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

Upon seeing that the Empress Dowager had actually sent a woman to the military camp, Xiao Jingchen frowned, somewhat displeased. Since ancient times, women had not been allowed to enter the military camp, especially beautiful and alluring women, as this would disrupt the morale of the troops.

Xiao Jingchen instructed Xiao Yi, "Go and tell them to leave the things behind. I will personally thank the Empress Dowager after I return to the capital. As for those women, let them all go back with me."

Xiao Yi received the order and went to the carriages to convey the King of Chu's command. He watched as the carriages carrying supplies were taken over by the soldiers and transported to the camp one after another, but the luxurious carriage remained motionless.

After a while, a young lady emerged from the carriage. Xiao Yi came to report, "Master, the person in the carriage is Miss Wen, sent by the Empress Dowager. She says..."

Xiao Jingchen had no recollection of this Miss Wen, but it wasn't right for her to keep loitering at the camp gate. So he walked over to her. When he reached the carriage, the girl bowed to the Prince of Chu and said with a smile, "Cousin, it's been a long time. Today, Ling'er is here on the Empress Dowager's orders to bring some food to the soldiers."

"Thank you, Miss Wen. You must be tired from your journey. Please go back now." The King of Chu was very sparing with his words, as if saying even one more word would make him uncomfortable.

The King of Chu turned to walk into the military camp, not wanting to linger for even a moment. Wen Ling'er, who had prepared a whole cartload of words, was suddenly at a loss for words because of the King of Chu. Seeing that the King of Chu was about to leave, she quickly called out, "Your Highness, please wait!"

"Anything else?"

"Cousin..." As if sensing that the King of Chu did not like her calling him cousin, Wen Ling'er quickly changed her address. You should know that the Wen family has many daughters. Wen Ling'er was able to stand out among these women and be sent to the Empress Dowager's side. She must have some skills. Not to mention, her ability to read people's expressions is second to none.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. I know my visit may be a disturbance, but the Empress Dowager said that Your Highness is alone and she is worried about you. She sent me to serve you. If Your Highness has time, please accompany you for a stroll outside the capital before we return together..." Wen Ling'er's voice grew softer and softer, as if she was a little scared, but she still mustered up her courage to speak.

Xiao Jingchen felt even more helpless. Wasn't his mother just making things worse? She actually arranged a blind date for him with a woman! If Wanwan found out, she would definitely be unhappy. His mother was really playing matchmaker haphazardly. And this woman... he didn't know what was wrong with his mother's taste. This woman was not even one ten-thousandth as good as Wanwan. She couldn't even compare to a hair on Wanwan's head.

It seems he'll have to find a way to put his relationship with Wanwan on the agenda when he gets back, lest things get complicated and his mother interfere and play matchmaker again.

“Miss Wen, this is not a place for sightseeing. Also, I do not need to be served. Please leave.”

"But it's the Empress Dowager..."

"I will naturally send someone to speak with the Empress Dowager."

Wen Ling'er looked at the King of Chu, who had his back to her and didn't even spare her a glance, and felt a little resentful: "What if I insist on following my cousin!"

At this point, the King of Chu turned around and said coldly, "Then I will send someone to accompany Miss Wen on her sightseeing. I have many other things to do, so I cannot accompany you!"

Wen Ling'er's eyes reddened. She had never been treated so coldly in her life. She was the legitimate daughter of the Wen family, the maternal family of the Empress Dowager. Who wouldn't give her some face? Who was as unyielding as the Prince of Chu, who didn't even want to look at her properly? But it was precisely this kind of person who made Wen Ling'er miss him day and night, and she was determined to marry him.

Today, the King of Chu humiliated her in front of so many soldiers, and she, a woman, disregarded everything to come to him and wanted to stay by his side. Some things are already self-evident. How could the King of Chu...

Watching the King of Chu stride away, Wen Ling'er recalled the words the Empress Dowager had spoken to her.

"Ling'er, you know I like you very much and want you to stay by my side. However, Chen'er... that child suffered too much when he was young and is not good at expressing himself, so you may have to work harder." The Empress Dowager said earnestly.

"Aunt, the Prince doesn't seem to like Ling'er very much. He barely spoke a few words to her last time," Wen Ling'er said somewhat dejectedly.

"What's there to be afraid of? He doesn't like to talk, so just stay by his side. You're a gentle and understanding girl, and you're sure to win over the King of Chu."

The Empress Dowager slowly began to tell Wen Ling'er about the King of Chu, hoping to help her understand him better. However, little did she know that the Empress Dowager herself had spent very little time with the King of Chu, and how could she explain it to others if she didn't even know him well herself? In the end, all she could say was: The King of Chu is a good boy, just a cold-faced one.

Remembering the Empress Dowager's encouragement, Wen Ling'er bit her lip as she watched the King of Chu's retreating figure, and followed him with a determined look. The maid beside her also quickly followed.

No one in the military camp dared to stop Miss Wen, who had come by imperial decree. It wasn't until they reached the King of Chu's tent that Xiao Yi stopped Miss Wen, who was following him.

"Miss Wen, please wait."

"How dare you stop our young lady! Do you even know who our young lady is!" the maid shouted.

But Xiao Yi wouldn't listen. He stood in the doorway expressionlessly and said, "No matter who it is, this is a military stronghold with many military secrets. No one is allowed to enter without His Highness's permission!"

"You!" The maid was about to scold Xiao Yi again in anger.

Wen Ling'er stopped the maid and said, "Forget it, don't make things difficult for the guards around the prince. They have it tough too."

Wen Ling'er naturally recognized Xiao Yi as someone who served the prince. Offending him would not benefit her, as she might need him to do things in the future. Therefore, she couldn't afford to strain their relationship. With a gesture from Wen Ling'er, the maid next to her quickly stepped forward and handed Xiao Yi a money pouch.

"Brother guard, please don't be angry. We are just worried about the young lady. Please take these things and have some tea with her."

Xiao Yi didn't even glance at it, and said coldly, "Thank you for the gift, Miss Wen." But he didn't make any move to accept Wen Ling'er's gift.

Seeing that the King of Chu's guards were just as unyielding as the King himself, Wen Ling'er felt a headache coming on. She was stuck in this predicament, unable to go in or leave, which was making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Just then, the Duke of Ningguo came to discuss matters with the King of Chu. He saw three women standing in front of the door and asked them in surprise.

"Why are there women in the military camp? What business do you have with the King of Chu?"

Wen Ling'er had already done her homework; she knew almost everyone of importance in the capital. She curtsied and said, "Greetings, Duke. I am a daughter of the Wen family. I was ordered by the Empress Dowager to deliver some food to the army camp as a gesture of goodwill. Now the Empress Dowager has instructed me to accompany Prince Chu… but the Prince seems rather unhappy…"

Duke Ningguo nodded: "I see. The Empress Dowager is very considerate of us. It's kind of Miss Wen to personally deliver the things... But standing here like this isn't a solution. Someone, arrange a separate tent for Miss Wen. Miss Wen, please go and rest for a while. I'll ask the Prince before making a decision."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Duke." Wen Ling'er left with the soldiers who were helping them settle in.

As the Duke of Ningguo watched the three women, including Miss Wen, leave, he pondered to himself: Who doesn't know that the Empress Dowager is eager to find a wife for the Prince of Chu? It just seems that the Prince of Chu has no such intention.

The Duke of Ningguo said to Xiao Yi, "Although your prince has a cold and intimidating appearance, there are still quite a few girls who want to throw themselves at him. Logically speaking, the prince is not young anymore, and he should have someone who cares about him by his side. I really don't know what kind of woman can make the prince's heart flutter."

Xiao Yi kept his mouth tightly shut, thinking to himself, "Lord Duke, if you knew that Miss Gu was also the one who was throwing herself at us—no, it's that our Prince was throwing himself at Miss Gu, that only Miss Gu could move our Prince's heart, that even a single strand of Miss Gu's hair could make our Prince's heart flutter—would you still be so calm after knowing all this? Wouldn't you have to carry your red-tasseled spear and fight our Prince to vent your anger?"

Seeing Xiao Yi's serious expression, the Duke assumed that Xiao Yi was also feeling distressed for his master, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "You've had it tough too. Not only do you have to help the Prince with his affairs, but you also have to fend off unwanted suitors. If the Prince marries a princess in the future, he'll have to reward you handsomely."

Xiao Yi listened with complete agreement. Our future princess has already seen how hard Xiao Yi has worked, and gives him a handful of gold melon seeds whenever she sees him. Xiao Yi has already saved up quite a bit. Now that he has accepted the future princess's gold melon seeds, who would care about other people's money?

When the Duke entered the tent, Xiao Yi remained dutifully guarding the entrance, determined to protect the Duke's innocence for Miss Gu, not even allowing a single female mosquito to enter!

The King of Chu's expression softened slightly when he saw that the visitor was the Duke of Ning.

"Why does Your Highness have such a sour face? Miss Wen has come by imperial decree, we can't be negligent," the Duke of Ningguo advised.

"Your Excellency should go and receive them; I simply do not have the time."

"How can that be? If my wife finds out, she'll skin me alive!" Duke Ningguo quickly waved his hand in refusal.

"What should we do then? My future queen will be unhappy if she finds out."

"When did Your Highness get a princess? Wasn't Miss Wen the princess chosen for you by the Empress Dowager?" Duke Ningguo asked with some curiosity.

The King of Chu pursed his lips, knowing that some things couldn't be said too soon, since he hadn't yet obtained Wanwan's consent. Suddenly, an idea flashed into his mind, and the King of Chu spoke slowly without changing his expression.

"Just because it doesn't happen now doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. The one outside is too weak and not suitable for me."

Suddenly, the Duke of Ningguo asked curiously, "Then what kind would be suitable for Your Highness? Your Highness, please tell me, and I'll have my wife keep an eye out for you?"

The King of Chu thought for a moment and said, "She must be beautiful, not too short, skilled in martial arts, and not talkative..."

Xiao Yi was standing at the door, listening to the prince's description and his mouth twitched involuntarily. The prince was practically saying Miss Gu's name out loud, wasn't he?

The Duke of Ningguo felt a sense of familiarity with this standard, but he couldn't quite place it. After a long while, the Duke of Ningguo nodded and said...

“Your Highness is a responsible person. It’s good that you know what you want. If you’re heartless, then don’t give him a chance. That’s the true way to be kind.”

The Duke of Ningguo had a very good impression of the Prince of Chu. Although he was young, he was experienced in his work and far superior to the wealthy young men in the capital. Even his own son, Ning Chenglin, was not half as good as the Prince of Chu.

Seeing that the King of Chu remained silent, the Duke of Ning asked, "What about Miss Wen? I have already sent someone to take her to a separate tent to rest. But this is not a solution, as we do not have any women here who can receive Miss Wen."

"Then just send it back. It's too much trouble."

"But all the people who brought Miss Wen here have left. After all, she is the Prince's cousin, so it wouldn't be appropriate to send anyone to escort her..."

The King of Chu rubbed his head, feigning distress, and said, "If only the Duke had a daughter, we could call her over and have her accompany Miss Wen back. Or perhaps we should call the Heir Apparent."

"Lin'er? That won't do, that won't do," the Duke of Ningguo refused, then thought for a moment, "We have daughters in our family!"

The King of Chu asked in confusion, "When did the Duke have another daughter?"

"Your Highness, please don't speak nonsense. I don't have that kind of luck. I have three stinky boys at home, which is a real headache." The Duke of Ningguo's furrowed brows gradually relaxed as he said, "However, I have a niece who can do it."

The King of Chu looked at the Duke of Ningguo: "Are you referring to Miss Gu?"