Chapter 31 Slavery
Gu Huan walked in and looked up eagerly for her biological mother.
At first glance, he saw his biological mother, Wang, whom he missed day and night, sitting on a chair in a dark brown skirt and jacket. Her face was pale and she looked very unwell.
Gu Huan felt a pang in her heart, afraid that she would notice something, so she lowered her head and walked slowly forward, then knelt down on the bluestone slab directly in front of her.
Nanny Zhou and Wang were both stunned.
Is it necessary to perform such a big ceremony?
It's not like a married woman is returning home, it's just a concubine's daughter paying her daily respects.
So, Nanny Zhou didn’t even think of putting up the futon.
Gu Huan's mind was filled with what Gu Wanru said to her before her tragic death in her previous life.
The evil deeds done by Aunt Pei and her daughter caused them to never recognize each other when they met in this life.
He was immediately heartbroken, with tears in his eyes, and bowed solemnly and properly.
Zhou Zhilan frowned. She could see that the mistress of the Marquis' Mansion was very indifferent to Gu Huan. She remained indifferent even though she showed such a great courtesy.
"I'm your daughter, Gu Huan, and I pay my respects to you, mother. I wish you a long and healthy life." Gu Huan's voice was choked with tears.
This call of "mother" comes from the heart, and is truly moving.
Wang suddenly felt as if her heart was stabbed hard.
Has this child suffered a great injustice? Crying like this.
His eyes softened immediately: "Good boy, get up quickly."
Gu Huan was helped up by Zhou Zhilan. She raised her tearful eyes and saw Wang's kind and gentle face. Her heart was tangled.
Mother, I am your biological daughter!
But she had no evidence, so no one would believe her even if she told them.
When Wang saw Gu Huan’s different demeanor from usual, she felt inexplicably sad and thought to herself, this child must have suffered a great injustice.
She glanced at the three maids following her. The maid supporting her was obviously the manager. Her clothes were better than those of the young ladies in the marquis's mansion. Then she looked at Gu Huan's clothes, which were several times better than those of Gu Wanru in the mansion.
There were two men standing outside the door. She had seen one of them before. He was Zhou, the steward of the Duke's Mansion.
Send out the chief steward to follow...
Her heart skipped a beat. Could it be that what she and Nanny Zhou had guessed was true?
Is she favored by her brother-in-law?
Judging from the situation, this favor probably exceeds that given to her Ruer.
The little bit of pity that had just emerged disappeared immediately.
His face returned to its usual serious expression: "You are living with your elder sister in the Duke's Mansion. You must be careful about your behavior and words. Don't do anything wrong and bring shame to the Gu Mansion."
Gu Huan felt a pang of pain in her heart.
He controlled his emotions and replied obediently, "Yes. Don't worry, mother."
Wang felt inexplicably blocked in her heart when she saw her face as pure as a white lotus, charming eyes and enchanting figure.
She totally didn't understand why Ru'er wanted to keep such a sister by her side. Could it be, as Madam Zhou said, that Aunt Pei deceived Ru'er and wanted Gu Huan to seduce the son-in-law and seize the position of the young lady of the Duke's Mansion?
Thinking of this, he suddenly became alert and his tone became more severe.
"You are an unmarried girl, it is really inappropriate to dress like this. Don't forget that your every word and action affects the Marquis' Mansion. If you are willing to degenerate and disregard your innocent reputation, don't ruin the reputation of your eldest sister. If you dare to act recklessly, I will not agree!"
Gu Huan looked up in shock, her tearful eyes gazing at her biological mother whom she had longed to see. Her words were like thousands of arrows piercing her heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
Zhou Zhilan frowned, but couldn't help herself, so she took a step forward and bowed: "Your servant Zhou Zhilan greets Madam Hou."
Wang looked at her. After all, Ru'er was in the Duke's Mansion, and it would not be good to offend a servant of status, so her tone softened a little.
"No need to be polite. You've worked hard to bring her back today."
She looked at Madam Zhou: "Reward."
Just as Madam Zhou was about to take the red envelope, Zhou Zhilan waved her hand and said, "No need. Today, we accompanied Second Miss Gu back to the mansion because the master asked us to report something."
Gu Huan turned her head and looked at Zhou Zhilan in surprise.
She didn't know what Mu Junyan told Zhou Zhilan and the others to do.
Wang and Nanny Zhou's expressions changed slightly.
"Please speak." Wang said lightly.
"Because Miss Gu has a good handwriting, the master specially asked Miss Gu to stay in the Duke's Mansion to copy the manuscripts of the previous Duke's wife for the master. Therefore, Miss Gu needs to stay in the Duke's Mansion during this period of time."
Wang and Nanny Zhou were surprised. This was something they had never expected.
Zhou Zhilan smiled and changed the subject: "Because the Second Miss Gu needs to accompany the master in his study from time to time, she often encounters dignitaries and nobles, so she needs to dress appropriately. Before, the Second Miss Gu always wore the clothes of a maid in the Duke's Mansion, which was really inappropriate.
Those who know about it say that the second Miss Gu is kind and considerate of her elder sister's dignity. So when her elder sister asked her to become a slave, she obeyed obediently. Those who don’t know would think that the dignified Wenchang Marquisate trampled on and abused a illegitimate girl, and reduced the young lady to the level of a slave.
Therefore, all of Miss Gu's expenses during her stay at the Duke's Mansion were covered by the Duke's Mansion, and her clothes were also provided by the Duke's Mansion. ”
Zhou Zhilan's words made Wang's face change drastically.
This was tantamount to rebutting Wang's earlier criticism of Gu Huan's attire, and was a slap in Wang's face.
Gu Huan felt a pang in her heart.
But she didn't know what to say.
Wang stared at Gu Huan and asked in shock, "Ruru asked you to wear slave's clothes? How could she do that? Why didn't you come back and tell me? Your elder sister has always been gentle to others. Someone must have instigated her."
Gu Huan felt a little comforted when she heard this, it turned out that her mother didn't know.
Aunt Pei and her daughter have absolute power in the Marquis's mansion, and her mother is fooled by Gu Wanru's gentle appearance.
Zhou Zhilan sneered: "Not only that, the master learned that when the second Miss Gu entered the mansion, she was forced by the Marquis's Mansion to sign a slavery, and the master was really puzzled.
The master said that the Wenchang Marquis' Mansion is a century-old noble family, and the lady is from the world-famous Langya Wang family, a family that attaches the most importance to etiquette and rules. How could they do such a horrific thing?
My master has sent this servant to ask Madam whether this matter is true. Do Madam and the Marquis know about this? Or is it someone with ulterior motives who did it intentionally? ”
Wang's face changed drastically: "How is it possible?"
Even if the young lady is born out of wedlock, she is still the master's. How could she become his own slave?
If this matter were to get out, the Gu Marquis Mansion would lose all face and would definitely be criticized.
Gu Huan was shocked and stared at Zhou Zhilan in a daze.
The master asked her to stand up for him?
Zhou Zhilan turned her head and smiled at her, giving her a smug look.
How could anyone sign a slavery document casually?
Wang thought about it and naturally didn't believe it. Her face darkened, "Gu Huan, what's wrong with you? Why would you let outsiders make random guesses? This will affect your elder sister's reputation."
Gu Huan raised her eyes.
This is really hard to believe.
It was all because I was timid and stupid in my previous life. I didn’t dare to disobey when I saw the seal of the mistress.
This is the best opportunity to regain her status as a good citizen, and she will naturally not let Mu Junyan's arrangements and Zhou Zhilan's efforts down.
She lifted her skirt and knelt down: "Mother, it is true. It is the document brought by Aunt Pei, and it is stamped with your seal."
Wang was shocked and turned to look at Nanny Zhou: "Do you know about this?"
Since it concerned the Marquis's Mansion and her reputation, Wang did not dare to take it lightly and quickly asked the most capable housekeeper around her.
Her private seal has always been kept by Nanny Zhou.
Madam Zhou frowned: "I don't know about this. The private seals are all locked. If someone touches them, I will definitely know. How about asking Aunt Pei?"
Wang didn't want to let the people in the Duke's Mansion laugh at her, so she calmed herself down.
Without looking at the kneeling Gu Huan, he said to Zhou Zhilan, "Miss Zhou, this must be a misunderstanding. How could a young lady from a marquis's mansion become a slave?
I don't agree, and the Marquis will definitely not agree. But this matter involves the internal affairs of my mansion. Once I have made inquiries, I will handle it properly. ”
What this means is that the Duke's Mansion should not interfere.
Zhou Zhilan is not easy to deal with.
She bowed respectfully again: “Madam, please ask clearly first. If someone betrays the master, please correct the chaos to avoid insulting the reputation of the Marquis’ Mansion.
After all, Miss Gu Er, who copied the questionnaire for the Duke's wife, was a slave, which was also disrespectful to the late lady. ”
Wang was choked with anger.
Then can't you find someone else to copy?
Judging from the situation, the Duke's Mansion must have Gu Huan.
If this is true, it is a family scandal.
Don't air your dirty laundry in public, but people are watching...
Helpless, he ordered: "Madame Zhou, go and call Aunt Pei."
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