Found a Treasure

Where had that maid gone?

She hadn't seen her since coming back, either.

Neither Xu Weibei nor the woman whose body Gu Wanning now occupied had regarded the bedchamber maid as a person.

She was just an object.

Like a jade belt buckle: everyone had one, and it would be strange if you didn't.

But who would be jealous of an object?

The body's former owner had wanted to win the maid over, but hadn't even met her.

Gu Wanning was only a little curious now. The maid hadn't shown herself, but Gu Wanning had no intention of winning her over anymore.

"How shameless!" Er Ya cursed.

"Let them fight for whatever they want, each according to her own ability. As long as they don't step on me, there's no need to bother with them."

"But they got you scolded by the marquis too."

"It's all right. I'll get them in trouble too, sooner or later."

In Xu Weibei's eyes, they were all lumped together as "his women."

If one made a mistake, the others had to "take it as a warning, even if they were blameless."

Gu Wanning and Xu Weibei were as incompatible as fire and water, so the flames of his anger would come for her sooner or later too, and innocent fish in the pond would get caught up in the blaze.

"Hurry up, are you done packing?" Gu Wanning urged.

They were going out today.

"Almost, almost." Er Ya looked at the bulging bundle, a little troubled. "Madam, won't we draw too much attention carrying all these tonics out?"

Gu Wanning wanted to pawn the tonics the Grand Princess had given her yesterday and use the silver to fill the hole in her accounts.

With Xu Weibei having that hold over her, she always felt she didn't dare speak loudly in front of him.

"It's all right. Just say they're old clothes I gave you, and you're taking them home to your family."

"But if the Grand Princess finds out, won't that be bad...?" Er Ya was still hesitant.

"Don't worry. I checked everything, and there aren't any markings on the boxes. Besides, these are just crumbs that slipped through her fingers. Do you really think she'll keep an eye on me?"

Filling the hole was what mattered most.

"Yes, madam."

After eating, Gu Wanning took Er Ya out.

After leaving the prince's residence, Gu Wanning found the streets bustling.

The former owner's memories were nothing like seeing it with her own eyes.

The restrictions on women in this dynasty didn't seem so strict; quite a few young women could be seen on the streets.

After leaving the marquis's residence, Gu Wanning felt that even the air was especially fresh.

Today she was dressed as an ordinary married woman, with powder on her face to dull her complexion, so she wouldn't stand out as much in a crowd.

She clutched the purse in her sleeve, which held the "huge sum" of thirty taels of silver, and took Er Ya along as she asked for directions to a pawnshop.

But the price the pawnshop offered was outrageous. For blood bird's nest that precious, they treated it like ordinary bird's nest and would only give her eighty taels of silver.

She had asked around: buying it normally would cost two hundred and sixty taels.

"We're not pawning it. Let's go!" Gu Wanning said angrily.

She took Er Ya and found the largest shop selling goods from north and south.

It was a three-story shop, with several hundred square meters on each floor, situated on the capital's busiest street, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

Gu Wanning couldn't help wondering, Does this shop rake in gold by the bucketful every day?

She was dying of envy.

If she had a shop like this to collect rent from, she could lie flat in comfort for the rest of her life.

She wondered which lucky bastard had such deep pockets. She was green with envy.

Inside was a dazzling array of goods. The first floor had all kinds of gemstones and exquisite gold and silverware. The second held some uncommon things, such as plants and nuts, while the third had all sorts of exotic animals.

Gu Wanning was nearly blinded by the glitter on the first floor. When she reached the second and saw things she had been used to seeing in her previous life, she finally regained a little confidence.

Er Ya, meanwhile, couldn't look fast enough, her eyes darting everywhere.

Suddenly, Gu Wanning's eyes lit up.

Chapter 8: Found a Treasure

What had she seen on the wall behind the counter?

She had seen an ear of corn, golden and gleaming.

And it was hanging casually on the wall as a decoration, obviously not considered important.

Little corn, big sister is here. Come into my arms, and I'll let you shine.

Nothing else in this shop can outshine you!

Gu Wanning had studied agronomy, so she knew full well that under the same conditions, wheat and rice yielded only half as much per mu as corn.

Corn might be a coarse grain, but its high yield made up for it: it could feed more people.

Although she hadn't found higher-yielding crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes, finding corn meant that heaven had certainly treated her well.

Gu Wanning suppressed her excitement, afraid that if she looked too eager to have it, they would get the better of her and demand an exorbitant price. So she went over, pretending not to care.

The shop assistant was well trained and greeted her with a smile. "Madam, what would you like to see?"

"Nothing in particular," Gu Wanning said haughtily, pointing at the corn as if by chance. "That little thing is rather interesting, though."

"You have a good eye, madam. That is an auspicious treasure from overseas. Hang it in your home, and it will ward off disasters and keep misfortune away."

Gu Wanning: "..."

I may not be well read, but you can't take me for a fool.

She didn't believe for a moment that these people didn't know corn was meant to be eaten.

They were obviously taking her for a fool with money to burn.

Never mind. She did have more than thirty taels, after all, and couldn't be bothered to argue with him too much. A roughly reasonable price would do.

So Gu Wanning took out her purse and said, "All right, then. How much silver?"

"One hundred taels."

"How much?!"

Gu Wanning froze, her eyes going wide in an instant.

"Are you asking for the moon because you saw that I wanted it?"

The shop assistant gave an apologetic smile. "You jest, madam. Our shop does business honestly and cheats neither young nor old. If you don't believe me, look here."

He pointed at the wall. Sure enough, the words "one hundred taels" were written beneath the corn.

Good grief. Good grief.

Gu Wanning was knocked flying by that insane price.

One hundred taels of silver—was she supposed to go without food or drink and save for ten months just to buy a lucky charm to hang up and ward off disaster?