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

This time, Gu Hua returned to the mansion in the Duke of Yong's own carriage, with an even greater entourage than the previous two times.

The servants of the Gu family dared not neglect their duties.

Aunt Pei didn't want them to follow, but she was a little afraid of Donghua and Zhou Zhilan. When she saw Gu Hua walking towards the main hall with Madam Wang, she immediately stopped Zhou Zhilan and the others.

He said with a forced smile, "You've all had a hard time. The young ladies will be staying in the guest courtyard with our second young lady, and as for the other servants..."

Dongmo had no intention of giving her a pleasant look and interrupted her directly.

“We are here on the orders of our lord to protect Miss Hua, and we are also staying in the guest courtyard. We would like to trouble Aunt Pei to arrange for us to set up camp outside the guest courtyard.”

Aunt Pei's smile was almost impossible to maintain; she forced a couple of dry laughs and said, "I'm afraid this isn't quite right. After all, this is the Gu residence..."

Dong Mo said coldly, "The guest quarters are in the outer courtyard, so they won't affect the ladies of your household."

Aunt Pei's smile faded after being interrupted twice in public by a servant.

Her face darkened, and she said coldly, "Guests should follow the host's lead. Besides, you are just servants. If you are so rude now, won't you be able to do whatever you want with the Gu family in the future?"

Zhou Zhilan smiled and said, "Auntie, let's not even talk about how you're not qualified to talk to Dongmo and me. We'll give you some face because you and Miss Hua are mother and daughter. Isn't it easy for the Duke's Mansion to control the Marquis's Mansion?"

Aunt Pei's face stiffened.

Zhou Zhilan continued, "Our lord is very concerned about Miss Hua. She is our future mistress. After tonight, you will have to pay your respects to her. If such a noble person is harmed by a malicious person, our lives will be in danger. We dare not be careless."

Zhou Zhilan stepped forward, a half-smile playing on her lips, and said, "Auntie, if something happens, you won't be able to escape either."

Aunt Pei was so frightened that she took a step back and was speechless for a long time.

Zhou Zhilan instructed Dongqing and Dongmo: "You two go to the guest courtyard to prepare for the young lady's daily life. Donghua and I will go with the young lady."

Dongqing and Dongmo agreed and left with their men. Since they knew the area well, the Gu family didn't dare to stop them.

Aunt Pei was so angry that she stomped her feet when she saw that they treated her like she was invisible, as if she were in their own backyard.

She quickly lifted her skirt and hurried past Zhou Zhilan and the others, heading towards the main house.

Zhou Zhilan frowned. Would her family make things difficult for Gu Hua?

"They'll definitely try to stop us from going in. If they dare to block us, I'll just barge in by myself. I doubt they'll dare to stop me. Check around for anything unusual. If you find anything, notify Dongmo immediately."

Donghua nodded, rolling up her sleeves as she glanced around warily: "If they dare to cause any trouble, I'll charge in!"

"Don't be rash. After all, they are Hua's family. We'll see them all the time. We have to give them face."

"Yes."

Donghua quickly suppressed her murderous aura.

Sure enough, Aunt Pei was waiting for them at the door.

Seeing that they were about to go in, he blocked the doorway with two old women.

With a forced smile, she said, "Ladies, I am a concubine's servant and do not know the rules of your Duke's mansion. But even if the Duke's mansion is big, it cannot be bullied at will, can it? Our second young lady's surname is Gu. She cannot bear the reputation of disobeying her elders and being unfilial and disloyal."

Her voice was very loud, and it could be heard clearly inside.

Gu Wanru seized the opportunity to burst into tears: "Mother, my child is gone. I don't blame my second sister, it's just my bad luck."

Wang only learned yesterday that Gu Wanru had lost her child. Aunt Pei said it was because of Gu Hua, and she cried all night because of it. Today, she originally wanted to question Gu Hua properly.

Her beloved daughter cried her heart out, and her heart felt like it was being torn to pieces, aching terribly.

His face was extremely grim: "Granny Zhou, go and tell them. We are family members discussing matters; outsiders are not allowed to enter."

Granny Zhou acknowledged and went out, treating Zhou Zhilan with respect and a smile on her face.

“Miss Zhou, I’m sorry, the second young lady is getting married tomorrow. The Marquis and his wife have some household matters to discuss, so it’s really inconvenient for the two young ladies to come in.”

Zhou Zhilan almost laughed in anger when she heard Gu Wanru's cries.

But Wang is Gu Hua's biological mother, and this matter will soon be exposed. She has to give Wang face so as not to make things difficult for Gu Hua.

When Aunt Pei saw Zhou Mama come out, she twisted her waist and lifted the curtain to enter the inner room.

Zhou Zhilan bowed in return: "Granny Zhou, you are the head maidservant of the Lady of the Marquis, and Zhilan should naturally respect you. However, the master has instructed that Miss Hua must not leave Zhilan's sight, otherwise, Zhilan will have difficulty explaining when she returns."

Granny Zhou was in a dilemma.

Others are one thing, but Zhou Zhilan is someone whose status is higher than even the head housekeeper of the Marquis's mansion.

As soon as Aunt Pei entered the door, she began to berate Gu Hua in a harsh voice.

"Look at you! You went out and did shameless things. You didn't want to be a proper wife, but instead you chose to debase yourself into a concubine, bringing shame to our Gu family. You even let outsiders ride roughshod over us!"

Gu Hua had no intention of continuing to tolerate it and calmly asked, "Auntie is also a concubine. If you think being a concubine is shameful, why did you still marry Father as a concubine? You are the eldest legitimate daughter of the Pei family."

Besides, wasn't it my aunt who schemed and plotted to force my daughter into the Duke's mansion? Wasn't your original intention to make me a concubine for my son-in-law? Isn't a concubine even more degrading than a master's legitimate concubine?

Aunt Pei's eyes widened, and she slammed her hand on the table: "You've gone too far! How dare you talk back!"

Having endured a night of hardship, Gu Hua was no longer afraid of vicious thugs, so why would she be afraid of the wicked woman in front of her?

Gu Hua said calmly, "I was just answering Aunt's question, but Aunt acted as if someone had stepped on her tail and exposed her conspiracy."

Besides, my daughter is marrying into the Duke of Yong's mansion tomorrow. The Duke sent Steward Zhou and his most trusted attendant back to the Marquis's residence; isn't that giving the Marquis's family face? Does my aunt mean the Marquis's family is being disrespectful?

Gu Yuan's face darkened as he roared, "What nonsense are you spouting? You're becoming more and more unruly!"

Wang hugged Gu Wanru, heartbroken. She already harbored resentment towards Gu Hua, and seeing her act so out of character, no longer as docile as usual, she immediately felt that Gu Hua had been faking it all along.

Unable to hold back her tears, she said, "Gu Hua, you used to be so obedient and well-behaved, and so respectful to your sister. But how have you become like this?"

Gu Hua looked at her mother in astonishment.

My heart was clenched tightly, and the pain was excruciating.

Seeing this, Aunt Pei felt pleased and said sarcastically, "She's climbed up the social ladder and gotten too big for her britches. She even dares to harm her own sister. She won't care about the Marquis and his wife anymore."

Enraged by the provocation, Gu Yuan slammed his hand on the table: "You wretch, kneel down!"

Zhou Zhilan outside the door panicked and tried to rush in, but Granny Zhou held her back desperately.

He said in a low voice, "Good girl, the second young lady is, after all, of the Gu family bloodline. It's better for her to handle family matters herself. With outsiders around, if the Marquis loses face, things will get out of control, and the second young lady will be branded as unfilial, which wouldn't be good."

Zhou Zhilan hesitated upon hearing this, then heard Gu Hua's laughter and peeked out the window.

Gu Hua sneered; she was the only one standing in the room.

Her entire family is judging her.

In their eyes, it was all her fault?

Even if she never sets foot in the Marquis's mansion again, she cannot continue to be suppressed today. Otherwise, how will her mother cope when she returns to her side in the future?

She curtsied to Gu Yuan: "Father, are you going to settle scores with your daughter today? Your daughter's return home to await marriage is a favor from the Duke to the Marquis's mansion. Do you not appreciate this kindness, Father?"

Gu Yuan was taken aback.

The Emperor bestowed a marriage upon him, and his illegitimate daughter married the Duke of Yong as his concubine. He felt no shame at all; on the contrary, some people began to fawn over him.

He hadn't felt the feeling of being praised by others for a long time.

The Emperor bestowed the marriage upon them, and the Duke of Yong's mansion held a grand banquet, with distinguished guests filling the hall.

If Gu Hua does not marry within the household, wouldn't that mean the Marquis's household does not approve of her marriage?

Gu Yuan's attitude softened: "Of course she should get married at home."

He waved his hand: "Madam Pei, is Hua'er's dowry ready? Madam, the wedding is tomorrow, is everything prepared in the manor?"

Gu Wanru burst into tears, feeling wronged.

Lady Wang came from the most disciplined Langya Wang clan and knew the importance of each matter. For the time being, she could only put aside her daughter's grievances.

But she still harbored a grudge, and said stiffly, "Don't worry, Your Highness, Pei and I will manage things properly. We won't let the Gu family lose face."

Aunt Pei died of anger.

How could she possibly let that little bitch get away with it so easily?

"My lord, there is something we must ask clearly, otherwise, the Marquis's mansion will lose all face."

"We'll talk about it after the wedding."

Gu Yuan was getting impatient.

"No, this concerns the young lady's reputation and innocence."

Madam Wang also asked anxiously, "What is it?"

Gu Yuan also looked at her.

The reputation of a legitimate daughter is naturally more important than that of a concubine's daughter.