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

Gu Hua was in so much pain that she curled up on the bed, her head covered in sweat.

Shen Li took her pulse and said angrily, "You're simply ruining your body! You're taking growth-enhancing drugs on one hand, and extremely cold-natured drugs that damage your uterus on the other. This is causing irregular periods, and every time it hurts like hell!"

Shen Li has been trying her best to improve her health recently, but her constitution has been completely ruined.

Gu Hua remained silent.

None of this was what she wanted.

In her previous life, she was surprised to become pregnant after being humiliated by Mu An.

Aunt Pei cultivated a body that could seduce men, causing her to menstruate very early.

On the other hand, they fed her an unknown amount of strong contraceptive soup.

Her body was tormented by alternating hot and cold, which caused her menstrual irregularities. Sometimes she would not have a period for several months, and other times she would have a period that would last for half a month. Each period was so bad that it would take half her life.

Shen Li quickly wrote out a bath soup recipe, and Donghua hurriedly went to brew it. After receiving two acupuncture treatments and drinking a bowl of hot medicine, Gu Hua felt more comfortable after hugging the hot water bottle.

Seeing several girls surrounding her, Gu Hua's eyes reddened.

Dongqing saw a front courtyard maid enter through the gate, lifted the curtain and went out. The two spoke in hushed tones for a while, and then Dongqing walked in with a sullen face.

"What's wrong?" Gu Hua had a bad feeling.

"Someone from the palace has come to summon the young lady to the palace."

Gu Hua was taken aback: "Summon me to the palace?"

She never imagined in either of her lives that she would have another chance to enter the palace.

“She can barely get out of bed right now, what’s the point of going to the palace?” Shen Li said, dissatisfied.

Dongqing said helplessly, "It was the Empress Dowager's personal attendant who came to summon us. The carriage to the palace is waiting at the gate. We must leave immediately and cannot delay. Miss Shen, do you have any way to quickly stop the young lady's pain? Donghua, let's quickly dress the young lady up."

Shen Li frowned, stomped her foot, and hurried off to prepare the medicine.

Gu Hua endured the pain and got out of bed to help Dong Qing and the others dress and do her makeup.

She knew very well that the Empress Dowager had summoned her because of Jiang Ruoxi.

"I'll go check if the master is here." Donghua finally couldn't resist and ran out.

Gu Hua felt it was useless.

Even Mu Junyan could not disobey the imperial decree.

Jiang Ruoyun was arranged to marry him, so Mu Junyan had no choice but to marry her even if he didn't want to.

The reason Mu Junyan didn't marry Jiang Ruoxi in his previous life was probably because he quickly returned to the battlefield and died in battle three months later, leaving him no time to do so.

In this life, however, she was the one who encountered this unexpected turn of events.

Jiang Ruoxi couldn't resist.

She knew very well that Mu Junyan was using her to ward off unwanted suitors, so she would do her best to do so.

Even if he's injured or bruised, he'll still remember some of his own good deeds. This kind of substantial mutual help is more genuine than romantic flings between men and women.

Sure enough, Donghua came running back breathlessly: "The Lord has also been summoned to the palace by the Emperor."

Gu Hua knew in her heart that the Empress Dowager's announcement must be about Jiang Ruoxi's marriage.

On the old lady's birthday, Jiang Ruoxi suffered such a great injustice. Will the Empress Dowager help her regain face, or will she force Mu Junyan to accept the arranged marriage?

She didn't know, but at the very least, she knew today wouldn't be a good day.

Before Gu Hua was about to leave, Shen Li brought her a bowl of herbal soup to drink and also put a pill in her mouth: "Take this when you are in a lot of pain, but it will make you dizzy and sleepy, so try not to take it. Also, don't eat raw or cold food and don't touch cold water."

"Okay." Gu Hua nodded obediently.

The Empress Dowager's personal attendants came to summon her, and she was not allowed to bring any maids. Gu Hua could only board the carriage alone.

The carriage had an unpleasant smell, and the seats were bare wooden planks, letting in drafts from all sides.

Fortunately, Donghua draped a thick cloak over her shoulders.

Gu Hua gripped the cloak tightly.

The carriage was moving extremely fast, and the jolting was so bad that she almost fell apart. Already feeling unwell, she drank two large bowls of medicine in a row, causing her stomach to churn and making her want to vomit.

The carriage finally stopped, and Gu Hua could no longer hold back her vomiting. She quickly covered her mouth with her cloak and vomited violently.

She dared not get the palace carriages dirty.

However, the cloak is also unusable now.

The eunuch saw her carrying a cloak, her face pale and trembling as she walked out of the carriage with a look of disgust.

"What's wrong with you?"

Gu Hua smiled apologetically, "I'm not feeling well, I just threw up."

The eunuch frowned, pinched his nose, and gestured to the coachman to take the cloak from her hands.

Fortunately, the cloak was thick, and my clothes didn't get dirty at all.

"Let's go."

I looked up and glanced at the signboard.

Right side gate.

Gu Hua frowned slightly.

Even if one has never been inside the palace, having seen the palace layout map sold in the market, one naturally knows that the Right Gate is the side gate next to the Xuande Gate at the very front of the palace.

The Empress Dowager resided deep within the inner palace in the Bao Ci Hall; without a palanquin, one's feet would likely be worn out from walking.

It seems the Empress Dowager is deliberately tormenting her.

Right now, no one will help her; she can only grit her teeth and deal with it.

The eunuch said in a high-pitched voice, "Miss, hurry up. If you miss the Empress Dowager's appointed time, you won't be able to leave the palace."

Gu Hua had no choice but to follow.

This walk took a full half hour.

Gu Hua's legs were already stiff, and she dragged herself along with sheer willpower.

I vomited up both bowls of medicine I had drunk, my stomach was empty, and the excruciating pain in my lower abdomen started again.

Gu Hua felt that she probably wouldn't be able to leave this place today.

The eunuch led her into the Baoci Hall, past two main halls, and to the artificial hill at the back of the flower-viewing pavilion.

Yellow curtains fluttered around the waterside pavilion, where three or four women sat, their laughter and chatter filling the air.

Gu Hua recognized one of them as Jiang Ruoxi.

"You wait here, I'll go and report."

Gu Hua hid herself behind the artificial hill and bowed respectfully.

The eunuch had been gone for a quarter of an hour, but hadn't come to call her. Gu Hua clutched her stomach, wanting to squat down, but her lower abdomen was throbbing with pain, and cold sweat was pouring down her forehead.

She bit her lip hard, trying her best to stay awake.

She couldn't let Mu Junyan down; she had to persevere.

The eunuch finally approached, glancing at her sideways: "Do you know the rules?"

Gu Hua forced a smile: "I understand."

“If one is disrespectful in front of the emperor, one will be punished with ten strokes of the cane.” The eunuch saw her state and his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.

"This humble woman will certainly abide by the rules and regulations."

Gu Hua tried to straighten up.

Stepping into the flower-viewing pavilion, Gu Hua lowered her head and respectfully knelt down to perform a grand salute.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

After a while, when she couldn't be woken up, she had no choice but to continue lying on the bluestone ground, listening to the Empress Dowager and Jiang Ruoxi chatting and laughing as if she didn't exist.

Gu Hua was dizzy and her legs were almost numb when she heard a voice say, "Lift your head."

Gu Hua obediently raised her head, her eyes lowered, avoiding direct eye contact with the esteemed Empress Dowager.

"She really does have a foxy face. How could the Marquis of Wenchang have raised such a daughter?"

The Empress Dowager's tone was unfriendly.

Jiang Ruoxi looked at Gu Hua with a vicious glint in her eyes, but smiled and said, "She's just a concubine brought by my brother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She's used her looks to serve others, so it's understandable that she's seductive. But if she tries to seduce every man she sees, then she deserves to die a thousand deaths."

Gu Hua suddenly raised her eyes: "Your Majesty, I am not a concubine. I came to the Duke's mansion with my elder sister to learn domestic affairs. Because my handwriting resembles that of my late wife, the Duke of Yong asked me to stay in the Duke's mansion to copy my late wife's manuscripts."

The Empress Dowager's smile vanished: "Did I give you permission to speak? You have no manners!"

Jiang Ruoxi looked aggrieved: "Grandmother, she even dared to publicly mock Ruoxi for being illiterate and lacking manners. Ruoxi has been personally taught by you since childhood, doesn't that mean Grandmother lacks manners?"

This is the little vixen who dared to obstruct her marriage to Mu Junyan!

The Empress Dowager's face hardened: "This is utterly audacious! Guards, give her fifty slaps!"

Jiang Ruoxi straightened her back proudly.

Judging from her sickly appearance, she probably can't withstand a few slaps.

After she fainted, they threw her into a secluded deep well, saying that she had accidentally fallen in while leaving the palace, and that was how they disposed of her.