Chapter 25: Brother’s Compensation

See him, why not see him?

It’s not her who is guilty.

“I went back last night, I didn’t sleep all night, I thought about it over and over again, Wanning, what you said is right, I was completely wrong. Father doesn’t manage the family affairs much, but he does feel very guilty about you… Mother, she’s soft-hearted, she’s not good with words, and she does, indeed, favor Wanqing…”

Gu Wanning was a little surprised, she didn’t expect Gu Anqi to admit it in person.

It’s true, in the Gu family, the one who favored Gu Wanqing the most was her mother, Wei Shi.

“Although I really want to say that there are reasons, but that’s not an excuse for us to neglect you. Wrong is wrong…” Gu Anqi said, “I’ve thought about it, your life is really hard now. On your wedding day, the Marquis didn’t give you any face, he brought in four concubines. And he has mistresses and children outside, it’s unfair to you…”

Gu Wanning: Wait, wait, what mistress?

What children?

If it’s a mistress, her first reaction is Jiang Qiu Bai.

But children… Jiang Qiu Bai doesn’t have that function.

“So you want a divorce, that’s right.” Gu Anqi seemed to have made an important decision, “Although it’s difficult, this is probably the only thing Brother can do for you now.”

“How do you want to help me?”

Gu Anqi’s face flushed slightly, “I, I haven’t thought of it yet, but I’ll find a way.”

Gu Wanning: “…”

Probably her speechless expression was too obvious, so Gu Anqi explained, “I’ll talk to Father these days, Father has some influence with the Emperor. You were married by the Emperor, you need to untie the knot where it was tied. First, let Father mention it to the Emperor, and when Xu Weibei makes a mistake, then mention the divorce, do you think that would be better?”

“He hit you, doesn’t that count as a mistake?”

“That does count. But time has passed, and Father said he wouldn’t pursue it, so that matter is over.”

After a pause, Gu Anqi said again, “I said it, maybe you won’t believe me, maybe you think I’m making excuses. But the truth is, Father deliberately impeached Xu Weibei. He really wants to love you, to be good to you…”

Xu Weibei was too powerful, no one knew the Emperor better than Chief Minister Gu.

If Xu Weibei didn’t make a mistake, when the Emperor found a mistake with him, his fate wouldn’t be good.

“Is the Great Princess very kind to you?” Gu Anqi asked again.

Gu Wanning couldn’t deny this.

She nodded.

Although she didn’t say anything, she also vaguely understood that this affection was because of the Gu family.

Gu Wanning understood that the previous owner wasn’t wrong to resent the Gu family, but she also truly benefited from the Gu family.

It’s just that it’s not poverty that’s a problem, it’s inequality.

“Because she loves her only grandson, and she’s also worried that he’s too powerful and will end up in a miserable situation. So… so she wants to treat you well, hoping that you will fall head over heels for Xu Weibei, and in the future, even if something happens to Xu Weibei, you will go home and ask your father for help.”

“Ask Father for help?”

Because Gu Yuan Shi is the Chief Minister, he is the Emperor’s favorite?

But why is it him, why not someone else?

The Emperor doesn’t just favor him.

And at that time, whether Gu Yuan Shi is willing to step forward is another matter.

After all, it’s human nature to seek profit and avoid harm.

“Yes. Because Father has a pardon from the Emperor.”

Gu Wanning was stunned.

There’s such a thing!

It’s true that he’s the Emperor’s most favored minister.

No one can compare to him.

“Actually, Father was once helped by the Great Princess.” Gu Anqi said, “Father respects the Princess very much. The Princess and her husband have both been kind to Father. The two families actually have private interactions…”

Gu Wanning: I told you, there’s no such thing as love for no reason.

So, there’s this layer of relationship.

“The first time the Marquis went to war, it was actually Father who secretly helped him.”

Gu Wanning: You really shouldn’t dig too deep, it’s all gossip.

“The Great Princess is very aware of Father’s guilt towards you. So she went to the Emperor and asked for this marriage, because as long as the Marquis can win your heart, no matter what happens in the future, Father will not stand idly by.”

Even if it goes against his principles, Gu Yuan Shi would send his son-in-law to prison with the law, and then use a pardon, something he believes shouldn’t exist, to try his best to save him.

Of course, the premise is that Xu Weibei is inseparable from Gu Wanning.

Gu Wanning was deeply shocked.

Sure enough, these people have more tricks up their sleeves than a sieve has holes.

Especially when you think about the Great Princess’s noble status, she still has to pretend to be affectionate in front of her.

Really, Gu Wanning is impressed.

“Brother is telling you this, not to take credit,” Gu Anqi said, “He just wants you to have a better understanding of the people around you. Brother misunderstood you before, so he didn’t want to tell you a lot, he was afraid you would spread it around…”

Gu Wanning lowered her eyes.

As she said to Er’ya yesterday, everyone has their own position.

The previous owner made a fuss, in her opinion, it was justified; but in Gu Anqi’s opinion, it was being inconsiderate.

No one was wrong.

“I’ve thought about it, Father can use the pardon to protect your happiness, in the worst case, he can use the pardon to exchange for your divorce!”

“How do you exchange it?”

“We’ll find a way.” Gu Anqi said, “As long as you’re sure you won’t regret it after the divorce.”

“I won’t regret it. I don’t want to get involved in anything, I just want to find a quiet place to spend my old age.”

“Okay, leave it to me. But this won’t happen quickly, it will take at least one or two years, maybe three or five years…”

“I can wait.”

“Yes, I’m sorry for you.” Gu Anqi said.

When he said that, Gu Wanning felt embarrassed.

She’s like that, if someone gives her an inch, she wants to give them a mile.

She can’t stand being provoked, and she can’t stand it when people are too nice to her.

Gu Anqi today clearly mastered the technique of talking to her, it made her feel much more comfortable.

He’s a young genius, after all.

If Xu Weibei is the brightest star in the court, then Gu Anqi is the brightest Wenqu star.

One in literature, one in martial arts, they are both geniuses that people look up to, they became famous at a young age, they are already pillars of society in their twenties.

Although Gu Anqi is a few years older than Xu Weibei, civil officials have to wait their turn, he has become a mainstay of the Hanlin Academy, he is a true dragon among men.

He is the rightful heir of Gu Yuan Shi.

Someone in the court once said that the most enviable thing about Chief Minister Gu is not that he is deeply favored by the Emperor and holds a high position, but that he can foresee that his son will be successful, and that the Gu family will continue to thrive and stand tall.

This successful son is naturally not his second brother, who married into the royal family, nor his impetuous third brother, but his eldest brother, Gu Anqi.

“Brother, there’s one more thing I don’t understand.” Gu Wanning said.

“Tell me—” Gu Anqi’s face even showed a hint of surprise.

Is his sister able to talk to him calmly like this, does it mean that they still have a chance to repair their family relationship?

This made Gu Anqi very excited.