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

After returning, the King of Chu went directly to the palace and told the Emperor what he had seen and heard at the banquet. The two brothers talked until the palace keys were issued, and only then did the King of Chu leave.

Back in the Prince's mansion, the cold and desolate atmosphere made him miss Gu Qingwan even more.

Although she is a cool and aloof person, you feel warm when she is around. She seems to keep people at arm's length, but as you get to know her, you realize that she is a woman who is both beautiful and intelligent, and deserves to be cherished.

Xiao Jingchen was unusually lost in thought, wondering what that girl Gu Qingwan was doing.

Thinking of this, the King of Chu took out a delicate little wooden box from a hidden compartment in the bookshelf. He carefully played with it for a while. This little thing was a mechanical box that he had someone find outside. He thought that the girl would like it.

At this moment, a knock on the door interrupted the King of Chu's thoughts, and he frowned.

"Come in."

The person who entered was none other than A Ning, dressed in a skirt. Ever since the prince kicked her out of the secret guards, A Ning had been staying in the prince's mansion as the daughter of the steward, and she had changed her previous tight-fitting clothes into women's attire.

Ah Ning also began to imitate the style of young ladies from noble families in the capital, but she was only imitating them, and it was somewhat like a poor imitation.

"Your Highness, you're back." A-Ning said with a gentle smile, her head bowed, revealing her snow-white neck.

"What's the matter?"

Ah Ning's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered. The prince had always been like this. Given time, she was sure she would win his heart.

"Your Highness, this is chicken soup that I made. You must be hungry since you came back so late. Please have some." As she spoke, she placed the food box in her hand on the desk in front of the Prince of Chu.

"No need. Don't go near the study unless you have something to do. You can take this chicken soup to Xiao Jia and the others."

King Chu has always been like this; he never shows any kindness to those he dislikes. What's more, this A Ning has violated his taboo. If it weren't for her brother's influence and the steward's intercession, she would have been dead long ago.

Ah Ning was hurt once again, but she knew she absolutely could not anger the prince again. So she raised her eyes with a hint of grievance and glanced at the prince, but he didn't even spare her a glance, let alone see her pitiful appearance.

Ah Ning bit her lip and whispered, "It's Your Highness."

As soon as he stepped out of the study, he heard someone inside say, "From now on, no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter my study. Anyone who fails to comply will be executed."

"It's Your Highness, I failed in my duty!" The guard at the door knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness.

At this moment, Ah Ning's eyes were filled with tears, feeling extremely wronged. The study used to be a place where she could come and go as she pleased. When did she become an irrelevant person?

She risked her life for the prince, only to be abandoned by him in the end because of a vile woman like Gu Qingwan. It must be something Gu Qingwan said.

After thinking it over, Ah Ning wiped away her tears and headed to Xiao Jia's residence with the food box. The prince said to serve the chicken soup to Xiao Jia, so she would deliver it there. Besides, she also wanted to find out what had happened to the prince on his journey.

When they arrived at Xiao Jia's room, they found that Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding were all chatting together. They were all stunned when they saw Aning come in, because apart from Xiao Yi, none of the others had ever seen Aning dressed as a woman before, and they were immediately amazed.

"So you're all here." A Ning smiled gently.

Everyone smiled awkwardly. Ah Ning always had a cold face before, and only the prince was lucky enough to see her gentle side.

Xiao Jia snapped out of her daze and said, "A Ning is here. Come in and sit down."

Ah Ning smiled and walked in gracefully, carrying a food box. After a moment of surprise, Xiao Yi quickly wiped the sunflower seed shells off his mouth with his sleeve. Seeing what Ah Ning was carrying, he quickly tidied up the table.

Xiao Yi chuckled and scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat bewildered.

"His Highness asked me to bring some chicken soup to Xiao Jia. I heard that Xiao Jia was injured on the way, so I came to check on him. Xiao Jia, how serious is your injury? Where are you hurt? I have some good wound medicine and some tonics that His Highness gave me. Do you need me to send them to you?"

The way Xiao Jia looked at him was so tender it could melt your heart; the atmosphere was just right. But then there was Xiao Yi, who spoiled the mood and opened the food box in a very unnatural way.

"Wow, this chicken soup smells amazing! Did we get a new cook? It smells so much better than usual."

Hearing this, Ah Ning didn't know what to feel. She was naturally happy that her hard-earned skills had been recognized, but this gift was specially prepared for the prince, yet the prince didn't even bother to look at it and directly gave it to his subordinate.

"The cook hasn't changed. This is something I made myself. I was thinking that you've finally come back from your trip, and I can't be with you this time. I'm worried about you and there's nothing I can do for you. So I made some food to express my feelings. If you like, there's some left in the kitchen. You can share it with your brothers."

"Uh..." Xiao Yi's hand, which was about to ladle soup, suddenly froze. How was he supposed to respond to this? This person had come specifically to see Xiao Jia, who was still sick. Even if he was a bit dim-witted, he could tell that this was an invitation to leave.

Xiao Jia was overwhelmed by this sudden joy. He secretly liked Aning, but this feeling was buried very deep, and even Xiao Yi, who was by his side, might not know it.

Having not seen Aning for some time, he naturally didn't notice anything amiss. However, seeing Aning's current change made Xiao Jia feel a little awkward, but he didn't dwell on it.

"Thank you very much, Aning." Xiao Jia quickly stood up and ladled out a bowl of chicken soup for himself; the temperature was just right.

"We never expected that Ah Ning would not only be good at martial arts and good-looking, but also have such excellent cooking skills!"

Hearing Xiao Jia's praise, A Ning smiled and lowered her head, like a shy little girl. Xiao Jia was a little stunned. You know, this Miss Ning is a person who can kill without hesitation. How could she be shy?

Xiao Yi, who was standing next to him, had a toothache. Well, he was just getting in the way, so he'd better leave quickly.

"You guys chat, I'm going to the kitchen to eat." Xiao Yi said as he walked. "Chicken soup is good, but it gets a bit greasy after a while. Aunt Li's dishes are much more appealing. I have to hurry or there won't be any left to eat."

After Xiao Yi left, the people in the previously lively room also dispersed, making the room feel somewhat awkward.

Xiao Jia naturally noticed it too. He coughed lightly and said, "Ah Ning, it's been a long time. You're getting more and more beautiful. Please sit down."

Seeing Xiao Jia's expression, Aning naturally understood his feelings. However, she had always regarded him as an older brother, and in her heart, Xiao Jia and Xiao Yi were just servants.

"Brother Xiaojia, please sit down. I heard you were injured. How is your injury?" A-Ning ladled a bowl of chicken soup for Xiaojia and pushed it in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jia's eyes darkened. "It's all my fault for being so useless and dragging the prince down with me."

Upon hearing this, A Ning became somewhat agitated and stood up anxiously, asking, "Your Highness? Your Highness returned with you this time. Was he also injured?"

"No, no, no, hiss..." Seeing Ah Ning so agitated, Xiao Jia quickly waved his hand to explain, but the movement was a bit too big, pulling at his wound and causing him to gasp for a moment.

"you……"

"It's alright, it's alright." Xiao Jia, disregarding his own pain, quickly comforted him, "Your Highness is not injured. It's just that Your Highness risked your life for us, which is our dereliction of duty as subordinates."

Hearing this, A-Ning nodded and sat down, saying, "Yes, it is true that your poor performance has implicated the Prince. It is indeed your dereliction of duty, and we must not let it happen again."

It's one thing to say it yourself, but it's even more heartbreaking for Xiaojia to hear it from her sweetheart.

"Yes, it's all my fault."

Perhaps sensing Xiao Jia's dejection, A Ning tried to make amends by saying, "You don't need to take it too hard. The prince didn't blame you. In fact, he sent me to bring you chicken soup to check on your injuries. Once you're better, you'll still be able to serve the prince."

Xiao Jia didn't say anything, just nodded and silently drank the chicken soup in his hand. But for some reason, he felt that the chicken soup in his hand was a little bitter. He had always known what A Ning was thinking. Seeing A Ning dressed like this, it would be difficult for Xiao Jia not to have wild thoughts.

"Let me serve you another bowl." Seeing that Xiao Jia had finished the bowl in his hand, Aning took it from him. "I started stewing this chicken soup this morning, and I also added ginseng. It's only mildly nourishing for the body."

"Thank you."

"What's this? By the way, Brother Jia, what exactly happened to you guys this time? Everything was fine when I came back from Xishan last time, how come..."

"I underestimated the enemy. I took Xiao Bing into the Western Hills without waiting for the prince's message. We didn't find anything there and even caused the prince to get trapped while trying to rescue us."

"What! That prince...?" A-Ning's heart tightened. Just now in the study, she was so focused on suppressing her joy that she hadn't paid attention to the prince's body.

Xiao Jia shook his head. "Fortunately, Miss Gu arrived in time..." Xiao Jia stopped speaking at this point. He knew he had said too much. If this got out, it would only damage Miss Gu's reputation.

"Miss Gu?" A Ning was a little confused. When did that sickly girl go to save the prince? And with that small frame, it's one thing if she doesn't hold the prince back, but how could she save someone?

"No, you misheard. There's no young lady here. Besides, given the prince's abilities, why would he need someone to rescue him?" Xiao Jia said no more and finished the rest of the chicken soup.

Ah Ning was certain she hadn't misheard, but the name still seemed unbelievable to her. After all, in her eyes, Gu Qingwan was just a woman confined to the household, relying on her family and men; she was hardly someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her husband.

Seeing that Aning wanted to ask more questions, Xiaojia neatly put the bowls in her hands into the food box. "It's getting late, Aning, you should go back so people won't gossip."

"Who in this mansion would dare to gossip about me?" Seeing that Xiao Jia was unwilling to say more, A Ning did not press the matter further.

"Then I won't bother you any longer. You should get some rest." She picked up her things and walked out.

"Ah Ning." Seeing that figure, Xiao Jia couldn't help but call out, and the figure paused for a moment.

"what happened?"

"It's nothing, I just feel like you're a little different," Xiao Jia said with difficulty. "Is it... something's wrong?"

A Ning didn't even turn her head, and chuckled to herself, "Who doesn't change? I think things are just right now. As for the difficulties... there are some, but no one can help me solve them."

“We grew up together since we were little, so feel free to tell me if you have any difficulties.”

"Heh, we'll talk about it later."

Aning left Xiaojia's room without lingering, leaving Xiaojia looking somewhat lonely inside.

On the way back, Aning began to ponder what Xiao Jia had said. She knew that Xiao Jia was always a cautious person and that he wouldn't say anything wrong, so it must be true that Miss Gu went to accompany the prince.

But is this Miss Gu really Gu Qingwan? According to her understanding, Gu Qingwan would never accompany the prince on an adventure. But how many Miss Gus are there in the capital?

Regardless, Aning sensed a sense of urgency.

She may not be able to become a princess, but she must become the first woman by the prince's side before the princess enters the mansion. Only in this way can she gain a foothold in the mansion.

But the prince's current attitude towards her left her helpless. She dared not seduce him again, for she was absolutely certain that he would kill her on the spot if it happened again.

But now, the prince has instructed the steward to hurry up and marry her off. If she really gets married, then she will have no chance at all.

So if the prince's approach doesn't work, there's only one way left: the princess. When the new princess enters the mansion, to consolidate her position, the princess can easily elevate her to the status of a concubine.

Although her ambition was not to become a concubine, she believed that as long as she had a status and became the prince's woman, she could become his secondary consort in the future, given her abilities.

When Aning finally found a way out, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed, as if the gloom of the past few days had dissipated.

She can just wait and not get married for now. As for occasionally making her presence known to the prince, that's fine. She has been with the prince for so long, so she naturally knows that what the prince likes most is a sense of propriety. She thinks that the prince won't force her to get married too much in the future.

There is no mistress in the house now, and the godfather is just a steward. If I can take control of the household affairs, it will be more beneficial to me in the future.

However, I have never learned anything about family management since I was a child. But it doesn't matter, I think it's not too late to learn from my godfather now.

Ah Ning couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when she thought about the prince being betrothed. However, without a princess, she couldn't take the next step. She was always conflicted, but after weighing the pros and cons, she felt that it would be better to accept it calmly.

I heard that Miss Biao went to see the Prince last time. I wonder what kind of person he is, and whether he can defeat Gu Qingwan. But since the Empress Dowager personally selected him, he can't be bad, right...?