I Am the Crumbling Wall
She was just a socially anxious introvert.
Was there anything better than fishing for killing time that was also so easy to get into?
No!
So she absolutely had to fish.
"Isn't that the Marquis?" Second Concubine's eyes were sharp, and she quickly spotted Xu Weibei among the group of men across the lake.
Xu Weibei was teaching someone archery, chatting and laughing in a manner utterly different from the dark look he usually wore at home.
"Sure enough, only men can make other men smile," Gu Wanning said. "All right, you don't need to keep me company. Go wherever you like and have fun. The Grand Princess's Residence is much like our own home."
First Concubine seemed a little distracted and hurried away at her words.
Fourth Concubine went after her. "Big sister, wait for me!"
Third Concubine said, "Madam, I'll go see the princess."
"Go on." Gu Wanning waved a hand. "Attend to the princess in my place today. I'll call you when it's time to go back."
"Yes, madam."
Second Concubine used her round fan to fan Gu Wanning. "I'll keep you company."
"All right, sit down too."
Second Concubine sat on a small stool behind her, her eyes like X-rays as they swept over nearly everyone around them.
"That kingfisher-feather hairpin must cost several hundred taels of silver."
"That fabric costs a hundred gold for a single bolt, and she's actually sitting right on a stone stool in it. How extravagant."
"So many people came to today's banquet. I just made an estimate, and it must have cost at least a thousand taels of silver."
Gu Wanning couldn't stop laughing at her. "You should work for the Prince and keep his accounts. You wouldn't make the slightest mistake with the military funds coming in and going out."
"I certainly could! Oh, madam, that annoying Lu Baozhu is coming again."
Chapter 39: I Am the Crumbling Wall
"She's come looking for a scolding," Gu Wanning said casually.
There might have been something seriously wrong with Lu Baozhu. She just loved getting hammered in public.
What could Gu Wanning do?
She was such a good person, of course she would oblige.
Lu Baozhu had deliberately come to provoke her while Gu Wanqing was talking to someone else.
"Do you see? Wherever Sister Wanqing is, you'll always be a jumping clown. You aren't even worthy of carrying Sister Wanqing's shoes!"
"Yes, I'm not worthy." Gu Wanning gave her a radiant smile. "You are, so hurry along."
"You're jealous!"
"Yes, jealous that you get to be a licking dog."
"You—"
"Lu Baozhu, didn't your family teach you? Don't run into the same wall twice! Why can't you ever learn?" Gu Wanning handed her fishing rod to Second Concubine, stood up, and brushed nonexistent wrinkles from her clothes.
"What did you come here to say? What are you trying to accomplish?" Gu Wanning asked.
"I just can't stand the sight of you!"
"The feeling happens to be mutual." Gu Wanning smiled. "But—didn't your family teach you? Oh, they definitely didn't. No wonder I thought you had such poor manners. Then I'll tell you now: a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall..."
"How dare you! Who are you calling ill-mannered?"
"You." Gu Wanning ran her tongue over her back teeth, a roguish grin spreading across her face. "I am that crumbling wall."
With that, she let out a startled cry and fell straight backward.
"Madam—" Second Concubine stared in shock and lunged to pull her back, but failed to catch her.
Gu Wanning fell into the lake.
She had done it on purpose.
Even a clay figure had a temper, and Lu Baozhu had provoked her again and again. She would teach her how to behave.
She was a woman with a ruined reputation. A barefoot person had nothing to fear from someone wearing shoes.
Lu Baozhu, however, was still an unmarried maiden choosing a husband.
Come on, whoever backs down is a dog.
"Help! The Marchioness has fallen into the water!" someone shouted.
A nimble figure leaped down from the opposite bank and swam straight toward Gu Wanning.
The lake was so narrow that Gu Wanning hadn't even had time to react before she felt someone grabbing at her from behind.
That wouldn't do!
Men and women were not supposed to touch. She had jumped into the water expecting the maids and older servant women to rescue her, not to get involved with a man.
So Gu Wanning ducked straight beneath the water and kicked away.
Xu Weibei had been just about to catch her, yet suddenly she was gone?
He dove underwater too and saw Gu Wanning dart away like a silver fish.
Her movements were as clean and smooth as could be.
She could swim!
Even as Xu Weibei breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't help growing angry.
All his earlier worry turned to anger.
This troublesome woman!
Gu Wanning reached the shore in no time. Only after grabbing hold of some water plants did she dare look back.
Who was so eager to jump in and save me?
Since this "accident" was something she had devised on the spur of the moment, the other person couldn't have had ulterior motives and must simply have wanted to help.
Though he had almost made things worse.
Gu Wanning looked back and met a pair of deep, gloomy eyes.
Who else could it be but Xu Weibei?
Gu Wanning: "..."
The helpful citizen was actually my husband?
Thanks!
But I can swim, hee hee hee.
She flashed two neat rows of little white teeth and gave Xu Weibei a brilliant smile.
Xu Weibei had been about to scold her for being careless and foolish, but her dazzling smile caught him off guard, and the words of rebuke in his head seemed to evaporate in its light.
At that moment, for some inexplicable reason, Lu Baozhu, who had been stunned silly by Gu Wanning's outrageous stunt, suddenly seemed to lose her mind and jumped straight into the lake too.
Gu Wanning: "..."
Girl, aren't your reflexes a little slow?
If you'd jumped in right after me, you could still have said you were trying to save me and cleared yourself of suspicion of harming me.
Now I've jumped, Xu Weibei's jumped, and all the male and female guests are looking over, and you've finally remembered to jump?
What, are you putting on a diving show for everyone?