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

"Gu Qingwan? What happened to her again? Didn't you go to the Ningguo Duke's Mansion this morning? Why haven't you seen her yet?" Wang Ruyan pulled her daughter to sit on the soft couch and asked in detail.

"I saw her! Not only did I see her, but that brat has become even prettier than before!"

Wang Ruyan's eyes darkened. Gu Qingwan looked like a member of the Ning family when she was young, especially her mother Ning Jingxian. Ning Jingxian was one of the most beautiful women in the capital back then. If she hadn't married Gu Xiuming, who wasn't the prime minister at the time, she could have become a concubine in the palace.

"Your daughter boosts the morale of others while diminishing her own. Is she as pretty as you? Besides, she spent three years on the border. It's no wonder her skin is rough in that wild land."

"That won't do either. My daughter has to be prettier than her. Besides, the Third Prince is about to choose a consort. Is Gu Qingwan coming back at this time with ill intentions?" Gu Hanjiao was so anxious that she couldn't sit still and paced back and forth in the room.

"Jiao'er, why are you so flustered? Even if she wanted to come back for this matter, it wouldn't make a difference. You should know that the Imperial Concubine loves elegant things like appreciating flowers. How could Gu Qingwan, who has no manners, possibly catch the Imperial Concubine's eye? Besides, who doesn't know my son's reputation in the capital?"

Having received some comfort, Gu Hanjiao felt a little better. Perhaps she had really panicked. She had heard that the Third Prince was a very refined person who enjoyed literature and calligraphy in private. He was exceptionally talented and had received unanimous praise from the court officials. He was also very approachable and polite. If he were to have a crush on someone, it would be on a talented woman like her, not on Gu Qingwan who had suddenly returned to the capital. Perhaps she had been overthinking things.

"Then Father..."

"You don't need to worry about your father either. He's long forgotten that he has a daughter. He's never mentioned it."

"Mother." After calming down, Gu Hanjiao took her mother's hand and sat down on the soft couch, asking, "Mother, do you have any news about the Third Prince?"

"Is your daughter so eager to get married?" Wang Ruyan teased her daughter.

"No, Jiao'er was just asking." Gu Hanjiao's cheeks flushed red, and her white dress made her look even more like a fairy descended from heaven.

She patted her daughter's hand and replied, "How could I not know what you're thinking? My daughter is more than capable of being a princess; she could even be a concubine in the palace."

"I don't want to go to the palace and become an empress!"

"When you were little, the fortune teller said you had the destiny of a phoenix, and I heard from your father that the Third Prince is currently the most prestigious, and in the future..."

"Mother means..." Gu Hanjiao was overjoyed.

"Shh, don't say such things out loud, or you'll get your father into trouble." She whispered to him, "The Second Prince's wife is going to hold a flower-viewing banquet on the sixth day of next month. All the young masters and ladies will be there, including the Third Prince."

"Wouldn't that be a banquet for selecting a consort for the Third Prince?"

"It's not quite that. It's probably because the Imperial Concubine wants to see if there's anyone she likes beforehand. Rather than being betrothed, she'd rather find someone she likes and is happy with." Wang Ruyan said, "In a few days, Mother will invite the embroiderers from Caiyi Pavilion to make you a new set of fashionable clothes, and then go to Duobao Pavilion to make you a set of jewelry. You should stay at home for the next few days and not go anywhere. Don't worry about Gu Qingwan's affairs anymore."

"Yes, Mother. Mother is the best to your child." Gu Hanjiao nestled on Madam Gu's lap and acted coquettishly. It was indeed the right decision to come back and discuss countermeasures with her mother. "By the way, Mother, Gu Qingwan said that she passed through Changqing on her way back and happened to meet her maternal grandmother. The Wang family asked her to bring some things back with her."

"Changqing?" Wang Ruyan wondered. What was Gu Qingwan doing in Changqing, and why did she coincidentally run into the Wang family? This made her suspicious. "What did she ask you to bring back?"

"My daughter looked at them and found that they were all local specialties from Changqing, similar to what her maternal grandmother sent in previous years, with nothing new or exciting."

"Oh, then maybe it was just a coincidence. It's nothing. I'll have Xue Niang take care of those things later."

"Yes, Mother, when you write to the Wang family next time, please also mention that we have everything we need in the capital, so don't send these local specialties, lest they look down on us."

"Alright, I understand. That's a token of your maternal family's goodwill. Your father will be back from court soon. You must be tired, so go back to your courtyard and rest."

"Yes, Mother. Oh, and don't forget my new clothes and jewelry, Mother."

"Go ahead, I won't forget." After watching her daughter leave, Wang Ruyan thought for a moment and then ordered her head maids Mu Chun and Nian Qiu to sort out the local specialties. Those that could be sent to the kitchen should be sent there, and those that couldn't be sent to the kitchen should be sorted out and given away as alms. This way, she could also earn a good reputation.

Ning San, who had been secretly following them, witnessed all of this.

Gu Qingwan couldn't help but sneer inwardly upon hearing this.

Gu Changfeng is the only heir of the Gu family. Prime Minister Gu has one son and three daughters. Gu Changfeng and Gu Hanjiao are born to the current Prime Minister's wife, while Gu Qingwan is born to the former wife. There is also a concubine's daughter.

Now that the former wife has passed away, Wang Ruyan has been promoted to the position. The old lady Gu felt that her son's offspring were too few, so she took in many concubines for him. The Prime Minister Gu's harem can be described as extremely lively.

As for Gu Changfeng, this spoiled brat who was pampered from childhood, he is a lecherous man who is always lecherous and often flaunts his status as the son of the prime minister. He is fearless and his family dotes on him like the apple of their eye. Although Prime Minister Gu hates him for being so useless, he is helpless to do anything about it.

So much so that this scoundrel also had lustful thoughts towards his own sister. In his past life, this scoundrel actually dared to sneak into her courtyard under the cover of darkness, trying to harass his half-sister while drunk. Gu Qingwan happened to catch him, smashed a vase over him, and he was knocked unconscious. What a useless piece of trash.

However, we could certainly put some effort into this aspect.

The fortune of a phoenix? It was through a fortune teller who appeared out of nowhere that Gu Hanjiao was said to have the fortune of a phoenix. This led Prime Minister Gu to spoil his daughter and carefully nurture her, hoping that she would become an empress in the future. Of course, Gu Hanjiao did not disappoint the Prime Minister's expectations.

Since Madam Gu and Gu Hanjiao care so much about this auspicious destiny, Gu Qingwan doesn't mind helping them out again.

"Ning Er, go and see if there are any fortune tellers who have suddenly appeared in the capital recently, the kind who wander around the streets and alleys. If you find any, keep an eye on them and report back to me immediately."

"I obey my orders."

"By the way," Gu Qingwan called out to him, "Safety is the most important thing in everything. The mission can fail, but I can't lose any of you."

"Yes!"