Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 377 Mercy

Liu Yuechu naturally understood who Gu Yu admired, but was it really a good thing for her to become someone's concubine? Even if that person was Wei Tianxuan, she wasn't particularly fond of him.

"Are you really sure? Once you become a concubine, you'll probably never be able to hold your head high again."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned sour, the previous joy vanished. Huajiao and Xiazhi couldn't laugh either, their expressions tense.

Gu Yu's face grew increasingly hot, and she understood that if she nodded now, there would be no turning back.

"I heard that Lord Wei's wife has been in poor health for a long time and has a chronic illness. She has never had time to take care of the children, so he is simply too busy to manage."

She felt pity and heartache after overhearing Wei Tianxuan's casual remarks, and said, "This servant is willing to take care of him and his family and children."

"Please grant my request, Master." Gu Yu knelt on the ground, her forehead kowtowed, and remained kneeling.

"Whether I agree or not is secondary; the key question is whether Wei Tianxuan would want you?" Liu Yuechu mentioned the most crucial point. She had secretly asked Xia Zhi whether Wei Tianxuan had any private dealings with Gu Yu.

Xia Zhi's answer was decisive: no.

Therefore, all of this is Gu Yu's unrequited love, and Wei Tianxuan probably has no idea. Otherwise, Liu Yuechu would have already yelled at him and scolded him for being shameless.

But right now, it's his own maid who's been blinded by greed.

"This servant thinks that Lord Wei is exceptionally fond of his wife, so perhaps he is unwilling to take a concubine. Besides, you could clearly go to a good family to be the principal wife, why would you choose to be a concubine? Moreover, this matter cannot be decided by the master, but by Her Majesty the Empress." Huajiao's eyes were very sharp, and she gave a special reminder.

Both Guyu and Xiazhi were people sent by the Empress, so it would be more appropriate for the Empress to bestow them upon them for marriage.

Liu Yuechu nodded. "If you insist on getting married, I must ask the Empress for permission before I can agree. But I still advise you not to look down on yourself, and not to be too kind to men."

“If you ever feel sorry for someone, your life will probably never be easy again…” Liu Yuechu was thinking of herself in her past life and Li Shu in this life.

When Lin Mengyu came to see her yesterday, he mentioned Wei Gongming. Wei Gongming had been stripped of his official post and transferred from the capital to serve as a county magistrate in a remote western region.

Actually, he went to seek refuge with the Third Prince. After all, the Third Prince had lost power, and his life was very difficult. Now that he had such an opportunity, he would not let it go.

But when he left, he didn't take Li Shu with him. Instead, he took the two concubines bestowed upon him by the Third Prince with him.

Li Shu was all alone, guarding an empty Zhenning Marquis's mansion, and also had to observe mourning for Guan Shi.

What did she do wrong?

The mistake was in pitying Wei Gongming, who was the least deserving of pity.

Gu Yu couldn't connect the dots with Liu Yuechu's self-deprecation and thought she was talking about Li Shu. "How dare this servant compare herself to the wife of the Marquis of Zhenning? This servant is just a servant."

"Besides, with you backing me up, Lord Wei wouldn't dare to bully me... Master, please allow me to take this gamble. If Lord Wei refuses, I will remain unmarried for life, tie my hair up in a bun, and become a nun, accompanying you for the rest of my life."

She had already said so much, and Liu Yuechu knew that if she tried to stop her any further, she would make an enemy.

"You will have to go to the palace for the full moon celebration. You will come with me then. When you see the Empress, you can speak to her yourself."

"It's not necessary to go and tell the Empress about this, is it? We all know what Lord Wei is thinking," Xia Zhi sighed from the side.

"Anyway, I'm not going to ask. It's embarrassing. You guys figure out how to find out what Wei Tianxuan is saying yourselves." Liu Yuechu could choose not to stop them, but she didn't support them either.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yu was extremely grateful.

Liu Yuechu, however, lost interest in the matter and told them to leave first, leaving only Granny Fang by her side.

“Master, there’s no need to worry. People come and go, and it’s normal for the young ladies to want to get married, after all, they’ve all reached the age.” Granny Fang didn’t share Liu Yuechu’s desire for “one man for life”, since almost all the men she had met in the mansion had three wives and four concubines, with the only exception being Yuan Cuo, because he had previously been a son-in-law.

"Do you think Wei Tianxuan will agree?" Liu Yuechu was also curious about this.

Granny Fang shook her head. "Who can know? What man wouldn't be moved by a beautiful woman? Even His Majesty has started selecting concubines for the palace, and Consort Yu has risen in status again and become His Majesty's favorite concubine."

After the Ministry of Rites finished preparing for the full moon celebrations of the two young masters, they were about to begin arranging for the selection of concubines for Emperor Qi Xiao.

The news of the talent show was already distributed to various places yesterday, and it seems that Beijing will be busy again starting next month.

Liu Yuechu pouted, "She's quite old, but she's still very active."

"You can't be careless about this. Who knows if His Majesty will choose one and give him to our son-in-law? You won't have a reason to refuse then, so you must be prepared in advance," Granny Fang reminded her.

Liu Yuechu thought about Yuan Cuo's status, and realized that if she mentioned being with him, many women in the mansions would be happy to do so.

With his father being Emperor Qi Xiao and his mother being Emperor Chu, who could have a more luxurious family background than Yuan Cuo?

"Should I act like a virtuous first wife and ask my husband if he needs a concubine?"

That evening, when Yuan Cuo returned, Liu Yuechu asked him this question.

Yuan Cuo never expected that he would be blamed for something that had nothing to do with him.

"My lady, you are the only one in my heart. There is no other woman. If you don't believe me, I will ruin the selection tomorrow and no one else will have a chance to interfere." Yuan Cuo sat on a small stool by the bed, looking pitiful.

Liu Yuechu nestled by the bedside, not allowing him to get on her.

"As Granny Fang said, every man likes beautiful women, without exception."

"I am the exception."

"How do you prove it?"

"..." Yuan Cuo couldn't think of a solution for a moment. How could he prove it? He couldn't very well cut himself to prove his innocence, because that would only lead to the conclusion that his wife had run off with someone else.

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Liu Yuechu couldn't help but giggle.

Yuan Cuo then realized he had been deliberately teased. "Wife, you've really gone astray!"

“How is this learning bad habits? I just want to know if my husband is as arrogant as His Majesty.” Liu Yuechu directly characterized Qi Xiaodi’s behavior.

"But, can my husband really mess up the selection process?" Liu Yuechu wasn't amused by the matter, but rather surprised by the extent of Yuan Cuo's power.

The imperial concubine selection was no ordinary event; it involved the movements of various regions throughout the Great Qi.

Although Granny Fang reminded her to adapt to the changes, the changes in Yuan Cuo seemed to be even greater than she had imagined.

Yuan Cuo didn't answer. Instead, he climbed up from the foot of the bed, crawled under the covers, and pulled her into his arms. Just as he was about to kiss her, he heard Fang Mama's scolding voice from outside.

Yuan Cuo slunk off her and rolled onto the tatami mat to sleep...