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

Having received the old lady's approval, Gu Qingwan returned to the courtyard to discuss with Baoqin and the others about returning to the Ning family the next day. Of course, returning to the Ning family was just an excuse; she needed a suitable reason to happen to meet Rou Niang and then bring Rou Niang to the old lady.

Baoqin walked up and said, "Miss, we have almost all the servants in our courtyard. Besides those we brought ourselves, there are those given by the Madam, those given by the Second Miss, and those given by the Old Madam. When would you like to meet them, Miss?"

"What happened to the people my mother used to serve?"

Baoqin said with a somewhat unpleasant expression, "Some were exiled, some were bribed like the wet nurse, and some of the younger ones were arranged to marry off."

"None of that matters. If they want to come back, you can handle it. The main thing is, have you found Linghua and Xuehua, the two older sisters who were by Mother's side?"

Baoqin and Siqi exchanged a glance. Baoqin said, "What Miss said, I will naturally go and look for them. I have also notified the servants outside to follow them around the shop to see if they can find any trace of these two sisters. But..." Baoqin shook her head and said, "It's as if they have vanished into thin air. It seems that they have not appeared since Madam left."

Gu Qingwan nodded. Indeed, her mother's death had haunted her. Everyone said that her playful fall into the water caused her mother to go into labor prematurely, and later, due to the large size of the fetus, she and her unborn child died in a difficult labor. This made everyone in the Gu family think that Gu Qingwan was a jinx.

But ever since she was rescued, she has never seen her mother's head maid again. This is absolutely illogical. Even if her mother is gone, they are still her mother's people and should always be protecting her. They cannot just disappear without a trace unless someone deliberately made them disappear.

"It's alright. Since there are two living people, there will definitely be some clues. You two should keep a close eye on things and ask around among the elders in the mansion, especially Ruhua. Ruhua is likable and often goes to the kitchen. The kitchen is a place with many people and lots of chatter, so you're sure to find something there," Gu Qingwan instructed.

"Leave this to me. The head cooks in the kitchen don't mind me anymore, and they often ask me for advice!"

"You clever little devil," Gu Qingwan said with a smile. "You've all worked hard these past two days. Tomorrow, Siqi will be coming back to the Duke's mansion with me, so you don't need to come with me. Just help me guard our courtyard."

Gu Qingwan went to bed early that night. Looking at the bed curtains and touching the jade pendant in her arms, she wondered how the prince was doing lately and whether he was doing well.

Gu Qingwan's heart was filled with Xiao Jingchen. Sometimes she wanted to impulsively tell him how much she liked him, but she also hesitated. In her past life, she only realized the prince's true feelings for her when she died. What about in this life? Did the prince still have deep feelings for her? Would her shameless pursuit make the prince feel disgusted?

Gu Qingwan shook her head, rejecting the idea in her mind. It shouldn't be like that. The prince must have feelings for her, and they are different from others. She should be more confident in herself.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" At this hour, someone was knocking on the door, and Gu Qingwan immediately sat up in bed.

"I."

Hearing the familiar voice, Gu Qingwan's heart leaped with joy. Was it him?

"Aren't you going to open the door? Hmm?"

Gu Qingwan blushed, straightened her clothes, and went to open the door.

"It's rare for His Highness to take the initiative to knock on the door," Gu Qingwan joked.

"If you like it when I don't knock, I can just come in next time."

Gu Qingwan blushed even more: "What are you saying, Your Highness?"

Gu Qingwan was about to light a small lamp when Xiao Jingchen stopped her. Gu Qingwan looked at him in confusion, only to see Xiao Jingchen take out a box from his pocket. Gu Qingwan took it and opened the box in front of the King of Chu.

Suddenly, a soft light filled the room.

"Is this a luminous pearl?" Gu Qingwan was pleasantly surprised. What girl doesn't like sparkly things? In her previous life, Xiao Yuheng had one that she wanted, but Gu Hanjiao took it, which made Gu Qingwan regretful for a long time.

"Like it?"

"Of course I like it! This luminous pearl is really beautiful." Gu Qingwan was right; this luminous pearl was larger and its light was clearer and brighter than Xiao Yuheng's.

In Xiao Jingchen's eyes, Gu Qingwan was even more beautiful than a luminous pearl at this moment. Her large eyes were filled with sparkling starlight, and her gentle expression made him want to embrace her.

"With this, we won't need to light candles at night, and it's not too bright. Thank you, Your Highness. Qingwan likes it very much."

"Ahem, whatever you like." Xiao Jingchen turned his back somewhat awkwardly.

"Wasn't Your Highness on patrol? Why are you here?"

"Nothing much, just came back to pick up some things and drop by to see you."

"Will Your Highness return?"

Xiao Jingchen stared intently at Gu Qingwan for a while, and when Gu Qingwan felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, he said, "I don't have to go back tonight."

Hearing the implied meaning in Xiao Jingchen's words, Gu Qingwan blushed again, much to her embarrassment: "What are you saying, Your Highness!"

The two didn't say much after that. Xiao Jingchen was a little tired. He had rushed all the way back to the manor to get the luminous pearl for Wanwan before coming here. Xiao Jingchen leaned back on the soft couch by the window and pretended to doze off. He had originally suggested to the Duke of Ningguo that Qingwan go to the military camp to pick up Miss Wen and take her back, but after thinking about it, Xiao Jingchen felt that he couldn't let Wanwan go through the trouble. It was better for her to stay at home. He would make the trip himself. He was a man, what was a little distance to him?

Seeing the prince's tired face, Gu Qingwan took a blanket and covered him with it. She then lay on her side on the bed and looked at Xiao Jingchen under the moonlight. His face was as beautiful as jade. This was a real handsome man. If he weren't so fierce, there would definitely be many women chasing after him.

"I heard that the Empress Dowager sent Miss Wen to visit the Prince..."

"Ah."

"Miss Wen... is she the one the Empress Dowager has chosen?"

Although Gu Qingwan was in the inner courtyard, she would still find ways to know what was happening outside.

For example, when Miss Wen was ordered to go to see Rou Niang on the day Gu Qingwan took Siqi, Gu Qingwan and Siqi ate a bowl of Wang Po Po's wontons on their way back. The people at the next table started talking about this, which caught Gu Qingwan's attention.

"Oh, have you heard? The Empress Dowager wants the Prince to marry a girl from the Wen family."

"The Wen family is the Empress Dowager's maternal family. It's a pity that the Empress is not from the Wen family, otherwise she would definitely be very prosperous."

"You dare to discuss royal affairs!" The man looked around and then whispered, "It wouldn't be bad to have another princess. I heard that Miss Wen went to the camp outside the capital to visit the prince."

The man scoffed and said, "I dare not discuss royal affairs, but how do you know?"

"My brother-in-law helped carry the car. It was a whole car full of stuff. Miss Wen's car was in the convoy. The prince personally received her. Hmph, I have connections. What don't I know?"

"Sir, your wontons are ready. Enjoy them while they're hot."

After recalling the past, Gu Qingwan twisted her hair. The Wen family was indeed worthy of the prince. In her previous life, the young lady of the Wen family was also deeply in love with the prince and gave up everything to pursue him, but the prince never responded.

"You care about this a lot?" the King of Chu asked in a hoarse voice.

Gu Qingwan pursed her lips and said after a long while, "I care about any woman who is fond of the prince, but I care even more about whether the prince is fond of them."

A faint laugh broke the silence of the night.

"What are you laughing at!" Gu Qingwan sat up, somewhat embarrassed and angry, and asked.

"It's nothing, don't worry about those irrelevant things. I won't fall for anyone else but you."

Xiao Yi and Si Qi at the door wished they could plug their ears. Why did the prince, who seemed so cold on the surface, speak such sweet words?

The two exchanged a glance and, as if on cue, went to stand guard at the courtyard gate. They couldn't eavesdrop on their master's conversation, or they would be in trouble.

Gu Qingwan knew of the two people leaving outside, and realized that they must have overheard their conversation. Her cheeks were burning; thankfully it was nighttime, otherwise she really wouldn't be able to face anyone.

“I won’t be going back to the camp outside Beijing. Your uncle can finish the rest of the work there.”

"What about Miss Wen?"

"How you got here and how you leave is none of my business."

"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager will be displeased."

"It's alright." The King of Chu, who was sparing with words, shut his mouth again and closed his eyes to rest.

Xiao Yi and Si Qi stood guard outside the door, speechless. Xiao Yi looked up at the stars in the sky, took out a handful of melon seeds from his pocket, and handed them to Si Qi.

Siqi's lips twitched as she looked at Xiao Yi, who seemed a little mentally unstable: "What!"

"Try it, it's quite delicious."

"I will not eat."

"You eat."

"I will not eat."

"Why don't you eat?"

"I don't like to eat it."

Why don't you like it?

"Because I'm feeling hot and bothered, okay!"

Siqi really couldn't understand why such a wise and mighty prince had such a silly-looking guard by his side. Xiao Yi kept nagging, which made Siqi unable to resist raising her fist and punching Xiao Yi.