the slightest mistake could result in punishment, and we would all be laid to rest.

"This servant will go help." Fourth Concubine was quick and, with Er Ya, soon set up the incense table and had it carried out.

Gu Wanning led the group, making their way to the entrance.

As soon as she reached the door, she saw a chubby little thing with a big red flower around its neck running happily towards Gu Wanning.

Gu Wanning stared in disbelief when she saw the alpaca.

Isn't this imperial decree a bit unusual?

The Emperor probably hasn't seen this mythical beast before, otherwise, given the alpaca's cheeky habit of spitting, wouldn't it be roasted by now?

"Grab it! Grab it!" Gao Lan shouted, stamping his foot.

Damn it, everything was fine until this strange creature broke free at the door!

The alpaca nuzzled Gu Wanning's shoulder with its head, as if greeting her, "Hi, we meet again."

Gu Wanning reached out and touched its head, then looked up behind her.

Where is the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict?

The eunuch didn't see it, but he did see Gao Lan chasing after him, panting, "Madam, this strange creature seems to take a liking to you. It was worth the Marquis spending a fortune to buy it for you."

What?

This alpaca wasn't a gift from the emperor, but rather something Xu Weibei bought at great expense?

Starting at 20,000 taels of silver...

She laughed at those who were foolish and rich, never expecting that the fool was actually living under the same roof.

Thank goodness I didn't sleep with him, otherwise people would probably say, "You can't sleep in the same bed with two different kinds of people," right?

Thank goodness.

"This," Gu Wanning, being a peasant at heart and reluctant to spend money, swallowed hard before asking the price, "How much did the Marquis spend?"

"Fifty Thousand Taels," Gao Lan said loudly and proudly.

The Marquis is truly a "brilliant" man.

The more valuable the item, the higher the price you sell it for; the more grateful you will be.

Actually, he didn't really approve of giving this gift, always feeling that there might be better options.

However, since the Marquis was determined to go his own way, he had no choice but to risk his life to accompany him.

Since he was delivering the gift on behalf of the Marquis, he had to be absolutely certain that the gift was the best of all time!