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

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Hua was awakened by the warmth.

Slowly opening my eyes, I saw a scene of swirling clouds and mist before me.

She moved slightly and realized that she was soaking naked in the bathtub.

Looking down, I saw that the bath water was brown and had a strong herbal smell; my body still felt weak and limp.

I looked around blankly. It was an unfamiliar bathroom. My mind was hazy, and my memory was completely blank.

I can't remember anything.

She tried to think, but her head was throbbing with pain, so she hit her head twice.

"Huh, he's awake."

Zhou Zhilan entered by walking around the screen, carrying clean undergarments.

Seeing that she was about to get up, he quickly called out, "Don't move around, or you'll get dizzy."

He put down the clothes he was holding and called out, "The girl is awake, come in."

Two young maids, about fifteen or sixteen years old, rushed in, helped Gu Hua up on either side, wrapped her in white cotton cloth, and carried her out of the bathtub, one on each side.

After helping her change her clothes and lay her down on the bed, covering her with a blanket, the two maids withdrew.

Zhou Zhilan plopped down on the edge of the bed, looking at her with a grin: "I know what you want to ask."

Gu Hua blinked.

"This is Ya Yun Pavilion. From now on, as long as you don't leave the Duke's Mansion, you will live here."

She suddenly whispered in his ear, "About what happened last night, the master has issued a decree, and the people of Wen Hanxuan are tight-lipped. The others only know that the master asked you for help and that the old lady likes you, so they arranged for you to stay here temporarily."

They've thought of everything so thoroughly.

Gu Hua was stunned, her heart filled with mixed emotions, and her chest felt heavy and uncomfortable.

Has she succeeded even a little bit?

Zhou Zhilan straightened up and smiled meaningfully: "You are the lucky star of our Wenhanxuan."

Gu Hua didn't understand. She choked up and opened her mouth to speak, only to find that she couldn't make a sound.

"Oh, your voice is hoarse? You wait here."

Zhou Zhilan sprang up instantly and dashed out in a flurry of activity.

Gu Hua stared blankly into the room. Had she temporarily escaped from Jinxiu Pavilion?

The room wasn't large, but the furnishings were exquisite and new, the curtains were new, the bedding was soft, and there were fine silk quilt covers.

These were all precious things she had seen in her past life but was not qualified to use.

Gradually, she remembered that she seemed to have slipped and fallen into the water, then suffocated, and then...

...Did a deity save her by breathing on her?

Gu Hua touched her lips, trying hard to recall, when Zhou Zhilan's crisp voice came, followed by the royal physician.

"Quickly, take a look at Hua'er; she can't speak."

The physician took Gu Hua's pulse and examined her throat and tongue.

"It's nothing, it's probably temporary. I caught a cold and had a high fever, and my throat got sore from shouting that I lost my voice temporarily."

The physician comforted her, saying, "Young lady, you must be feeling quite groggy after your medicinal bath. A good night's sleep will do the trick."

The doctor's words relieved Gu Hua and Zhou Zhilan.

After seeing the physician off, Zhou Zhilan returned, carrying a bowl of calming soup.

Gu Hua leaned against the headboard, sipping her drink, while Zhou Zhilan started rambling on and on.

"Ya Yun Pavilion is right next to the Xiang Rui Hall where the old lady lives. I also live nearby, and I often come to keep the old lady company when I have free time. My lord has arranged for you to stay here, which will make it easier for me to take care of you."

This is a private residence with its own courtyard. I've chosen two obedient second-class maids to serve you. You don't need to worry about anything; just focus on recovering."

Zhou Zhilan took the empty bowl, told her to lie back in bed, and carefully tucked the corners of the blanket in.

"Winterflower and Holly are in the outer room. My brother will take care of everything else, so don't worry too much and get some rest."

Gu Hua felt a warmth in her heart and waved to signal her to go back and rest.

Could it have been arranged by Mu Junyan?

Using the old lady's name, they arranged for her to live nearby. Even if Mu An had ideas, she wouldn't dare to act recklessly, and her elder sister rarely visited the old lady.

In this way, she can have some peace and quiet.

He thought of everything so thoroughly, so...

Will he keep her?

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her.

It wasn't some divine being transferring energy; it was Mu Junyan!

Gu Hua stiffened and touched her lips again.

Did the Duke of Yong kiss himself in public?

Her mind was about to explode; shame and fear of an uncertain future were like weeds, making her head a jumbled mess.

I can't think about it anymore, I need to get some rest.

She needed to pull herself together and continue her efforts to win over the Duke of Yong.

Two figures were moving behind the screen.

Gu Hua gently tapped the bed board. Two small heads peeked out from behind the screen and met Wen Wan's eyes on the bed for a moment. The two quickly walked to the bedside and curtsied to her in unison.

"This servant, Donghua (Dongqing), greets you, young lady. What are your orders?"

The plump winter flowers are cute, and the delicate holly is quiet.

Gu Hua pointed at them, placed her hand between her head and the pillow, and blinked.

Donghua's eyes widened.

Dongqing said softly, "Does Miss want me to go to sleep?"

Gu Hua smiled, nodded, and waved.

Donghua shook her head vigorously: "This servant is watching over you, Miss. You are ill."

Knowing that Gu Hua was thinking of them, Dong Qing quickly said, "Don't worry, Miss. We servants will take turns sleeping in the outer room. If you want to drink tea or go to the privy, just knock on the bed board."

Gu Hua smiled and pointed to the candle.

"Yes, yes, I'll go put out the candles."

Donghua lifted her skirt and ran over, picked up the lampshade, and blew a sharp blow on the candlelight.

The five candlesticks were made in one go, and the room was immediately plunged into darkness.

Two maids tiptoed to the outer room.

Perhaps the calming soup was working, because Gu Hua's eyelids felt heavy and she quickly fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to her, that night, Mu An was secretly given five lashes, after which he returned to Jinxiu Pavilion to vent his anger.

The Jinxiu Pavilion was in complete chaos all night.

……

By the time Gu Hua woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

It looks like it's almost noon.

The warm sunlight streamed through the lattice window and into the room. If it weren't for the fallen leaves on the tall ginkgo tree outside the window, I wouldn't have believed that a sudden storm had struck last night.

Gu Hua lay in the soft, warm silk, with a faint fragrance lingering in her nostrils.

Having lived two lives, this is the first time I've had a full night's sleep.

No need to get up before dawn to serve others, no need to wash my elder sister's clothes by hand in cold water during the dead of winter, no need to live in fear...

For the first time, I felt that there might still be some hope in life.

"Girl, you're awake. Are you hungry?" Donghua's chubby little face peeked into the bed curtains.

Gu Hua smiled brightly and winked.

I slept until noon, and my stomach was growling with hunger.

"Please wait a moment before getting up. Sister Dongqing has gone to call the family physician." Donghua turned and ran off with a grin.

A moment later, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.

"Miss, Sister Zhou and the physician have arrived." Dongqing lifted the curtain.

Zhou Zhilan bypassed the physician and went straight to the bedside. She stuck her head into the curtain and grinned at her, "You look much better today."

Gu Hua smiled and reached her hand through the blankets and curtains.

The physician took her pulse: "She still has a slight fever, but she'll be fine after taking the medicine for two more days."

After seeing off the physician, Dongqing helped her wash up and do her makeup, while Zhou Zhilan sat to the side and began excitedly gossiping.

"You have no idea, the Jinxiu Pavilion was in complete chaos last night. The young master rushed to the Jinxiu Pavilion in the middle of the night and dragged that silver-haired thing into the main room and went crazy until dawn, even calling for water three times. The young mistress was so angry that she had fetal movements all night in Jin Kui's room, and the family physician was busy all night as well. Tsk tsk tsk, I don't even know what to say."

That wasn't enough!

Zhou Zhilan didn't dare to say that, in order to save face for Mu An, it was Chi Yu who secretly took him outside Guanshan Tower and got beaten up, and the lord strictly ordered him to shut up.

Gu Hua stared at herself in the bronze mirror, her eyes slightly warm.

What she suffered in her past life, Yinzhi is now suffering.

...I hope Yinzhi can die peacefully.

At this moment, the older sister must feel even more upset than if she had given her away to her son-in-law.

She was in a great mood.

It turns out that the more honest and obedient a person is, the worse their situation becomes.

“This morning, the young master personally came to my brother and said that he wanted to take responsibility for Yinzhi, to make Yinzhi a concubine, and to give the Furong Tower next to Jinxiu Pavilion to Yinzhi to live in.”

Gu Hua turned her head and stared wide-eyed.

Mu An was mischievous, but he rarely promoted his concubines, because a formal concubine had to report to the Duke.

"Right? You're surprised too, aren't you? Although there are many women in the young master's courtyard, there are only two concubines. This shows that the young master really likes Yinzhi."

Gu Hua guessed.

He didn't like Yinzhi; he just wanted to disgust Gu Wanru.

Zhou Zhilan clicked her tongue and shook her head: "Now the young mistress will have something to make trouble for again. You should stay away, or you'll be in for a lot of trouble."

Yes, in her past life, after being forced by Mu An, she tried her best to avoid him and serve her elder sister in order to live peacefully and wait for a chance to escape them.

However, they didn't want to let her go.

At first, Mu An was very passionate towards her, but after a few times, he became impatient and called her a zombie with no sense of romance.

Tragically, she became pregnant three months later. Not wanting to give birth to a child who would suffer the same fate as her, she secretly obtained abortion pills.

The night she took the medicine, Mu An found out and rushed in, beating her severely despite the fact that she was in the process of miscarrying.

She remained a concubine until her death.

Gu Hua didn't want to deal with them, so she pulled Zhou Zhilan aside and asked her in lip reading: "My lord?"

"My lord left early this morning and hasn't returned yet."