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

Amber looked towards the door and greeted her with a smile, "Madam Li has arrived, please come in quickly."

Madam Li quickly came to her senses and said with a smile, "Thank you so much, Miss Amber. Yu'er, how are you? You scared your mother to death."

When Madam Li saw her daughter leaning against the headboard, pale-faced and with flushed cheeks, all her displeasure softened at that moment. Li Qianyu was her eldest daughter, whom she had raised herself from a young age, teaching her to read and write, hoping she would become a true lady of a prominent family. She wasn't to say she was as pampered as a princess, but she had always been cherished and protected. She had never been so miserable before.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Even though she was worried about her daughter, Madam Li never forgot the proper etiquette.

"Mrs. Li is here? Get up quickly and go see Miss Li."

Mrs. Li stepped forward and touched her daughter's forehead. Seeing that her daughter looked alright, she felt relieved.

Upon seeing this, Consort Yu said, "Miss Li has suffered a great calamity because of my son, and I feel extremely guilty."

"Your Majesty is too kind. The Third Prince is the heir to the throne. We are all here for the Emperor. For the Emperor, our Li family would go through fire and water without hesitation. Besides, my daughter seems to be doing well now. Thank you for your care, Your Majesty."

Hearing Madam Li's words, Consort Yu was not very happy. The reason why the Li family was able to reach the position of Minister of Revenue was because Minister Li worked diligently and only for the Emperor. No matter which prince the Emperor assigned to do something, Minister Li treated them all equally.

Consort Yu said nonchalantly, "I will remember Miss Li's kindness on behalf of the Third Prince. After returning to the palace, I will report the truth to the Emperor and ask him to make a decision. Miss Li will certainly not be treated unfairly."

Lady Li quickly stood up and bowed to Consort Yu, saying, "Your Majesty, there is really no need to be so polite. It was my poor upbringing that allowed my daughter to wander around and accidentally save the Third Prince. It is also thanks to the Emperor's boundless grace and the protection of Heaven that the Third Prince was safe and sound."

Consort Yu, without getting impatient, held Amber's hand and said, "Now that Madam Li has arrived, I will go and see how the Third Prince is doing. I must hurry back to the palace, so I will not keep Madam Li and Miss Li company any longer."

"I've delayed Your Majesty's business. Your Majesty should go and see the Third Prince quickly. I will take my daughter back now."

Consort Yu glanced thoughtfully at Li Qianyu before turning and leaving.

After Consort Yu left, Madam Li's expression was not good. She went up to look at Li Qianyu, who was sitting on the bed. Li Qianyu's expression was unfocused and she did not dare to look at her mother.

Madam Li, with her keen eyes, immediately recognized that Li Qianyu was wearing the clothes of a palace concubine, which must belong to Consort Yu. She also noticed the bracelet on Consort Yu's wrist, which Madam Li had seen Consort Yu wear before. Madam Li composed herself and said to the maidservant beside her, "Help the young lady change into these clothes, and once she's ready, let's go back to the manor!"

"Mother, I want to see the Third Prince again..."

"Don't speak. Go back and tell your father what you have to say! Who are you? Who is the Third Prince? Who are you to serve him here?"

Seeing that her mother was getting angry, Li Qianyu knew that this was not the time for her to speak. She secretly hated her body for being so useless. If she hadn't fallen ill, she would be serving the Third Prince right now, and the first person the Third Prince would see when he woke up would be her. If Gu Hanjiao came, wouldn't all her efforts be wasted?

But now, there's no other way but to go back with my mother.

Sitting in the carriage, Madam Li couldn't quite describe her feelings. She was worried about her daughter, overjoyed that her daughter had returned unharmed, and shocked that she had discovered her daughter's secret.

She never imagined that her gentle and virtuous eldest daughter had admired the Third Prince since childhood, and that she, as his mother, was completely unaware of it. She realized how much of a failure she had become.

Besides, their daughter is indeed approaching the age for marriage. Although the Third Prince is a good man, the royal family is a place rife with trouble. The Third Prince's momentum is currently second only to the Crown Prince. It is unknown what will happen in the future. How can they bear to let their daughter take such a risk?

The risk is not just losing her daughter, but the lives of dozens of people in the Li family, and the continuation of the Li family's legacy.

Even if we assume they agreed to their daughter marrying the Third Prince, that would only be before the Third Prince had a principal wife. Now that the Third Prince clearly has a fiancée, would they really let their daughter become someone else's concubine? The master would definitely not agree to that.

Madam Li was filled with mixed feelings. She had many questions for Li Qianyu, but seeing Li Qianyu's distressed expression, Madam Li, as a mother, didn't know how to begin and could only sigh deeply.

Li Qianyu naturally heard her mother's sigh. She turned to the side and buried her face in her mother's arms, silently shedding tears. She had chosen to take this step, and she knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully.

Xiao Yuheng slept fitfully, and as expected, his leg started to get feverish again during the night. His leg was broken and could be reattached, but the problem was that it had been pierced by a piece of wood from the carriage, which would definitely cause inflammation. However, this time the fever was not as dangerous as before. With the medicine prescribed by Doctor Nie and the imperial physician attending to him, Xiao Yuheng felt somewhat better.

But he started dreaming again. This time he dreamed of a woman in a red wedding dress with her back to him. Her dress slowly slipped off, and the bright red color made her skin look even whiter and smoother.

Xiao Yuheng felt a sudden rush of heat to his head, making him dizzy. He kept telling himself not to look at what was improper, but he couldn't take his eyes off it.

The clothes lingered on her shoulders for a moment before sliding down. However, the woman's skin was not as smooth and clean as Xiao Yuheng had imagined. There was a long scar running diagonally across her back, which startled Xiao Yuheng so much that he backed away. After calming down, he felt a pang of heartache and reached out to touch it.

The woman stood up, and her clothes slipped off and fell to her feet.

Xiao Yuheng saw that she had a beautiful figure. Apart from the scar on her back, this woman was simply a rare beauty. In particular, the pink birthmark on her waist, which resembled a plum blossom, was even more captivating.

Xiao Yuheng licked his chapped lips, his breath hot. He felt as if his whole body was being roasted by fire. At the same time, he realized that he was wearing a groom's clothes. He didn't know why, but he subconsciously felt that the woman in front of him was Gu Qingwan.

Xiao Yuheng never expected that Gu Qingwan had already taken up residence in his heart. He took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward, wanting to give the woman in front of him a perfect wedding night. The woman stood there without moving, but no matter how he walked, he could not get close to her.

Xiao Yuheng grew increasingly anxious, his pace quickening. As the woman in front of him drew ever closer, he tried to call out her name, but his throat felt as if it had been burned, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Xiao Yuheng finally managed to grab the woman's waist, but the scene changed. The woman in front of him was no longer dressed in red but in white. The woman with her hair down slowly turned her face. It was Gu Qingwan's face, but there was black blood at the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were fierce as she stared at him, like a demon.

Startled, Xiao Yuheng quickly released her and closed his eyes. A moment later, he felt someone touching his face. When he opened his eyes, he was back in the bridal chamber, with his bride standing in front of him, touching his cheek and calling out to him.

"Brother Heng..."

"Who are you?" Xiao Yuheng looked at the woman in front of him. She had a pretty face and seemed somewhat familiar, but his head was spinning and he couldn't quite remember her.

"I am Jiao'er."

"Jiao'er, Jiao'er..." Xiao Yuheng murmured. He looked down at the woman nestled in his arms. The woman looked up, and a broken face suddenly appeared before him. Xiao Yuheng was so frightened that he shouted, "Jiao'er!"

Xiao Yuheng woke up covered in sweat. The imperial physician stepped forward to examine the Third Prince, touched his forehead, and then said with relief, "It's almost dawn. The Third Prince has finally pulled through."

Laiwang was also happy for the Third Prince. He poured the Third Prince a glass of water, and the maid who was serving by the bedside stepped forward to help the Third Prince up: "Third Prince, have some water. Are you hungry?"

Xiao Yuheng was pulled back to reality by the pain in his leg. He was still shaken from the nightmare. He saw Laiwang's face and asked, "What happened to me?"

"The Third Prince has been calling Miss Gu's name. Should I call her over?"

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince, recalling Gu Hanjiao's ferocious face in his dream, quickly refused, saying, "No, I'm still a little tired and want to lie down for a while longer. Oh, right, I think I saw Mother Consort here. Where did Mother Consort go?"

"Your Highness came in a hurry and must return in a hurry. She said she would ask His Majesty to allow Your Highness to stay in our residence for a while to keep you company."

"Why would Mother make such a special request? I wonder if Father will be displeased?" Xiao Yuheng said with some concern for his mother. "By the way, how did we get back?"

"It was Miss Li from Minister Li's residence who arrived just in time to bring the Third Prince back, and..." Laiwang was a little embarrassed and couldn't finish his sentence.

Xiao Yuheng patted his head, his memories gradually returning. He vaguely remembered seeing a woman crying beside him, and she even seemed to have taken off her clothes and lay on top of him. Xiao Yuheng had always thought he was dreaming, but it turned out to be real.

Speaking of dreams, Xiao Yuheng thought of Gu Qingwan again. When did that woman, whom he had only met a few times, enter his heart? But he felt that it was real, that Gu Qingwan should be his princess consort.

The accompanying imperial physician advised the Third Prince to rest well, and to take his medicine before eating anything and resting.

Gu Qingwan received news that the Third Prince had returned to the manor injured. Standing by the window, she looked outside and thought: Who can say for sure whether it was a natural disaster or a man-made one? Now it's up to the Prince and the Crown Prince.