Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

The servants moved back and forth, their footsteps swift and silent, quickly cleaning up the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, setting up the tea table again, lighting the charcoal stove, and placing the teapot on it.

No one noticed that Gu Hua had her head down, but she was secretly glancing at the departing Mu An couple and then at the Duke, whose expression remained unchanged.

Zhou Chunyu waved his hand, and everyone vanished instantly.

He also stepped back ten paces and waited quietly.

Mu Junyan's strong fingers tapped rhythmically on the stone table, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, and his sharp eagle eyes stared at the helpless girl.

Gu Hua felt the force of that gaze, as if it weighed a thousand pounds. The powerful pressure rushed towards her, and she dared not look up. Her hearing became exceptionally sharp.

Each tap of his fingers felt like a punch to Gu Hua's heart, causing her heartbeat to stop for a second.

My legs felt weak, and my palms, clasped together in my sleeves, were covered in sweat.

He wouldn't be planning to pull up his pants, settle scores later, beat her thirty times, and then resell her, would he?

Gu Hua secretly cheered herself up.

She has prepared for the worst.

It's better to sell it than to leave it with that heartless couple.

"You have nothing to say?"

The man's voice was cold and sharp, like that of someone interrogating a criminal.

Gu Hua was so frightened that a surge of anger rose within her.

What should she say?

Are you suggesting that a woman should admit to sleeping with someone else?

As a man, shouldn't you have taken the initiative to bring it up?

What kind of man bullies women?

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a human being!

...but she dared not say it.

Gu Hua's beautiful eyes were filled with tears, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, her gaze like that of a heartless man like Chen Shimei.

Mu Junyan: "..."

The two, one weak and one strong, locked in a stark confrontation of completely mismatched power, and he felt he had bullied the other.

Mu Junyan's tone softened: "You came to Wenhanxuan last night?"

The girl's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "They're here..."

Ha, so honest?

Mu Junyan didn't expect her to answer so decisively.

Would she try the same trick again, pretending to twist her ankle and lunging at me?

Mu Junyan's face darkened with suspicion, and he shouted sternly, "Do you know the rules of the Duke's Mansion?"

How dare they violate the rules of the Duke's mansion and trespass into Wenhanxuan, and even steal his sleeping clothes!

It's not that they're reckless, it's that they're courting death.

Gu Hua looked bewildered: "This young lady has only been in the manor for a short time and doesn't know yet."

That innocent face was as innocent as could be, with almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears, looking pitiful.

Pack!

Mu Junyan was so angry he laughed.

He raised his hand and slammed it hard on the tea table.

Snapped!

The stone table shook, the teacup bounced twice, tilted, and the tea spilled out.

Gu Hua was so shocked that she jumped up, her legs went weak, and she knelt down with a thud.

She pulled out a silk handkerchief, covered her mouth, and began to sob: "My lord, please spare me! It was not that I trespassed. My elder sister wanted to fulfill her filial duty and sent me to inquire about your whereabouts. I was scared, so to bolster my courage, I drank a little wine before coming, and I'm a bit confused now."

Mu Junyan frowned.

She didn't do it on purpose?

Could it be that he was so drunk that he stumbled upon a young girl in the dark, drunk and disoriented, and lost control of himself, taking advantage of her?

...Then give her another chance.

"My master lost a piece of clothing in his study. He's investigating the thief. Have you seen it?"

Gu Hua's ears turned red, and she stammered for a long time, unsure how to answer.

Mu Junyan got angry: "If you know, you know; if you don't, you don't!"

Gu Hua forced a smile and said, "This servant does not know."

So you're going to deny it to the death, huh?

The little girl was Gu Wanru's younger sister, and Mu Junyan couldn't hit her or scold her, so he was seething with anger.

He felt disgusted if any woman he had ever been with were to be touched by anyone else, so naturally he couldn't let her go.

He couldn't bring himself to take someone's virginity and do something irresponsible and outrageous, but he also didn't want any women around him.

Besides, we don't know what the little girl really wants.

For the first time, Mu Junyan felt that there were things in the world that could stump him.

After a moment's hesitation, he slowly began, "I was drunk last night, and I was a little confused..."

Gu Hua interrupted him, crying with a look of terror on her face: "Last night, my lord got drunk and doesn't remember anything. I didn't meet anyone either."

This was the moment she had been waiting for.

She didn't do it on purpose; she was unintentionally used as a tool for the Duke's sexual gratification while he was drunk.

She was sensible and gave the Duke ample face.

Only if the Duke felt guilty would he truly care about her situation.

Mu Junyan was slightly taken aback.

Her petite body trembled.

Are you that scared? Is it really necessary?

He's already being very amiable.

Besides, he didn't say he wouldn't take responsibility. Didn't he say she had a fiancé? He should at least find out what the girl herself wants.

The image of his soft body, which had endured so much beneath him last night, swirled in her mind, and her heart softened.

"Get up, the ground is cold."

Gu Hua slowly got up, her eyes brimming with tears, her legs trembling, looking extremely pitiful.

"sit."

Mu Junyan was used to giving orders, and he tried his best to soften his tone, but it was still very harsh.

Gu Hua carefully sat on half of her bottom.

She wanted to hear what he planned to do with her.

Mu Junyan didn't want to beat around the bush and said seriously, "If it were anyone else, you would have been a corpse thrown into a mass grave long ago. But you are Gu Wanru's sister, so I can spare your life. Besides, you already have a fiancé, so I can give you a generous dowry. If you have any improper thoughts, you should give them up now."

Are all men this scoundrel?!

Gu Hua stared at him blankly, her eyes brimming with tears.

After a long while, she mustered her courage and pleaded with a sob in her voice, "This servant... has no fiancé. This servant dares not hope for anything, I only beg my lord to keep this servant by my side as a slave and a maid."

She denies having a fiancé?

That means they want to climb the social ladder.

"I don't need women to serve me," Mu Junyan replied directly.

Gu Hua hurriedly replied, "This servant knows that my lord and his late wife were deeply in love, which is why he has not remarried for ten years."

"But, the Duke has fought for the country and its people on the battlefield. He has finally returned home and should enjoy himself. No servant can serve him as well as I can, and my cooking skills are excellent..."

Mu Junyan interrupted coldly: "I have no appetite."

That old man is so stubborn!

Gu Hua blushed and pitifully unfolded the bundle: "Women are different from servants. When they serve you by washing your feet or scrubbing your body, the feel of their hands is... very different."

After saying that, her face burned with embarrassment, but she bravely stared at him.

Mu Junyan looked at her wrapped hand, where a slightly yellow liquid seeped out. His gaze moved upward and he saw a section of fair and tender flesh on her arm.

That night, those soft little hands were indeed...

Gu Hua noticed that his ears had turned slightly red.

Tsk tsk tsk, that's men for you.

Liu Xiahui pretended to be virtuous, but his eyes and face betrayed him.

Last night... he seemed a bit clumsy at first, but then he became like a hungry wolf.

Haven't been with a woman in a long time, have you?

"Has the medicine been applied?" Mu Junyan looked away, picking up his teacup to hide his excitement.

Gu Hua withdrew her hand and gave a soft "hmm".

"You go back first."

Mu Junyan was twenty-eight years old and had never racked his brains to talk so much with a woman before.

It's even more tiring than fighting a war.

Fortunately, he didn't get married, otherwise he would have been driven crazy by troubles even if he hadn't died in battle.

Gu Hua stood up and said softly, "I will go to the study first thing tomorrow morning..."

"No need."

Mu Junyan blurted out, but then felt a little anxious under the gaze of the pair of almond-shaped eyes across from him, which were filled with tears.

So he changed his tone: "No need to come too early, it's not too late to come after you've had enough sleep."

Knowing that Mu An had evil intentions towards her, and considering her efforts last night, she should protect her to some extent.

As for Mu An...

Mu Junyan's eyes darkened slightly.

"correct."

Gu Hua turned around, her bright, beautiful eyes fixed on him.

Mu Junyan frowned: "Why do you keep referring to yourself as a servant? Even if you are born out of wedlock, you are still a daughter of a marquis. Why belittle yourself?"

Gu Hua sighed softly, "When my aunt sent me to the Duke's mansion, she said it was to put my elder sister at ease, and forced me to sign a slave contract. I am now a slave."

If it weren't for this, she would have run away long ago.

The only one who can help her escape her status as a slave is Mu Junyan.