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

Gu Hua blushed before she could even speak.

He forced a smile and asked, "You and Steward Zhou are so good to me, is it because of what happened between me and the Lord that night?"

Zhou Zhilan smiled slyly: "Yes and no."

"How so?" Gu Hua asked curiously.

Zhou Zhilan said mysteriously, "You are the apple of my brother's eye, or rather, the apple of Wen Hanxuan's eye."

Gu Hua blinked blankly.

Zhou Zhilan lowered her voice: "Because you helped the Lord become a normal man."

Gu Hua's neck immediately turned red.

She still feels embarrassed when discussing this matter face-to-face with others.

But to find out Mu Junyan's thoughts, the only way was to ask Zhou Zhilan indirectly.

Gu Hua lowered her voice guiltily, "Then...the people at Wen Hanxuan all know about what happened that night?"

She suddenly had the urge to dig a hole and bury herself immediately.

"No, no, no, only my brother, Akabane, and I know."

Gu Hua breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "Who is Chi Yu?"

I don't recall ever seeing this person before.

"he is……"

Zhou Zhilan almost spat out her words, but quickly stopped herself.

Akabane is the most capable bodyguard by his lord's side. He is always elusive and rarely appears in public, so he cannot speak casually about him.

"Anyway, don't worry, the three of us are all tight-lipped, we guarantee no one else will know, unless..."

Zhou Zhilan chuckled: "My lord, or perhaps you want people to know?"

Gu Hua quickly shook her head: "I dare not say."

Seeing Gu Hua's nervous and shy expression, Zhou Zhilan quickly stopped smiling and took her hand.

With a serious expression, he said, "You don't know, of the sons of the old Duke's direct line, only our lord is left. All the others have died on the battlefield. Our lord cares deeply for the land and its people, and has been fighting for many years, risking his life every day."

Aside from discussing matters with his generals and leading troops into battle, he was rarely seen smiling. We all hoped that he would marry and have children soon, so that he could have a warm home and live a normal life, but our lord was absolutely unwilling.

When my brother and I found out about that night, we both hoped that our lord would keep you, regardless of whether you deliberately approached him. At least, you were the only one who could make our lord act like a real man.

The usually cheerful Zhou Zhilan had slightly red eyes at this moment, and her tone was even more sincere: "If the lord had a gentle and considerate girl like you by his side, he would not be alone when he returned home after a hard day's battles, with a bowl of hot soup to drink and someone to do his laundry and make his bed."

Therefore, my brother and I want you to feel the care and warmth of the Duke's mansion. We want you to know that our lord is a kind man with a cold exterior but a warm heart, and we want you to genuinely want to stay by his side.

Gu Hua was stunned.

She never expected it to be like this.

She originally thought that Mu Junyan had ordered them to take care of her, but she didn't expect that they were voluntarily being kind to her because of Mu Junyan.

But she was just grasping at a straw; once she was free, she wanted to fly free...

Gu Hua murmured, "...But he himself doesn't want to get married."

It's not like she can just stay by Mu Junyan's side whenever she wants.

“What man wouldn’t want to get married? My lord just doesn’t want to implicate others,” Zhou Zhilan sighed.

Gu Hua was even more surprised.

She thought Mu Junyan was still thinking about his ex-wife because he deeply loved her. It seems he is still a considerate person.

Zhou Zhilan lowered her voice: "None of the people in Wen Hanxuan are slaves. My brother was originally the lord's deputy general, but after being seriously wounded, he stayed to work in the Duke's mansion. Some of the others are wounded soldiers, or descendants of soldiers who died in battle, who wanted to continue following the lord, including me. The lord is always ready to die for the country and has made arrangements for his affairs long ago. If the lord dies for the country one day, we will each receive a large sum of money for settling down and be free to leave. Don't you think the lord is the most responsible and kind-hearted man in the world?"

Zhou Zhilan's voice choked with emotion.

Gu Hua was shocked by what she heard.

She felt a little reluctant to deceive such a man.

What if... how will she fly after that?

When Zhou Zhilan saw Gu Hua's shocked expression, her heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, what beautiful young woman would want to be with an old man who could lose his head at any moment?

Zhou Zhilan scratched her hair in frustration.

It seems she's not cut out to be a matchmaker.

Before Gu Hua could react, Zhou Zhilan suddenly stood up and said, "Actually... after spending these past few days with you, I really like you. You're a kind and good girl, we won't force you, you can make your own decision."

Before she could react, the person had already disappeared.

This……

Gu Hua was conflicted.

But right now, she needs to solve her immediate problem; otherwise, she's still doomed.

Gu Hua took a deep breath and steeled her resolve.

I opened the wardrobe and took out a neatly folded white cross-collar blouse.

A white cloud pattern was embroidered on the folded-over cuff.

Meiyi was something Donghua asked her to bring along when she went to Jinxiu Pavilion to get her own clothes.

She wrapped it in cloth and tied it tightly. Donghua didn't know that it was the sleeping clothes of the Duke of Yongguo inside.

These past two nights, after Donghua and the others had fallen asleep, she would secretly take out her embroidery to do.

She was too flustered before to admit that she took the nightgown, but now that she wants to return it, she needs to find an excuse.

Gu Hua sent Donghua and Dongqing to bed early, and she sat in the dark room, staring blankly at the bright moon through the wooden lattice window.

At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), the night watchman's drum sounded.

The knocking sounds seemed to resonate in Gu Hua's heart.

Gu Hua encouraged herself, wearing only a snow-white silk undergarment, clutching the brocade box containing her sleeping clothes, wrapping herself in a purple cloak, and staggering out of Ya Yun Pavilion toward Wen Han Xuan.

Feeling uneasy, Gu Hua walked around looking around, wondering how she would explain if she bumped into someone.

Unbeknownst to her, someone was secretly clearing obstacles for her, allowing her to walk unimpeded to the Guanshan Tower.

Gu Hua patted her chest in relief, just as she breathed a sigh of relief, when she suddenly saw a tall figure reflected in the window, and the breath she had just taken came back to her throat.

He reached out to push the door open, but hesitated in various ways.

Zhou Zhilan's words echoed in her ears.

She shouldn't have schemed against a man as upright and honorable as Mu Junyan.

However, behind her was an abyss.

out on a limb.

Gu Hua stared intently at the door, unaware that there was a crack in the window beside her, and a pair of deep, dark eyes were watching her.

Chi Yan had uncovered a shocking secret about Gu Hou, but the witnesses had not yet been identified, and it was inconvenient for him to interfere in the Gu family's affairs. He had not yet decided whether to tell Gu Hua.

She wanted to rely on herself to escape her miserable fate; she was a cowardly yet ambitious and thoughtful woman.

Mu Junyan couldn't tell whether he hoped she would be bold and continue to forge ahead, or whether he felt a pang of pity and couldn't bear to refuse her.

But what is she struggling with right now?

Mu Junyan suddenly became angry, turned away from the window, and refused to look at her cowardly appearance.

Gu Hua took two deep breaths and gently pushed open the door.

As soon as the person went in, they quickly turned around and closed the door. Their heart pounded wildly, and they dared not turn around. They strained their ears to listen, but there was no sound behind them.

He turned around reluctantly and suddenly saw the desk. The man, wearing a dark robe without a belt, sat imposingly on the soft couch.

He rested one hand on his knee, tilted his head slightly, and stared intently at her with his deep eyes.

Three words flashed through her mind: hunter.

Gu Hua was startled and instinctively turned to run away.

A cold shout came from behind: "Stop!"

Mu Junyan glared at her, annoyed.

Why do we always react like rabbits to eagles?

He didn't yell at her.

Gu Hua stopped, taking small breaths to calm herself down, swallowed hard, and turned around stiffly.

He clutched the cloak tightly, stiffly bent his knees, and stammered, "I...I...I..."

Mu Junyan narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on a bulge inside her cloak, where he saw a pointed corner; it must be a box.

The first time was a sprained ankle, the second time was bringing him snacks, and this time is bringing him a late-night snack?

Such a lame excuse for seducing someone—doesn't she know that other women have tried it without success?

Nothing new.

He couldn't bear to see her so frightened, as if he had forced himself on her, so he couldn't help but ask, "What are you holding?"

Gu Hua mustered her courage and said softly, "It is your sleeping robe, my lord."

Mu Junyan had forgotten about that, and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

Gu Hua's mind was in turmoil. Thinking about how she had been forced to disregard her shame, she couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes.

She lowered her head, walked to the soft coffee table, held the box out of her cloak, placed it on the table, and opened the box.

The snow-white robe was folded neatly, and the embroidery on the cuffs caught the eye.