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

In the darkness, the girl remained silent for a long time.

Mu Junyan's heart skipped a beat.

It seems she's unwilling.

Judging from her recent act of jumping into the water to save someone, Gu Hua usually seems gentle and soft, like a cat, easily frightened. But in reality, she is stubborn at heart.

It makes sense; most people wouldn't be able to swallow the grudge of being forced into a desperate situation by having their lives switched.

She has not yet returned to the right path, and has no one to rely on, so she has no choice but to abandon her clean reputation and even risk her life.

He touched the imperial edict of marriage bestowed upon him in his sleeve, as well as a letter of divorce written by himself.

The imperial decree of marriage was obtained by him from the emperor. He could not marry her as his principal wife, but he would do his best to give her the respect she deserved.

The concubine bestowed by the Emperor has a more noble status than the principal wife, and ordinary people cannot touch her.

As for the letter of divorce... if one day he dies on the battlefield, this letter of divorce will grant her her freedom.

Gu Hua felt very conflicted.

Jiang Ruoxi was to become his legal wife, but he wanted to take her as a concubine.

Does he want to have the blessing of having two wives?

This is not the Mu Junyan she knows.

Gu Hua felt a chill in her heart.

She had initially thought he was a pure, kind, and upright man, but he also feared power and could not refuse the arranged marriage even if he disliked it.

Gu Hua laughed at herself for being delusional, and for being so sentimental as to want to treat him as well as possible before he died, to repay the kindness he had shown her.

She lowered her head and said softly, "It is my blessing that the Duke thinks highly of me, and I am naturally willing."

His strength is still needed now.

In the darkness, Mu Junyan couldn't see her expression, but he could tell from her changed emotions.

Unlike before, it doesn't feel soft and sweet anymore; now it has a more distant feel.

Mu Junyan stood up: "Take good care of yourself, we'll discuss this matter later."

As Gu Hua watched the tall figure stride out of the room, a strange sense of unease crept into her heart.

The next day.

When Dongqing and Donghua were doing her hair and makeup, they hesitated to speak.

Gu Hua yawned: "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you sleep well last night, young lady? You have dark circles under your eyes."

"Huh?" Gu Hua leaned closer to the bronze mirror, and sure enough, it looked like the eyes of a pair of iron-eating beasts.

A maid lifted the curtain and curtsied to Gu Hua: "Miss, Chi Yan requests an audience."

Gu Hua was overjoyed: "Quickly, please... have him wait for me in the West Warm Pavilion."

Upon seeing Chi Yan, Gu Hua rushed over: "How is he?"

Chi Yan pulled out a piece of paper covered with writing, signed by Yin Zhi, and with his fingerprint pressed on it.

Gu Jia excitedly took it, examined it closely, and grew increasingly angry with each look. His hands trembled, and his eyes welled with tears.

Yinzhi presented the tray containing the shady dealings that Aunt Pei had done.

"What does the young lady plan to do?"

Gu Hua carefully put away the confession: "I'll return to the manor today."

Chi Yan clasped his hands in a fist salute: "I need to report to my lord."

Gu Hua glanced at him. He was Mu Junyan's man, so naturally he had to report everything to him.

"Okay. I'll head back home this afternoon."

"Yes."

"Crimson Flame Guards." Gu Hua remembered Jin Kui's words, lifted her skirt, and chased after them.

Chi Yan stopped: "What are your orders, young lady?"

"I need a few people to handle some things tonight. I wonder if you could help me arrange that?"

"Alright. I'll make the arrangements."

Gu Hua wanted to ask if Mu Junyan's consent was not needed, but seeing that he didn't say anything, she swallowed her words.

Try not to bother him if you can avoid it.

She also needs to learn to solve problems on her own.

Gu Hua waited anxiously until noon, barely eating any lunch, when Chi Yan finally appeared.

“Miss, the master says you cannot go out for the next three days.”

"Why?" Gu Hua asked anxiously.

She longed to expose Aunt Pei's ugly face immediately and to recognize her mother as soon as possible.

She no longer cared about her status as the legitimate daughter; a person's worth is not determined by their status, but by their own character.

Even though she regained her status as the legitimate daughter, she lost her innocence and could very well become someone's concubine.

A favored concubine?

Gu Hua was taken aback.

If her mother found out that her own children had become concubines, while Aunt Pei's daughter was the noble young mistress of the Duke's mansion, wouldn't her mother feel ashamed?

She suddenly lost confidence, afraid that seeing her mother and learning the truth would not bring her the happiness she had imagined.

Chi Yan slightly raised his eyes and quickly glanced at her.

The girl's eyes were red and she looked heartbroken, which made people's hearts soften.

Chi Yan, who was usually so outspoken, was somewhat at a loss for words and tried to soften his voice: "My lord is doing this for the lady's own good."

Gu Hua snapped out of her daze, her expression somber, and softly hummed in agreement: "I will obey."

"Would four skilled men be enough for the girl tonight?"

Gu Hua perked up: "Yes, that's enough. I need to explain something to them."

"Just give me your instructions, young lady. I'll do it."

Gu Hua thought about it and decided that this was a good idea. If she went in person, she might mess things up and alert the enemy.

……

The Prince of Ping'an's Mansion.

The Jiang family has been shrouded in gloom for the past two days.

Jiang Ruoxi cried for a whole day and night.

She felt very bad.

Mu Junyan dared to defy the Empress Dowager's decree to refuse to marry her, and even turned around to ask the Emperor for a decree to grant them marriage.

Even the Empress Dowager can no longer force Mu Junyan, otherwise it would be going against the Emperor.

Jiang Ruoxi was both ashamed and angry after being rejected in her marriage proposal.

But his father said that the marriage had to happen, no matter what.

After all, taking down Mu Junyan would give them leverage to contend with the emperor; otherwise, the Jiang clan would be wiped out.

“Crying won’t help,” King Ping’an said with a stern face.

The prince, sitting to the side, advised, "Sister, you must learn to face this. Your father and brothers cannot protect you forever."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruoxi wiped away her tears and thought for a moment.

Although Mu Junyan didn't show his sister much enthusiasm, she earned his respect after marrying him, and everyone knew that the couple had a deep and loving relationship.

She was even more beautiful than her sister, and was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; she was no less talented than her sister in any way.

If Mu Junyan can accept his sister who is terminally ill, how could he not accept her?

The problem can only lie with the little vixen.

What if... there was no Gu Hua?

Jiang Ruoxi lost her mother at a young age, and her older sister died early. She only had one brother, the Crown Prince. Her father had no time to care for her, and no one in the entire palace dared to discipline her. In addition, the Empress Dowager personally taught her for two years, making her status increasingly noble and fostering a confident, domineering, and self-centered personality.

If you want something, you must get it.

Once the thought arose, a decision was made.

She's just a concubine's daughter from a fallen noble family. So what if she's been touched? She doesn't believe Mu Juncheng can do anything to her after the incident.

Once Gu Hua is no longer an obstacle, what reason will Mu Junyan have to defy the imperial decree?

Jiang Ruoxi wiped away her tears: "Father, I have a way to solve this."

The King of Ping An glanced at her and said, "Good, this is my daughter. Keep things clean and don't involve your great-aunt."

"My daughter knows."

Jiang Ruoxi said to her brother, "Didn't Mu An say that he also invited you to the banquet at Yichun Courtyard tonight? Tell him to ask Gu Wanru to find a way to bring Gu Hua along, otherwise, she can forget about seeing the adopted son of the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Palace."

The Crown Prince of Ping'an raised an eyebrow. "You want your brother to take Mu Junyan's concubine for you?"

“How could such a vile person sully my brother?” Jiang Ruoxi sneered. “A vile person should naturally be paired with another vile person.”

Prince Ping'an laughed heartily: "Alright. That fool Mu An can only rely on me, otherwise, how could he have met the adopted son of the Chief Inspector of the Inner Palace?"

Jiang Ruoxi was relieved.

Her eyes flashed with a fierce light: "Brother, didn't that man say he had something on Gu Wanru? Could he force them to get their hands on the Pei family's winter clothing reserves? Gu Wanru and Gu Hua are both here tonight, so we can let him do it. We don't need to kill them. Just kidnap them for two or three days, spread the news, and let Bianjing know that the two young ladies of the Gu family have been kidnapped. Then, when there are many people around, strip them naked in public and throw them into the street. Make several pieces of evidence against Gu Wanru and release them all at once. This will also clear our manor of any involvement in this matter."

This is going to ruin the reputations of Gu Wanru and Gu Hua.

Crown Prince Ping'an raised an eyebrow: "I didn't expect my little sister to become so ruthless."

Jiang Ruoxi said coldly, "He is unjust, so I will be unjust too. Even if I don't end up marrying Mu Junyan, no one else will get him!"

"There's no need to kidnap Gu Wanru, is there? After all, Mu An is a good pawn. Without him, how could Mu Junyan's information have fallen into our hands so easily? We also need Mu Junyan's approval for this winter clothing supply."

Jiang Ruoxi rolled her eyes at him: "Brother, that's just womanly sentimentality. Only by kidnapping the two sisters can our Prince's Mansion clean up our mess. It's not me who has a grudge against them, it's that person. Besides, Mu An is Mu Junyan's adopted son. I'll kick him out of the Duke's Mansion in the future too. I don't want such a stupid eldest son."

Seeing her brother give her a thumbs up, Jiang Ruoxi felt a little relieved from the frustration she had been feeling for the past two days.

In fact, after learning that Mu Junyan had refused the marriage proposal and then asked the Emperor to grant him a marriage, she had already decided to take action.

But we didn't see Gu Hua leave the Duke's mansion.

He didn't want to get involved himself, after all, Mu Junyan was not someone to be trifled with.