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

Akabane blinked blankly for a moment, then snapped back to reality, quickly waved his hand, and whispered, "Turn around!"

Everyone snapped to attention, turned around in unison, and held their breath, not daring to utter a sound.

Mu Junyan ignored them, his mind free of distractions, focusing only on holding the person in his arms and gently and carefully breathing on her.

Between breaths, the girl finally let out a deep breath, followed by panting.

Mu Junyan's clenched heart suddenly relaxed, and he subconsciously pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back and whispering, "It's okay, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Gu Hua's head was throbbing with a splitting headache and a loud buzzing sound.

Feeling the air flowing into her throat instantly brought her back to life.

I leaned weakly against a warm embrace, panting heavily, and opened my eyes blankly, only to find that there was no water around me.

Her tear-filled eyes stared blankly at the face before her, her gaze so brimming with tears that she couldn't make out his features, but he seemed like a god descending from heaven.

...Is he a deity?

Gu Hua's heart suddenly sank, and she buried her face in the immortal's chest, clutching his clothes tightly, and burst into tears.

“I never harm anyone, I wouldn’t even step on an ant. I went hungry for three days and three nights, and when I finally got half a bun, I gave it to a beggar. I didn’t do anything immoral. I listened to my aunt and elder sister and let them treat me badly, but why do they insist on ruining me? Why?”

Half a steamed bun?

Mu Junyan's heart skipped a beat, and his thick brows furrowed.

Hearing the girl's desperate cries, her clothes soaked with her tears, even though he had killed countless people and was used to life and death, he felt a strange pain deep in his heart and couldn't help but hug the little girl tightly.

His heart ached from being soaked in her tears.

This is all the fault of Mu An!

Mu Junyan's dark eyes were as cold as ice.

"Not afraid."

Zhou Chunyu and Zhou Zhilan couldn't help but have tears in their eyes.

The baby's cries stopped abruptly.

Mu Junyan looked down and saw the little one with her eyes closed, curled up in his arms like a tiny ball.

fainted.

Without thinking twice, he picked her up and carried her straight into the bedroom, gently placed her on the bed, and pulled the blanket over her body.

Everyone stared in astonishment.

Women were never allowed to enter the lord's bedroom.

The bed was not to be touched casually.

Mu Junyan stared at the person on the bed. After a long while, when the physician did not follow, he turned around and shouted, "Physician, hurry!"

The physician snapped out of his daze, picked up his medicine box, and rushed over, exclaiming, "Oh, oh, oh, you're here!"

Zhou Zhilan pulled Dongmo and ran away, saying, "Hurry up and have someone boil water. We'll ask the doctor to prescribe some medicine for a bath. Miss Gu is afraid of catching a cold, so she can soak in the medicine to sweat it out."

"Okay." Dongmo hurried off.

A short while later, Zhou Zhilan brought over a new dress of her own.

The physician had already taken her pulse and given her a few acupuncture needles, but she was still unconscious.

Zhou Zhilan, accompanied by an old woman, helped Gu Hua change her clothes, while Mu Junyan led everyone out of the room.

"Miss Gu was troubled and had liver fire stagnation. She fainted due to excessive excitement and tension."

Mu Junyan frowned.

In such a storm, she escaped dressed like this...

He turned to look at Akabane.

Akabane was so frightened that he shrank back and almost knelt down.

But with Miss Gu dressed like that and completely soaked, would he dare to try helping her up...?

He still needs his hands.

My lord, please don't look at me like that.

"My lord," the physician hesitated.

"Saving a life means I'm not afraid to talk about anything." Mu Junyan didn't care about Chi Yu.

The physician shook his head: "It's not a matter of saving a life. It's because when I bandaged Miss Gu's hand yesterday, I noticed that her fingernails were not right. I just examined them carefully and found that there were bruises inside her fingernails from years of needle pricks. There were crisscrossing old and new wounds. The culprit was as vicious as the old nannies in the palace prison."

The physician in charge of the palace had previously served as an imperial physician and had witnessed such cruel torture inflicted on women.

Mu Junyan frowned. Who was so cruel to her?

Mu An has ulterior motives towards Gu Hua, which Gu Wanru should dislike.

But they are sisters after all!

"How's the investigation going?" Mu Junyan asked Chi Yu.

Akabane hurriedly replied, "We're still investigating."

Zhou Chunyu was a bit overwhelmed; he hadn't yet completed the task of sending gifts to the Gu family as instructed by his lord.

Now that the daughter-in-law has caused such a scene at the brother-in-law's house, it could be very troublesome if not handled properly.

Mu Junyan thought for a moment and said to the physician, "I heard you have taken in a female disciple? Would she be willing to come and serve you? You can name your terms."

The physician's eyes lit up: "I'll ask her when I get back. Her family is poor, so she should be willing. However, she has a rather eccentric personality."

"Knowing how to take care of your body is enough."

The physician nodded: "She is particularly skilled in pharmacology."

The lord actually wants to select a female physician to accompany the Gu family's daughter?

Who else but the old lady receives such treatment?

Zhou Chunyu's shrewd eyes darted around.

He quickly stepped forward and said considerately, "My lord, may I find a quiet place in Wenhan Pavilion for Miss Gu to move in? Her injury will probably take a while to heal."

Mu Junyan glanced sideways, his tone cool: "Stay at Wenhanxuan?"

Zhou Chunyu's heart skipped a beat.

Am I wrong?

You've already carried her to your bed.

Isn't it just because you like someone?

If you continue to say that Wen Hanxuan doesn't allow women to enter freely, then it will seem fake.

Seeing his complicated expression, Mu Junyan's tone grew even colder: "The Duke's mansion is so big, can't you find a suitable place to settle him?"

Zhou Chunyu realized he had made a fool of himself by flattering her, so he quickly smiled apologetically and explained, "Of course, of course, I was just thinking that Miss Gu wanted to copy the late Madam's manuscripts..."

"The person is injured like this, and you still want to order them around?"

Zhou Chunyu: "..."

Ouch.

Is he the one who orders people around?

Zhou Chunyu didn't dare to talk back, his face instantly turned serious, and he thought about it for a moment.

"Then let's arrange for her to stay at Ya Yun Pavilion next to Xiang Rui Hall. It's close to the old lady, and Zhi Lan also lives nearby, so it's convenient for her and the family doctor to take care of her together. Ya Yun Pavilion is a private courtyard, so it won't disturb the old lady."

When you, my lord, visit the old lady, you can also visit the young lady without being criticized.

Zhou Chunyu felt that he was becoming more and more considerate of his lord.

Mu Junyan was very satisfied: "Let's do it this way."

Zhou Chunyu quickly instructed his servants to arrange for people to decorate Jingya Pavilion, and he also gave detailed instructions on moving the magpie-shaped bed and the dressing table to be inlaid with magnolia flowers.

Mu Junyan pondered for a moment: "Go and talk to Jinxiu Pavilion."

"Yes," Zhou Chunyu replied earnestly.

Mu Junyan added, "Just say that the young lady from the in-laws' family is staying at our mansion temporarily. The old lady likes her and asked her to keep her company for the time being."

Tsk tsk, they're bringing in the old matriarch to protect people.

How dare you say you don't care about others?

Zhou Chunyu had an expression that said, "I know all this, but I definitely won't say it out loud."

When has his master ever been so fussy about a woman?

The second daughter of the Gu family is one of a kind.

Zhou Zhilan lifted the curtain and came out. She didn't hear the conversation between her master and her brother. She glanced at her master with a complicated expression.

"My lord, your clothes have been changed. Your bed needs to be remade; it's all wet."

If we're keeping someone here tonight, we should at least get some new, bright red bedding or something.

Mu Junyan's clothes were also wet: "I will go to the study after I take a bath. Please settle the people in."

Zhou Zhilan's almond-shaped eyes widened as she watched the man pat his behind and walk away with a flourish.

"Really... just settle them down like this? Shouldn't we give them a proper status first... Hey, brother, why are you tugging at my sleeve?"

Fearing she might blurt out something inappropriate, Zhou Chunyu quickly waved his hand and said, "Send her to Ya Yun Pavilion."

Zhou Zhilan was surprised: "Ya Yun Pavilion? You mean you're arranging for Hua'er to stay at Ya Yun Pavilion?"

"That's true now, but who knows what will happen in the future."

Zhou Chunyu didn't want to say more: "Go quickly, I've already arranged for people to pack up. Go see what's missing and arrange to get it yourself."

"Oh, okay."

Zhou Zhilan was then pleased and beckoned two servants to bring over a sedan chair.

She and the nanny carried the sleeping Gu Hua to the sedan chair.

Fortunately, the rain stopped.