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

Helpless, Min Dongsheng turned his back, took off his robe, and handed it to the wet nurse with both hands.

"Thank you, mama."

The wet nurse chuckled as she took the robe and handed it to Dongqing, who was waiting at the door.

"Time for some snacks."

Yuanyuan jumped up excitedly, grabbed Min Dongsheng, and ran to sit down.

Min Dongsheng's embarrassment gradually disappeared after being interrupted by the two children. He ate with the two children while asking them what words they knew and what books their mother and sisters had read.

Holly returned in about fifteen minutes.

She still didn't go inside, but called out "Nanny" from the doorway.

The wet nurse went out to receive the item and handed it over to Min Dongsheng.

Min Dongsheng had calmed down and curiously picked up the hem of the robe to take a look. At first glance, he couldn't see any repairs. But when he turned it over and looked closely, he found a very small knot.

The loose edges have been repaired, and you can't tell at all.

I couldn't help but marvel at how skillful the craftsmanship was.

A strange emotion was swirling within me.

He quickly got dressed and saw that Dongqing was still standing at the door, with her back to the room.

After thinking for a moment, she mustered her courage and went out: "Thank you, Miss Dongqing."

Dongqing stiffened, quickly turned around, curtsied, and dared not look at Min Dongsheng, but instead looked at the spot that had just been repaired.

"Are you satisfied, sir?"

Min Dongsheng said sincerely, "Satisfied, very satisfied. I never expected Miss Dongqing to be so skillful."

Dongqing was overjoyed, but she didn't show it on her face. Her face was slightly flushed as she said, "This servant takes her leave."

Min Dongsheng watched her retreating figure, then suddenly remembered something: "Miss Dongqing..."

Holly turns back.

Min Dongsheng smiled and said, "Last time, when you were looking for the book 'Miscellaneous Records of the Past,' I found it by chance. I didn't bring it with me today, but I'll bring it to you when I come tomorrow."

Dongqing's eyes lit up, and she nodded shyly, "Thank you, sir."

As Min Dongsheng watched the girl's pretty back, it felt as if a spring breeze had blown into his heart.

But suddenly a thought arose in his mind, and his face darkened abruptly.

He's more than ten years older than others, how could I let my imagination run wild?

……

Gu Hua and the old lady admired the new kesi (silk tapestry) sent by Xianghualou.

The old lady exclaimed, "This kind of kesi (silk tapestry) is completely comparable to the kesi of Jiangling!"

"That's right. This is also thanks to the Pei family's willingness to share their knowledge. Our kesi (silk tapestry) was even sold back to Bianjing, but through the Pei family's shops, since they have a great reputation."

The old lady looked at her approvingly: "You are very clever."

Gu Hua smiled and said, "We must make money. I know that the compensation for the fallen soldiers of the Mu family army was paid by the Mu family itself, and the imperial court did not give a penny. In addition, there are so many orphans and the families of the fallen soldiers. The Mu family has been struggling to support them. If we really want to recruit soldiers and force our way back to Bianjing, this money is just a drop in the bucket. We need to think of more ways."

"Child, aren't you afraid?"

"Not afraid."

Gu Hua smiled gently: "I've been through death before. Now that I have Ziyuan and my mother, I'm not afraid."

The old lady said with relief, "Ziyuan is so lucky to have met you."

Gu Hua blushed: "I'm lucky to have met Ziyuan and my mother."

Yun'er walked in quickly and lightly, and whispered, "Your Highness, when Xianghua Tower delivered the kesi (silk tapestry) earlier, they said that Madam Li, the wife of Prefect Qian of Bazhou, sent someone to say that she was preparing to commission a kesi painting for her stepmother's birthday. She will arrive at Xianghua Tower at noon today."

Gu Hua's eyes lit up: "Okay."

Xianghualou and all the shops under her name and the Pei family's name received the message that they must report to her immediately if any important guests visit.

Gu Hua wanted to start with public opinion and the inner quarters to lay the groundwork for the Mu family army, so she needed to keep a close eye on the movements of key families in several prefectures.

During the year or so that Wang Heng wandered around here, he had the closest contact with the prefects of Gongzhou and Bazhou.

The information provided by Chiyu and his group regarding Madam Li, the wife of Prefect Qian of Bazhou, was very clear.

Li's father was Li Guitian, the Minister of Works, and the father of Consort De.

However, Li was not born of the principal wife, but was the daughter of the second concubine.

Li Guitian was originally from Bazhou. He came from a poor family and had no connections. He climbed up the social ladder step by step through his own efforts.

When he served as the governor of Bazhou, his eldest daughter had just been selected to enter the palace and was given the title of a minor beauty, so she could not help the family.

Before the Li family moved to the capital, they relied on the Mu family and helped each other. Therefore, Mu Junyan and Li Guitian had some relationship.

Mu Junyan brought down the Jiang family, and Li Guitian secretly contributed to the effort.

After the Jiang family was defeated, the Empress's family became the only powerful family in the palace. She began to control the princes and wanted to protect her son's position as crown prince.

Li Guitian knew very well that without a prestigious family to back him up, he couldn't protect Consort De and the Fourth Prince at all, so he had to choose sides.

This is also an important reason why Consort De secretly sent the Fourth Prince to the Mu family army.

However, Li Guitian also had the flaws of a man: he was extremely fond of his beautiful second concubine, who was also the biological mother of this concubine-born woman surnamed Li.

The dowry of illegitimate daughters also increased, and they were quite generous back then.

Lord Qian was originally Li Guitian's subordinate. In order to get promoted, he was naturally willing to marry her, a concubine's daughter, as his legal wife.

Because his daughter, who had entered the palace, became pregnant, Li Guitian received a lucrative post in the Ministry of Works. When he went to the capital to serve as an official, he also recommended this son-in-law.

The son-in-law was also quite capable, and his performance in the annual evaluation of officials was quite good, so he naturally became the governor of Bazhou.

However, the second concubine suddenly died of illness. The stepmother, under the pretext of protecting the reputation of Consort De, reshaped the family style and strictly controlled the inner courtyard.

They no longer cared for this illegitimate daughter.

With the court in turmoil, Li Guitian had no time to spare for such matters.

A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup; besides, she's considered dirty water by her stepmother, who certainly won't help her anymore.

Without any support, after getting closer to Wang Heng, Lord Qian gradually began to dislike his concubine-born wife, showing a tendency to favor his concubine over his wife.

When Gu Hua heard that she had come to order expensive kesi (silk tapestry), she naturally guessed that she wanted to please her stepmother and gain the support of her maternal family so that her husband would not dare to look down on her.

"Mother, I'm going to the store to take a look."

"Go."

The old lady never stopped Gu Hua from doing things.

Gu Hua changed into a newly made kesi (silk tapestry) dress and went to Xianghua Tower.

Li was looking at the patterns of kesi (silk tapestry) when her eyes lit up when she saw a three-foot by six-foot kesi hanging on the wall.

"How much silver is this painting of the Queen Mother's birthday?"

The maid smiled and said, "Madam, you have excellent taste. This tapestry was made by our master of kesi (silk tapestry) and is our prized possession. It's been around for quite some time. If you wish to have it, three thousand taels of gold will suffice."

"Would it be alright if the three thousand gold coins were returned?"

Li couldn't help but exclaim, "Aren't you going to rob it? A painting by a famous artist is only worth one or two thousand gold pieces!"

"Madam, you may not know this, but kesi (silk tapestry) is different from painting. The amount of manpower and effort required for the two is incomparable."

A clear and gentle voice came from behind.

When Li turned around, she was almost blinded by the stunningly beautiful silk brocade dress worn by the newcomer.

The manager of Xianghua Restaurant was with Gu Hua.

The shopkeeper spoke first: "Madam Li, this is Princess Consort Yong."

Lady Li was greatly surprised and quickly curtsied to her, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Gu Hua quickly helped Li up: "Hello, Madam Qian."

Lady Li asked in surprise, "Your Highness, do you recognize me?"

Gu Hua smiled and said, "You are the most beloved daughter of the Minister of Works, of course I know that."

Li was overjoyed to be lifted up like that.

She hurriedly said, "When I came to Juzhou, I should have first presented a visiting card to Your Highness the Princess, but I was afraid of being presumptuous, so I did not dare to go. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Gu Hua smiled and said, "Madam Qian, you're too polite. Are you looking for kesi (silk tapestry) for yourself?"

Li felt embarrassed to complain about the price in front of her: "It's my mother's birthday, and I wanted to give her an expensive gift. I heard that you can customize kesi (silk tapestry), so I thought I'd choose a suitable one."

Gu Hua pointed to the shop's prized possession sent by the Pei family: "This was made by the sixth-generation descendant of a family of kesi weavers, and it is the shop's prized possession."

"The kesi (silk tapestry) technique is complex and difficult to produce, requiring artisans to possess superb skills and rich experience. If a single thread goes wrong during the production process, the entire month's worth of effort may be wasted. Moreover, the artisans can only nod in agreement with Li's wishes."

“I’ve seen this painting of the Queen Mother’s birthday celebration in the palace. It was a gift from the Pei family to the Empress Dowager on her birthday. It seems to have been made by this sixth-generation descendant.”

Gu Hua turned to look at the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper nodded hurriedly: "That's right. That year, when the Pei family was selected as a royal merchant, they specially made a painting for the Empress Dowager."

Li's eyes lit up.

If we were to present her with a birthday greeting painting similar to the Empress Dowager's, my stepmother would surely be proud and would look at me with new respect.

"Indeed precious."

The Li family was short of money, but still wanted the best.

Gu Hua knew what she was thinking, of course.