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

Xue Niang said, "We're in complete chaos here. The Wang brothers were guarding the main gate and the second gate, respectively, waiting for the madam. I heard they had already decided which family it was and were just about to send a message to the madam when this happened."

"Go, go, get the Wang brothers here quickly and tell me what happened!" Wang Ruyan was even more anxious. "Things keep piling up, there's not a single thing that gives me a break!"

"Please wait, Madam. I have already asked the Wang family to wait in the flower hall for a reply."

Upon arriving at the flower hall, the two brothers waited for a reply, their foreheads covered in sweat.

"What happened?" Wang Ruyan asked.

Wang Da hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Madam, my brother and I have been keeping watch in Ronghua Lane for the past two days. We finally managed to find out that there is a family named Sun living there. The master of the house frequently comes and goes, and he often stayed overnight recently..."

Wang Da's voice grew softer and softer, and he didn't dare to say anything more. He only glanced at his wife's expression.

As expected, Wang Ruyan's face darkened, her lips trembled uncontrollably, and she smashed a teacup on the spot: "Good, good! You actually dared to sneak around outside! No wonder you didn't come back to the manor, saying you were busy outside, you were just lying to me!"

Xue Niang's expression changed, and she quickly bent down to pick up the teacup on the ground: "Madam, please be careful with your words. This is the flower hall, and there are servants here."

Upon hearing this, the Wang brothers lowered their heads even further, wishing they could disappear into a crack in the rocks to avoid overhearing something they shouldn't and incurring their wife's wrath.

Wang Ruyan took a deep breath and asked, "What happened next? Why didn't you report this to me?"

"Reporting to Madam, my brother and I originally came back to report to you, but who knew that the house suddenly caught fire today, and that woman surnamed Sun ran out of it, shouting all over the street that we were trying to harm her."

"Why didn't you burn that little whore alive! Since you did it, why did you do it so poorly!"

"No, Madam! We brothers would never dare to do such a thing without your orders, especially not in broad daylight!" Wang Er knelt down in fear.

Wang Ruyan glanced at the two of them and said, "Then why don't you bring her back to me?"

Wang Da hesitated, pondering how to say it without angering his wife and brothers. He stammered, "We saw the woman run away and didn't hesitate. We chased after her to the alley entrance, and just when we were about to catch her, she somehow bumped into the young lady's carriage and was taken away by her..."

"Young Miss? You mean Gu Qingwan?" Wang Ruyan never dreamed that Gu Qingwan would get involved. "Wasn't she in Youlan Courtyard? When did she leave?"

Xue Niang shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.

"Are you sure it's the young lady?"

Wang Da said, "I didn't see the young lady herself, but I did see that the maid was none other than Miss Siqi, who was by the young lady's side."

"Are you sure you're not seeing things?"

"My brother and I swear on our lives that we have not misjudged your wife."

"Did Siqi recognize you? And that coachman is from our household."

Wang Er shook his head and said, "Miss Siqi probably didn't recognize us. At the time, we said we were chasing after a concubine in the manor who was having an affair. As for the coachman, he wasn't from our manor; he should be working for the eldest young lady."

"So, that bitch was brought back by Gu Qingwan?" Wang Ruyan couldn't accept so much information. How did things turn out like this? Originally, her plan was to quietly give her a big bowl of safflower in that house first, so that she couldn't have children, and then bring her into the mansion. But now it's not possible.

"I don't think so. I'm guarding the main gate, and I haven't seen the young lady's carriage return," Wang Er replied.

Wang Ruyan was very worried. According to the timeline, Gu Qingwan should have returned with that bitch long ago. Why didn't the gatekeeper see her? If she didn't return, where could she have gone?

"What happened to Mother?" Gu Hanjiao asked as Wang Ruyan was worrying.

"Jiao'er, what brings you here?"

“I heard that my brother was injured, so I went to see him. The servants told me that my mother left in a hurry, and I was worried that something might have happened, so I rushed over to check on her.” Gu Hanjiao glanced suspiciously at the two brothers from the Wang family.

Wang Ruyan hesitated. Should she tell her daughter such sordid things? She had raised her daughter with care since she was little, and she really didn't want to taint her ears with such things.

Xue Niang noticed Wang Ruyan's concerns, so she said, "You two go out first and wait for Madam's instructions."

"Yes."

After the two of them left, Xue Niang advised, "Madam, Miss will soon become a prince's consort. The affairs of the prince's residence are no simpler than those in our own household. Teach Miss some things early so she can see them, and she won't be caught off guard if she encounters them in the future."

Wang Ruyan thought to herself, "That's true. Marrying into the royal family seems glamorous, but there are so many things to deal with in the inner quarters, and the royal family has many wives and concubines. If I protect my daughter like this, it will actually harm her." Wang Ruyan made up her mind and called Gu Hanjiao to her side to talk.

"That's right, your father was keeping a mistress outside, and I found out."

Gu Hanjiao asked with some surprise, "Is it the Ronghua Lane that Gu Qingwan mentioned last time?"

Wang Ruyan nodded.

Gu Hanjiao pondered for a moment: "Since she is a mistress, she has not been taken openly. Mother can just have someone secretly deal with her. Don't make a fuss. As long as we protect our reputation, everything is negotiable."

"That's what Madam was thinking, but then the two Wang brothers came to report that the woman not only ran away, but also got into the eldest young lady's carriage," Xue Niang explained from the side.

"Gu Qingwan rescued him? What a coincidence!" Gu Hanjiao also found it unbelievable. How could such a coincidence happen in this world? However, Gu Hanjiao didn't delve into it further and instead asked, "Has that person returned?"

“Wang Er said he didn’t see him at the door, so he probably hasn’t returned yet?” Xue Niang said.

Gu Hanjiao thought about it and realized that they shouldn't have not returned by now. Moreover, the weather outside had changed, and if they didn't come back, they would definitely be left outside in the heavy rain. Could it be that they had already returned but she just didn't know?

"Mother, send someone to Youlan Courtyard to inquire and see if they went straight back into the courtyard without using the main gate." Watching Xue Niang's departing figure, Gu Hanjiao called out, "Xue Niang, don't forget to send someone to Fulu Courtyard to ask if any unfamiliar faces have come in."

"Why go to your grandmother's? That old woman sleeps like a log, she can't even come when your brother is injured."

“My daughter feels that Gu Qingwan should be back. There are only a few places we can’t control, and they can’t get into Father’s place either, so it’s better to find out about these two places so that we can feel at ease.”

"Miss is so thoughtful. I'll go and do it right away."

Gu Hanjiao thought for a moment and then asked Chunlu to go out and call the Wang brothers in.

Taking advantage of this moment, Gu Hanjiao said, "Mother, the house has already burned down. Regardless of whether you ordered it or not, Father will blame you when he comes back. So if that woman doesn't come back, then we should go all the way. If she does come back, we'll make other plans. In short, don't panic."

Wang Ruyan nodded. She hadn't expected her daughter to be even more composed than her now that she was older. However, Wang Ruyan felt a little panicked. When did her soft and gentle daughter become so ruthless? She was decisive and ruthless, and a few simple words could cost a life.

"You two have worked hard too. Now go out and search. If you find any trace, don't come back to report. Find a way to make that bitch die out there and never show her again. Don't worry, you'll get your share of the rewards if you do a good job. Just keep your mouths shut!" Wang Ruyan didn't think much of it. It was best not to let the master know right now, otherwise, given his recent attitude towards her, things would get really bad.

The two brothers exchanged a glance. How much their wife must hate that woman surnamed Sun! But they dared not say more: "Yes, yes, madam."

“Also, if my father asks…” Gu Hanjiao suddenly interjected.

"Don't worry, Miss, I have always served Madam with utmost loyalty and never made a mistake. Even if Master asks, I will not let him suspect Madam." Wang Da quickly pledged his loyalty.

“I trust the Wang family,” Wang Ruyan said. “Just thinking about that Gu Qingwan makes me so angry I wish she had never come back. Now, not only have we failed to marry her off, but she’s also making us suffer in every way. First, your courtyard was taken away, and now your brother has been beaten so badly that he’s bleeding from the head and has lost two teeth. She’s a jinx! Jiao’er, why don’t we find a way to kick her out again?”

“It’s not the right time yet. Mother also needs to discipline my brother. How dare he flirt with his own sisters?” Gu Hanjiao said with a look of disgust.

Wang Ruyan was speechless, her eyes darting around as she said, "Isn't it those vixens who corrupted your brother? If it weren't for them, your brother would have been a high-ranking official long ago!"

Gu Hanjiao just couldn't stand how her mother would get carried away whenever it came to her son, even going so far as to confer titles and honors without considering whether she was truly destined for them. How could her father, with his vast knowledge and handsome appearance, have given birth to such a burly and uncouth son? It truly is an unsolvable mystery of genetics.

Wang Ruyan was looking for Rou Niang, and Gu Ziming also received the news and was looking for Rou Niang everywhere. It turned out that Xiao Cui saw that the situation was not good and ran out to find Gu Ziming to save Rou Niang.

Gu Ziming led his men to Ronghua Lane, where they found houses blackened by smoke and surrounded by a crowd. Fortunately, the fire hadn't started during the day, otherwise the entire area would have been destroyed. If that had happened, he would have been implicated, and the affair with his mistress would have become common knowledge throughout the court. Although everyone knew about it, if it were brought to light, the censors' spittle alone would have been enough to drown him.

Gu Ziming harbored a deep resentment, wondering who had the audacity to target his woman. Was it a political enemy or a petty scoundrel? He was determined to lock them up in jail if he caught them.

"Did you find it?" Gu Ziming asked angrily.

"Reporting to Master, we haven't found Madam, but we've heard that many people saw two men chasing her today. She was rescued by a carriage."

"A carriage? Whose carriage is that?"

"I haven't found out yet, but the eyewitness said that a maid got off the carriage and helped the lady up. The person in the carriage was called that maid, Siqi..."

"Si Qi?" Gu Ziming felt the name sounded familiar, then suddenly thought, "Isn't there a Si Qi by the young lady's side?"

"Yes, sir, could it really be that the eldest young lady rescued the lady?"

"Qingwan? What's she doing here? Let's go back to the manor and see!"

Almost simultaneously, Wang Ruyan also received news that the eldest daughter of the old lady had brought a strange woman. Wang Ruyan immediately felt uneasy and took Gu Hanjiao to the old lady's courtyard.

Rou Niang tearfully recounted her experiences at Fu Lu Yuan, which moved the old lady to tears as well.

“Your mother and I were the closest of sisters. When I was going through a tough time, your mother secretly helped us. I tried to find you, but I couldn’t hear from you. Fortunately, God had mercy and you came back to my side.” The old lady said, wiping away her tears.

"Grandmother, please stop crying. Aunt is pregnant, so she needs to take care of herself," Gu Qingwan quietly reminded her.

"Yes, yes, good child, you're pregnant. Where is your husband's family from? I'll send someone to let them know you're safe," the old lady asked.