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

Less than two days later, an imperial edict was issued from the palace, appointing Zhao Chufei as the Crown Princess, with the grand wedding to be held two months later.

Gu Hua sighed upon hearing the news.

Everyone has their own destiny and pursuits.

Zhao Chufei didn't want to marry Zhao Yuxuan because she saw his cowardice and witnessed the Empress's ruthless methods after her ambition was exposed. Having been a member of the royal family since childhood, she was very perceptive and knew very well that the cowardly Zhao Yuxuan would be manipulated by the Empress's Sun family. It would not be a good thing for her to be such an Empress, so she didn't want to get involved in that mess.

But now that Zhao Yufeng has become emperor, and with the upright and powerful Mu Junyan protecting him, he will at least be able to sit on the throne until he can become independent.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Hua had no time to deal with these matters in the palace, because the Prince's Mansion was overwhelmed by the influx of applicants from all directions.

Mu Junyan's most powerful move was to directly remove Min Dongsheng from the list of candidates, and the emperor even directly appointed Min Dongsheng as a Hanlin Academician.

Although he was a top scholar in the imperial examinations, the official position he was given was quite high.

Min Dongsheng took office that very day.

When the Regent's Palace needed to recruit staff, all arrangements for entertaining them were handled by the Palace.

Gu Hua and Dong Qing were busy all day. As the sun set, Mu Junyan returned with Min Dongsheng, who had a complicated expression on his face.

It seems that Mu Junyan dragged her here.

"you……"

Gu Hua glared at him, not knowing what to say.

Mu Junyan smiled and said, "We haven't eaten yet."

Gu Hua had no choice but to accept her fate and send someone to make arrangements.

The kitchen had all sorts of top-quality dishes prepared, including everything Mu Junyan liked to eat, and soon a table full of dishes was served.

Mu Junyan pulled Gu Hua aside: "Your Highness, you've worked hard. Have a couple of drinks with me."

Gu Hua looked at Min Dongsheng.

"Today is Lord Min's first day in the Hanlin Academy, so let's congratulate him."

Since Mu Junyan had said that, Gu Hua naturally sat down: "Such a joyous occasion naturally calls for a couple of drinks."

Min Dongsheng was already apprehensive, so he quickly stood up and said, "Thank you for your presence, Your Highness, and thank you for your promotion, Your Highness."

Mu Junyan pressed him down into a chair: "You've been with me for so many years, don't you know my rules? No need for formalities. Hua'er doesn't like complicated formalities either."

Gu Hua smiled and said, "That's true. I hate being too polite."

Mu Junyan looked around: "Where's Dongqing?"

"She's been busy all day, and now she's going to have her meal."

"Let her come along."

Gu Hua asked in surprise, "Should we have Dong Qing join us for the meal or should we have him serve her?"

"Let's dine together. This palace now depends on her, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her for sharing the burden with the Princess."

Gu Hua glanced quickly at Min Dongsheng and saw his expression change slightly, turning red and then white.

He chuckled inwardly, thinking, "Now look what he's going to do."

"Yun'er, go and call Dongqing to come and have a meal together."

Yun'er agreed, and was about to leave when Gu Hua added, "Tell her that Mr. Min is also here, and that we are here today to congratulate him."

Yun'er immediately understood and went off with a smile.

After a long while, Dongqing finally arrived, her face flushed.

She wore a bright green, narrow-sleeved, double-breasted jacket, a moon-white pleated skirt, a green jade hairpin, matching earrings, and lightly powdered face with cherry-red lips.

Her waist was as slender as a willow, her back as straight as a bamboo shoot, and her steps were steady and deliberate. She had lost the naivety of a young girl and gained a more capable air.

Mu Junyan hadn't seen Dong Qing for a long time, and at first glance, he didn't even recognize her.

"You're Dongqing? You've become a completely different person. You're no less beautiful than any noble lady from Bianjing."

Gu Hua nodded in satisfaction: "No noble lady in Bianjing can compare to our Dongqing. She manages the huge Prince's mansion in an orderly manner. Which of those delicate noble ladies can compare? If someone marries our Dongqing and becomes the mistress of the house, their family will surely prosper."

Dongqing blushed even more and quickly curtsied: "This servant Dongqing greets Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, and... Lord Min."

Min Dongsheng was also full of surprise, and upon seeing this, he quickly stood up to return the greeting.

Dongqing was so frightened that he quickly squatted down even deeper, becoming half a head shorter than Min Dongsheng.

He was a high-ranking official of the third rank, while she was just a servant.

Now they are even less worthy.

Min Dongsheng quickly reached out to help her up, saying, "Miss Dongqing, there's no need for such a grand gesture."

Holly pulled her arm back and stood up properly.

Gu Hua: "Dongqing, you've been busy all day too, quickly sit down and have a meal with us."

Dongqing's expression tightened: "This servant will serve the masters."

"You are the head steward of our Prince's mansion, why would we need you to serve us? Yun'er, quickly let her sit down. Sui'er, add another set of chopsticks and a bowl."

The two maids chuckled as they pressed Dongqing into a chair and set her out with a bowl and chopsticks.

Dongqing had dined with Gu Hua before, but never with Mu Junyan, let alone with Min Dongsheng, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Mu Junyan started eating, and Gu Hua kept putting food on Dong Qing's plate, praising her incessantly.

Holly's face was as red as a boiled shrimp, and she didn't dare to lift her head, quietly chewing slowly.

Min Dongsheng's face was as red as if it had been roasted.

Mu Junyan winked at Gu Hua, as if to say, "Look how amazing I am!"

Gu Hua was speechless and rolled her eyes at him.

Is this what you call eating? It's more like torture.

"Perfect timing, since you're both here, I have something I'd like to say."

Mu Junyan was used to military campaigns and ate very quickly, finishing two large bowls of rice before putting down his chopsticks.

Holly was carefully chewing a shrimp when she was almost startled and choked.

He nervously looked up, unsure whether to swallow or spit out the shrimp in his mouth.

Gu Hua understood her; she herself had been as startled as a rabbit when she first got close to Mu Junyan.

She laughed and said, "You eat yours, the prince eats quickly, he can talk about his."

Looking back, Min Dongsheng also put down his chopsticks, his eyes occasionally stealing glances at Dongqing beside him.

Gu Hua quickly said, "Mr. Min, please continue eating with Dong Qing."

Min Dongsheng was now in a difficult position to put down his chopsticks, but he also knew that Dongqing hadn't eaten enough; her bowl was piled high with food, all of which Gu Hua had put on her plate.

He wasn't afraid of Mu Junyan, so he simply nodded and said, "Then I apologize for my rudeness, Your Highness."

Mu Junyan smiled and said, "Okay, you guys eat, I'll talk."

In order to get Dongqing to eat, Min Dongsheng picked up his bowl and continued eating.

Mu Junyan gave Gu Hua a mischievous smile: "The Emperor admires Mr. Min and has not only granted him an official position but is also preparing to bestow a marriage upon him."

puff.

Gu Hua, who had just taken a sip of tea and was about to rinse her mouth, and Min Dongsheng, who had just eaten a mouthful of food, both spat it out at the same time.

Both of them were facing directly at Mu Junyan.

Mu Junyan: "..."

Gu Hua jumped up in surprise and took out a handkerchief to wipe his face, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

Yun'er and Sui'er were startled for a moment, but quickly recovered and hurriedly went to fetch water and handkerchiefs, while the servants also quickly brought out clean robes.

Mu Junyan waved his hand: "It's alright, it's alright, I'll go change and come right away."

He stood up and went behind the screen, and after a flurry of activity, he finally managed to clean it up.

I didn't spray the holly, but I almost choked to death.

Once everyone calmed down and sat down, the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy and awkward.

Gu Hua was a little annoyed, but she couldn't say anything about Mu Junyan in front of the two of them. She glared at him secretly and guessed that he wanted to provoke Min Dongsheng and Dong Qing.

He could only cooperate by asking in a low voice, "Which noble lady does His Majesty wish to bestow a marriage upon?"

Dong Qing's panicked eyes glanced quickly at Min Dongsheng, then she quickly lowered her head, biting her lip and remaining silent.

Min Dongsheng's face turned ashen: "Your Highness, are you joking? How could His Majesty bestow a marriage upon a mere subject like me?"

Mu Junyan smiled and said, "You are a newly appointed high-ranking official whom His Majesty relies on. Since you are still unmarried, His Majesty is very concerned about you. Now that you are a third-rank official, you naturally look down on girls from ordinary families. Therefore, His Majesty asked me to ask you if you have a girl in mind?"

Dongqing suddenly looked up and stared straight at him.

Min Dongsheng avoided eye contact.

Gu Hua couldn't stand it anymore and deliberately said, "Mr. Min can marry whomever he wants. Our Dongqing has been choosing every day these past few days. Dongqing's status is no less than that of a noble lady. I must choose a young, handsome, and talented man to match her."

Dongqing noticed that Min Dongsheng was looking down at her, his eyes slightly red.

She suddenly stood up, curtsied, and choked out, “This servant is of lowly status and is not worthy of a talented man. I have a distant cousin who has also come to apply for a position. Although he is not talented and will certainly not be able to serve as a staff member in the Prince’s mansion, he wants to work as a servant in the Prince’s mansion because he wants to marry me and also to keep me company. This servant begs the Princess’s grace.”

Min Dongsheng was stunned.

Gu Hua glanced at Mu Junyan.

Mu Junyan hadn't expected this either.