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

Minister of Revenue Li did not sleep all night. Before dawn, he went to the palace in his official robes. The emperor knew why he had come and received him in his sleeping clothes in the imperial study.

"My dear minister, you've arrived so early; it's not yet time for court," the Emperor said, yawning.

Lord Li immediately knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground, and said, "Your subject has come specifically to beg for forgiveness."

"Oh? So early in the morning." The Emperor glanced curiously at Fuming, who was serving beside him. "Look at him, is Lord Li still dreaming?"

Fuming, a cunning old man, had served the emperor since childhood and had helped him evade countless swords and spears. Naturally, he could guess what the emperor was thinking. Fuming smiled obsequiously but remained silent.

Lord Li knelt on the ground and continued, "Your Majesty, I have failed to manage my household properly. My daughter has run away from the city without a reason, causing trouble. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

"Oh, about this matter. I've heard about it from Consort Yu as well. It's all thanks to Miss Li's timely appearance that the prince would have been in real trouble. How can you say that Lord Li caused trouble?"

"Your Majesty!" Lord Li buried his head even deeper.

"Consort Yu said that she wanted to compensate your beloved daughter and asked me to marry her as a concubine. I feel that it is a bit unfair to your daughter, but the Third Prince is already engaged to the daughter of Prime Minister Gu. So I am still hesitating about how to avoid wronging you."

Upon hearing this, Lord Li immediately kowtowed, wishing he could blurt out all his thoughts at once: "No, no, no, Your Majesty's grace is boundless, it is Your Majesty's imperial aura that protects the Third Prince. My daughter only stumbled upon this by chance, how could she have the fortune to become the Third Prince's concubine? Besides, the Noble Consort has already bestowed the gift, which I brought here. My daughter is still young and cannot bear such a precious gift."

The Emperor watched as Li Xinhan took out a handkerchief from his bosom, on which lay an exquisite bracelet. Upon seeing this, Fuming stepped forward and presented the handkerchief to the Emperor.

The Emperor picked it up and examined it for a moment, then casually tossed it into Fuming's hand. Fuming hurriedly bent down and almost missed catching it.

"If I remember correctly, this was given to Consort Yu when she was conferred her title. It seems that Consort Yu is very fond of your daughter. Since it was a gift from the Consort, you can keep it."

"Your Majesty, I am not good with words, but Your Majesty knows that my heart is only with Your Majesty and the court. I do not want to be involved with anything else. My daughter has done such a thing today, which has put my Li family in a difficult position. But she is my most beloved daughter, and I cannot bear to just beat her to death. So I have come here to Your Majesty to beg for forgiveness."

The Emperor had no intention of making things difficult for Li Xinhan. Over the years, Li Xinhan had worked diligently in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, saving money and accumulating wealth for the country, which made the national treasury full in such a short time. Even when there was war at the front, it did not make him feel particularly burdened. Therefore, the Emperor only felt sorry for this minister and wanted to protect his reputation.

"My dear minister, I am of course aware of you. I am also a father. Since you know my meaning, what do you want from me today?"

Li Xinhan wept bitterly, his heart filled with resentment at his daughter's choice. He was a loyal subject and did not want to get involved in the royal factional disputes. From his studies to his official career, he had never forgotten to strive for the happiness of the people.

"Your Majesty, I ask for nothing, but I have come to tell you that whatever choice my daughter has made, it was not the intention of my Li family. I am loyal only to Your Majesty!"

Indeed, Li Xinhan thought about it all night and realized that if he gave in to his daughter's wishes, it would create a rift between him and the emperor, who would think that he had participated in the power struggle and stood on the side of the third prince. Therefore, he should take the initiative to express his determination and let the emperor see his sincerity.

The Emperor did not say anything. Apart from the three people in the Imperial Study, everyone else tried to find out what happened next, but to no avail. Finally, it was time for court, and the Emperor and Minister Li left the Imperial Study one after the other.

The Emperor specially allowed the Third Prince to recuperate at home before going to court. The people of the capital were all watching to see if the things that Master Huang had said would happen. Even when the Third Prince was able to enter the palace in a wheelchair to pay his respects, nothing happened. By then, the people had gradually forgotten about the matter.

Master Huang, who foresaw all of this, has been bedridden ever since he gave Miss Li a divination. It is said that Master Huang first revealed heavenly secrets and then helped Miss Li defy fate, which has brought him divine retribution. He needs to go into seclusion and will not be able to perform divination for anyone in the near future.

Some people think that Master Huang is just making a fuss, while others believe that what Master Huang says is true and are starting to make plans for their future.

After returning home that time, Li Qianyu never left the house again. Even when the Third Prince came to the mansion in a wheelchair to thank her in person, Lord Li refused to see him. Even when she met the Third Prince in the palace, Lord Li only paid his respects and did not say a word.

Not to mention Consort Yu, who bestowed many gifts from the palace. Lord Li also kept his main gate tightly shut, and he went to court through the side gate, as if the Li residence had been deserted overnight.

The Emperor naturally heard Consort Yu's request, saying that Xiao Yuheng should take responsibility for Miss Li's future and wanted to marry her as a concubine. The Emperor just smiled and didn't say much. He had no objection to Consort Yu's suggestion to take a girl from the Yu family as a concubine, but simply let Consort Yu decide for herself.

The Third Prince needed to rest and recuperate because of his broken leg, but the continuous rain these past few days made the painful area unbearably itchy, and his temper gradually worsened. The servants in the mansion even had to breathe carefully, which might displease the Third Prince.

Gu Hanjiao came every day and noticed that the Third Prince's temper was getting worse and worse. However, she could understand that anyone would feel bad if they were injured in such a hot summer. In addition, the wound was itchy and unbearable to heal. Therefore, Gu Hanjiao was extra patient.

The weather had finally cleared up that day, and Gu Hanjiao thought she would take the Third Prince out for a stroll. Before she even stepped out of the mansion, she heard someone at the gate announce that the Third Prince had arrived.

"The Third Prince? Why is he here?" Gu Hanjiao was taken aback, not expecting the Third Prince to come to her house in person.

"Miss, please hurry up and get ready. Master is already receiving the Third Prince in the study. He said you should come over once you're ready."

"I know, you can go down first, I'll be right there." Although Gu Hanjiao was a little puzzled, she didn't have time to think about it. These days she had been running around inside and outside, dealing with things at the makeup pavilion, serving the Third Prince, and the dowry.

When she hurriedly led Chunlu and Qiushuang to the study, the Third Prince and his father had just finished talking and seemed to have a good conversation; the Third Prince looked very happy.

"Jiao'er is here." Prime Minister Gu was clearly in a good mood and quickly beckoned Gu Hanjiao, who was standing at the door, to come in.

"Greetings to the Third Prince, and greetings to Father."

Xiao Yuheng smiled and nodded, "These past few days, thanks to the Second Miss's tireless efforts in taking care of me between the two residences, I've recovered so quickly. Lord Gu, you've really caused trouble for you and the Second Miss."

"Hey, we're family, no need for formalities. As long as you two get along well, that's all that matters, hehehe." Gu Ziming said, stroking his beard.

Ba Quan entered with his head down, not daring to look up at the masters inside the room, and respectfully said, "Master, your students have arrived."

"Oh, so soon, hehehe." Gu Ziming suddenly remembered that he had indeed met with several of his favorite students, all of whom were expected to pass the imperial examinations this year. "Jiao'er, why don't you show the Third Prince around the manor? I have other matters to attend to. The Third Prince has come all this way, so please stay for dinner today."

The Third Prince smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Then I shall accept your invitation. I'm feeling rather bored at home, so I'll trouble you, Prime Minister, today."

Gu Ziming smiled happily and quickly instructed Ba Quan: "Ba Quan, go and tell Madam to prepare some light and delicious dishes. We'll have a simple lunch with the Third Prince together."

Gu Hanjiao pushed the Third Prince's wheelchair around the mansion, with servants following at a distance, ready to do whatever their masters needed.

Gu Hanjiao touched the wheelchair in her hand, feeling a mix of emotions. She had originally drawn the wheelchair so that the Third Prince would present it to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager only used it twice when her legs were in excruciating pain, and never thought of using it at other times. She never expected that it would come in so useful to the Third Prince. Gu Hanjiao had mixed feelings.

In truth, Xiao Yuheng felt extremely uncomfortable. As a dignified man, he was now sitting in a wheelchair, as if he were permanently disabled. However, he had no choice but to sit in it. He could either lie obediently in bed and not move around, or he would rather sit in a wheelchair than be carried around by others.

Xiao Yuheng looked at his injured leg with a gloomy gaze. The imperial physician said that as long as he recovered well and avoided further injury, it would not be a big problem for him in the future. However, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, so this leg must be taken good care of and he cannot engage in any physical activities for a while.

"Jiao'er, thank you for taking care of me these days. I may have been a little short-tempered..." Xiao Yuheng reached out and patted the slender hand behind his back.

"Jiao'er understands the Third Prince, it's nothing, Jiao'er didn't mind." Gu Hanjiao appeared very understanding.

"Jiao'er, I'm glad you're not angry. I'll treat you even better in the future. By the way, I heard that the scenery in your Youlan Courtyard is very beautiful. Shall we go for a stroll there?"

Gu Hanjiao stopped in her tracks upon hearing this, her expression quite complicated. Why did the Third Prince suddenly want to visit Youlan Courtyard? If she had lived there before, she would have been eager for the Third Prince to visit her courtyard, but now that Gu Qingwan had taken the courtyard back, how could she make that decision?

Xiao Yuheng didn't understand why they had stopped walking so peacefully. He turned around and saw Gu Hanjiao's hesitant face. He asked, "What's wrong? Is there something inappropriate?"

Gu Hanjiao snapped out of her daze and leaned down to whisper in the Third Prince's ear, "There's nothing inappropriate about it. Youlan Courtyard is just an ordinary courtyard. If the Third Prince wants to see it, we can go and take a look."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Jiao'er. If you're tired, you can ask Laiwang to push me."

Gu Hanjiao was indeed a little tired. The Third Prince was a grown man and his weight was considerable. The wheelchair was made of solid wood and was also quite heavy. Gu Hanjiao was a weak woman who couldn't lift anything with her hands or shoulders. Pushing him for a while was fine, but it became quite strenuous after a long time.

Laiwang tactfully took the wheelchair, and Gu Hanjiao walked beside the Third Prince with a smile, chatting and laughing with him as they strolled through the garden.

However, Gu Hanjiao was also somewhat uneasy. If she took the Third Prince to Youlan Courtyard, would Gu Qingwan suddenly turn on her and embarrass her? Gu Qingwan should care about the Gu family's reputation, right? Even if she didn't care about the Gu family's reputation, she should still be wary of the Third Prince's status, right?

She could have told the Third Prince the truth that it was Gu Qingwan's courtyard, but her vanity got the better of her. Along the way, she talked to the Third Prince about the scenery in Youlan Courtyard, without mentioning Gu Qingwan at all, making people think that Youlan Courtyard was Gu Hanjiao's courtyard.

Even though the Prime Minister's residence was a beautiful place, the group of people arrived at Youlan Courtyard after strolling around for a while.