She Didn't Want This Latrine Pit

Other officials took "charcoal gifts" and "ice gifts," among other forms of under-the-table income. She didn't know whether he had refused them or taken them and hidden them away.

In any case, Gu Wanning had never enjoyed any of it.

When she married into the marquis's household, her entire dowry had amounted to two hundred taels of silver, including the sixty taels tucked away at the bottom of her dowry chest.

The original owner went mad every time she thought about it, because when her elder sister Gu Wanqing married the Prince of Qin, her bridal procession stretched ten miles in a sea of red.

The Prince of Qin was Gu Wanning's white moonlight.

And Gu Wanqing was Xu Weibei's white moonlight.

That was also why Xu Weibei had lost his head over love and attacked the Prince of Qin back then.

Tsk, tsk. This married couple had set their sights on that married couple.

When the emperor bestowed a marriage on Gu Wanning and Xu Weibei, the unlucky supporting male lead

and supporting female lead

were forcibly thrown together into a resentful couple...

All three of her elder brothers were closer to Gu Wanqing, so who would bother with her?

In short, she couldn't rely on her family.

She had to save herself.

"Er Ya, how much silver do we have left?" Gu Wanning had an idea.

"We just received ten taels of monthly allowance yesterday. Altogether, we have forty taels and three fen of silver, plus a few hundred copper coins."

"All right. Find a time to go out with me."

It was summer, and everything was growing.

Gu Wanning found that, in the original owner's memories, all kinds of crops differed greatly from those in modern times.

And by now, there were already shops selling goods from north and south, including all kinds of rare things from the Western Regions and overseas.

She wanted to give it a try and put her expertise to use, to see whether she could find some rare seeds, grow something from them, and sell a batch at a high price.

"Then, madam, what do we do now?" Er Ya asked.

Gu Wanning took a deep breath. "Make money!"

First, she would turn whatever she could into cash, starting right here in the residence!

What she didn't know was that the grand princess and her party had already arrived at the marquis's residence in a grand procession.

"Where's the madam?" Xu Weibei brought the grand princess back to the residence, and his tone was already hostile at the gate.

Where had everyone in this enormous marquis's residence gone?

The gatekeeper trembled. "The back courtyard. The madam is in the back courtyard..."

"Tell her to come out and receive us..."

Xu Weibei felt the guilty unease of someone whose lie had been exposed.

He had said Gu Wanning was unwell, so what was she doing in the back courtyard?!

"No need," the grand princess said. "We're all family. There's no need for so much ceremony. I heard before that she was growing vegetables in the back courtyard? She's diligent and frugal in managing the household."

Xu Weibei had nothing to say.

What he was thinking was, If Third Concubine, that lump of black coal, wasn't enough of a shock for you, then go and look at the remaining lumps!

The group headed toward the back courtyard together, and from a distance they could hear a great clamor of voices, chickens crowing and ducks squawking.

When they came closer, what a lively scene it was.

Nearly everyone in the prince's residence was here. Chickens, ducks, and geese were being chased everywhere, running and flying, with feathers filling the sky.

One person cried "Ow!" and fell into a drainage ditch, getting a mouthful of mud; another had his backside pinched by a goose and was howling.

And there was Gu Wanning, leading the charge, poking at a chicken with a pole. Who knew how it had flown onto the roof...

The lively scene made their heads buzz.

"Gu! Wan! Ning!" Xu Weibei's mouth was nearly twisted with rage.

He had faced armies of thousands upon thousands, remained unmoved even if Mount Tai crumbled before him, and laughed and chatted with the enemy at the city gates.

But!

Seeing this scene now, he truly couldn't bear it.

The grand princess was also stunned. Then she chuckled twice and said, "What are you shouting for? This child is quite lively."

Lively...

She truly couldn't find any other words to praise her against her conscience.

"Got it!" Er Ya had been chasing a duck with her whole heart and soul. She lunged and grabbed its wing.

But the white duck was standing on a black boot.

Probably startled, the white duck stuck up its rear, and a yellow-green lump landed on the other boot.

Those were Xu Weibei's feet.

Xu Weibei went mad.

Gu Wanning had gone mad, and she had driven him mad too.

They could all go mad together.

"Everyone, stop!"

Gu Wanning looked back, and when she saw the grand princess, only one thought filled her mind.

Oh no, oh no, how did this great deity come here?

She only wanted to sell some chickens, ducks, and geese. Wasn't that allowed?

Did this have to trouble her husband's grandmother too?

She threw down the pole, casually smoothed her disheveled hair, and called to the three concubines, "Come, pay your respects to the grand princess with me."

Chapter 5: She Didn't Want This Latrine Pit

In the original owner's memories, the grand princess had been kind and approachable toward her.

As it turned out, those memories were accurate.

Although Gu Wanning had turned the marquis's residence upside down and had been caught red-handed, the grand princess wasn't angry at all.

Not only was she not angry, she smiled and pulled Gu Wanning up from her bow, reached out to pluck a bit of duck down from her hair, and said with a smile of mock reproach, "You little monkey, aren't you afraid of heatstroke on such a hot day?"

Gu Wanning stammered, "I-I had nothing else to do anyway. What brings you here?"

This is a thick thigh. I have to hold on tight!

Gu Wanning didn't look at Xu Weibei's ashen face.

Gao Lan had already crouched down with a handkerchief to wipe the duck droppings off for him, while the concubines hadn't moved at all, standing like four pieces of wood.

"I haven't seen you in a long time," the grand princess said, giving her own grandson face by not mentioning the matter of illness. "I happened to have nothing to do, so I came out for a walk."

She changed the subject, still smiling, but her tone turned admonishing. "You're the marchioness, after all. Whatever you need done, just tell someone to do it. Are all the people kept in this residence dead? Why should you have to do it yourself? Your face is sunburned red. It'll sting something fierce later."

"It's all right," Gu Wanning said awkwardly.

She had really overestimated her ability to be a lackey.

A little figure in her heart was waving a flag and shouting, Charge! That's your thick thigh!

But her lack of emotional intelligence was holding her back!

Compared with the grand princess's ability to lie as smoothly as flowing clouds and running water, without the slightest hint of awkwardness, she was truly tongue-tied.