Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1045 I am willing to fulfill my filial duties to the old lady in place of my sister.

The group stayed at the Mincheng Inn, and half of the inn's rooms were booked. Ying San checked the place several times, inside and out.

The children still had the energy to go out for a stroll in the evening, but Tao Yanyan and the Empress Dowager were sore from the carriage ride and wanted to rest early. So they decided to split up: He Linzhang would accompany the children out for a stroll, while Tao Yanyan would stay at the inn with the Empress Dowager.

Just as they were about to leave after the meal, Gu Yuanyuan came to greet them.

“Brother-in-law, the children need care. I’ll go with them and help look after them.”

He Linzhang ignored him and carried He Xiaoliu out of the inn.

The children refused to speak to her and left with their servants.

Gu Yuanyuan wasn't annoyed. She chuckled and shamelessly followed. She was dressed in the coarse cloth clothes that ordinary people usually wore, but her face was so beautiful that as soon as she left the inn, she attracted whistles and jeers from the local ruffians.

"Oh my, where did this pretty young lady come from?"

"I think if she changed her clothes, she could be stunningly beautiful."

Gu Yuanyuan puffed out her chest, showing no fear of being teased, but rather a hint of arrogance.

Hmph, sharing a face with the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty, how could I not be beautiful? All the suffering I endured for bone sculpting finally paid off. The pain of the past is nothing compared to the present.

He Xiaoliu nestled in her father's arms, pouting, "I don't like her parading around with Mother's face on her back. They look exactly the same, but it's uncomfortable to look at her in every way. Father, please do something about it, I don't want to see her anymore."

He Linzhang squeezed his little hand, gave a soft "hmm," and then turned to give Ying San a look.

Ying San took out a piece of black cloth from his pocket and walked straight to Gu Yuanyuan: "Miss Gu, please put on this veil."

Ying San was stern and unsmiling, with a sword hanging on his body. His words were colder than the winter wind. Seeing his fierce appearance, Gu Yuanyuan had no choice but to gently reach out and take the black cloth.

Watching her put it on, Ying Sancai said, "You'll have to wear it every time you go out and meet people from now on. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind helping you modify your face."

Gu Yuanyuan's face paled: "How dare you! I... I am still your wife's younger sister, how can you treat me like this?"

"Heh." Shadow Three sneered, his smile more terrifying than a cry.

"You don't need to worry about how brave I am, just listen to what I'm saying." Ying San turned and left, making Gu Yuanyuan jump up and down in anger.

With the veil covering her face, there was less teasing behind her, but her beautiful eyes still attracted a lot of attention.

In the Empress Dowager's room, Tao Yanyan massaged the Empress Dowager's shoulders, while Mu Yu sat to the side, sulking.

"Don't worry, I've already sent people from Penglai Island to investigate. If I catch the person behind this swindler, I'll tear him to pieces."

Daring to impersonate the daughter of the Gu family, showing no reverence for the deceased, has seriously crossed Mu Yu's bottom line.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Don't get so angry. You're over sixty years old and have a heart condition. What if you get sick from getting angry? Wouldn't that be a loss? The mouse is hiding in the gutter and doing bad things, while the cat is just dozing off and watching. Cats enjoy the process of catching mice."

Tao Yan also said, "Father, don't worry, she can't do anything."

The inn in Mincheng was more comfortable than the one in town. The next day, it started to drizzle. He Linzhang was worried that the road would be slippery and that they should walk slowly, so he told everyone to set off earlier.

Last night, Gu Yuanyuan accompanied He Linzhang shopping, trying every possible way to get close to him, but in the end she could only follow from a distance and couldn't get close at all. Today, she simply changed her approach and focused on winning the Empress Dowager's favor, being extremely attentive to her.

The Empress Dowager was all smiles, and seeing that she wanted to show off, she actually called her to her carriage and made her a maid to massage her legs.

Mu Yu sat to the side, staring coldly. Gu Yuanyuan assumed that Mu Yu was a guard by the Empress Dowager's side and did not pay any attention to him.

"How does the pressure feel, Madam? Should we increase it a bit?" Gu Yuanyuan asked as she pounded and kneaded.

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes to rest, leaning back on the soft cushion: "Your skills are quite good. If my daughter-in-law had half of your skills, she wouldn't always make excuses to avoid serving me."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuanyuan smiled and said, "Sister is a daughter-in-law of a wealthy family, so naturally she can't do these rough jobs. If the old lady doesn't mind, I'm willing to take care of her in her place."

After saying this, his face was filled with sorrow: "When my mother was still alive, I served her like this every day. She longed to find my sister and my family, but I never expected... I never expected that by the time I finally found my sister, she would already be gone..."

Gu Yuanyuan already possessed a face reminiscent of Tao Yanyan; no matter what expression she made, it evoked a sense of tenderness and affection. But Mu Yu, watching her feigned innocence, could only roll his eyes.

The Empress Dowager slightly opened her eyes, took her hand and said, "You've had a hard time, my good child. Don't worry, you will stay by my side from now on. I will never let you wander outside and suffer again."

Gu Yuanyuan was overjoyed, thinking that being sweet-talking really worked; she was adept at charming people. She massaged the Empress Dowager's feet even more diligently. Once she won over her future mother-in-law, why would she worry about the future mother-in-law not giving her a chance?

It's so easy for the emperor to take a concubine, not to mention she has such a beautiful face and is ten years younger than the empress.

A light drizzle was falling outside. The Empress Dowager listened to the sound of the rain and felt a gentle massage on her body. She felt incredibly comfortable and actually slept very soundly.

By the end of the day, Gu Yuanyuan's fingers were almost broken. She wanted to stop and rest halfway through, but as soon as she stopped, Mu Yu glared at her and told her to continue.

Forced by Mu Yu's imposing aura, she dared not disobey. So when the group arrived at the new city to rest, she lost the will to go out and explore. She quickly went back to her room, asked for a basin of warm water to soak her hands, and found that her sore fingers were trembling and she could barely lift her arms.

"Xiao Qi, why haven't you gone to Grandma's these past two days? You've been staying with us all the time." He Yinuo asked, chewing her late-night snack.

"It smells awful, it smells awful, it's suffocating me!" He Xiaoqi flapped its wings, its bird-like face showing disgust.

"What do you mean by 'smelly'? Oh~ you're disgusted with your grandmother! You wait, I'm going to tell on you right now!" He Xiaobao pretended to get up to tell on her, but the parrot quickly flew up to stop him.

"No, it's not Grandma, it's that woman. She has a strange medicinal smell on her, it smells awful, it's suffocating me."

He Yanran and He Yinuo exchanged a glance. They both used face powder and were very sensitive to smells, but they had never smelled any scent on Gu Yuanyuan.

"The smell of medicine, the smell of medicine, it doesn't smell good." He Xiaoqi emphasized repeatedly, and He Yanran dared not be careless, so he went to report to the Empress in person.