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

After settling things with Fulutang, Yuan Jieying arrived.

Gu Hua was about to ask her about it when she heard this and pondered for a moment: "Go see her."

Yuan Jieying paced anxiously in the side hall. When she saw Gu Hua being helped in by Dong Qing, she quickly stepped forward and curtsied.

"Miss Yuan, please sit. Dongqing, bring the tea."

Gu Hua was no longer as warm as before, and Yuan Jieying looked ashamed.

"Your Highness, Jieying has come to resign."

"Oh, you're leaving?"

"Yes, it was Consort Xian who ordered me to return to the capital."

Gu Hua fell silent.

The virtuous concubine's son had just been castrated by Mu Junyan, and together with Wang Heng and the others, they planned to escort him back to the capital after his injuries had healed somewhat.

It would be awkward for Yuan Jieying to stay in Juzhou now.

After all, with the Third Prince in trouble, the feud between Consort Xian and the Prince Yong's mansion had deepened, so it was inconvenient for her to stay here.

Gu Hua still had deep doubts about her and wanted to question her about whether she was involved in the matter.

But seeing her eyes swollen from crying, as if she hadn't slept for days and nights, I felt a pang of pity.

"Since you want to go back, then go back. Now that the Jiang family has fallen, you should have no safety concerns."

Yuan Jieying suddenly stood up, knelt down solemnly before Gu Hua, and kowtowed, saying solemnly, "Your Highness, when I was in my most difficult time, when I had no way to survive, it was you who gave me warmth and reached out to help me. My life in this world was given to me by Your Highness."

Gu Hua held her hand: "Get up quickly, we are all women, there's no need to be so polite. It's only natural for women to help each other."

Yuan Jieying stood up with red eyes.

Gu Hua thought for a moment, then added a sentence.

"It's perfectly acceptable for people to have goals and intentions, but if you walk the right path, many people will lend you a helping hand, and your journey will be long. If you take the wrong path, you will naturally be overwhelmed by righteousness. You should carefully consider where you are headed."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Yuan Jieying said, "Your Highness, rest assured, Yuan Jieying will regard you as a sister for the rest of her life and will never betray you."

Gu Hua smiled faintly: "You flatter me. I'll send someone to escort you back to the capital."

"Thank you, Your Highness, but Consort Xian has already sent someone."

Gu Hua suddenly thought of something and tentatively asked, "Could it be that you came with the person who read the imperial edict?"

Yuan Jieying nodded.

Gu Hua hurriedly asked, "Do you know the contents of the imperial edict?"

Yuan Jieying shook her head. "They arrived in Juzhou last night, saying they had delivered an imperial decree to the Prince overnight. But the people who came to pick me up didn't know the contents either."

Gu Hua thought for a moment, and if she needed to know, someone would naturally tell her.

Previously, Wang Heng and Duan Yu had discussed the imperial edict, which led to Mu Junyan being punished for treason for leaving Juzhou for Dali without permission.

Now that the imperial edict has arrived, Mu Junyan is in Juzhou and has no serious charges against him, so there is nothing to worry about.

Mu Junyan said that he had reached an agreement with the Emperor that he would no longer need to go to the capital to receive imperial orders.

Gu Hua instructed Dong Qing to prepare some food and supplies for Yuan Jieying to take on the journey.

It snowed heavily for two consecutive days.

Gu Hua did not see Mu Junyan.

Although she was still a little angry, the anger she felt about Zhou Zhilan's matter gradually dissipated.

Under Zhou Chunyu's meticulous care and Shen Li's careful treatment, Zhou Zhilan has improved in the past two days, and her mood has gradually brightened.

After visiting Zhou Zhilan, Gu Hua took Dong Qing back to Fulutang.

As she walked, Gu Hua was filled with thoughts.

Dongqing stood beside her, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Gu Hua noticed this and turned to look at her: "Was he cold that day?"

Holly shook her head: "No."

Gu Hua thought for a moment: "Tell the kitchen to make ginger and brown sugar water, and have Dongmo drink a bowl of it every night before bed. He has never liked taking medicine, what if he catches a chill and gets sick? Also, tell Doctor Shen to check his pulse regularly."

"Yes."

Dongqing couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Your Highness, are you really not going to take care of the Prince? The Prince... has been busy entertaining people from the capital lately."

Gu Hua said irritably, "Why should I care about him? Aren't there tons of people caring about him?"

The two returned to Fulutang, where the old lady also arrived.

She spends almost every day playing with the children at Fu Lu Tang.

"Mother." Gu Hua bowed, and the old lady beckoned her over.

Gu Hua sat down next to the old lady, and suddenly felt a little wronged.

The old lady took her hand and looked at her with affection: "Would you like to hear about me and the old Duke?"

Gu Hua's eyes lit up, and she nodded: "I want to hear it."

The old lady smiled as she recounted the story of how she and the Duke met under less than ideal circumstances, and how they eventually fell in love.

Gu Hua listened with great interest and felt even greater admiration for the old lady.

They even envied the old lady for being so carefree as a young girl, free from the constraints of noble ladies, and for flying side by side with the old Duke, not losing out to him at all.

The old lady suddenly changed the subject, her voice lowering: "On the very day he was granted the title of Duke, the Emperor bestowed upon him two beauties, one of whom was a princess. Although I come from a distinguished family, my maternal family was almost entirely wiped out in the war. Without my maternal family to rely on, I only had him left. That day, I caused a huge uproar, filled with anxiety and uncertainty. But who dares to return a beauty bestowed by the Emperor? Disobeying the Emperor's decree would mean the death of the entire family."

Gu Hua was surprised: "His Majesty clearly knows that you two are a perfect match, and you have even made military achievements, so why would he still bestow a woman into his household? Doesn't he consider the feelings between my mother and father-in-law?"

“Silly child, this is called the art of weighing the pros and cons. If His Majesty wants to be at ease, there must be someone he trusts in the Duke’s mansion.”

Gu Hua asked curiously, "And then what happened?"

“I made a scene for days, sulked and ignored him, but he just kept having beautiful women around him and getting drunk every day. I got even angrier and decided to get a divorce. Who knew he would actually deliver the divorce papers to me in person.”

Gu Hua thought for a moment: "Of course there was no divorce, but after I entered the manor, I never heard of the old Duke having any other women. What happened to those two later? And how could you trust your father-in-law?"

“That day, he gave me the divorce papers and all his property at the same time. I didn’t understand, so he asked me if I trusted him and if he was trustworthy. If I didn’t trust him, I should take the divorce papers and all his property and leave; if I did trust him, I should stay by his side. Not long after, we returned to Juzhou, while the two men who were given to us were left in the capital, ostensibly because Juzhou was in danger due to war. We didn’t return for five or six years after that, and the two men left the mansion on their own.”

Gu Hua was surprised: "You don't need to do anything. Just let them back down on their own."

The old lady smiled and said, "Good child, when it comes to people, you have to look at their character. Just ask your own heart whether they are trustworthy. I trust your judgment."

Gu Hua felt a little embarrassed.

"There's something I can't get over in my heart. Mother, why is it that women are always the ones sacrificed in this world?"

"Of course not. Countless soldiers of the Mu family army died in battle."

Gu Hua was speechless.

The old lady patted her hand: "You've been good to him for the past two days. You've been too indulgent with him. He may not be able to understand your anxiety and insecurity."

Gu Hua suddenly realized that Mu Junyan had always been protecting her, and even the Prince's Mansion had no worries.

Zhou Zhilan and her husband have taken care of all the affairs of the Prince's mansion.

She didn't have to worry about external matters much. The things she did, such as building the academy, were all done in accordance with the circumstances, and she encountered virtually no obstacles.

Gu Hua asked herself about her original intentions.

In fact, Mu Junyan is a very good man, as well as a very good son and father.

There is truly no other man in the world as perfect as him.

"Mother, don't worry."

Gu Hua smiled and said, "I will personally prepare dinner for him and send it over. I heard that he has been spending the last few days with people from Bianjing. He must be so tired of socializing."

The old lady smiled meaningfully: "Alright."