Chapter 1: One Accidental Move Becomes a Concubine
It was a scorching hot July day. The air was filled with heat waves and the cicadas were chirping. The heat was so intense that they felt restless and the noise made them dizzy. But for Shu Dianshi's family, this moment was like falling into an icy hell. There was no light in the sky above their heads and no warmth from the scorching sun.

"Xuancheng Tongzhi Shu Hanshan, in collusion with the prefect and other officials, accepted bribes, embezzled the money for building the dam, causing the dam to be damaged and tens of thousands of people to suffer from the flood... His crimes are too numerous to list. He is now in prison and will be executed soon. All his property will be confiscated. All his female relatives will be sent to the Jiaofang Bureau to serve as official prostitutes, and the males will be exiled 3,000 miles away."

"Is not likely to!"

"There must be some misunderstanding. Where's my father? I want to see him!"

"My Lord, someone must have wronged my father. Please save me, my father."

……

Just a quarter of an hour ago, the Shu family was all enjoying themselves. Mrs. Shu was complaining that the weather was too hot and there were not enough ice cubes, so she prepared to go buy some more.

Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye the head of the Shu family would be thrown into prison and his life could not be saved. These pampered ladies and gentlemen suddenly went from being the masters above them to exiled prisoners and official prostitutes. It was so sudden.

None of the masters, big and small, regardless of gender, age or status, could hold on. The moment they were surrounded, everyone was stunned and made a fuss, unwilling to accept reality.

Mrs. Shu, the only person who knew the truth, watched the countless soldiers and runners rushing in in just a moment, heard the sound of countless porcelain falling to the ground and breaking, looked up at the dazzling sunlight, only to feel a black screen in front of her eyes and she fainted.

Before passing out, only one thought flashed through my mind: The Shu family... is over!
"Miss!"

Yuyan's teeth were chattering, his body was shaking, and he grabbed his young lady's arm, feeling extremely anxious.

"fine!"

With a pale face and pursed lips, Shu Yunfu patted her hands soothingly. Her condition was not much better, but she was calmer than the others who were crying and wailing like crazy.

Looking at her brothers and sisters who were put in shackles and being pushed to the Jiaofangsi, a trace of relief and fear flashed in her eyes.

Seeing that the yamen runners were also about to push her, Shu Yunfu quickly pulled Yuyan towards the group of people who were leading the house search.
"Stop! What are you going to do!"

"ah!"

Seeing this, the yamen runners who were confiscating the property were afraid that she would offend the important person, so they took three or two steps forward, grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground, without any intention of showing any mercy.

Thanks to Yuyan's help, Shu Yunfu did not fall to the ground in a mess, but the red hairpin on her head fell to the ground, and her jet-black hair was scattered, adding a bit of messy beauty to her gorgeous face.

Many of the men present had even more greed in their eyes, as they never expected that Shu Dianshi actually had such a beautiful daughter hidden at home.

The thought of such a beauty being sent to the Music Bureau made him feel even more excited.

Realizing this, Gu Changting frowned slightly, with a hint of displeasure flashing across his eyes, "She..."

"Stop! Shu Yunfu is my concubine. Her crime is not equal to that of a married woman. Don't touch her!" But the one who was quicker than Gu Changting was his younger brother Gu Changheng.

"Come here quickly!"

In public, Gu Changheng looked down at the embarrassed Shu Yunfu with a very bad attitude. After all, this woman was his, so how could he let these inferior people covet her?

"Yes!"

Feeling the cold gaze falling on her, Shu Yunfu gritted her teeth and lowered her head, pulling Yuyan and hiding behind Gu Changheng in small steps without saying a word, not daring to look up.

"How is this going!"

Looking at the two men with eyes as sharp as lightning, Gu Changting exuded a cold aura and his face was as dark as water.

Everyone was terrified and retreated away, wishing they had no eyes. They did not want to get involved in the dispute between the two brothers.

"Big brother..."

Facing his elder brother's terrifying attitude, Gu Changheng's heart trembled slightly, and his throat was dry. "It's... it's what happened two days ago. Didn't we know that Shu Hanshan would commit a crime? This Shu Yunfu is pretty and sensible, so we just took her in..."

"Two days ago..."

Gu Changting moved his lips, looked at Gu Changheng, then looked at the woman who seemed to be burying her head in his chest, pulled the corners of his lips, his eyes full of sarcasm.

"Oh, big brother! Anyway, she is just a woman. Uncle and aunt are not her. Besides, her indenture is in my possession and has been filed with the government. She is already my concubine. The Shu family's affairs have nothing to do with her."

Gu Changheng has always been afraid of this cousin, not only because his cousin is the Duke of England and the pillar of the Duke of England's mansion, and he is just a cousin who depends on his cousin for survival, but also because he has been compared to him since he was a child but has never been surpassed.

This time he followed his elder brother to Xuancheng to investigate the case of embezzlement of money for dam construction. It was for the purpose of gaining experience. He should not indulge in women at this time, let alone take the daughter of Shu Dianshi as a concubine. But even if his elder brother was angry, he had to do this.

"Selling your body!" He frowned even more tightly and looked at the woman with her head lowered and neck shrunk in disbelief, "Are you willing?"

"Brother, what you said is really shameless. I, your younger brother, have never been so shameless as to force a woman to do something." The person who answered him was not Shu Yunfu, but Gu Changheng.

"Ah……"

With a sneer, Gu Changting no longer paid them any attention. He watched coldly as all the members of the Shu family were arrested and the prosperous Shu family was confiscated.

"No! I don't want to go to the Jiaofangsi. Save me, Lord, save me. For the Shu family's wholehearted hospitality to you these days, Lord, please save me!"

"Duke! Second Master Gu! Please save me. You can save Shu Yunfu, so why can't you show mercy and save us? We can do what she can do. I can also sign a contract to sell myself. Please save me! I don't want to go to the Music Bureau!"

"Third sister, please plead for us. We are biological siblings! Save me!"

……

Countless wails and cries for help echoed in his ears, but neither Gu Changting, Gu Changheng, nor Shu Yunfu uttered a word. They just watched silently as the noisy hall gradually calmed down.

Watching the group of people from the Shu family screaming and resisting being dragged away, watching their eyes change from pleading to resentment to despair, watching the Shu family, which was once famous in Xuancheng, being crushed into dust.

He returned to his yard with a pale face. As soon as he entered the house, his legs went weak and he could not stand. He collapsed to the ground.

"Miss!"

Yuyan exclaimed and helped her young lady to sit on the stool, but her pale face did not look much better.

"It's okay, it's okay!" He held onto the table and sat firmly, finally not making himself too embarrassed. He hurriedly poured himself a cup of hot tea, and drank it down gulps at a time to calm his pounding heart. He felt completely out of energy.

After traveling back in time to the feudal society of Dayong, she became the daughter of an aunt of the Shu family who died during childbirth. She became a baby who could only cry and had blurred vision, but Shu Yunfu was never afraid.

She actively integrated into this world, always planning to find the best path for herself, never been afraid, never been terrorized, but just now she was afraid!

In the sixteen years that she had been in the Shu family, she had grown from a baby whose life was controlled by others into a grown-up girl. She had experienced hunger, cold, beatings, scolding, and had also been tormented and bullied by other people in the mansion.

She was a concubine's daughter who was ignored by her biological father and not protected by her biological mother. Especially in the Shu family where only valuable people were valued, it was difficult for her to live comfortably, and even more difficult to live well. But she was never afraid.

But just now she was afraid. Although she had lived in Dayong for sixteen years and had long been accustomed to the class hierarchy here, because Shu Hanshan was also a powerful figure in Xuancheng, the oppression she suffered only came from within the Shu family.

But even someone as powerful as Shu Hanshan, who made the entire Shu family have to live by his face, lost his life just because of a single word from Gu Changting. The Shu family, which he had spent decades of hard work to build, collapsed in one day, and everyone went from being a superior person to being a lowly inferior, as humble as dust.

Only by experiencing it yourself can you feel how terrifying the cruelty of power is.

At this moment, she was extremely grateful. She was grateful that when she discovered that Gu Changting was looking for evidence of Shu Hanshan's crime, she had found a way out for herself in advance.

Although this retreat has become what it is now...

"Miss, what should we do? The way the Duke looked at you just now was so scary."

Just when Shu Yunfu was rejoicing, Yuyan beside her had a sad face and didn't know what to do.

"What can I do? Just let it sit!"

Shu Yunfu came back to his senses and let out a long breath, spreading his hands like a bachelor, "I don't want things to turn out like this, but there is nothing I can do. If I hadn't owed the indenture and become Gu Changheng's concubine, both our souls would have to drink Meng Po soup now."

As the one who suffered it, she knew better than anyone how terrible Gu Changting was, but she didn't want things to turn out like this, and she was desperate.

In the eyes of others, Gu Changheng is indeed a good person. He is handsome, young and promising, and the cousin of the Duke of England. It would be a good deal for him to be a concubine, but unfortunately, he also appears with his cousin, the Duke of England, Gu Changting.

When these two men stood together, Gu Changheng was not even considered a younger brother. Gu Changting's brilliance was too dazzling. Not to mention Gu Changheng, even in the capital, a place that gathered all the talents of Dayong, he was still a brilliant person.

She must be crazy to choose Gu Changheng instead of Gu Changting!

But there was no other way. Under the circumstances at that time, if she had not decisively signed the indenture contract and become Gu Changheng's concubine, she would have died long ago. This was also the result of her racking her brains and using her eloquence to plan for herself.

Originally, she had already hooked up with Gu Changting and was just waiting to follow him back to the capital. Whether she was a concubine or a mistress, she would have made a profit. But who would have thought that in the end, she would run into Gu Changheng and his servant talking about something secret and get discovered.

Damn Gu Changheng, her stepfather vacated the best courtyard in the mansion for them to live in. Can’t they go back to the house and talk about private matters? Don’t they know that when you live in someone else’s house, walls have ears!

(End of this chapter)