The husband who forced her to marry her couldn't keep her warm, and she didn't want him to

My grandmother and father finally agreed to make my mother a co-wife, and Zheng agreed in person in front of the clan members.

Becoming a legitimate daughter was what Gu Yan had dreamed of since she was a child. Now it had finally come true, but her joy lasted only a few short hours before her hopes were shattered.

Not noticing her mother's pale face and the smell of medicine on her knees, Gu Yan took her mother's hand and said anxiously:

"What should we do? We can't just brush aside what Grandma and Father agreed on, right?"

"Aunt, there are two young men coming from the Zheng family, and the master took them to Moxiangju..." Qiaozhen whispered beside her.

Aunt Lian pulled her hand back and pressed it on her swollen knee. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Send someone to Moxiangju to find out why the Zheng family came here at this time. Find someone smarter so that they won't be discovered!"

Qiaozhen agreed and took her people out, leaving only Qiu Wen in the room serving them.

Gu Yan only then realized that Aunt Lian was unwell, and asked her with red eyes, "Mother, what's wrong with you? Did Grandmother make things difficult for you?"

Aunt Lian sneered, "Your grandmother cares most about her face, but it's not impossible to get over this. You should be thankful that the one who heard these words today was Gu Jinchu's cousin. If it was those wives of officials at the banquet, your reputation would be ruined."

He gritted his teeth and said, "I also want to thank Miss San for not being ruthless and completely destroying you!"

Gu Yan didn’t understand, how else would she, Gu Jinchu, destroy him?

After half a cup of tea, Qiaozhen came back and said, "Auntie, there are guards outside Moxiangju. If you go too close, you will be discovered..."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Lian raised her hand, and Qiu Wen beside her immediately put her hand underneath.

She stood up and walked to the bed by the window and sat down. Qiu Wen knelt on the footstool and punched her calves lightly with her fists.

Aunt Lian leaned there and thought for a long time before she spoke, "What the Zheng family said is a turning point for us. What about Zheng's dowry? Since she married into the Gu family, she is a member of the Gu family, and her things belong to the Gu family!"

In recent years, Gu Huanian couldn't stand hearing people say that he relied on the Yue family and was not satisfied with the status quo...

Seeing that his daughter lowered her eyes and didn't speak, he instructed her: "Starting tomorrow, go to Zheng's place and set up rules. Pay respects to your stepmother every morning and evening. Since Gu Jinchu is so generous, we must naturally be more strict with etiquette."

After saying that, he looked at the thick night outside and muttered to himself, "It's too passive to counter the opponent's moves. I have to think of a way..."

Aunt Lian dug out the clothes from the bottom of her closet, put on some light makeup to hide her haggard look, and went to meet Gu Huanian under the moonlight.

...

When Gu Jinchu came back from his mother's place, the maids in the yard were all quiet.

Today, the third young lady was wronged and beaten to death by her concubine sister in her own yard. Not only did her father fail to uphold justice, but the third young lady had to swallow her bitterness for the sake of the Gu family's dignity.

These are what Mother Xu just told them, otherwise they would not understand the key points.

Suddenly I felt that the third young lady, who used to punish servants and scare people with a whip over disagreements, was more flesh and blood.

It's a bit aggrieved to be so sensible and understanding. Even for a legitimate daughter, it's too uncomfortable.

Gu Jinchu looked at their sad faces and told Mother Xu, "The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. Let's give everyone the reward money first, so that they won't be delayed when the mansion gets busy in the next few days."

Several little girls burst into laughter when they heard this, especially Xiao He, who brought another little girl named Xiao Zhi who had her hair cut, to kowtow to Gu Jinchu and ask for candy.

"You're still eating candy. If you keep eating candy, your teeth will get damaged." Bai Shao teased them when she saw this.

"Sister Bai Shao, we won't eat at night, for fear of damaging our teeth. If we have bad breath, we won't be able to serve the young lady closely in the future, and then it will be more trouble than gain."

"Oh, that's good, Xiaohe, you can use idioms now..."

Bai Zhi came in from outside, and seeing their happy expressions, she curled up the corners of her lips, walked to Gu Jinchu and whispered, "Miss, Aunt Lian went to Zizhu Pavilion."

Gu Jinchu put down the embroidery frame in her hand and smiled. "She hosted the banquet during the day, and now she has to go to Zizhu Pavilion to apologize. Aunt Lian is busy enough today."

As long as you are willing to spend some money, it will be very easy to comfort your grandmother and make her calm down.

On the other hand, the thing that his father valued the most was repeatedly tested on the bottom line by Aunt Lian and Gu Yan, the mother and daughter whom he regarded as satisfactory and worry-free.

It would be a headache for Aunt Lian to go to see her father at this time.

What happened today could not be made up for or erased by her kindness and gentleness, nor by the beautiful memories of her youth.

In the fragrance of flowers in the courtyard of Zizhu Pavilion, Chun Xing was walking under the tree, holding her belly. When she saw Aunt Lian coming over, her eyes flashed.

Shuqin helped to open the door, "Madam Lian, the master wants you to come in."

Gu Huanian had a tired look on his face as he leaned against a chair by the window. When he saw her come in, his face began to cloud over.

"Where's Gu Yan? Don't you have the nerve to come over? Look at what you and your daughter have done today!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Lian paused, her steps became heavy and she staggered, "I don't know how it turned out like this..." She collapsed at Gu Huanian's feet, her voice getting lower and lower, and soon she began to sob.

When she looked up, she had a smile on her face, and tears were still in her almond-shaped eyes. "Sister Yan is the same. My mother and I have been living in fear in front of the Madam in this family... We always want to behave better..."

"In the end, everything went against my wishes... It made things very difficult for Master... and my cousin..." At the end, she cried so hard that she couldn't speak.

Gu Huanian looked at his concubine's face and thought of what he heard Gu Yan say in Sui'an Hall.

Sister Yan is still very young. She must have been often whispered to by others, and some things must have stayed in her mind, so she blurted them out when she was least prepared.

He has doted on his concubines and illegitimate daughters for so many years, which side of them is their true face?

The domineering eldest daughter whom he disliked, and Chu Jie'er who endured the grievances and shed tears to defend the reputation of the Gu family.

"Today, Chu Jieer showed some sense. Otherwise, if Yan Jieer slandered and contradicted the first sister, the Zheng family would not be able to get through it. Tomorrow, you take Yan Jieer to apologize to her third sister!"

"And you... remember your duty. Zheng is the mistress. Put away your little thoughts!"

Aunt Lian collapsed to the ground after hearing this. Since her cousin had said this, there was no room for maneuver...

On a midsummer night, the frogs in the pond croaked continuously, and soon it started to rain.

Mother Tong closed the window, and soon the room became a little stuffy.

She walked to the bed with a fan, fanned Zheng who was leaning against the bed, and said softly: "The eldest lady has been wronged, it's amazing that she thought so carefully..."

"The child that Madam Tai taught so carefully committed the seven sins of tongue-lashing. Aunt Lian is to blame. She has a hard time with both Madam Tai and Master Tai."

Zheng raised a faint smile, "Chu Jie'er has grown up. Without the protection of my mother and me, she can take good care of herself... The Luo family and the Lu family are both interested in Chu Jie'er. After the Dragon Boat Festival, when my mother comes to Gu'an, we can discuss it carefully..."