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

The father and daughter talked all night, talking about the tragic death of their mother and the suffering they had endured. They cried and laughed intermittently, unwilling to part.

As soon as it was light, I saw a maid come in.

Yiyun quickly wiped away her tears: "Sister, it's so early, has the Princess gotten up? I want to go and thank Her Highness the Princess."

The maid curtsied and said, "The Princess said it wouldn't be too late for you to go after you and Lord Du have had breakfast. I came here to ask when you will have breakfast?"

Yiyun quickly replied, "It's fine now, thank you for your help, sister."

Maid: "Please wait a moment, young lady."

Two maids brought in copper basins and toiletries to help them wash up.

A quarter of an hour later, two maids came in carrying food boxes and filled the small table.

When Yiyun looked at the breakfast menu, she found that there was a much wider variety of options, including bird's nest and milk soup, which is not something that ordinary people can usually afford.

"The Princess said that the Lord's spleen and stomach still need adjustment, so he should take a little nourishment first. When you two come to the Lotus Hall for a chat later, Doctor Shen will take the Lord's pulse."

Tears welled up in Yiyun's eyes: "Thank you, sister. I'll go with my father in a bit."

Tears streamed down Du's father's face, and he choked up for a long time before finally saying, "We will never forget the Princess's great kindness!"

The two quickly finished their meal and rushed to the Lotus Hall. Gu Hua hadn't arrived yet, so they waited for her.

Gu Hua walked out surrounded by maids, and Du's father and Yi Yun immediately knelt down.

This startled Gu Hua, who exclaimed, "No, no, this is too much! You're making me feel terrible!"

Sui'er quickly added, "Miss, please help Lord Du up."

But Du's father stubbornly kowtowed to Gu Hua: "I am a sinner, you are a dignified princess, you deserve it."

Yiyun kowtowed while crying before she helped her father up.

"Sit down and talk."

Gu Hua was helped to sit down by Yun'er and the others. Her body had been getting heavier lately, so she was being extra careful.

“I know you’ll be thinking a lot if I don’t see you.”

Yiyun, with tears in her eyes and a little embarrassed, said, "Your Highness is too thoughtful."

Gu Hua smiled and said, "We are all people who have experienced hardship, so we can understand."

Mr. Du stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and was about to speak when Gu Hua quickly gestured for him to enter.

"Lord Du, you are innocent, so you are not a guilty official. It is still uncertain who is a guilty official."

Mr. Du was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses: "Your Highness, the guard who escorted me back said that the Prince wants to clear my name and bring me justice. To be honest, I feel sorry for Madam and Yun'er. Whether it is fair or not is no longer important."

Gu Hua smiled and said, "The prince will discuss with you where you are going, my lord. I am just a woman in the inner quarters, and I only need to take good care of you."

Mu Junyan did not tell her how to settle Du's father.

Now that they've rescued him, it must mean they've messed with Yongzhou.

Since troops have been mobilized, it must be a major operation.

Gu Hua inquired about the exile area in Yongzhou and was surprised to find that many wronged officials were imprisoned there, all of whom had been judged by the Jiang family when they were in power.

She now understood why Mu Junyan was serious.

As the three were talking, Mu Junyan returned.

The Du father and daughter quickly stood up and bowed.

"No gift."

Mu Junyan waved his hand and strode over to sit down next to Gu Hua.

Sui'er served him tea, and he took a sip.

"How is Lord Du's health?"

Father Du quickly stood up to speak, but Mu Junyan frowned. "Sit down quickly. There's no need for formalities in front of me. It's the same at the Yong Prince's residence. We don't usually bow to each other."

Du Yun nodded: "Father, yes. The Prince and Princess are very easygoing."

Father Du, his eyes brimming with tears of emotion, said, "I've met Your Highness twice, but both times it was just a fleeting encounter. I never imagined Your Highness would save my life. From this day forward, I..."

Mu Junyan interrupted him again: "No need for polite words. No need for words of gratitude. I have my reasons for saving you."

Mr. Du was stunned, but felt relieved instead. He wiped away his tears and nodded, saying, "Yes. I understand."

Mu Junyan spoke frankly and asked directly, "What are your plans, sir?"

Father Du cupped his hands and said, "I am completely at Your Highness's beck and call."

"I wish for you to return to your post as the Prefect of Gongzhou."

Both Mr. Du and Yiyun were taken aback.

"But how can that be done?"

"Once the injustice of that year is thoroughly investigated, Lord Du will surely be reinstated."

"But this needs to be handled by the capital."

"The common people only need a good official. The capital is far away, and there are some things they cannot do. Lord Du, to be honest, the turmoil in Bianjing has lasted for almost a year. His Majesty has been bedridden, but he has issued an imperial edict to restore the taxes that were originally reduced by half in various prefectures, and also to make up for the half of the taxes that were exempted in the past ten years. Now there are complaints everywhere."

Father Du's eyes widened: "What? This... isn't this trying to kill someone? His Majesty has always been benevolent and virtuous, how could he issue such an edict?"

"In addition, there has been a lot of rain this year, with floods in the south and continuous rain during the wheat harvest in the north."

Father Du frowned deeply: "Then we must deal with the people's grievances properly, otherwise, if we suppress them too much, something unexpected might happen. In particular, Gongzhou suffers from floods every year, and with the heavy rains this year, something bad is bound to happen. I wonder if the prefect is prepared?"

Mu Junyan nodded: "Lord Du is concerned about the country and its people, which is exactly the kind of good minister I have been looking for. Moreover, Lord Du is a talent for water management. Under your governance, even though Gongzhou suffers from floods every year, the people have not suffered too much."

Father Du said anxiously, "That's because every year before the rainy season, I arrange for the people living in low-lying areas to move into the prefectural government office, which is located at the highest point, and they are settled there for one or two months. The river embankment is also prepared with protective measures a month in advance."

Even if a major flood were to occur, submerging some fertile fields, no one would die. But now Jiang Qifu is the prefect, and he is always greedy and extremely cruel to his servants. How could he possibly care for the people?

Gu Hua was also anxious upon hearing this and looked at Mu Junyan.

"Lord Du, you must take good care of your health first, then everything will be possible."

Du's father and Yiyun stood up and bowed in response.

"You guys go back first."

Mu Junyan took Gu Hua's hand, and the Du family father and daughter took their leave.

"Yun'er, have Doctor Shen examine Lord Du."

"Yes."

"Let's go, you should go back to your room and rest too."

Mu Junyan took her hand, supported her waist, and helped her up. The two walked slowly towards the main courtyard.

"Your birthday is in a couple of days. I don't think it's appropriate to have a big celebration right now. How about we just have a lively celebration at home?"

Mu Junyan smiled and said, "I doubt it can be done."

"Ah, why?"

"We're going to Gongzhou in a couple of days; there's been a disaster there. We also have evidence against Lord Du; we'll just take the position of prefect and return it to him."

Gu Hua's eyes widened: "Doesn't it need to go through the imperial court? How can you directly appoint a convicted criminal to an official position?"

Mu Junyan laughed and said, "As the Prince of Yong, I have the authority to eliminate public evils and restore order for the court, and thus have the power to act first and report later. Bianjing is so far away; let them appoint officials first."

Gu Hua's heart skipped a beat.

Although this is a great opportunity to win the hearts of the people and gain their support for the Mu family army.

But while that's what they said, it was essentially a direct confrontation with Bianjing.

Gu Hua grasped his rough, large hand: "The peace and tranquility of the southern border and surrounding prefectures were all bought with the blood of the Mu family army. Can we resolve the problem of Bianjing in a way that doesn't require our soldiers to shed blood and sacrifice themselves?"

With tears in her eyes, Gu Hua said, "The peaceful and prosperous world seen by nobles is different from the peaceful and prosperous world seen by ordinary people."

Mu Junyan: "Alright. I'll do as the Princess Consort says."

Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, Mu Junyan was summoned out by Chi Yu.

He hurriedly told me to go to bed early and then left.

No sooner had he left than Zhou Zhilan arrived.

"Sister, why are you here so late?"

Zhou Zhilan touched her belly: "The prince said that you are about to give birth and that I should stay by your side at all times."

Gu Hua laughed: "There are only two midwives and so many maids, and the old lady is here too. So you're the one who has to come and watch over me? Doesn't your husband at home need to watch over you?"

“He’s in the barracks all day and never home. The female guards are growing up quickly and can train on their own. I leave them in the male recruit camp, where they’re trained by instructors. I don’t have much to do, so it’s best to look after my godson and goddaughter.”

She chuckled and patted Gu Hua's belly: "Little baby, are you a boy or a girl? Whether you're a boy or a girl, your godmother will love you dearly."

Gu Hua asked nervously, "Female guards in a male barracks? Aren't you afraid something might happen?"

Zhou Zhilan glanced at her: "That's how I trained them back then. If women can't protect themselves, how can they protect others? Don't worry, all ten of them are no less capable than male soldiers."

Gu Hua looked into her bright eyes, which, although not as clear and carefree as before, still had a sparkle.

She felt a mix of sadness and relief.

As long as my sister can get through this, that's all that matters.