The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

Wang Ruyan's heart tightened upon hearing this. She had recently sent someone to inquire about the master's whereabouts, and the servant told her that everyone was busy with social engagements. The Third Prince had recently left the capital, and the Prime Minister would be even busier because of the Third Prince. She had finally managed to catch the master, but he seemed impatient, saying that he was very busy lately and that she should take good care of the family and not bother him.

What? How could Gu Qingwan have seen it in the alley outside? What kind of place is Ronghua Lane? It's a place where residential houses are clustered together. Could it be that the master is keeping a mistress outside?

Seeing her mother's expression change, Gu Hanjiao knew that she had taken Gu Qingwan's words to heart. Gu Hanjiao stared at Gu Qingwan with an unfriendly look. After a long while, she took her mother's arm and said, "Mother, my sister also said that she was wrong. What kind of place is that? Our family has never bought any house there. Mother, please don't overthink it. Father has indeed been very busy these past two days because of the Third Prince and my daughter's affairs."

In Gu Hanjiao's mind, she always thought that even if Gu Qingwan had run into her, it was probably because her father had found someone to make ice in that place. Such a secret matter should never be known before it was accomplished, otherwise all efforts would be in vain.

Wang Ruyan felt a little better after hearing her daughter's advice. A while ago, her daughter had told her that her husband did have things to do these days and that she shouldn't bother him. She had been so worried that she had been misled by Gu Qingwan's few words.

"Thank you for informing me, Miss. However, it is understandable that you might have mistaken your father for someone else since you haven't seen him for many years."

The group soon arrived at the old lady's Fulu Courtyard. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they were greeted by the strong smell of herbs. Gu Hanjiao frowned, disgusted by the smell, worried that it would make her clothes smell bad. She quickly said, "Mother, sister, I will not keep you company any longer. I have already come to pay my respects to Grandmother this morning. I still have some matters to attend to at home, so I will take my leave now."

"Go on, your sister is with me, it's alright."

After Gu Hanjiao left, Wang Ruyan said to Gu Qingwan, "As you know, your sister will soon be marrying the Third Prince. These days, your father has been having your sister learn to manage the household affairs. After all, the Third Prince's mansion is very large and powerful. Although it's a bit late for her to start learning, it's still much better than not learning anything at all."

"My sister is capable and therefore does a lot of work."

"This is fate that fell from the sky. I can only say that I, as a mother, have to worry a lot. Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss. Look at my tongue that can't speak properly. We've arrived. Please go in quickly, Miss."

"What? Isn't Madam going in?" Gu Qingwan asked.

"I...I'll go in, but how could I dare to walk ahead of Miss? Please, Miss," Wang Ruyan said awkwardly.

Sure enough, as soon as Gu Qingwan entered, a cup was thrown at her. Si Qi was about to step forward to stop it when Gu Qingwan pulled Si Qi aside. The cup hit Wang Ruyan squarely in the chest. It must have been a cup of boiling water, and Wang Ruyan screamed in pain.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! It's burning me! Xue Niang, hurry, hurry!" Before they even got into the room, the doorway was in complete chaos because of a cup of tea. Wang Ruyan didn't care about Gu Qingwan anymore. Xue Niang helped her to her courtyard to take off her clothes and check if she had been burned.

This must be a show of force, right? Gu Qingwan walked in without changing her expression. As soon as she entered, she saw Old Madam Gu wearing a headband, leaning back on the soft couch, her gaze sharp and fierce, like a rat being chased in a cellar.

"Qingwan greets her grandmother." This was the first time she had greeted her grandmother in many years, and Gu Qingwan did it perfectly, leaving no room for error.

When Madam Gu looked closely, she was surprised to see that her granddaughter, whom she hadn't seen for many years, had grown into such a beautiful young woman. Unlike Gu Hanjiao, who was a beauty in the making, she had her own unique charm. She seemed to have inherited her mother's refined and elegant demeanor, and her gentle and quiet nature made her pleasant to look at. However, this did not change Madam Gu's bad impression of Gu Qingwan.

"Hmph." Old Madam Gu resorted to her usual methods of tormenting her daughter-in-law, not even letting Gu Qingwan get up before saying, "You wretched thing, do you still know I'm your grandmother? I was only able to bring you back this time because I was ill. Otherwise, would you have waited for someone to announce the death before you could come back?"

When Gu Qingwan saw that this was a troublemaker, she realized that she was not the submissive person her mother was. She stood up, and Si Qi moved an embroidered stool behind her and placed it in the middle. Gu Qingwan sat down gracefully.

"You rude thing! Who gave you permission to sit? Kneel down! Kneel down right now!"

"I suppose Grandmother is kind and wouldn't mistreat her eldest granddaughter who rarely comes home. If word gets out, Grandmother's spine will probably ache for days." Gu Qingwan said with a smile, "Also, Grandmother is probably mistaken. Even if Grandmother sends someone to announce my death, I won't come back if I don't want to."

"you you!"

"Madam!" Magpie, seeing that the old lady was so angry that her hands were trembling, her chest was heaving, and she was about to roll her eyes, quickly took out a small box from beside her pillow. Inside were two pills. She picked one up and put it into the old lady's mouth.

After eating, the old lady drank two more glasses of water and calmed down. She looked at Gu Qingwan and was no longer as agitated as before.

"Hmph, the Ning family has done a good job raising you."

"Thank you for the compliment, Grandmother."

"Now that you're back, don't leave again. Don't forget that your surname is Gu. Your sister is already engaged, and it's about time for you to get married. In a few days, your grandmother will find you a good marriage that will ensure you have a comfortable life."

"Thank you for your kindness, Grandmother."

Seeing that Gu Qingwan seemed quite sensible, Old Madam Gu felt somewhat relieved: "That's more like it. Don't always side with outsiders. Look at how you acted last time when Jiao'er was celebrating her wedding. She's the future Third Prince's consort. What good did it do you to offend her? Everyone else was rushing to give her gifts, and now that you have such a good opportunity, why don't you offer her your gifts with both hands?"

"Grandmother, you're wronging your granddaughter. My mother's dowry was originally meant for me, but I felt that the Gu family had been kind to me by giving me life, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to leave it for you and Father to use. I brought a congratulatory gift for the wedding that day, but you don't know, my mother's things were all taken by Madam for her own use. Unfortunately, my cousin saw it, and of course, the Ning family was furious. When they checked the storeroom that day, a lot of silver didn't match the accounts, which I suppose was all Madam's filial piety towards you," Gu Qingwan explained.

"When did I ever use your mother's dowry money!" Old Madam Gu argued loudly, like a mouse whose tail had been stepped on.

"By the way, Grandmother, did you receive the set of red garnet agate male concubines that I asked my wife and sister to send to you the other day? I finally managed to buy them from a wholesaler, and we almost lost all our savings." Gu Qingwan asked somewhat embarrassedly.

"What! You sent me a whole set of garnet agate male concubines?" Old Madam Gu was a money-grubber. This must be a very valuable item, but why hadn't she received it? It must have been that short-sighted person who kept it from her without telling her.

"What? Didn't Grandmother receive it?" Gu Qingwan asked.

Madam Gu chuckled twice without answering, but she already harbored resentment towards Wang Ruyan, certain that it was Wang Ruyan who had taken all her things.

"What happened to your mother's dowry that you just told your grandmother?"

"Grandmother, don't you know? Haven't you always been in charge of managing Mother's dowry?"

"When have I ever touched your mother's dowry! I don't even want those things!" What she thought in her heart was one thing, but what she said was another. Even if she coveted the Ning family's things, she couldn't just say it so openly.

"Qingwan is mistaken. Grandmother would never be so short-sighted. It seems that it was all Madam who made the decision."

"We're all family, why be so particular? Your grandmother wouldn't harm you. If you don't want something, then don't. Just please your daughter and maintain good relations with the Prime Minister's mansion. When you get married, they'll be there to support you, won't they?" Old Madam Gu brought up the old matter again.

"Qingwan understands what Grandmother is saying, and she can let it go. However, the King of Chu was present at the time and set a time limit. If Father feels that it's enough to save face, then Qingwan naturally doesn't care."

"Don't be ungrateful!" Old Madam Gu slammed her teacup down. "Hmph, now that you're here to take care of me, don't just sit around doing nothing. Act like you're taking care of someone in need and bring me a cup of water first."

Baoqin and the others hadn't expected that Old Madam Gu would make things difficult for their young lady so soon after they arrived and before they could even settle in. Baoqin stepped forward to do things for her young lady, but Old Madam Gu scolded her, "Who do you think you are? A mere servant girl is not worthy of serving me tea and water?"

"Baoqin, you may leave." Gu Qingwan did not seem angry. She picked up the teapot next to her and brewed tea for the old lady Gu. While brewing the tea, she said, "Speaking of which, it has been a long time since I have seen my grandmother. I remember when I left, my grandmother was in good health. How could she be like this now, bedridden?"

These words stirred a sense of melancholy in Old Madam Gu. Was she truly getting old?

Gu Qingwan brought over a glass of water, but Old Madam Gu didn't even touch it, saying, "It's too hot. Get me a cooler one. Are you trying to scald me to death?"

Ru Hua pouted and was about to step forward, but Bao Qin held her hand and she stood there without moving. Gu Qingwan didn't mind and obediently took the glass of water to the table to refill it.

"Has Grandma been getting irritable more lately? She has trouble falling asleep at night, and when she does fall asleep, she keeps having nightmares, often waking up in a cold sweat?"

"how do you know?"

"Not only that, my granddaughter guesses that her grandmother is still prone to dozing off during the day, yawning all the time, and having teary eyes." Gu Qingwan brought the dish to the old lady Gu this time.

Madam Gu glanced at it and said, "Hmph, the water is too cold and will upset your stomach. Bring me another cup." In her heart, Madam Gu felt that Gu Qingwan had said so much nonsense just to avoid her setting rules for her.

"It's alright, Grandmother, just give the order. Qingwan has plenty of time." Gu Qingwan obediently went to get more tea.

After a while, even the old lady Gu was worn down by Gu Qingwan's gentle temperament and didn't know how to proceed. Then she heard Gu Qingwan say, "Grandmother, please don't blame your granddaughter for being nosy. You probably know that my health has always been poor. As the saying goes, long illness makes one a doctor. It's best to avoid taking some of the drugs that you're addicted to."

After speaking, a look of doubt flickered in Madam Gu's eyes. When Gu Qingwan saw that she was starting to have doubts, she knew that she had achieved her goal. In fact, sometimes it is more effective to let the person discover the truth themselves than to tell them the truth. As long as you guide them well, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Just then, Wang Ruyan returned from changing her clothes.

"My daughter-in-law is late, please don't be angry, Mother. Is Qingwan settling in well here?"

Looking at Wang Ruyan, who was adorned with gold and silver, and recalling what Gu Qingwan had said before, Old Madam Gu felt a tightness in her chest. She couldn't stand Wang Ruyan no matter what she looked at, even more so than Gu Qingwan. In the end, no matter how much she disliked Gu Qingwan, she was still her granddaughter. Moreover, Gu Qingwan was beautiful, and it wouldn't be a problem for her to marry into a high-ranking family in the future. But Wang Ruyan... just mentioning Wang Ruyan made Old Madam Gu furious.

Because of this woman, her son had become estranged from her for many years; how could she not be angry? However, she now had some doubts that needed to be resolved, and besides, her energy was indeed somewhat lacking, just as Gu Qingwan had said.

"You can all leave now, I need to rest."

"Mother, this..."

"Thank you for your kindness, Grandmother. I will take my leave now. If you need anything, please have a maid call me. I will come to pay my respects to you again tomorrow morning."

Old Madam Gu waved her hand, seemingly unwilling to see them. Wang Ruyan, who had just arrived, was kicked out along with Gu Qingwan before she even knew what was going on.

After watching them leave, Old Madam Gu thought for a while, but her mind seemed a little foggy. She forgot what she was supposed to do, so she simply had a maid serve her a bowl of meat soup and then continued to lie there and sleep.