Xu Weibei

Biodata

Background

Xu Weibei is the only legitimate grandson of the Grand Princess Dowager, who raised him after his parents died. He earned military honors at a young age and became known for his arrogance, once beating the emperor’s son, the Prince of Qin 1 31.

His father, Xu Huan, courtesy name Guanshan, was once the emperor’s study companion before becoming a military officer. Xu Weibei long suspected that the emperor had played a part in his father’s death, but later reconsidered after learning more about the injury that preceded it 298 301.

Xu grew up unaware that his mother was a Southern Border princess and the paternal aunt of Yiling and Yi Xiu. The emperor eventually reveals her identity to him; Xu is particularly shaken to learn that his mother and grandmother had been at odds 331 332.

At his grandmother’s urging, the emperor decreed his marriage to Gu Wanning, the daughter of his political enemy Gu Yuanshi. Xu brought four concubines into the residence on their wedding day and departed that same day to lead troops to the Northwest. He returned three years later, having heard that Gu Wanning had mistreated the concubines 1 3.

According to Gu Anqi, Gu Yuanshi had secretly helped Xu obtain his first opportunity to go to war. Anqi also said the Grand Princess sought the marriage partly so that, if Xu encountered trouble, Gu Wanning might persuade her father to help him 30 31.

Appearance

Xu Weibei has a tall, upright figure and a commanding bearing. When Gu Wanning first sees him after his return, he wears silver armor and carries a sword 2.

• Swordlike brows, starry eyes, deep-set eye sockets and a high, straight nose 2.
• A lean, muscular body marked by scars 20 21.

Personality

Proud and quick-tempered, Xu Weibei is openly contemptuous of people he considers wicked or foolish. He initially regards Gu Wanning with suspicion and assumes her behavior toward the concubines is calculated to win praise 10 19.

He is fiercely opposed to Gu Yuanshi’s proposed reforms, particularly cuts to military spending. His concern for soldiers who did not return from the Northwest contributes to his anger at court 13 19.

Despite resenting his grandmother’s interference in his marriage, Xu is anxious about her health and cannot easily disregard her wishes. Gu Wanning judges him hard-hearted but observes that, even when furious with her, he does not raise a hand against her 3 18 22.

Xu can also be impulsive and domineering. He attempts to arrange marriages for his concubines without securing their consent and later attacks Fang Tingxiu over a misunderstanding, though he has an apology conveyed after discovering his mistake 59 60 107 257.

As his feelings for Gu Wanning deepen, he becomes protective and attentive, but struggles to accept her wish to leave. He eventually recognizes that his hostility toward her family and his grandmother’s interference have placed her in a difficult position 95 103 182 183.

Abilities & Skills

Military command

Xu made his name young and accumulated an illustrious record in battle 1 12.

• He began as a foot soldier and was promoted to Hundred-household Commander after killing thirty enemies in his first major battle 238.
• During the Northwest campaign, he crossed an enemy army of 100,000 with 500 light cavalry and reached the Oirat stronghold 12.
• He led troops in the Northwest for three years before returning to the capital 1.
• His soldiers hold him in deep admiration. He rarely speaks of his achievements and works to secure benefits for soldiers and their families 238.

Swordsmanship

Xu carries a sword and regards martial skills as tools for killing enemies on the battlefield 2 41.

• At Gu Wanning’s urging, he performs a few flourishes with a peachwood sword during a ritual for First Concubine, despite his disbelief in spirits 40 41.
• While practicing swordplay on a frozen lake, he breaks the ice and falls through, subsequently becoming ill 210.

Relationships

• Gu Wanning — His principal wife. Both initially seek a mutual separation, but his opinion softens as he observes her determination and care for the concubines. She later calls him a good friend while remaining determined to leave the marriage 22 34 45. Xu falls in love with her and refuses a divorce, but they eventually separate. After a prolonged reconciliation, she confesses her feelings and they remarry 95 103 163 282 305.
• Grand Princess Dowager — His grandmother and guardian. She arranged his marriage, supports Gu Wanning, and pressures the couple to produce a child 3 6 22 31. Xu later confronts her over her interference and rejects her attempts to arrange another match for him 127 188 208.
• Gao Lan — His subordinate, who investigates household matters, carries messages and proposes a scheme to help Xu separate from Gu Wanning 11 19 22.
• Gu Yuanshi — His father-in-law and political opponent. Xu resents his proposed military spending cuts; Gu later impeaches him at court 13 19. Xu subsequently helps him and comes to admire his integrity as a fellow official, even while their personal relationship remains difficult 221 307 360.
• Gu Anqi — Gu Wanning’s elder brother. Xu strikes him during a court dispute over reform and later refuses to meet him 19 30. They are both among those keeping watch at the palace during the emperor’s final illness 360.
• Li Jinxiu — First Concubine. She fears Xu’s intimidating presence and wishes to avoid serving him; he shows little concern when she falls ill 15 37 38. Xu later tries to arrange a marriage between her and Qin Lie, but she resists 59 60 99.
• Jin Rongrong — Second Concubine. She helps Gu Wanning during the dispute over pawned tonics and pays Gu Wanning for a place on Xu’s visit schedule 11 13.
• Wen Huaying — Third Concubine, a physician bestowed on Xu by the Grand Princess. She accompanies him to visit his grandmother and later tells Gu Wanning she does not want to share his bed 2 3 17. When Xu asks whether she would marry Gao Lan, she refuses and asks either to remain with Gu Wanning or leave the residence 107.
• Zhou Yaya — Fourth Concubine, whom Xu says was forced on him at thirteen. He considers himself responsible for looking after her for someone else and has no romantic interest in her 8 25.
• Xue Fengxian — Also known as Xue Shiyi, he was a close friend of Xu’s. After the Xue family was punished for rebellion, Xu protected Xue’s daughter Jiaoniang and the pregnant Linglong, whose child was also Xue’s 56 57 273.
• Jiaoniang and Linglong — Initially believed to be Xu’s daughter and pregnant bedchamber maid, respectively. Jiaoniang is Xue Fengxian’s daughter, and Linglong’s unborn child is also Xue’s 32 57. Xu provides for Linglong and her daughter outside the residence, sending them a hundred taels monthly 148.
• Qin Lie — A general of the Southwestern Army. Xu welcomes him warmly and initially agrees to help him marry one of the concubines; Qin Lie also offers Xu advice about pursuing Gu Wanning 58 59 178.
• Zhou Jingyuan — An old associate who risked his life to protect Xu during an ambush when Xu was twelve. Although they later grew apart, Xu remembers his loyalty and sends him to bring back Physician Bian 284 285.
• Physician Bian — The physician who cared for Xu from childhood and accompanied him on campaigns. Xu is distressed to learn that Bian concealed the truth about his condition; Bian later returns with an antidote 246 335 337.
• Xu Zi — Xu Weibei and Gu Wanning’s eldest legitimate daughter. Xu adores her 364.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return and household conflict

Xu returns ahead of his army and confronts Gu Wanning over her predecessor’s treatment of his concubines. He threatens to divorce her, while she insists that any separation must be by mutual agreement 1 2.

He refuses to take Gu Wanning to see his grandmother, bringing Third Concubine instead. Later, after the Grand Princess orders Gu Wanning to arrange his visits to the women’s courtyards, Xu bars the women from visiting his outer study 3 7 8.

Court dispute and separation plans

Xu strikes Gu Anqi at court during a dispute over reform and answers Gu Yuanshi’s impeachment. The emperor orders him home to reflect for a month. Hoping to damage his marriage beyond repair, Xu has Gao Lan tell Gu Wanning what happened, but she refuses to make the scene he expects 19.

The Grand Princess punishes Xu for striking Anqi and pressures him and Gu Wanning to share a room. They sleep separately, and Xu asks Gao Lan to find a way to secure a mutual separation. Gao Lan suggests compromising Gu Wanning with the actor Jiang Qiubai 20 21 22.

Changing view of Gu Wanning

During a storm, Xu helps Gu Wanning protect her corn seedlings and pulls her clear of a falling door panel. Her determination moves him, and he begins to reconsider his earlier assumptions about her 34.

When First Concubine becomes unresponsive, Xu initially directs Gu Wanning to seek an imperial physician through his grandmother. He later joins a spirit ritual for the concubine’s sake, despite disbelieving in it; she wakes shortly afterward 40 41.

Xu gives Gu Wanning two sacks of corn and offers her an estate as provision for their eventual separation. The estate has thirty qing of farmland outside the capital, but because it was an imperial award, he can lend it for her to manage rather than give it away 42 43.

Flower-viewing banquet

At the Grand Princess’s banquet, Gu Wanning deliberately falls into a lake after an exchange with Lu Baozhu. Xu jumps in to rescue her, only to discover that she can swim. Soon afterward, Gao Lan reports trouble at the Thirteen Wards, and Xu hurries away 48 49.

Love and divorce

Xu agrees to help Qin Lie marry a concubine, proposing that his grandmother adopt the woman so that Qin Lie can marry her as his principal wife. First Concubine resists the arrangement, and Gu Wanning also objects to Xu forcing the match 59 60 62.

Xu’s feelings for Gu Wanning change, and he refuses her father’s efforts to arrange their divorce. The emperor transfers him to the Ministry of Revenue, where he must work alongside Gu Yuanshi. Gu Wanning remains determined to build an independent future through her crops 92 95 103.

When Meng He takes Gu Wanning hostage, Xu confronts him and brings hundreds of cavalry to the scene. Later, Xu accompanies Gu Wanning to the opera despite his jealousy of Jiang Qiubai and shields her from spilled hot water, scalding his arm 118 142.

Xu prepares ice flowers for Gu Wanning’s birthday but is summoned to the palace, where he again refuses an amicable divorce. Despite his objections, the marriage ends. Gu Wanning leaves, while Xu continues to seek a reconciliation and rejects other proposed matches 161 163 179 188 216.

Illness and reconciliation

Xu learns that he is unable to perform sexually and becomes despondent, suspecting that his condition is congenital. He withdraws for several days and sends for Physician Bian, who had cared for him since childhood 245 246 247.

After his condition becomes a source of public humiliation, Xu kills Zheng Jian and faces consequences for the killing. Gu Wanning seeks ways to help him and, confronting his shame and despair, tells him that his illness does not erase his achievements. She confesses that she loves him and urges him to live 264 265 276 278 282 283.

Xu and Gu Wanning later remarry. He entrusts her with reviewing and managing his shops and offers to have overseas ships bring back seeds she wants. He also promises to protect her from his grandmother’s interference 304 305.

Family secrets and later life

The emperor reveals that Xu’s mother was a Southern Border princess. Physician Bian subsequently returns with an antidote and explains that there had never been anything inherently wrong with Xu. The revelation leaves Xu thinking of his mother’s suffering; with Gu Wanning’s support, he steadies himself and decides not to tell his elderly grandmother 331 332 335 337 340.

When the emperor falls gravely ill amid rumors of unrest among the princes, he orders Xu to command the Imperial Guards. Xu remains at the palace for over a month and surrounds Gu Wanning’s residence with guards. After patrolling through the night, he falls asleep exhausted and wakes to find Gu Anqi demanding an explanation while pointing at his lower body 360.

Gu Wanning later gives birth to their eldest legitimate daughter, Xu Zi, whom Xu deeply cherishes 364.