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

Gu Hua composed herself.

When I was ten years old, I vaguely heard my elder sister's wet nurse and Aunt Pei talking about the young lady being switched. Because I was young, I didn't understand.

Gradually, I felt more and more that Aunt Pei and my elder sister were hostile towards me, and then I remembered what I had overheard that year.

The eldest sister's wet nurse was a maid who accompanied Aunt Pei during her dowry and Yinzhi's biological mother. Her biological father was the steward of the outer courtyard of the Gu family.

Yinzhi's father passed away the year before last, and her wet nurse fell ill last year. Aunt Pei said she would give the wet nurse a house so she could live out her remaining years in peace, allowing Yinzhi to serve her elder sister with peace of mind. She also promised Yinzhi a generous dowry and arranged for her to marry her childhood sweetheart, her cousin.

"Sit down and talk."

Mu Junyan glanced at her.

Then, looking at Chi Yan, he calmly instructed, "Tell me what you have found out."

"Yes."

Chi Yan spoke extremely fast.

"The wet nurse was imprisoned on the farm that came with Consort Pei's dowry. She was terminally ill and had no one to take care of her. According to her confession, when Wang was giving birth, she got the midwife drunk and took over the delivery. When bathing the baby, she switched the baby girl, who had been hidden in the bathroom for an hour, and gave Wang's daughter to her husband and then gave her to Consort Pei."

Gu Hua guessed what happened, but she still found it hard to accept when she heard it with her own ears.

Her eyes instantly filled with tears. She bit her lip tightly, trying her best to control her emotions. She completely forgot that her lips, which were slightly swollen from being sucked last night, were very thin. Her teeth were bitten and blood was flowing out, but she felt no pain.

Mu Junyan frowned: "Give in."

Gu Hua ignored him, staring intently at Chi Yan, waiting for him to continue.

Mu Junyan reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to loosen her teeth.

Chi Yan quickly lowered his head.

She looked over blankly, wondering why he had suddenly become violent.

"There's bleeding."

Mu Junyan looked disgusted and directly wiped the blood off her lips with his fingertips, then wiped it away with his own handkerchief.

Gu Hua's tense tension eased, and tears streamed down her face.

Mu Junyan poured her a glass of water and handed it to her: "Drink it."

Gu Hua tried her best to hold back her tears, took the teacup and put it to her lips, but the tears still dripped into the teacup.

A lump of resentment stuck in my throat, and my heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

Mu Junyan saw her crying silently, her fair face turning bright red.

"Go out and wait."

Chi Yan turned and ran.

Gu Hua's hand holding the teacup trembled, her nostrils flared, and she was holding her breath so hard she was almost suffocating.

Suddenly, everything went black, the teacup in her hand was taken away, and a large hand pressed her against a warm chest.

He coaxed her gently, "Cry it out, don't hold it in, it'll be okay if you cry it out."

Gu Hua buried her head in his chest and heard his unusually gentle voice. The grievances of two lifetimes, coupled with the despair before her death, caused her grief to surge like an uncontrollable tide.

She suddenly hugged his waist and burst into tears, crying as if her heart was breaking.

Mu Junyan felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

Even though Chi Yan outside the door had hardened her heart, the little girl's cries made one imagine what she had been through.

Mu Junyan gently pressed her head down with one hand and stroked her back with the other.

He finally realized that if she hadn't sensed the danger and mustered the courage to abandon her innocence and seek his protection, she might not have lived long.

At this moment, Gu Hua felt warmth in Mu Junyan's arms.

His gentle words of comforting her and making her cry touched her heart and saddened her.

After crying for almost fifteen minutes, Gu Hua had fully vented her emotions. Listening to his strong and rhythmic heartbeat, she gradually calmed down.

In her previous life, she cried countless times, but pleading, submission, and humility could not save her life.

She had shed too many tears; in this life, she had hardly cried again.

She knew that crying wouldn't help.

Only by becoming independent and self-reliant, and by struggling to find a way out, can she make those who harmed her reap what they sow.

Seeing that she had stopped crying, Mu Junyan handed her a handkerchief.

Gu Hua took the gift and wiped away her tears, then suddenly her gaze froze...

Mu Junyan's lower abdomen was soaked with snot and tears.

She looked up awkwardly and said in a muffled voice, "Your clothes are wet, shall I help you change?"

Mu Junyan gently rubbed the hair on her forehead.

"It's okay, business is more important."

He poured out the tea that had dripped into her tears and poured her another cup: "Drink."

Gu Hua took the drink and sipped it slowly, her mind a jumble of thoughts.

Mu Junyan treated her too well, so well that she was a little scared.

She was afraid she wouldn't be able to bear leaving him.

She was afraid that leaving would make him angry.

"Come in."

Chi Yan rushed in and caught a glimpse of the little girl's red and swollen eyes, looking pitiful.

Noticing his lord's gaze sweep over him, he quickly lowered his head and stared at the tips of his shoes.

Mu Junyan sat down: "Continue."

"I intended to bring the person out, but the next day I found that the wet nurse was dead."

Gu Hua suddenly looked up: "You mean my elder sister's wet nurse died?"

Yes. He hanged himself.

"Accident or deliberate?"

Mu Junyan voiced Gu Hua's doubts.

"It was indeed suicide by hanging."

Chi Yan pulled a letter from her sleeve: "However, she left this letter for her daughter."

Gu Hua hurriedly stood up to take it. The letter was not sealed, and when she pulled it out, it was a letter written in blood, with only six crooked characters.

"To avenge my father and mother."

Gu Hua suddenly realized: "Could it be that Aunt Pei killed Yinzhi's parents?"

"The scene has been searched, but no evidence has been found," Chi Yan said honestly.

"Kill him to silence him."

Gu Hua turned to look at Mu Junyan: "You mean Aunt Pei killed someone to cover it up?"

"I'm afraid she's already dealt with everyone who knew about what happened back then. She kept the wet nurse around to keep Yinzhi in check and make her Gu Wanru's right-hand woman."

Mu Junyan's words left Gu Hua stunned.

There's no witness testimony or physical evidence to prove she's her mother's daughter?

Gu Hua's eyes reddened.

Mu Junyan changed the subject: "How's the investigation going on the other matter?"

Gu Hua's attention was diverted, and she looked blankly at Chi Yan.

Did you investigate anything else related to her?

Chi Yan: "Reporting to my lord. When you returned to the capital, you were assassinated and hid in a dilapidated temple in the southwest of the city. The person you encountered there should have been Miss Hua, not the young mistress."

Gu Hua looked bewildered: "Assassinated?"

Suddenly, she stared wide-eyed at Mu Junyan and blurted out, "Was that the Duke in the dilapidated temple in the southwest suburbs back then? You hid there because you were assassinated?"

Mu Junyan already knew the answer; he was just waiting for her to admit it herself.

With a calm expression, he asked, "Then why did you appear alone in the dilapidated temple?"

Gu Hua whispered, "Aunt Pei said I was disobedient and left me there as punishment."

Mu Junyan frowned.

"Where did half a steamed bun come from?"

Gu Hua hesitated, not daring to look at him, her eyes darting around.

He mumbled, "It was... stolen from a dog's mouth."

Mu Junyan: "..."

Okay.

He ate dog food.

"How old are you to dare steal dog food?"

Mu Junyan looked completely disbelieving.

Gu Hua blushed slightly and said in a soft voice, "When I was little, I was quite brave... I chased him away with stones."

The five-year-old is indeed quite brave.

That's much better than what she's doing now.

Gu Hua, flustered by Mu Junyan's gaze, looked at him timidly and said, "Your Excellency, your jade... your jade pendant is missing..."

Mu Junyan certainly knew who had taken it.

Otherwise, Gu Wanru would never have been able to marry into the Mu family.

However, it's probably a good thing.

Otherwise, he would have asked the little girl to marry Mu An.

The thought of this possibility sent a jolt through Mu Junyan's heart, and he felt a surge of relief.

He deliberately put on a stern face: "That's a family heirloom. You lost it?"

Gu Hua stood up in a panic: "Then, then, then I'll compensate you with silver... but I don't know how much silver?"

His head drooped lower and lower, his voice grew softer and softer, barely audible.

Mu Junyan suppressed the urge to curl his lips into a smile: "One thousand taels."

"what!"

Gu Hua's beautiful eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief.

One thousand taels?

The thousand taels Pei Yi gave was just enough to cover the losses.

Waaaaah, her one thousand taels.

She looked like she was about to cry but had no tears: "I...I'll compensate you."

Mu Junyan gave a curt "hmm" without any hesitation.

Gu Hua's heart was bleeding.

"There are also witnesses who can prove that you were switched. We'll see how you use them." Mu Junyan's words made Gu Hua instantly forget about the silver notes.

"Who?"

"Silver Branch".

"She's not dead?" Gu Hua asked in surprise.

"It was specially made for you. However, you'll have to wait a few days; she hasn't recovered yet and can't speak."

Mu Junyan's usually deep and cold eyes held a hint of warmth.

He loved seeing the little girl's excited expression.

Gu Hua suddenly felt a surge of excitement, as if her heart was being filled.

He was so thoughtful.

Gu Hua knelt down solemnly and performed a proper salute: "Gu Hua kowtows to thank the Duke for his great kindness and virtue."

The tenderness in Mu Junyan's eyes vanished instantly.

That's too kind of you.