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

It takes a full quarter of an hour to walk from Jinxiu Pavilion to Wenhanxuan, where the Duke of Yongguo resides.

Along the way, Gu Hua's palms were scalded by the heat, and the edges of her fingers that touched the silver pot were red, swollen, and blistered. One can imagine how badly her palms were burned.

Gu Hua bit her lip tightly, holding the teapot close, wishing she could get there as soon as possible.

This teapot was a gift from the emperor, and the tea leaves were tribute. If anything went wrong, she couldn't afford to pay for it with her life.

Looking at Gu Hua's pale face, Gu Wanru's smile grew even gentler, and her steps slowed even further.

"My dear sister, you've worked so hard. I've prepared a new dress for you; I'll bring it to you tonight."

Gu Hua said in a trembling voice, "Thank you, young mistress."

Before she was sent to the mansion, Aunt Pei grabbed her ear and said that from now on she would be her elder sister's servant and dowry maid, with a clear hierarchy, and she was not allowed to call her elder sister in public anymore.

Gu Wanru was very satisfied with Gu Hua's obedience.

"Gu Hua, don't worry, you're so beautiful, you're bound to be blessed. Once we get to the entrance of Wenhanxuan, you can go back now."

"Yes."

blessed?

Having taken away her life, do you really want to grant her the blessing of death?

In order to gain favor with the Duke of Yong, she was willing to burn her hand, and Gu Wanru still wanted her to go back?

I'm sorry, elder sister.

It won't be as you wish!

Seeing Gu Hua's forehead covered in fine beads of sweat from the pain, Yinzhi spat at her viciously.

"The young mistress only asked you to serve her a pot of tea, what are you pretending to be so delicate for? If it weren't for the young mistress's kind and virtuous nature, a vixen like you would have been thrown into the pond and drowned long ago, so as to prevent her from harming people everywhere."

Gu Hua didn't speak, staring intently at the ground, afraid of tripping.

The imperial teapot and the tribute tea—either one could give the elder sister a reason to deal with her using the most ruthless methods.

It's still unclear what the Duke of Yong's attitude is; what if he doesn't want her...?

She's still useful; her elder sister won't ruin her face or any visible parts.

But the unseen soft flesh, with a dozen or so embroidery needles stuck in your fingernails, is a feeling that is worse than death.

Seeing that she was ignoring her again, Yinzhi's anger flared up even more, and she slapped Gu Hua on the back of the head.

"What are you pretending for... ah!"

"what!"

With two gasps of surprise, Gu Hua lunged forward.

At the same time, the teapot in his hand flew out and was about to hit Gu Wanru in front of him.

Gu Hua opened her arms and hugged Gu Wanru tightly, and the two of them fell forward to the ground together.

The sound of Silver Branch's agonizing scream reached my ears.

Jin Kui also screamed.

Gu Hua helped Gu Wanru up, and they both turned to look, startled.

Steam rose from the front of Yinzhi's clothes, and her neck and palms were scalded red. She hopped around like a frog, letting out screams.

Jin Kui didn't dare touch her and was at a loss.

Gu Wanru looked at Gu Hua with unfriendly eyes.

Gu Hua looked terrified, and tears were about to fall from her eyes.

"Young Madam, it was my fault. Sister Yinzhi hit me on the back of the head, and I was so startled that I lost my footing. I saw the silver pot fly forward, and I was afraid it would burn you, so I only thought about saving you."

Gu Wanru believed it.

Gu Hua must have knocked herself down to avoid the silver pot, but the silver branch was too close and bumped into her.

Jin Kui glanced quickly at Gu Hua.

She clearly saw Gu Hua lunge at the young mistress, and with her hand, she slapped the silver pot flying in mid-air towards the silver branch.

The silver pot changed direction and smashed into the silver branch next to it.

Jin Kui's gaze fell on Gu Hua's swollen, blistered hands. She didn't say anything, but instead lowered her head to help Gu Wanru clean the grass and dust off her dress.

Gu Hua nervously looked up at Wen Hanxuan: "Young Madam, we're almost at Wen Hanxuan's place. If the people there see us behaving in such a disorderly manner, it won't be good if they spread rumors."

Gu Wanru wholeheartedly agreed.

We mustn't let my lord's important matter be delayed.

Gu Wanru glanced at the somewhat dull Jin Kui, then looked at Gu Hua, who was as obedient as a little white rabbit.

"Jin Kui, take Yin Zhi back to apply the medicine," Gu Wanru instructed, then looked at Gu Hua.

"Come with me to serve tea to your father-in-law."

"Yes."

Gu Wanru had heard her husband say that her father-in-law's first wife had died early, and that he and his late wife had a deep and loving relationship.

Another reason was that a high-ranking monk had told his fortune, saying that he had too much killing intent and was destined to bring misfortune to his wife. In addition, he had been leading troops to fight on the frontier, so he did not plan to take a second wife.

The young man was the son of a general under his father-in-law. The general died in battle to save his father-in-law, so his father-in-law registered the young man under his name and made him his legitimate son.

The young master was certain that the title of Duke would fall to him, so when her father-in-law returned in triumph, she was to show him more respect so that he would petition the Emperor to grant him the title of Heir Apparent as soon as possible.

Gu Wanru saw Gu Hua tuck her scalded hands into her sleeves, not wanting outsiders to see.

She is a sensible and obedient child.

He asked with concern, "Does it hurt?"

"It's alright." Gu Hua looked terrified.

Seeing her timid and submissive demeanor, Gu Wanru was quite satisfied.

He laughed as he walked, "You know, Yinzhi has served me since I was a child. We grew up together and have a deep bond. But she meant well, worried that there might be a mistake when serving tea to my father-in-law. After all, we share the same fate, so don't blame her."

Gu Hua replied softly, "I would be more than happy if Sister Yinzhi would teach me a lesson. I want to learn more from Sister Yinzhi about how to serve others."

Gu Wanru found it strange that the woman kept calling her "servant" more enthusiastically than usual.

But she couldn't figure out what was wrong, and she had gotten used to her self-deprecating behavior.

When Gu Hua was in the Marquis's mansion, she would always respectfully refer to herself as a servant whenever she saw me. Her humble demeanor made the other concubine daughters in the family look down on her and call her a lowly wretch.

Sometimes even her mother couldn't stand it, saying that this illegitimate daughter was so good, yet she was just like her aunt, with a servile air about her and could not be presented in public.

Gu Wanru said reproachfully, "You are my own sister, the sister-in-law of the eldest son of the Duke's mansion. You don't need to keep referring to yourself as a servant. If the people in the Duke's mansion hear you, they will think I am being harsh on you."

Gu Wanru always maintained a gentle and virtuous image.

Gu Hua readily agreed: "My elder sister has always doted on me, and my aunt is also doing this for my own good. I am born out of wedlock, and it is already a blessing for me to be able to serve my elder sister in the Duke's mansion. Moreover, I have already signed the slave registration document, so I am a slave by nature."

Gu Hua felt a pang of pain in her heart as she spoke.

This was a document of enslavement that Aunt Pei forced her to sign, under the pretext of reassuring her elder sister to use her.

The slave registration documents were in Gu Wanru's hands.

In her past life, she was unable to escape her tragic fate.

Her own mother was unaware of her existence, her aunt and her elder sister, who was born on the same day, trampled her underfoot, and her scumbag father never even glanced at her.

It was truly a desperate situation, with no one to turn to for help.

Gu Wanru smiled with satisfaction: "Actually, I feel sorry for you. When Aunt Pei said she would send you to the manor, I even had a fight with her. I am the legal wife. What if the young master takes a liking to you and makes you a concubine? Wouldn't you really become a slave forever? Wouldn't that be pushing you into a fire pit?"

Gu Hua paused, her face filled with fear and helplessness: "Eldest sister, I would be content to serve you for the rest of my life. I have never dared to dream of a handsome brother-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Gu Wanru felt completely at ease and extremely comfortable.

Gu Wanru reached out and took her arm: "Silly sister, how could your elder sister harm you? Aunt Pei sent you to the Duke's mansion, so naturally your elder sister will try to secure a good future for you."

The two chatted intimately like sisters for the first time, and as they walked, they arrived at Wenhanxuan, where the Duke of Yong lived.

Many guards were going in and out of the gate.

As soon as Gu Wanru and her companion entered the room, they heard Zhou Chunyu, the chief steward of the Duke's mansion, ask a servant in a low voice.

"It's been two hours, and the item still hasn't been found? It must have been stolen by a maid in the manor. Where else could it have gone?"

The servant was sweating profusely with anxiety: "Master Steward, I've had the matrons go and check with each of the maids."

Gu Hua's heart skipped a beat. Was she looking for the Duke's sleeping clothes?

My ears felt hot involuntarily.

He subconsciously adjusted his collar.

Today she wore a gray turtleneck loose-fitting blouse, which completely covered the ambiguous marks on her neck. Unless you looked at her face, they wouldn't be noticeable.