When Fourth Concubine entered, she was actually wearing black martial arts attire, and her expression was… one of utter confusion.
Indeed, dressed in such strange clothing, she stared at Xu Weibai with two eyes full of innocent stupidity, failing to even offer a greeting.
Gao Lan wondered: What exactly is Fourth Concubine trying to do?
Did she think this unconventional look would catch the Marquis's attention?
But Linglong often dressed like this; the Marquis was already immune to it.
"What?" Xu Weibai spoke. "Are you here to spar with me?"
In the middle of the night, these women were becoming crazier one by one.
In his view, when the top is crooked, the bottom follows; these concubines had all been led astray by Gu Wanning.
Only then did Fourth Concubine snap back to her senses. Stuttering but in a loud voice, she said, "He—Hello, Marquis!"
Her voice gave the caught-off-guard Xu Weibai a start, nearly causing him to drop the teacup in his hand.
Was she a complete dimwit?
Originally, he had only intended to take three concubines; this Zhou Yaya had been forced upon him.
Otherwise, how could he possibly be interested in a thirteen-year-old girl?
He wasn't a beast.
"Why are you dressed like this in the middle of the night, coming to see me?" Xu Weibai's voice was cold.
Fourth Concubine thought: Is this something I can say?
"Tell the truth!" Xu Weibai saw her eyes darting around and guessed she was about to lie, so he barked the order.
Fourth Concubine replied, "I—this servant went to speak with First Concubine, but the maid said she had come to see you. Then I went to find Second Concubine, and they said she also came to find you… so I thought, since everyone is coming, wouldn't it be bad if I didn't come too?"
Xu Weibai: "…"
She was a fool.
She surely didn't think First Concubine and Second Concubine had come to him for a midnight feast and that she needed to join the party, did she?
"As for these clothes," Fourth Concubine said with a hint of grievance, "the Madam forbids us from visiting each other privately, so I—no, this servant could only sneak around."
Xu Weibai thought that having a bit of cunning might not be a bad thing.
Because being dim-witted was truly fatal.
His "stupidity intolerance" was flaring up again.
"You, right now, get back and stay under house arrest!" Xu Weibai said, emphasizing each word.
The person who had entrusted him to look after her should be returning soon.
They needed to take her away immediately; he couldn't stand it.
Fourth Concubine was instantly aggrieved and grumbled, "Does it have to be house arrest? This servant didn't know I wasn't allowed to come. If I had known, I wouldn't have… How about you have someone hit me a few times instead of the house arrest?"
Not letting her leave her room was as good as taking her life.
Gao Lan saw Xu Weibai’s expression and knew things were going south. He immediately began ushering her out. "Military orders are like mountains; there is no room for bargaining."
"I wish I were one of the Marquis's soldiers," Fourth Concubine muttered.
She also wanted to go to the front lines and kill enemies.
Gao Lan thought: My dear ancestor, can you please just shut your mouth?
Among the women in this residence, it seemed only Third Concubine was somewhat intelligent and less of a headache.
Xu Weibai remained furious. The next morning, he sent word to the backyard informing all the women that they were strictly forbidden from seeking him out at the outer study. Those who disobeyed would have their legs broken!
Gu Wanning also received the notice.
Er Ya was bewildered. "What kind of madness has the Marquis fallen into so early in the morning?"
"It’s nothing," Gu Wanning said knowingly as she combed her hair. "He wouldn't shoot an arrow without a target. Likely, someone went to pour their heart out to him last night, and he found it too noisy."
She had withdrawn from the competition, but it was only natural for the other four to fight for his favor.
Perhaps they thought that since Xu Weibai hadn't touched a woman in a long time, they should seize the initiative.
But they didn't stop to think—how could a man like Xu Weibai go three years without a woman?
If she remembered correctly, Xu Weibai had a "woman in the room" by his side.
Where did that bedchamber maid go?
She hadn't seen her since his return.
Neither Xu Weibai nor the original owner of this body had treated 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 get jealous over an object?
The previous Gu Wanning had wanted to win that maid over, but she hadn't even managed to see her face.
Gu Wanning was now just a bit curious; she had no intention of trying to win anyone over.
"How shameless!" Er Ya cursed.
"Let them snatch what they will; it’s every woman for herself. As long as they don't step on me, we don't need to worry about it."
"But they've caused you to be scolded by the Marquis as well."
"It’s fine. I’ll probably end up implicating them in the future too."
In Xu Weibai's eyes, they were collectively known as "his women."
If one person made a mistake, the others were expected to take it as a warning to improve themselves.
Gu Wanning and Xu Weibai were like fire and water, so sooner or later, his temper would be directed at her, and the others would inevitably be caught in the crossfire.
"Hurry up, are you done packing?" Gu Wanning urged.
They were going out today.
"Almost, almost." Er Ya looked at the bulging bundle with some worry. "Madam, isn't it a bit too conspicuous to take these supplements out?"
Gu Wanning wanted to pawn the supplements the Grand Princess had gifted her yesterday to get some silver and fill the "hole" in her finances.
Having that debt over her head made her feel like she couldn't even speak loudly in front of Xu Weibai.
"It's fine. Just say they are old clothes I gave you to take back to your family."
"But… if the Grand Princess finds out, won't it be bad?" Er Ya was still hesitant.
"Don't worry, I've checked. There are no markings on the boxes. Besides, she gives these things out like loose change; do you really think she's going to keep her eyes on me?"
Filling the hole was the priority.
"Yes."
After eating, Gu Wanning took Er Ya out.
Once Gu Wanning left the Marquis Residence, she found the streets to be very lively.
The memories of her predecessor were, after all, not as vivid as what she saw with her own eyes.
The restrictions on women in this dynasty didn't seem that strict; many young women could be seen on the streets.
Stepping out of the Marquis Residence, Gu Wanning felt the air was exceptionally fresh.
Today, she was dressed as an ordinary woman, using powder to dull her complexion so she wouldn't stand out in a crowd.
She tightly gripped the purse in her sleeve containing the "huge sum" of thirty taels and, with Er Ya in tow, asked around until she found a pawnshop.
However, the price the pawnshop offered was absurd. For that precious blood bird's nest, they treated it as ordinary bird's nest and were only willing to give her eighty taels.
One had to know that if bought normally, it would cost two hundred and sixty taels; she had looked into it.
"We’re not pawning it. Let’s go!" Gu Wanning said huffily.
Taking Er Ya with her, she found the largest "North-South Goods" dry goods store.
It was a three-story building with several hundred square meters per floor, located on the most prosperous street in the capital where land was worth its weight in gold.
Gu Wanning couldn't help but think: Is this shop raking in money by the bucketload?
She was green with envy.
If she had a shop like this to collect rent from, she could live a comfortable life of leisure forever.
She wondered what kind of wealthy person owned this place; it made her so jealous.
The goods inside were a feast for the eyes. The first floor had various gemstones and exquisite gold and silver wares. The second floor had rare items like plants and nuts, while the third floor housed all sorts of exotic animals.
Gu Wanning was dazzled by the first floor, but when she reached the second floor and saw things she was accustomed to in her past life, she finally regained some confidence.
Er Ya, however, couldn't look around fast enough, her eyes darting everywhere.
Suddenly, Gu Wanning’s eyes lit up.