Chapter 3

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Chapter 3: Title

Before he could act, a commotion broke out ahead. A girl dressed as a maid approached. “Boldly obstructing our young lady’s path, who is so blind?”

Suddenly, there was a hush, and someone whispered, “Who is your young lady, to have such stature?”

The maid huffed arrogantly, looking disdainfully at the crowd. “You think you’re worthy to know my young lady’s name? Get lost!”

“Yunluo, be respectful,” a pleasant voice emerged from a nearby sedan chair.

The aid named Yunluo huffed again, “My young lady is the daughter of the current Prime Minister. You ought to step aside.” After speaking, she proudly glanced around. When she saw Gu Hengbo in her inner clothing with disheveled hair, her eyes widened in shock. Quickly, she rushed back to the sedan chair, lifting the curtain to speak to the woman inside.

Soon, the curtain swayed, and a pair of jade hands parted it. A young woman dressed in a light blue garment stepped out. Upon seeing her face, everyone gasped; she was indeed stunningly beautiful.

The girl appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, slender with skin as smooth as cream. A touch of powder adorned her face with an unparalleled elegance. Her eyes sparkled with youthful vitality, seemingly overflowing with alluring charm. Her luscious red lips parted slightly upon noticing Gu Hengbo.

Gu Hengbo accepted her gaze calmly, noting that ancient women could be quite beautiful. Thinking back to the woman in the red robe who had taken advantage of her, she crinkled her brow uncomfortably. That woman wore a mask, and Gu Hengbo wondered what she looked like underneath. Just from seeing the lower half of that mask, it couldn’t possibly be ugly, and as for her figure… what a shame she was a woman. Gu Hengbo sighed.

“Where have you been these past few days, sister? Father sent someone to search for you. And why are you dressed like this? Aren’t you embarrassing the family?” The girl spoke unexpectedly.

Gu Hengbo was taken aback. Sister? Where did this older sister come from?

Suddenly, the crowd erupted. “So she’s the Second Miss of the Prime Minister’s residence! No wonder! I heard she’s a bit slow.”

“Such a pity; there’s usually a reason for someone to be a dramatic mess. With a look like that, she’s likely been ruined by some heartless scoundrel. Sigh, she won’t marry well in the future.”

“Second Miss, you might as well be silly, but how can you bring shame upon the household? If Father finds out, he’ll have a fit!” The maid named Yunluo wore a face of mockery and schadenfreude.

The girl claiming to be Gu Hengbo’s sister approached her, her face flustered with anger. Before Gu Hengbo could comprehend her actions, a crisp, loud slap landed on her right cheek.

“Meisheng, I’m so disappointed in you. If Father scolds you, don’t expect my help.”

Gu Hengbo was shocked; it was the first time she had ever been slapped. Normally, it was Yan Chufeng who got hit, and she had been the one applying pressure to her knuckles until they cracked.

“Slap!” A loud slap struck the beautiful girl’s face. “Who the hell do you think you are? I’ve never been slapped in my life, and now you think you can teach me a lesson?”

Gu Hengbo snapped. Seeing the maid rushing toward her, she didn’t care about her rumbling stomach or weak legs and used her strength to throw the maid with a shoulder throw.

This body felt weak; that was Gu Hengbo’s evaluation of her current self. She didn’t practice taekwondo or judo and didn’t have much interest either; she just preferred fighting. But now she LUSTED for some fighting skills, especially since she could see several big, burly men coming straight for them. News traveled fast!

“Second Miss, the Master demands your immediate return to the residence,” the leading man said coldly as he approached Gu Hengbo.

Gu Hengbo glanced at the master and servant pair. The maid had a mocking smile, while her mistress shot her a venomous glare. *So, this is how it is,* she thought; her current predicament was undoubtedly linked to these two.

Dragged back to the Prime Minister’s residence by several burly men, Gu Hengbo barely had a moment to take in the ancient architecture before she was shoved to the ground. She looked up at the grand, opulently decorated hall.

Suddenly, footsteps approached. Before she could utter a word, a kick sent her sprawling, her head hitting the ground, pain making her clench her teeth.

“Who the hell kicked me?” Gu Hengbo shouted, struggling against her bound hands.

“You shameless girl! You’ve disgraced me before the entire royal city. Now, everyone in the Eastern Yin Dynasty knows that Gu Yuanqing’s daughter entered the city in disarray. Fetch my whip!” A harsh voice boomed from above.

“Master, someone must have framed Meisheng! She’s been simple-minded since childhood. How could she do such a thing? Please, show her mercy,” a woman pleaded, kneeling before Gu Hengbo, shielding her protectively.

“Oh, sister, no matter how simple Meisheng is, she’d know if a man tried to undress her and commit such acts. What a disgrace to our family’s name!” Another voice chimed in, sultry and sharp—it was Madam Qin, the first lady.

“Enough!”

“Master!”

Gu Yuanqing snorted, casting a cold glance at Gu Ran and her maid standing nearby. “Your sister is in this mess, and instead of bringing her back discreetly, you’re shouting at the city gate. Do you want the whole world to know she’s from the Prime Minister’s residence? What fools!”

Gu Ran’s eyes welled up, her face a picture of hurt. “Father, I was just so angry! Anyone would be furious to find their sister in such a state.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Gu Hengbo felt sick. How could she be so unlucky? In her past life, she was dumped by her boyfriend, and now, in this life, she had to endure the humiliation of being the unfortunate Second Miss. What had that woman said? Her name was Gu Ran? How ironic. She’d been wronged in her past life, and now she was determined to make Gu Ran pay. Though they weren’t the same person, why should she let it slide? Gu Ran, just wait—I’ll make you regret this.

“Qingyue, stop shielding her. Whether her mind is troubled or not, she’s brought shame upon my name and the Prime Minister’s residence. If I don’t discipline her, what will become of our dignity?” Gu Yuanqing said, pulling Qingyue, who was shielding Gu Hengbo, to her feet.

As Qingyue tried to intervene again, Madam Qin stepped forward to hold her back. “Sister, it’s good to teach her a lesson. With so many people watching, it’ll help her remember.”

“Master, I beg you, Qingyue pleads! Meisheng is weak; she can’t endure the whip!” The woman continued to plead desperately.

Gu Hengbo strained to lift her head and see the woman defending her. She was delicate, seemingly under forty, and strikingly beautiful. Gu Hengbo guessed she must be the biological mother of this body. Speaking of which, she still didn’t know what the original owner looked like. Lost in thought, a sudden, searing pain shot through her back. She cried out instinctively.

Qingyue could only watch helplessly as Gu Hengbo was whipped, held back by the maidservants.

The first lash caught Gu Hengbo off guard, and she screamed, but with each subsequent strike, she clenched her teeth, biting her lip hard. Her bound hands tightened into fists. One day, she, Gu Hengbo, would settle this score. For the sake of this body’s mother, she would endure.

Just as Qingyue was about to faint from crying, Gu Yuanqing threw down the whip and drained a cup of tea handed to him. “Hmph! Because of your antics, I’ll face ridicule in court. Qingyue, you’ve spoiled her too much. How could I, Gu Yuanqing, raise such a disgrace? She’s not to leave the Prime Minister’s residence for three months. Let’s see how she escapes now,” he said, then stormed off.

Madam Qin’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Sister, you’ll need to be stricter with her these three months. Don’t let her cause more trouble.”

Gu Ran glanced at Gu Hengbo’s back, marked with deep lash wounds, and sneered before calling Yunluo and leaving the hall.

Qingyue wiped her tears, knelt down, and carefully untied Gu Hengbo’s hands.