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

Zhou Chunyu hurriedly replied, "I've already sent someone to Jinxiu Pavilion to investigate; we'll have news soon."

If it were the young mistress's sister who climbed into his bed, I wonder if the lord would spare her life, after all, the young mistress had been kind to the lord when she was young.

A short while later, the people who had been secretly investigating Jinxiu Pavilion returned.

"My lord, Steward Zhou, the sleeping clothes were found under the young mistress's maid's bed. I left them untouched in their original place."

Zhou Chunyu glanced at his lord, his expression remaining calm and unmoved.

"Send a bowl of medicine?"

After all, what if she gets pregnant?

Mu Junyan's mind was still preoccupied with the image of the little woman from last night, and he didn't hear what he was saying.

She's such a troublesome little devil!

Zhou Chunyu was shocked to see that he didn't speak. His lord actually wanted him to keep the child?

After another cup of tea, a servant dressed in black entered.

"My lord, Dongmo has selected two bolts of fabric bestowed by the emperor two years ago, and also requested a bottle of the imperial Snow Lotus Jade Complexion Cream, as well as a bottle of burn medicine prepared by the imperial physician."

"Fabric from two years ago? Snow Lotus Jade Complexion Cream? What kind of reward is this?" Zhou Chunyu was puzzled.

He thought the brat was trying to curry favor with the young mistress, but it turns out his real intentions were elsewhere.

"That girl burned her hand."

Mu Junyan served tea, lifted the lid to brush away the tea foam, and spoke in a somewhat cold tone.

The little girl is really good at seducing people; even Dongmo, his closest servant, is completely under her spell.

Are they treating him like he's dead?!

Zhou Chunyu's eyes widened.

"You burned your hand? You still can't use Snow Lotus Jade Complexion Cream. That's a royal treasure that money can't buy."

The servant said, "It's very badly burned. Both palms are red, swollen, and blistered. Only Snow Lotus Jade Complexion Cream can restore your skin to its original state."

The attendant was named Chiyu, and he was Mu Junyan's personal bodyguard.

While responsible for secretly protecting and monitoring, he had already overheard Gu Hua and Dong Mo's conversation.

"what?"

Zhou Chunyu, who was usually very stable, was shocked.

Zhou Chunyu was very strict with his subordinates, and he would not hesitate to beat people for making mistakes. However, he would not usually hurt the maids and servants in the mansion unless they made a serious mistake.

The young mistress seems gentle and virtuous, but is she really so ruthless?

Akabane spoke again: "The young mistress will give her to Young Master Mu An tonight."

The lord didn't just throw the person out; instead, he carried him into the study, which almost made his jaw drop.

He stood guard outside the study until dawn, when he saw the little girl sneak out.

Without his lord's orders, he naturally wouldn't follow.

It's one thing for a lord to dislike women, but if a woman the lord has slept with is then taken as a concubine by his own son, and the lord finds out later that he knew about it but didn't report it, then he should have both legs broken.

He has to say something about this.

"Ah!" Zhou Chunyu was stunned again.

Whether you sell her or beat her to death, a woman who has been with the lord must not be given to the young master.

The lord has always doted on Young Master Mu'an. In recent years, he has done many excessive things, but the lord has rarely interfered, and the servants dare not do anything about it.

But this involves ethics, what if...

She's pregnant... whose child is it?

Wouldn't that create chaos?

Zhou Chunyu stole a glance at his lord's expression; Mu Junyan's face darkened slightly.

Seeing Mu Junyan holding the cup, staring at the tea in it for a long time without saying a word, she couldn't help but ask, "My lord, shall we proceed according to custom?"

If that girl isn't dealt with tonight, and she gets laid to bed by the young master again, wouldn't the master be green with envy?

He dared not think any further!

"Do you think this little girl is trying to escape An'er, or is she trying to climb the social ladder?"

Zhou Chunyu said cautiously, "Looking at her... this young lady from the Gu family seems quite naive."

Zhou Chunyu had never met the second daughter of the Gu family before. After meeting her today, he felt that she was completely different from the young mistress. Her pure, watery eyes did not seem like those of someone who could do such a thing.

If he had personally witnessed how Gu Hua pounced on her lord, he probably wouldn't have thought that way.

Akabane held his sword, deep in thought.

After the young girl bumped into the master, she tried hard to get up and even scolded him to let her go.

It's unclear what possessed the lord, but he forcibly carried the person into his study and took advantage of them.

Just now, seeing how timid the little girl looked, not even daring to look people in the eye, how could she dare to risk her life to pounce on the murderous demon king Mu?

If it was truly a deliberate attempt to seduce, why not bring it up today?

What if her lord doesn't want her? Wouldn't that be a waste of her innocence? She might even lose her life.

I just can't figure it out.

"What do you think?" Mu Junyan glanced calmly at the seemingly shrewd and serious-looking guard.

Akabane said earnestly, "...I think Miss Gu has her reasons."

With that small frame, how could it possibly break free from the murderous demon king Mu?

In his view, the lord's willpower was beginning to weaken.

Yo ho.

Or was it his fault?

Has this little girl managed to deceive his right-hand men?

Mu Junyan slammed the lid of his teacup shut in anger, stood up with a stern face, and walked out.

Zhou Chunyu and Chi Yu exchanged a glance. Is the lord a little angry?

"We've arranged for them to have dinner together tonight."

Mu Junyan uttered a sentence as he stepped out of the threshold.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Zhou Chunyu breathed a sigh of relief; the little girl's life should be saved.

Akabane's eyes lit up.

Wow, the lord has finally become a normal man.

The two exchanged a relieved glance, and Akabane quickly chased after them.

……

On the way back with Gu Wanru, Gu Hua's mind was in a mess, her heart was pounding, and she even ignored the pain in her palms.

I wonder if Dongmo will tell anyone about her injury and that he's going to give her to the young master Mu'an tonight.

What if she fails to get into bed with him? What will she do tonight?

Upon entering the Brocade Pavilion, Gu Wanru glanced at her and said, "Hua'er, you're a good cook. Go to the kitchen and prepare dinner for your husband."

"Yes." Gu Hua turned around, her mind preoccupied.

"Hua'er, does your hand still hurt?" Gu Wanru asked with concern from behind her.

"It's alright." Gu Hua didn't turn around.

"Go and bandage it up, so that your husband won't be disgusted by it."

"Yes."

Gu Hua walked out, and Yin Zhi just came in. She was holding back her anger, and as soon as she saw her, she raised her hand and slapped her hard.

Gu Hua tilted her head to the side and bumped her butt against Yin Zhi.

Snapped!

Her hands, wrapped in silver branches, slammed heavily on the door, trembling with pain as she screamed.

Gu Wanru quickly said, "Help her up."

Jin Kui quickly helped Yin Zhi up, who was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face.

"Madam, you must do justice for me! It was that little slut Gu Hua who deliberately burned me."

"Jin Kui, go and put some medicine on Hua'er's hands," Gu Wanru instructed.

She didn't want her husband to see the severe burns on Gu Hua's hands that night, lest it damage her reputation for being virtuous and kind.

"Yes."

Seeing Jin Kui and Gu Hua leave, Gu Wanru selected a gold hairpin from her makeup box and put it in Yinzhi's hair.

"You should be patient. Who told your husband to take a liking to her? Once he's tired of her, you can do whatever you want with her. Just keep quiet for now and don't let her get hurt again."

Yinzhi felt extremely wronged: "This servant is feeling wronged on behalf of the mistress."

Gu Wanru patted her shoulder and said, "I know you mean well, and I feel sorry for you too. When you and your cousin get married, I will definitely give you a large sum of money as a dowry."

"You should get some rest tonight. Gu Hua and Jin Kui will take care of you here."

Yinzhi was about to speak when the servant's voice came from outside.

"Is the young mistress here? This servant is here to deliver the reward that the master intended for her."

Yinzhi craned her neck to look, then stood up with delight: "It's Dongmo, who's by the Lord's side."

"Please come in quickly," Gu Wanru said happily.

"Young Madam, this is a gift from the Master. He said it's your first formal tea ceremony since you entered the household, and this is your first greeting gift."

Dongmo held up two bolts of gray brocade fabric.

Gu Wanru's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but she forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Please put it on the table. I will personally thank my father-in-law tomorrow morning."

She glanced at Yinzhi.

Yinzhi reluctantly took out a silver melon seed the size of a soybean and handed it over: "Here, this is a gift from our young mistress."

Dongmo didn't take it: "It's what I should do."

His eyes darted around, but he didn't see Gu Hua. He simply placed the brocade on the table and took his leave.

Yinzhi snorted, looking disgusted: "What kind of stuff is this? The patterns are from several years ago, and the colors are so old-fashioned. They'd be more suitable for the old lady than for the eldest daughter-in-law."

There are specific rules for bestowing gifts within a grand mansion; the more valuable the gift, the greater the favor.

Gu Wanru was also angry: "You and Jin Kui each get one bolt."

Yinzhi pouted: "Even I find it unacceptable. My lord really doesn't respect you at all."

Gu Wanru sat down on the soft couch by the window: "No need to rush. Once my husband becomes the heir apparent and the household affairs are managed by me, won't everything in the Duke's mansion be mine?"