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

Gu Hua's lips were tightly sealed, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. Before she could catch her breath, she was picked up and placed on the soft couch.

Her swollen lips were only released when she was almost suffocating.

After several rounds, based on her experience from the previous two times, her fingertips should have gone limp by now, but for some reason, she was surprisingly strong tonight.

She looked at the bowl on the counter and suddenly remembered the slightly different smell from the previous bowl...

Ah, ginseng soup?

No wonder she still has the strength.

"Tired?" The person on top of her turned her face towards him, seemingly dissatisfied with her absent-mindedness.

Gu Hua stared at him blankly, then asked timidly in a low voice, "What kind of soup was that?"

Mu Junyan chuckled, leaned down and took her pearly earlobe into his mouth, causing her to moan involuntarily.

"Ginseng soup".

The low, seductive voice made Gu Hua tremble involuntarily.

So hateful!

He actually lied to her.

A sharp pain shot through his earlobe, and the man bit down hard.

Her ears hurt so much that she couldn't help but hiss and push him away.

With the second watch drum sounding outside, he still had to…

Good heavens, how can she bear it?

"Sir, it's past midnight."

Gu Hua panicked and pushed him hard, twisting her body to try to escape.

Before he could even peek out, his ankle was grabbed and he was dragged back...

That night, Aunt Pei's methods were completely unnecessary.

Mu Junyan seemed to have opened up the Ren and Tong meridians, turning her like a delicious dish in a hot pan until she was exhausted and limp, letting him do whatever he wanted with her.

In the quiet night, a gentle autumn breeze rustles the ginkgo leaves as they fall one after another.

Gu Hua had melted into a pool of water, sweating profusely as she was held tightly in someone's arms. The other person was fast asleep, and she struggled to open her eyelids, looking out at the clear moonlight through the window.

Her mind was unusually clear.

Having witnessed Yinzhi, who had killed her, being beaten so badly, did she not know she was dead?

I heard Gu Wanru cry out in pain, I wonder if the baby in her womb is still there.

She sensed a change in the attitude of the man who was pressed close behind her. She should be happy, but she couldn't feel joy.

Hearing his even and steady breathing, Gu Hua couldn't help but turn her head slightly, only able to see his firm and prominent nose.

She carefully extended her finger, slid it down his nose, and landed on his lips that she had just plundered so wantonly.

Sharp as a blade, yet slightly cool.

Such a man...

It's pretty good.

Suddenly, a warm sensation came from my fingertips.

Her finger was sucked, and a sharp pain shot through her. She tried to pull her hand away, but the man bit down even harder.

Gu Hua was both ashamed and angry. She huffed in a huff and muttered in a low voice, "Is she a dog?"

With a bigger temper comes bigger audacity.

But somehow, he felt it was kind of cute.

Mu Junyan released her fingers and chuckled as he turned her over.

His eyes, now even more intense from being woken up, stared at her like a hungry wolf, his voice hoarse and frightening.

"What? Not enough? Want more?"

"No."

Gu Hua was so frightened that her voice dropped.

I heard a soft chuckle.

Mu Junyan pecked her slightly swollen cherry lips, then whispered soothingly against her smooth face, "There's plenty of time. You have things to do tomorrow, let's get a good night's sleep."

Does she have something to do?

Why didn't she know?

The way he said it... made it sound like she really wanted it. Wasn't he just a wolf in sheep's clothing?

Gu Hua felt indignant for a moment.

But when he let her go, she immediately became happy again.

She smiled sweetly and gave him a firm peck on the cheek: "You're so good, sir."

Mu Junyan pushed her slender waist with his large hand, pressed his body close to hers, and stared at her intently: "Truth or dare?"

Facing the handsome face, Gu Hua swallowed hard: "Of course I mean it. Is there any man in the world better than you?"

That's a lie.

Mu Junyan glanced at her for a moment, then his expression returned to indifference. He released her hand and said, "Go to sleep."

Gu Hua thought to herself, "This unpredictable older man is really hard to seduce."

Mu Junyan promised to give her capable people to do things for her. I wonder if he will keep his promise and arrange someone for her tomorrow?

Can't delay any longer.

Soon, Mu Junyan will lead his troops to the southern border. At that time, even if Zhou Zhilan and Zhou Chunyu of the Duke's Mansion are willing to protect her, they will not be able to mobilize people to help her investigate the Gu family's affairs.

Moreover, the matter of switching babies is of great importance, and the fewer people who know about it before there is evidence, the better.

To avoid leaking information and alerting the enemy.

My mind wandered aimlessly, and I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, it was already broad daylight.

Damn it, he's sleeping in the study in broad daylight.

Gu Hua quickly turned around, but there was no one behind her.

She quickly got up and peeked outside. There was no one in the courtyard. Just as she got out of bed to get dressed, a figure appeared outside the screen.

"Winter Flower?"

"Oh. Miss, you're up?" Donghua peeked out with a smile.

Gu Hua blushed and said, "Mm."

"Would you like to bathe here or return to Ya Yun Pavilion?"

Donghua helped her put on her dress.

Gu Hua was extremely embarrassed and whispered, "Let's go back to Ya Yun Pavilion."

After getting dressed, the two went out. Donghua led her along a small path from Wenhanxuan to Jinxiuge, completely avoiding any populated areas.

Upon entering the Brocade Pavilion, one would see Dongqing standing guard at the small door.

Upon seeing her, he quickly came forward: "Would you like to take a bath first, or have breakfast first, young lady?"

Exhausted until the wee hours, Gu Hua's stomach rumbled with hunger as she thought about breakfast.

"Let's have our meal first."

The two maids worked quickly and efficiently, dividing the tasks: Donghua prepared the bath water, while Dongqing served her the meal.

After Gu Hua finished eating and drinking, the effects of the ginseng soup wore off, and she began to feel tired.

I fell asleep in the bathtub in no time.

Donghua and Dongqing gently washed her, and when they saw the marks on her body, they looked at each other and blushed.

Who would have thought that the usually calm and aloof Duke would have such an absurd side?

Gu Hua was awakened a little by the wiping and tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt incredibly heavy.

Seeing that she was moving, Donghua said, "Miss, let us help you back to sleep for a while."

Gu Hua squinted and lazily replied, "Mm."

The two men lifted her out of the bathtub, dried her off, changed her into her undergarments, and tucked her into the quilt.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Hua fell into a deep sleep again.

Chi Yu stood at the door of Mu Junyan's dormitory, frowning and deep in thought.

The lord never sleeps during the day; he goes to sleep as soon as he returns to his bedroom from his study in the morning.

Were you too tired last night?

But the young girl must be even more tired, right?

Last night, he vaguely heard the little girl sobbing and begging him to let her go. He never expected that his lord would be so domineering not only in commanding troops and killing enemies, but also in that way.

Mu Junyan was unaware that his guards were making false accusations against him.

That was a really good sleep.

In his memory, he never had a good night's sleep after taking command of the Mu family army.

Even after returning to the capital, he still had to exhaust himself dealing with people in the court every day.

I didn't sleep for long; I woke up after about half an hour.

His face, which was usually impassive, was beaming, and his expression toward Akabane was much more amiable.

Akabane thought that this might be a good thing.

As Mu Junyan dressed, he called Chi Yu in and said a few words to him. Chi Yu's eyes widened.

"Are we really going to send Chi Yan to follow Miss Gu? He's the best at gathering information among the guards."

Mu Junyan gave him a cool look: "You have a problem with that?"

"Your subordinate wouldn't dare," Akabane quickly lowered his head. "Your subordinate will go and call him over."

"How is Silver Branch?"

Akabane, who had just turned around, turned back: "The person has been settled. Physician Sun has applied medicine to her. She will probably be unconscious for a day or two."

"Ah."

Jin Kui waited anxiously outside. When she saw Chi Yu come out, she quickly stepped forward and curtsied: "Is my lord here?"

Even though she hated Gu Wanru for being cold and ruthless, she was still her master after all. If something serious happened, the servants would be the first to suffer.

"What's the matter?"

"Young mistress... lost her child."

Akabane was taken aback and immediately turned around to go back to his room to report.

Mu Junyan fastened his belt, his face remaining expressionless upon hearing this: "Have Zhou Chunyu handle it according to protocol."

"Yes."

Chi Yu came out, expressionless, and said, "Go and report to Steward Zhou."

Jin Kui felt a lump in her throat, but her lord didn't care or pay any attention to it.

Left with no other option, they had to go to Zhou Chunyu.

Early this morning, she searched the entire mansion for Physician Sun, but everyone said they didn't know.

He shamelessly approached Shen Li, but she completely ignored him.

Gu Wanru suffered a miscarriage and needs to recuperate...

Yinzhi's fate is unknown; if she is dead, has she been thrown into a mass grave?

Jin Kui wiped away tears as she walked.