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

The Third Prince has been well for some time now, so he is no longer bedridden. During the day, when he has nothing to do, he sits upright and reads a book. From a distance, he looks like a gentle and refined young master, and his profile alone is enough to captivate people.

Actually, this is also due to good genes. The Emperor looks extraordinary, and Consort Yu is the most favored concubine in the palace for her beauty. If the Crown Prince inherited the Emperor's resolute side, then the Third Prince inherited more of Consort Yu's appearance. Therefore, among the many princes, the Third Prince is still the most handsome.

Gu Qingwan and Gu Hanjiao followed the maid who was leading the way to the flower hall, where they saw this scene from the window.

Gu Qingwan didn't feel much about the Third Prince's hypocritical nature. Instead, every familiar brick, tile, blade of grass, and tree in the Third Prince's residence intensified the hatred in her heart.

This courtyard locked her life and imprisoned the Ning family for a lifetime. She would risk her life to smash this gilded but rotten courtyard to pieces.

"Sister, why do you look so pale?" Gu Hanjiao noticed Gu Qingwan's deathly pale face and wondered to herself if she had become intimidated by the grandeur of the Third Prince's residence.

"Thank you for your concern, little sister. Perhaps it's because it's too hot. You go ahead and I'll follow behind to catch my breath."

Hearing this, Gu Hanjiao wished Gu Qingwan would sit on the corridor and wait for her, but that would be too impolite. However, this way it was fine; walking in front of Gu Qingwan made her appear to be of higher status than Gu Qingwan.

"Then sister, please walk slowly. I'm here to protect you."

With a face full of apology, Gu Qingwan stepped aside slightly to let Gu Hanjiao go first.

Gu Hanjiao strode forward like a proud peacock, but when she reached the door and heard the sounds inside, her expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

A soft, concerned voice rang out in the room: "Cousin, you're still recovering, so it's best to use less ice."

"My cousin is right, but it's too hot today. If you don't cool yourself down, you'll be soaked in sweat in no time."

"Your aunt will scold you again if she finds out." As she spoke, a woman walked to the Third Prince's side and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"If my cousin doesn't tell, Mother won't know." The Third Prince gently held his little cousin's hand.

Gu Hanjiao stood at the door, listening to their intimate conversation, and her expression turned somewhat unpleasant. The little maid leading the way also looked a bit awkward, after all, the person standing in front of her was the future princess consort. Although the one inside was also the designated concubine, they hadn't officially entered into the marriage.

The woman here must be Yu Xinqiu, the legitimate daughter of the Yu family and the cousin of the Third Prince. Gu Hanjiao knew that they were close and would definitely want to get closer, but she didn't expect them to be this close. It's true that cousins ​​have never been good people.

"Hmph." Gu Hanjiao composed herself, lifted her skirt, and went inside. "I can't let the Imperial Concubine know anything. I want to know all the interesting things too."

Yu Xinqiu's hand, which was wiping the Third Prince's sweat, froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and stepped forward to greet him with a smile.

"It's Sister Gu! Come in and sit down. There's nothing interesting. It's just me joking around with my cousin. I wonder what kind of tea you like, sister? Someone, please bring you some flower tea."

As soon as Gu Qingwan entered, she heard the Yu family girl's speech. Her demeanor as the mistress of the house made them feel like guests. Her seemingly caring words didn't even give them a chance to answer; she was making decisions for them directly. As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Gu Qingwan was fine, but Gu Hanjiao probably felt bad, since she was the rightful prince.

Gu Hanjiao was not one to suffer a loss. She ignored Yu Xinqiu's enthusiasm and instead walked gracefully to the Third Prince to bow to him.

"Greetings to the Third Prince. Today, on Father's orders, my sister and I have come to visit you. We wish you a speedy recovery."

When Xiao Yuheng heard that Gu Qingwan had also arrived, he quickly looked towards the door and saw Gu Qingwan standing there, about to come this way.

I haven't seen her in a long time. I heard she was sick again. Today, she looked pale and frail, which made me feel sorry for her.

Xiao Yuheng accidentally touched his injured arm, his eyes somewhat blurred. It was this frail woman in front of him who had caused his arm to be in that state.

Gu Qingwan was the first woman he couldn't quite understand, and also the woman he wanted to investigate thoroughly.

"Get up. It's kind of you two sisters to come and visit me on such a hot day."

Gu Hanjiao readily stood up and said with a smile, "Jiao'er is fine. She's been worried about Heng-gege's health every day at home."

Although Gu Qingwan really didn't want to see Xiao Yuheng, she couldn't be impolite at this moment. Sometimes Gu Qingwan thought that she had so many opportunities to get close to him, and if it weren't for those entanglements, she might have killed the person in front of her long ago.

"Greetings to the Third Prince."

Xiao Yuheng put down the book in his hand and raised his hand slightly: "Miss Gu is a rare guest indeed. Your complexion looks worse than mine. Is this alright? Should we call the imperial physician to take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Hanjiao and Yu Xinqiu's expressions turned sour, especially Yu Xinqiu. As a woman, she could clearly sense that the most difficult Gu sister to deal with might not be Gu Hanjiao, but Gu Qingwan.

However, the person who bestowed the marriage was Gu Hanjiao, and had nothing to do with Miss Gu. Yu Xinqiu couldn't help but doubt her sixth sense. After thinking it over, she decided not to consider Gu Qingwan as a rival.

"Thank you for your kindness, Third Prince. Qingwan is fine." Gu Qingwan stood at the door and bowed. Although she kept her head down, she exuded a cold and aloof aura that made her unapproachable.

Seeing that Xiao Yuheng still wanted to say something to Miss Gu, Yu Xinqiu watched as the servants brought up the tea. She personally stepped forward, pushed past Gu Hanjiao, and changed the teacup for the Third Prince.

"Look, cousin's tea has gone cold. Sister, you should sit down and rest too."

Seeing that Gu Hanjiao was still ignoring her, Yu Xinqiu couldn't help but show a wronged expression in front of the Third Prince.

"Cousin...did Qiu'er do something wrong that made my sister unhappy?"

Gu Qingwan was quite pleased with the scene before her. She led Siqi to sit near the door, where the ventilation was good and it was cool, and they could also see what was happening inside.

Seeing Gu Qingwan sit down, the maidservant quickly handed her tea. Gu Qingwan nodded symbolically, but did not drink the tea served in the prince's residence.

Seeing Gu Qingwan's actions, Xiao Yuheng's expression turned somewhat displeased. He could see that Gu Qingwan was wary of him, and she wouldn't even touch the tea in his residence. He was in such a state that even if he had any thoughts, he couldn't act on them.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yuheng remembered the pill that Gu Qingwan had given him that day. He didn't know what it was for, and the pill's effect on his body had not yet been discovered. Even the imperial physicians couldn't figure it out.

Seeing his cousin's aggrieved look, Xiao Yuheng took the opportunity to vent his displeasure on Gu Hanjiao.

"Qiu'er kindly invited you to have tea, why did you ignore her?"

Gu Hanjiao did not panic. Instead, she calmly replied, "Brother Heng has misunderstood me. This young lady was very welcoming as soon as I entered. I am flattered and would like to thank her for her hospitality."

As she spoke, Gu Hanjiao gave Yu Xinqiu a polite bow. Yu Xinqiu was startled and quickly returned the bow. Although she was a daughter of the Yu family, the other party was, after all, a daughter of an official family, and there was a huge difference between her and her daughter of a merchant family. How could she accept her bow?

Gu Hanjiao still ignored Yu Xinqiu, and continued to explain to Xiao Yuheng in a low voice, pretending not to know him.

“Brother Heng, putting aside whether we know each other or not, it is disrespectful for you to chat with this young lady before even paying your respects to her. The nanny from the palace just taught me etiquette a few days ago, so it's not that I'm ignoring this young lady.”

Xiao Yuheng also knew that Gu Hanjiao was, after all, the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family. In the capital, apart from the royal children, other noble ladies all respected and yielded to her. Gu Hanjiao was also known for being easy to get along with. Qiu'er was just overthinking it.

"Jiao'er is very good at etiquette and math. It's my fault for not introducing her. Qiu'er, come here. These two are the daughters of Prime Minister Gu, Miss Gu Qingwan and Miss Gu Hanjiao. This is Yu Xinqiu, the eldest daughter of the Yu family, who is also my cousin."

"Greetings to my two elder sisters." Yu Xinqiu stepped forward shyly and bowed to Gu Qingwan and Gu Hanjiao.

Gu Qingwan stood up and returned the courtesy, as did Gu Hanjiao, but Gu Hanjiao said with a smile.

"So it's Miss Yu! Han Jiao, I'm so sorry for being so rude. I've long heard that the Imperial Concubine's family produces beauties, and seeing them today, I can confirm that they are truly extraordinary."

When Yu Xinqiu heard Gu Hanjiao mention Consort Yu, she knew that Gu Hanjiao was still wary of the Consort, and she immediately felt more confident. "Sister is joking. In terms of beauty, I am not even one ten-thousandth as beautiful as you. In the capital, who does not know that you are the most beautiful woman in the capital?"

Gu Hanjiao was not angry and replied with a smile, "It's just some people in the capital who think highly of me and are praising me. It's nothing to mention. However, Miss Yu is probably mistaken. There are only three sisters in our Gu family. Besides my older sister, there is also a younger sister born out of wedlock in the mansion. So, Miss Yu's address of 'older sister' is probably inappropriate."

Yu Xinqiu bit her lip. How could she not understand that Gu Hanjiao was mocking her for being inferior to an illegitimate child, and not even having the right to call her "sister"?

Yu Xinqiu didn't want to call her "sister" either. If it weren't for her aunt having already decided that she would be the third prince's concubine, and Gu Hanjiao being the betrothed third prince's wife, Yu Xinqiu wouldn't want to be wronged by calling her "sister." She didn't believe that Gu Hanjiao didn't know who she was and must be deliberately making things difficult for her.

Yu Xinqiu's face flushed red, as if she had been slapped. She stepped forward and said softly, "I'm sorry, Miss Gu. I was impolite and presumptuously tried to establish a relationship with you..."

As she spoke, Yu Xinqiu glanced at the Third Prince with red eyes.

Xiao Yuheng was indifferent, and even somewhat enjoyed it. In his opinion, Gu Hanjiao must have found out her cousin's identity, so she was making things difficult for her. But what did it matter? It was just jealousy between women. A little bit of bickering was actually quite amusing. Maybe he could even show Gu Qingwan how much women liked him.

If Gu Qingwan knew that Xiao Yuheng had such thoughts, she would definitely pick up the teacup in front of her and throw it at him. Doesn't he even know who he is? He actually likes women fighting over him. He is truly the epitome of a scumbag.

Seeing that the Third Prince did not intend to show favoritism, Gu Hanjiao felt somewhat relieved. She thought that no matter what her cousin was like, the Third Prince would not dare to truly offend his father.

Gu Hanjiao sat back down, picked up her teacup but didn't drink the tea that Yu Xinqiu had arranged; she just glanced at it.

"Someone, this flower tea smells a bit too strong. Could you please bring me a cup of jasmine tea? The flavor is lighter. Would you like a different one, sister?"

Gu Qingwan didn't care what kind of tea it was, but knowing that this was to help Gu Hanjiao get revenge, she didn't mind giving Gu Hanjiao a hand and said, "Sister's suggestion is excellent. By the way, didn't you have something to give to the Third Prince?"

Upon hearing Gu Qingwan speak, Xiao Yuheng immediately picked up the conversation, "Oh? Miss Gu has prepared something for this prince?"

"I heard that the Third Prince's leg is injured, but I didn't expect that his hearing is also not working well. I was referring to the gift that my sister prepared."

"How dare you! How can Miss Gu be so disrespectful to the Third Prince!" Yu Xinqiu was already angry, and now that Gu Qingwan had come up to her, she was not polite at all and didn't care about being an eunuch or a merchant.

However, Xiao Yuheng did not seem angry at all. Instead, he asked Gu Hanjiao, "It's alright. We're all quite familiar with each other, so it's good that we can talk freely. By the way, what good things has Jiao'er prepared?"

Yu Xinqiu twisted her handkerchief without making a sound.

"I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it, Chunlu, hurry up and take the things out."