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

"My lord, I can't be mistaken. It was those two who tried to kidnap me at Ronghua. Now they're in your courtyard. Could they be your men?"

Gu Ziming knew that these two were people Wang Ruyan was used to, but since Wang Ruyan was now his wife, he couldn't say anything. He could only pat Aunt Rou's hand and comfort her, "Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter. You can stay at home and take care of your pregnancy. Your biggest task now is to give me a big, healthy son."

Aunt Rou touched her belly; it held her hope and all her comfort. She had been struggling to find a way to tell Gu Ziming that Wang Ruyan had sent people to harm her, but unexpectedly, these two people had run into each other. Although this wouldn't shake Wang Ruyan's position, it at least made the master suspicious of her. Once the master was suspicious, it would be much easier for the young lady to do whatever she wanted.

After receiving Gu Ziming's message, Aunt Rou left with Xiao Cui. As they passed the Wang brothers in the courtyard, Aunt Rou smiled mysteriously, which sent chills down the spines of the two brothers.

Later, Gu Ziming called them into his study, but no one knows what they talked about there. All that is known is that the master sent the two of them to the estate outside to do farm work.

Upon hearing this news, Wang Ruyan was restless. She was worried that the Wang brothers would confess to her without hesitation. Although her father would not divorce her, he would not treat her well either. For several days, there was no movement from Gu Ziming's side. Wang Ruyan's eyes were red from staying up late before she gradually calmed down.

Gu Ziming didn't not want to deal with Wang Ruyan, but he simply didn't have the time right now. The Third Prince had indeed gotten into trouble just as the Taoist priest had predicted.

Nothing happened to the Third Prince on his way back, but Gu Yuheng was extra careful after receiving a reminder from the Prime Minister. They were just about to reach the capital after crossing the mountain when something unexpected happened on the mountain.

It started raining at dawn. The people at the post station had told the Third Prince and his party to wait for the rain to stop before continuing their journey. However, Xiao Yuheng remembered what Gu Cheng had told him through the pigeons and felt uncertain. He wanted to return as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications. He was also worried that the journey had been too smooth. He always felt that the Crown Prince would send people to intercept him. He was on guard at every turn, but nothing came of it.

How much further until we reach the capital?

"In reply to the Third Prince, if we take the official road, it will be dark by then."

"Isn't there a shorter route?"

The postmaster thought for a moment and said, "If it weren't raining, we could take another route, but now that it's raining, the official road is the flattest road."

"How much sooner will we arrive in the capital if we take that route?"

“It will take about two hours, but Third Prince, you can’t walk on that road. It’s usually a bit better when it’s not raining, but now that it’s raining, I’m afraid that road will be muddy and difficult to walk on.”

"No, the capital is just ahead. It's only been raining for a short while. Let's hurry and set off before the rain gets too heavy. We should be able to reach the city gate before dark," Xiao Yuheng said.

Those who followed him dared not object to what the Third Prince had said. They could only pack their things, cover the carriage with thick oil paper to make it waterproof, and line it with thick mattresses, tea sets, and other items, hoping that the Third Prince would be more comfortable inside.

The convoy slowly left the official road and took the shortcut. At first, it was fine. Just as Xiao Yuheng had said, the rain had only started falling at dawn. Although the road was wet, it was not muddy or difficult to travel on. Because the carriage was well-padded, Xiao Yuheng was not too uncomfortable, even though the ride was a bit bumpy.

But the rain only got heavier and showed no sign of stopping. Sitting in the carriage, Xiao Yuheng leaned forward and almost fell over.

"What happened!" Xiao Yuheng asked, regaining his balance.

"Reporting to you, sir, the wheel is stuck. We're trying to lift it out. Please don't move inside, sir. It's raining quite heavily outside." The person outside shouted, but Xiao Yuheng was inside and the sound of the rain hitting the oil paper was so loud that he only heard bits and pieces of what was being said.

The people outside started to work together, and the coachman cracked his whip, but no matter how hard the horse or the people tried, the carriage wouldn't budge. They thought that if the Third Prince could get off the carriage, it might be easier to push.

But Laiwang, who was standing next to the Third Prince, continued to shout loudly, "Hurry up and lift the carriage out!"

Someone stepped forward and suggested, "My lord, should we let the Third Prince come out for a moment...?"

"What did you say! The Third Prince is of noble birth and cannot be allowed to come down and get rained on. If he catches a cold, who among you can bear the consequences!" Laiwang pointed at the man's nose and cursed.

The sound of raindrops continued to patter inside the carriage, making Xiao Yuheng very irritable. He heard what sounded like other noises outside, but he couldn't quite make out what they were.

Just then, the driver felt a small stone hit his head. He cursed and looked up to see stones of different sizes falling from the mountain. Terrified, the driver abandoned the cart and ran away.

Laiwang noticed it too, and while shouting loudly, he stepped forward and pounded on the carriage: "Third Prince! Third Prince! Come out quickly! Come out quickly!"

Xiao Yuheng heard the sounds of comings and goings, but the damned sound of rain made it impossible for him to understand what Laiwang was saying. The sound of Laiwang frantically banging on the carriage caught Xiao Yuheng's attention. He opened the carriage door and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Master, hurry! Rocks are rolling down the mountain!"

Before Xiao Yuheng could react, a huge rock fell from the sky. Xiao Yuheng looked up and for a moment thought that this must be an ambush set by the Crown Prince. Before he could react, Xiao Yuheng lost consciousness.

The others escaped unharmed, but when they returned, they found the carriages destroyed and the horses frightened and nowhere to be found. Laiwang was lucky; he crawled out of the mud pit and, ignoring the pain in his hands, went straight to dig through the rubble of the carriages.

"What are you all standing there for! Come quickly and save the Third Prince!" Laiwang was terrified. The Third Prince had almost jumped out of the carriage. How did it turn out like this?

The old man said that evil deeds live on for a thousand years, and Xiao Yuheng was indeed very lucky. The carriage roof was shaped like the Chinese character "人" (ren, meaning person). Although the carriage was damaged, the thick layer of oil paper covering the roof made it very resilient. Xiao Yuheng was lying in the gap, only his leg was injured by the stone.

Upon initial inspection, they found the Third Prince still alive and were immediately relieved. However, seeing blood slowly seeping from the Third Prince's leg, they realized something was wrong; his leg was injured. If they didn't go back for treatment in time, the consequences would be unimaginable if he developed a fever.

But what can we do now? The carriage is broken, the horses have run away, and this place is not a safe place to stay. Who knows if there will be another rockfall or landslide?

"How to do how to do?"

"How about we carry the Third Prince back on our backs?"

“No, this won’t do. We’re still quite a distance from the capital. The Third Prince can’t handle this kind of bumpy ride. I think his leg looks like it’s been broken. We need to fix it right away.”

The experienced ones found two wooden sticks in the ruins of the carriage and tore strips of cloth from their clothes. The others took off their outer garments and set up a temporary tent over Xiao Yuheng to at least shelter him from the rain. Although Xiao Yuheng had fainted, the pain in his legs still made him frown and groan in pain.

Just when everyone was at a loss, a horse-drawn carriage appeared on the road. Laiwang saw hope and quickly stepped forward to stop the carriage.

"I don't know whose carriage this is, but my young master is in trouble, so please do me a favor."

The coachman stopped the carriage, looked at the blocked road ahead, and said to the passengers, "Miss, we can't go any further. It seems someone is injured up ahead."

Upon hearing this, the person inside the carriage asked, "Is that the Third Prince ahead?"

Laiwang was a little stunned, wondering how the other party knew that it was their Third Prince here, but the situation was urgent and he couldn't think about it too much. The important thing was to find a carriage to take the Third Prince back to the capital for treatment.

"Indeed, I hope Miss will do me the favor of taking the Third Prince back to the capital."

The carriage door was immediately pushed open from the inside. Laiwang looked closely and saw that it was none other than Li Qianyu, the eldest daughter of Lord Li's household.

"Quickly, lift the Third Prince up, turn the carriage around, and let's hurry back to the capital!"

The carriage wasn't large; even after the Third Prince lay down inside, there was only enough room for Li Qianyu and her maid, Xiaomei. Laiwang and the coachman sat outside, while the others packed their things and would walk back to the capital.

Looking at Xiao Yuheng's pale face, Li Qianyu burst into tears. She picked up a handkerchief and wiped the rain off Xiao Yuheng's face.

"Miss..." Xiaomei called out somewhat disapprovingly, after all, the young lady was not yet married, "Let me do it."

"Don't just sit there, quickly find some clean clothes."

There was a second set of clothes prepared in the woman's carriage, just in case her clothes got dirty so she could change them without being impolite. After hearing this, Xiao Mei hurriedly went to find clothes. Li Qianyu didn't care about the difference between men and women. Seeing the Third Prince's uncomfortable appearance, she quickly stepped forward to help him take off his coat and throw his wet clothes aside.

Xiao Mei's eyes widened when she saw this. She quickly covered the Third Prince with the clothes in her hand. She saw that her mistress was crying and didn't dare to say anything. Her mistress had come out this time for the Third Prince.

The young lady heard at home that the Taoist priest Huang had predicted the Third Prince's misfortune at the Prime Minister's mansion, and she couldn't sit still. She secretly took her out. Originally, they were going to take the main road, but in order to reach the post station as soon as possible, they chose a side road. It was as if heaven had intervened and allowed the young lady to meet the Third Prince.

"Third Prince, I'm sorry I'm late. Please don't let anything happen to you." Li Qianyu cried as she wiped Xiao Yuheng's face with a handkerchief.

Xiao Yuheng was probably in a lot of pain in his legs; sweat was pouring down his forehead, and his pale lips trembled as he said, "So cold, so cold..."

"Miss, could the Third Prince have a fever?"

Hearing the sounds from inside, Laiwang outside assumed the Third Prince was in pain from the carriage jolting. "My lord, hang in there! Only by getting back to the capital quickly can we find a doctor sooner!"

Li Qianyu stretched her handkerchief out the window, wet it, and placed it on Xiao Yuheng's forehead as a cold compress, but it had no effect; he was still complaining of the cold.

"Miss, what should we do? We don't have any medicine in the car." Xiaomei was also very anxious and didn't know what to do. She had heard that if a fever wasn't treated in time, it could cause mental impairment.

Li Qianyu stared at Xiao Yuheng for a long time, bit her lip as if she had made up her mind, and pulled open Xiao Yuheng's shirt to expose his bare skin, making Xiao Mei quickly cover her eyes with her hands.

When she came to her senses, she saw Li Qianyu undress and cling to Xiao Yuheng like a butterfly. Xiao Yuheng felt a warm heat source on his body and instinctively hugged Li Qianyu.

"Miss!" Xiaomei exclaimed incredulously.

"Shut up!" Li Qianyu frowned and scolded in a low voice, "Xiao Mei, your young lady has already gone this far, and I don't regret making such a move. You must know my feelings for the Third Prince, so you must help me."

"But Miss, the Third Prince has a fiancée, so what will you do then..."

"It doesn't matter. Even if I'm just a concubine, as long as I can stay by the Third Prince's side, that's fine. I have saved the Third Prince's life, and in the future, the Third Prince and even Consort Yu will treat me well."

Xiaomei felt that things had already come to this point, and as a maid, she had no choice when she decided to go out with her mistress.

"Miss, what do you need me to do?"

"Once we get there, I must make sure all my efforts aren't in vain!"

Li Qianyu had already gone all in. She had been in love with the Third Prince for a long time, but her father had never considered taking sides and was unwilling to get involved in the power struggles between the princes. Therefore, he had never mentioned that his daughter should marry the Third Prince.

Now that she has received news that she has saved the Third Prince, and with their physical intimacy and the life-saving grace, even if she becomes a concubine, she can still outshine Gu Hanjiao. Gu Hanjiao's mother, a concubine, was able to become the principal wife, so why can't she?

Since there's no turning back, let's just go all out!