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

Gu Hua returned to the Duke's mansion and had just finished lunch when Zhou Zhilan rushed over.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Zhilan asked anxiously.

Gu Hua smiled and shook her head: "It's nothing."

“I sent a carriage to pick you up, but Xuanhualou said you had already left and they couldn’t find you. I was so worried.”

Gu Hua was touched to see how anxious she was.

"I went and bought two calligraphy brushes." Gu Hua showed the brushes to Zhou Zhilan.

"You can just say the word, and the household will take care of it for you. Why do you need to go in person?"

"I need a pen that I'm comfortable with to write well. Is my lord in the manor? I'd like to start copying the manuscript for my wife."

Thinking of the book list the bookstore owner had given her, she was eager to see if she could find it.

Who knows, if Mu Junyan really does marry a second wife in this life, she might not have a good life again.

"You just can't sit still. The master hasn't returned yet, so I'll take you to the study to get the late madam's manuscripts."

"Thank you, dear sister."

The two of them went to Guanshanlou together affectionately.

Zhou Zhilan pulled a wicker basket from the bottom of the bookshelf and dusted it off: "These are all. But you'll have to ask the master which ones he wants copied."

Mu Junyan actually hid his late wife's manuscript in his study, a place where he didn't easily let anyone in.

Who says they don't have genuine feelings?

"Okay, let me take a look first."

Gu Hua and Zhou Zhilan moved the wicker basket to the bookshelf together and flipped through the poetry collections one by one. There were more than fifty books in total, some of which were reading notes.

The poems were decent but not as amazing as I had imagined, and the calligraphy wasn't as good as hers either.

Gu Hua chuckled to herself, wondering if she was just a little competitive.

She is the legitimate daughter of royalty.

With this in mind, Gu Hua quickly adjusted her mindset, carefully selected a poetry collection that she thought was good, and prepared to copy it first.

On the desk lay a stack of slightly yellowed Xuan paper, the kind of paper Mu Junyan would probably like, so let's use this for copying.

"You know what? There was a commotion at Jinxiu Pavilion again last night," Zhou Zhilan whispered as she leaned closer.

Gu Hua's eyes lit up: "What's wrong?"

She wanted to know about Gu Wanru's situation.

"For some reason, the young master knelt in the ancestral hall for a whole day, and then went to argue with the young mistress, saying that she had lied to him about something that didn't satisfy him, and that she had deliberately let his father know so that he would be punished. In short, the young mistress was so angry that she went into labor again, and the Sun family physician even took Shen Li there, and they were busy for a whole day and night."

Gu Hua suddenly understood.

Gu Wanru and Aunt Pei are going to great lengths to get her out of the mansion and try to control her. Do they want Mu An to abuse her outside?

Gu Hua felt a sudden chill run through her body. She curled her fingers, her nails digging deep into her palms, but she didn't feel any pain in her wounds.

So vicious!

Therefore, she ruined their plans, so Aunt Pei found a sixth son to humiliate her, attempting to ruin her reputation and force her to leave the Duke's mansion.

"Is my elder sister still under house arrest?" Gu Hua asked, feigning calmness.

"Yes, the lord has ordered that she, Yinzhi, and Jinkui are not allowed to leave their own courtyards."

Zhou Zhilan glanced at her and added, "The Lord doesn't want them to gossip."

Gu Hua's thoughts were complicated: "Hmm. I need to hurry up and copy the manuscript so that I can take a few copies with me when the lord goes to war."

She is the kind of person who always repays kindness.

"Okay, I'll go get busy then."

Zhou Zhilan went to do her work, and Gu Hua took advantage of the fact that no one was around to quickly search for ancient books and rare editions on the bookshelf.

To my surprise, I actually found one of the ancient books on the list, and it was a unique copy.

Overjoyed, he placed the rare copy on his desk, then covered it with his late wife's poetry collection, and began copying it later.

You have to put on a show.

Gu Hua pulled up a chair and sat down behind the desk, ground the ink, spread out the paper, and began copying Jiang's poetry collection.

Before we knew it, the sun was setting.

Donghua came over and called her to have dinner.

Gu Hua had been preoccupied with copying ancient books. After bathing and changing her clothes, it was already dark.

With nothing to do and in a good mood, I told Donghua and Dongqing what I was doing and went to Guanshanlou alone with a blank book.

A pair of crane-shaped lamps were placed on the desk, their bright candlelight illuminating the otherwise dark room.

Gu Hua opened the ancient book and began to copy it.

The scabs on my palms have mostly fallen off, and new flesh is growing. They're a little itchy, so I'm scratching them while I write.

For some reason, she always felt that the study was filled with Mu Junyan's scent, which made her feel uneasy.

Especially on this enormous desk, where they once made love passionately...

Gu Hua was ashamed of using her body to please and flatter men.

Feeling ashamed and embarrassed, yet having no other choice, she has been struggling with this dilemma for the past few days.

She was often lost in her memories, which kept her awake at night.

The issue of slavery has now been resolved.

However, as a daughter born out of wedlock, she could not have her name recorded in the family genealogy, making it even more difficult for her to establish her own household in the future.

She wanted to leave this place of trouble, but also wanted to reunite with her mother, regain her status as the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family, help her mother set things right, and completely defeat the Pei family.

Too many extravagant hopes...

There were still too many difficulties and obstacles ahead of her, and she couldn't think that far ahead. Her only options were to save her life and earn money as quickly as possible.

She had no time to dwell on the past and secretly told herself to accept her temporary shamelessness.

Gu Hua took a deep breath and focused on writing.

Before I knew it, I had been writing for a long time, and all around me was quiet.

Gu Hua put down her pen, curled her fingers to ease the pain from the unhealed wound on her palm.

The early autumn night breeze blew in through the cracks in the window, bringing with it a slight chill.

Gu Hua shrank her shoulders, feeling a little cold.

He stretched and moved his back, then walked to the tea table, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a glass of water.

The water was cold, and she held the cup for a long time without drinking it.

Looking down at the water in my glass, I suddenly had a strange feeling, as if there was an oppressive feeling around me that I couldn't shake off.

She had this feeling while writing just now, and she thought it was a lingering emotion from the tension she felt when she seduced Pei Yi today, as well as the guilt she felt for deceiving Mu Junyan...

but……

Gu Hua subconsciously turned her head slowly, following her senses to look at the soft couch in the middle of the study, separated by half a screen.

The moonlight slanted down in several silvery rays, perfectly illuminating half of his imposing figure.

Mu Junyan!

He sat upright on the edge of the soft couch, his dark eyes staring straight at her.

Gu Hua was completely stunned.

Why is he in the study?

Gu Hua panicked. Was he already inside when she came in?

But it's pitch black, why not light a candle?

Gu Hua had no idea how long she wrote at her desk, and how long Mu Junyan watched her through the screen.

The candlelight on the desk cast her slender and upright figure onto the screen, making her appear aloof and proud, completely unlike the person who would fawn over someone who tries to climb into bed.

Gu Hua stared blankly at Mu Junyan, whose body was half black, her legs trembling.

Should she go in to pay her respects or quietly leave?

Two pairs of eyes met in the dim candlelight, the awkward atmosphere making Gu Hua unable to bear it any longer.

"My lord, you...how...how..."

Her hoarse voice was out of tune.

Oh, right, he said he had some questions for her after she returned home.

So, he was secretly watching her, waiting for her?

The figure in the shadows rose, transforming into a tall, dark shadow that approached her step by step.