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

Xiao Yuheng endured the pain and personally set his dislocated arm and wrist back into place. But the moment he set them back, his entire arm went numb. He felt an intense pain in the veins of his arm, as if countless ants were crawling and gnawing at him.

"Third Prince... how dare she hurt you! This servant will bring her here right now!" Seeing the Third Prince's pained expression, Laiwang hated Gu Qingwan to the core. If the Imperial Concubine knew, she would definitely skin her alive.

"Laiwang!" Xiao Yuheng knew that now was not the time to cause trouble for Gu Qingwan. He did not expect that Gu Qingwan knew martial arts, and was not weak at all. Laiwang was no match for her. "Quickly push me back and find a doctor. Don't alarm the imperial physician. My arm is hurting in a very unusual way."

Laiwang glanced at the spot where Gu Qingwan had left, wondering what that vixen had given the Third Prince. If it was poison, that would be terrible. He'd better find someone he trusted to check it out quickly.

Gu Hanjiao, who was hiding around the corner, heard all of this. She stood there, not daring to lean out, for fear of being discovered by the Third Prince and his men.

Qiu Shuang was sent to get a blanket, but when she returned to the courtyard, she felt something was wrong. She quickly ran to tell Gu Hanjiao, who happened to be in the kitchen before she arrived. Gu Hanjiao overheard her and her eyes flickered. She told Chunlu to go to the kitchen to make it herself, while she quietly returned with Qiu Shuang and overheard the whole thing.

Gu Hanjiao's eyes were filled with both grievance and icy coldness. She never expected that Gu Qingwan, that bitch, would even seduce her future husband in order to get revenge on her.

What kind of dream is this? How could she dream about something at night if she hadn't been thinking about it during the day? They must have been having an affair without her knowing. Gu Qingwan seems aloof and detached from worldly affairs on the surface, but I never expected her to be so despicable at heart.

The birthmark on Xiao Yuheng's waist that he mentioned is the best proof. It's clear that the two of them did something illicit that the Third Prince remembers it so clearly. Humph, men are all the same, always wanting more than they have.

Gu Hanjiao had a headache. Li Qianyu's matter hadn't been resolved yet, and now Xiao Yuheng had taken a liking to Gu Qingwan, even planning to make her make way for Gu Qingwan. Did Xiao Yuheng think Gu Hanjiao was made of clay? Of course, she wouldn't let Gu Qingwan off the hook either, but the most important thing right now was to become the Third Prince's consort peacefully; everything else could be planned for later.

The news that the Third Prince had been injured by Gu Qingwan did not spread, and everything remained peaceful until one day when the Empress sent someone to the Gu residence to say that two governesses would be sent the next day to teach the Second Miss royal etiquette, and that the Gu family should be prepared.

Before Gu Hanjiao even arrived at Youlan Courtyard, Gu Qingwan sent Baoqin, who was by her side, to the main courtyard. When they arrived, they saw Gu Ziming having a rare meal with Wang Ruyan and Gu Hanjiao. They didn't see Gu Changfeng, which made sense. Gu Changfeng was afraid of his father. As soon as he heard that Gu Ziming was at home, he immediately cowered like a mouse that had heard a cat coming. Right now, he had gone to have dinner with the old lady.

Gu Ziming hadn't been here for a long time. He would only visit Rouyi's place once a month on the first and fifteenth. The reason he was able to come today was because someone from the palace was coming tomorrow. He couldn't always sleep in his concubine's place, or it would be bad for his reputation to be known for favoring his wife over his wife.

But when it came to living here, Gu Ziming glanced at his daughter. His daughter was about to get married and was still living in his courtyard. Even as a father, he felt a little embarrassed and was thinking about which courtyard his daughter should live in.

"Greetings to Master, Madam, and Second Miss." Baoqin greeted them one by one.

When Wang Ruyan saw Baoqin arrive, she first glanced at Gu Ziming, then put down her chopsticks and asked, "Baoqin is here? Does Miss have any instructions?"

"Reporting to Madam, the eldest young lady heard that the palace governess is coming tomorrow, so she asked me to pass on a message to the second young lady, asking her to move into Youlan Courtyard. However, the second young lady will have to send someone to clean the house herself, since you know that we at Youlan Courtyard are not very well-staffed."

"Qingwan is becoming more and more sensible." Gu Ziming put down his chopsticks with satisfaction and nodded. He picked up the soup that Wang Ruyan had just served and drank it down in one gulp. He had been worried about where Gu Hanjiao was, but now his eldest daughter had provided a good solution. This way, the Gu family could save face and reputation. How could he not be happy?

Gu Hanjiao smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you for a few days, sister. Please take this to me when you get back. It was given to me by the Third Prince a few days ago. It's still new. Consider it a thank-you gift from your younger sister to you. I should have gone there in person, but it's getting late. I will definitely visit you tomorrow to express my gratitude."

Chunlu brought out a tray, and Baoqin took it and glanced at it. It was a dress, but it probably wasn't the style that Miss Gu liked. However, she couldn't refuse Gu Hanjiao, so Baoqin held the tray with both hands and gave a slight bow.

"Then this maid will thank the Second Miss on behalf of Miss. However, our Miss will be returning to the Ningguo Duke's Mansion tomorrow to visit the Old Madam as agreed. The Second Miss does not need to go to see the Eldest Miss."

"Why are you in such a hurry to go back? Actually..." Gu Hanjiao didn't expect Gu Qingwan to leave so readily and proactively.

"Second Miss, don't think too much. It's just that our old lady wrote to say she misses you. As you know, you've been staying with our old lady all this time and haven't been home for a long time. Our old lady really misses you."

Gu Ziming nodded. What he said was true. Gu Qingwan spent more time with Old Madam Ning than at home. Even when Ning Jingxian was still alive, the two of them often went to the Ning residence. Well, the eldest daughter's return gave the second daughter enough space, which was also a source of pride for her younger sister.

"Sister still cares about me. Father and Mother, I will go back and pack my things. I will go to Youlan Courtyard first thing tomorrow morning."

"Go on, go on. If your sister isn't good to you, who will she be good to? In a few days, Mother will make two pieces of jewelry for your sister to thank her on your behalf. If you need more manpower, come and ask me for help."

Gu Hanjiao and Baoqin left one after the other, leaving only Gu Ziming and Wang Ruyan in the flower hall. Wang Ruyan thought that since she finally had a chance to be alone, she must be gentle and considerate in winning Gu Ziming's heart.

As the Prime Minister, Gu Ziming naturally thought more deeply than others and didn't even notice Wang Ruyan's flirtatious glances. In his view, this was Gu Qingwan testing the waters with Gu Hanjiao. As the saying goes, sisters are like family, sharing both glory and loss, and it seems that Gu Qingwan understood this principle.

However, Gu Ziming was also troubled by Gu Qingwan's dowry. The agreement with the Ning family was getting closer and closer. Every time he went to Gu Qingwan to talk about this, she would be completely unmoved, making him wish he could put her back in her mother's womb and have another baby.

Although Gu Hanjiao gave him a method to make ice, the drawbacks gradually became apparent. The main ingredient for making ice is saltpeter, which can be used in medicine, but the quantity is extremely small. It is indeed sold in pharmacies.

However, he failed several times due to incorrect proportions, wasting a lot of saltpeter. He had asked Gu Hanjiao if there was any way to make saltpeter, but Gu Hanjiao did not know either, so he could only send people to the south to purchase saltpeter.

Unlike the wealthy Yu family, the Gu family had to invest a lot of money before they could even recoup their profits from selling ice. The Ning family even sent people to urge them to give away the dowry, which greatly troubled Gu Ziming.

Thinking of this, Gu Ziming lost his appetite, put down his chopsticks, and got up to leave.

Wang Ruyan was still happy for her daughter, but she didn't expect her daughter to get the courtyard back so quickly. This time, it wouldn't be so easy for Gu Qingwan to take the courtyard back after giving it up. The palace maids would be coming tomorrow, and Wang Ruyan thought that she would make sure to treat them well and earn a good reputation for her daughter.

Furthermore, with the nanny staying at the mansion these past few days, Gu Ziming had to return to the main courtyard every day, otherwise he would be laughed at. Tonight was a good opportunity, and Wang Ruyan had even dressed up specially. However, before Wang Ruyan could make a move, she saw Gu Ziming about to leave, and she grabbed Gu Ziming's hand.

"Sir, you haven't finished dinner yet, where are you going?"

"I'm going to the study; I still have some official business to attend to. By the way, how's the packing of Jingxian's things going? Once it's done, have someone bring it to the study so I can see if anything is missing and get it replaced as soon as possible."

Wang Ruyan couldn't stand hearing Ning Jingxian's name, and her voice suddenly rose sharply: "Since Ning Jingxian married into the Gu family, her things belong to the Gu family. Why can't we use our own family's things?"

"So you really do consider Jingxian's things as your own? Humph, don't you even know what kind of family you have? Even the things you have were given to you by me. You still dare to try to seize the Ning family's things. If you weren't so stupid, how could Jiao'er and I have ended up in this situation? Do you even know what shame is?"

Wang Ruyan's good mood vanished instantly. Ignoring the servants coming and going in the courtyard, she shouted, "Don't you know shame? Master, you say I don't know shame? When you made me your mistress, did you care about shame at all? Now you know how to protect Ning Jingxian, and you know how powerful her family is, but when she was alive, why didn't you care? When she died, why weren't you afraid!"

"Shut up!" Gu Ziming stepped forward and grabbed Wang Ruyan by the neck. In Gu Ziming's heart, no one could mention Ning Jingxian's death, as if it touched his scar. "If you keep talking nonsense, believe me, I'll lock you in the room and tell everyone that you're crazy."

Wang Ruyan held Gu Ziming's hand tightly, her long nails digging deep into the skin of Gu Ziming's wrist due to the suffocating feeling around her neck.

"How dare you! My daughter will be the Third Prince's consort in the future, and I will be the Third Prince's future mother-in-law. How dare you touch me! And my son is the eldest son of the Gu family, the only son of the Gu family. How could you strangle his mother to death so easily!" Wang Ruyan felt like she was being strangled to death. Her breathing became more and more difficult, and she could feel Gu Ziming's grip tightening.

But these words did have an effect. When Wang Ruyan felt extremely oxygen-deprived, Gu Ziming let go of her hand, and Wang Ruyan collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, gasping for air.

"Hehe, Madam is still as mischievous as she was when she was young." Gu Ziming suppressed his anger, smiled, and helped Wang Ruyan up from the ground. Wang Ruyan shrank back in fright, but Gu Ziming didn't seem to mind.

"It's understandable that Gu Changfeng is the eldest son, but he's definitely not the only son in my Gu family. I'm warning you, don't even think about messing with Rou Niang. If she does anything wrong, I will make sure you don't see your daughter get married! Xue Niang, help the madam up."

Gu Ziming turned around, straightened his sleeves, and said, "You'd better do as I say. When the palace maids come tomorrow, you'd better treat them well. If you make another mistake, don't blame me for not showing you any mercy."

Wang Ruyan clutched her neck tightly, staring at Gu Ziming with terrified eyes. After Gu Ziming's clothes disappeared into the darkness, she couldn't help but cry. Gu Ziming had always been gentle and caring towards her, and had never acted like this before.

Gu Ziming was a scholar, and he always maintained the integrity of a scholar. How could he have become like this? The look in his eyes just now made it seem as if he was about to be strangled to death.

“Madam, please stop crying. You know that the man in front of you has always been a taboo subject for the master, yet you still brought it up against the grain.”

"I'm not reconciled! I'm not reconciled! Why is she born into a better family than me? Why can she stand so tall? Why doesn't the old lady dare to treat her badly, but treats me like a servant? Why does her daughter still bully my daughter even after she's dead? Why!"

Xue Niang had no way to explain, so she could only let Wang Ruyan hug her and cry. In her opinion, Madam was good in every way except that she was too sentimental. If Madam were still a concubine like before, she would definitely be cherished by the master. But now she is the principal wife, and she is the one who is supposed to help Gu family support the inner quarters. How could she be so petty and lacking in manners?

However, Xue Niang had mentioned these things to Wang Ruyan in a roundabout way, but Wang Ruyan didn't take them to heart.

Baoqin, who had overheard everything from the doorway, quietly slipped into the night and left. When she returned, she told Gu Qingwan what she had heard. Gu Qingwan sat by the window, stroking her long hair thoughtfully, and said...

"It seems that there are indeed suspicious circumstances surrounding Mother's death, and Gu Ziming may not be the one who is unaware of the truth."