Chapter 3: Heading to the Liu Family

Chapter 3: Heading to the Liu Residence

Hanzhi had already packed up these account books; sending Liuzhi to deliver them earlier was merely a pretext to get her out of the way.

As for the Liu residence, she naturally had to go there herself.

Since Gu Yunzhu loved drinking white porridge so much, she would let her drink her fill.

Hanzhi was still very much a person who believed in helping others achieve their desires.

The original owner had always looked down on Gu Yundian, feeling that he was nothing but a spendthrift who frequented gambling dens, lacked character, and often visited brothels.

Therefore, she had never held a good attitude toward Gu Yundian.

But Hanzhi now could only guess at the characters she read, recognizing only half of a character at a time, much like a swallow building a nest.

Fortunately, Hanzhi was clever. She had found an excuse, claiming that her husband favored women from scholarly families and that her own lack of talent made him unhappy.

She had hired a tutor for herself, claiming she wanted to improve her learning to please her husband, which prevented anyone from becoming suspicious.

In her past life, Hanzhi was a corporate slave who couldn't pass the postgraduate entrance exam or the civil service exam.

This intelligence and wisdom had not increased by even a fraction due to her transmigration.

The original owner’s maiden family was even more eager to use the Marquis’s status to elevate their own. Coupled with the fact that her father’s sons were born to a concubine and the original owner’s birth mother had passed away early, "miserable" was an understatement.

If not for the fact that the original owner’s mother had left her a substantial inheritance, and that she had married into a Marquis’s household, she would never have been able to secure such a large dowry.

The dowry the original owner had fought so hard for was now benefiting this Marquis’s household.

Hanzhi would rather see the dowry gambled away entirely than let it benefit the mistress and her son.

It was true that Gu Yundian and Gu Yunhan were biological brothers.

But even brothers must settle accounts clearly.

Hanzhi believed that in the face of profit, these two brothers would certainly not remain so harmonious.

She wanted to see how Gu Yunhan would rise to success without the original owner’s dowry.

"Miss, the Second Master is a gambler! How could you hand the shop over to him?"

Qiuju, standing to the side, said to Hanzhi with some anxiety.

"Qiuju, come with me!"

Qiuju had wanted to speak earlier, but Hanzhi had kept her hand pressed down, preventing her from saying anything.

Qiuju still wanted to say more, but seeing Hanzhi’s expression, she found it difficult to continue.

Hanzhi had the coachman drive the carriage toward the third lane of Fu'an Street.

This coachman was also brought over from the original owner’s maiden home and was a trusted confidant.

The original owner had some methods; otherwise, she would have been devoured by the Marquis’s household long ago. Naturally, she had a few confidants, but she couldn't overcome her own "love-struck" brain.

It was precisely because of these few methods that Gu Yunhan disliked her.

Gu Yunhan only liked women who appeared simple-minded, like dodder flowers.

As for the original owner, having lost her mother early and being unloved by her father, if she hadn't possessed some cunning, she would have long ago been married off to some powerful official as a concubine.

Although the original owner was a legitimate daughter, she was merely the daughter of a merchant—wealthy, but without power or status.

"Qiuju, I have been married into this Marquis’s household for three years. My mother-in-law has always despised me for being a merchant’s daughter, frequently punishing me by making me kneel. I have worked hard to manage the household affairs, emptying my dowry, only to receive my mother-in-law’s disdain and my husband’s cold eyes."

"This Marquis’s household is not a good place. I should never have been blinded by greed for wealth and married here."

"Miss, I never imagined you would leave a wolf’s den only to enter a tiger’s pit. Your fate is truly too tragic."

Qiuju couldn't help but hug Hanzhi and cry.

The third lane of Fu'an Street.

This area was not cheap.

And it was in the capital, no less.

The walls were already covered in flowers, and from far away, one could feel the happiness of the owner within.

Looking from a distance

The garden was filled with vibrant flowers. A woman in white sat on a swing, her face delicate and charming, her brows filled with allure, and her face radiant with smiles.

Gu Yunhan stood beside the swing frame, wearing a look of tenderness that Qiuju had never seen before, gently pushing the swing.

The two looked like a pair of celestial lovers, and with the garden full of flowers, they seemed like beings from heaven.

Liu Hanyuan was a concubine of Gu Yunhan’s father, a former official courtesan, and was over ten years older than Hanzhi.

But Hanzhi was only eighteen! Yet she looked more weathered than Liu Hanyuan.

Her skin was also incredibly rough.

"Hanyan, only when I am with you do I feel that I am truly alive."

Liu Hanyuan leaned lovingly into Gu Yunhan’s arms: "Husband, me too. As long as you are by my side, I am willing to do anything."

Gu Yunhan looked at Liu Hanyuan’s gentle and submissive appearance and hugged her with a pang of heartache.

"How could I bear to let you suffer? You have sacrificed so much for me, even having to give your own child to that woman to raise, forcing you to endure the pain of separation from your own flesh and blood."

Liu Hanyuan gently touched her stomach and said softly to Gu Yunhan: "Husband, we have another baby now. As a mother, one must always consider one's child. Whether it is a boy or a girl, as long as it is registered under Hanzhi’s name, it will be a legitimate child. Their future prospects and marriage prospects will be much broader."

"I cannot be so selfish."

"Hanyan, rest assured. That mistress—she is only temporary. One day, I will marry you into the Marquis’s household openly and honorably."

"Husband, you are so good to me."

"I am your husband; if I am not good to you, who else would I be good to?"

Liu Hanyuan lowered her head in shy satisfaction, leaning into Gu Yunhan’s embrace.

She knew that as soon as the Old Madam died, she would be able to return to the Marquis’s household openly.

The reason Gu Yunhan still let that woman occupy the position of mistress was out of consideration for the Old Madam’s feelings. After all, she had been helpless when the Old Marquis brought her into the household back then.

Thinking of the Old Madam, Liu Hanyuan still felt a hint of fear.

...

"Miss, how could the Eldest Master be like this! No wonder he wanted you to acknowledge the illegitimate son. I thought he was doing it for your sake, but I didn't expect..."

Qiuju had heard the voices of those two adulterers through the door crack and was furious. Back in the carriage, she spoke indignantly to Hanzhi.

"Qiuju, now do you understand why I had to give the shop to the Second Master? The Second Master, at worst, just gambles; that is still better than keeping an outside mistress. The Eldest Master has been saving himself for this mistress, and to this day, I am still a virgin."

"This mistress is the descendant of a disgraced official who became an official courtesan before being brought back to the Marquis’s household by the Old Marquis as his concubine. So, as long as the Old Madam is still in the household, she naturally cannot enter the front gates."

"Once the Old Madam passes away, she will change her identity and return to become the mistress of the Marquis’s household."

"By then, I will just be a merchant’s daughter with no backing. A cup of poisoned wine, and no one will care."

"Gu Yunhan is a man of talent and appearance, yet no noble lady in the capital is willing to marry him, so he had to marry me, a merchant’s daughter. There is a reason for all of this. It’s just that I was blinded by his outward appearance back then!"

"Miss!"

Qiuju sobbed uncontrollably.