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

Gu Hua looked around the study.

Last night, only one candle was lit on the desk in the study, casting a dim light.

She was carried in on someone's shoulders. Drunk and confused, she didn't even see what the study looked like.

It is said that the Duke of Yongguo spent more than 20 years fighting outside the capital, starting when he was eight years old, and the total time he spent in the Duke of Yongguo's mansion in Bianjing was less than two months.

Every time I come back, I spend the rest of my time in the study, except for sleeping and talking to the old lady.

The study is large, furnished entirely with black lacquered rosewood furniture, exuding understated luxury.

The walls are lined with bookshelves, filled to the brim with books.

Gu Hua's gaze fell on the empty, huge desk, and the scene of their intense intimacy seemed to be right before her eyes.

My heart pounded, and my ears burned red.

He quickly looked away, his gaze falling on a portrait of a woman hanging beside the bookshelf.

Curious, I walked closer to take a closer look.

The woman in the painting has a beautiful face, a dignified and serene posture, and a slender figure, like a willow branch.

This must be the first wife of the Duke of Yong, right?

A strong sense of shame welled up in Gu Hua's heart.

They actually did it in front of the late madam's portrait...

She turned around in a panic, almost knocking over the vase in front of the portrait.

Just as I turned around, carefully steadying the vase, Zhou Zhilan pushed the door open and came in, carrying a basket filled with brightly colored fruit.

"This is the late wife of the lord. But I'm not familiar with her."

Zhou Zhilan didn't notice Gu Hua's flustered expression. She casually mentioned it and smiled as she placed the fruit basket on the coffee table on the soft couch.

Gu Hua steadied herself.

I couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Why aren't you familiar with this either?"

Zhou Zhilan took a white porcelain plate and scissors and cut the washed grapes off one by one.

The deep purple grapes fell onto the snow-white bone china plate, quickly piling up into a small purple mountain, which was quite beautiful.

She muttered to herself, "When the late Madam married into the family, she was already quite ill. She lived alone in Ningxiang Garden, and the servants who served her were all from her own family. They rarely came out. Moreover, she couldn't be exposed to the wind because of her illness, so she almost never left the house. She could count the number of times she went to see the Old Madam on her fingers."

"Oh? Her illness hasn't gotten better?"

"Yes, after entering the manor, the Duke's family used the best medicine to care for him, but he died of illness after more than a year."

Gu Hua felt inexplicably sad: "I heard that my lord and his late wife were deeply in love. My lord must be very heartbroken, right?"

The portrait is painted so meticulously that Duke Yong must truly love it.

Zhou Zhilan stopped, tilted her head and thought for a moment: "The master didn't even come back on the wedding day. He only came back to pay his respects after the late wife passed away. I didn't see the master cry, so how can you say that the couple was deeply in love?"

Gu Hua was surprised.

This means...they didn't consummate the marriage?

“Sadness doesn’t necessarily mean tears. Especially for a man like my lord, even if he’s heartbroken, he’ll probably keep it all bottled up inside.”

Gu Hua seemed to be talking to herself as she turned to look at the portrait.

Zhou Zhilan pressed her down to sit on the soft couch and stuffed a grape into her mouth.

"My lord and my late wife have known each other since childhood, and my late wife was very fond of my lord. My lord was always on war and never came back, so my late wife wasted her life until she was twenty years old. That year, my lord drove out the Tartars and returned in triumph. My late wife went to the palace and knelt down to beg for a marriage. The emperor granted her a marriage, and my lord finally accepted the imperial decree and got married."

Although the marriage was arranged by imperial decree, Mu Junyan did not remarry, did he?

It's clear he can't forget her.

Gu Hua slowly chewed on the sweet grapes, feeling longing: "This kind of mutual affection is truly enviable."

No matter how envious she is, she doesn't want to experience love in this lifetime.

She dared not think about her past life.

In this life, she is not worthy.

She was also a young lady raised in a marquis's mansion. Although she was secretly bullied by her aunt and elder sister, she did not lack food or clothing on the surface. She was able to study and learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, dancing, and needlework.

She knew that innocence was priceless for a girl.

She also knew about the principles of integrity and propriety.

If word gets out that she took the initiative to climb into someone's bed, she'll be drowned in spit.

If she finds evidence proving that she and Gu Wanru were switched, will her biological mother, born into the Langya Wang clan and valuing traditional virtues and face, acknowledge her?

Wouldn't people say she's unworthy to be the daughter of the prestigious Langya Wang clan, a family with a long history?

"Envious? I don't think so. Marrying a sickly woman, my lord still lives a solitary life. It's as if he didn't marry her at all."

Zhou Zhilan's nonchalant words brought Gu Hua back to her senses.

Gu Hua felt that this gossip had gone a bit too far, and that talking about one's master behind his back was a crime.

She quickly stood up: "Where are the late Madam's manuscripts? Let me take a look."

Zhou Zhilan put her hands on her hips and pointed at her: "Hey, I already said you're not allowed to touch the manuscript until your hand is healed. You sit back down."

After saying that, he ran to the bookshelf, bent down and pulled out a few books from the bottom shelf, then picked up a fruit basket and pointed to a white porcelain plate full of grapes.

"You take the grapes, let's go to the side room next door to read some short stories."

Gu Hua: ...

For the entire day, the two girls leaned against the soft couch by the window, basking in the warm early autumn sun, eating fruit and snacks, and reading little storybooks, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Every now and then, the two of them would chatter away, discussing the stories in the little book.

We all felt indignant for the female lead and sighed for the unrequited love between the male and female leads.

Gu Hua had never experienced such a lazy and happy day.

She liked this kind of life, yet felt melancholy about it.

It all feels so unreal.

Before they knew it, it was getting late. After having dinner together, Gu Hua had to go back.

The sky, which had been perfectly fine just moments before, suddenly darkened, with flashes of light appearing through the thick clouds, followed by muffled rumbles of thunder.

It was sunny during the day, but it's going to rain at night?

Zhou Zhilan handed her an oil-paper umbrella: "It looks like it's going to rain soon. Come as usual tomorrow, and I'll have someone bring in some new storybooks so we can continue reading."

"Mm." Gu Hua smiled at her, but her mood sank.

As Gu Hua walked out of Wenhanxuan, her pace slowed down immediately; she had no desire to return to Jinxiuge.

Suddenly, he heard two old women whispering nearby, so he perked up his ears.

Unexpectedly, they were talking about her, and the two of them were even pointing at her.

"It's her. She failed to seduce the young master, so she tried to seduce the lord. She's shameless."

"I heard her mother came from a merchant family; isn't it true that the lowest of the low breeds are all the same?"

"Exactly. Look at her, she sways her hips every time she walks, she's a slutty vixen."

Gu Hua was so angry that she trembled all over.

These words were naturally spread by Gu Wanru.

She had only been in the manor for a month, and most of the Duke's family didn't know her. They couldn't possibly know that Consort Pei came from a merchant family, let alone say something like, "You can't seduce the young master."

It was the same in my previous life.

She was forced into becoming a concubine, and had to endure the torment from Mu An and her elder sister, as well as the open and covert attacks from Mu An's concubines.

Meanwhile, the people in the mansion, unaware of the situation, pointed fingers at her and even verbally abused her to her face.

They said she was shameless for stealing her own sister's man, and that she ruined the reputation of the Duke's mansion.

Gu Wanru acted like a villain but pretended to be a good person.

Gu Hua took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

As the sunset faded and dusk settled, maids and servants bustled about, carrying torches to light the lanterns in the surrounding corridors.

The early autumn chill suddenly descended, a gust of wind blew, and a sudden drizzle of raindrops began to fall from the sky.

Gu Hua quickly opened her oil-paper umbrella, pulled her clothes tighter, and continued walking slowly.

She hoped that Mu An wouldn't squat on her tonight.

I escaped death last night, but I wonder if I can escape again if it happens once more.

After dawdling back to Jinxiu Pavilion, it was already completely dark, and the rain was pouring down.

She cautiously peeked into the yard, but the rain was too loud to hear anything coming from the main house.

With such heavy rain, Mu An probably won't come.

Gu Hua ran to her room door, and just as she opened it, the door to the main room suddenly opened.

She jumped in surprise.

Instinctively, I shrank back into the room.