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

As instructed, Chunlu presented the prepared food box. Upon opening the lid, steam slowly rose from within, piquing everyone's curiosity.

Chunlu carefully took out the first layer of the food box, which contained a box of ice cubes. Then she took out a plate from the food box, opened the lid of the plate, and saw several pink dumplings lying on it.

Xiao Yuheng had never seen anything like it before. Even though he grew up in the palace and his mother was very wealthy, he had never heard of such a thing.

"What is this?"

"Replying to the Third Prince, these are snacks made by our young lady herself. They are perfect for summer, as they have a cooling and refreshing effect and can stimulate the appetite. Our young lady's arms are so sore from making these desserts that she can hardly lift them."

"Chunlu, why did you have to be so talkative?" Gu Hanjiao seemed to be scolding Chunlu for being so talkative, but in reality she was quite satisfied with Chunlu's performance. In Gu Hanjiao's mind, she believed that any effort she made should be known to others; doing things silently without anyone knowing was just foolish.

"Oh? Jiao'er cooked herself? I didn't know Jiao'er had such skills."

Yu Xinqiu, standing to the side, scoffed while holding a handkerchief, saying, "I've heard that the noble ladies in the capital never lift a finger to cook. What, would Miss Gu personally cook? I've heard that the kitchen is full of fumes. I wonder if Miss Gu can handle it?"

"As long as it's good for Brother Heng, I will do my best to do it, no matter what it is."

At this moment, Chunlu stood up to speak for her young mistress, "What are you saying, Miss Yu? Does that mean it's shameful for the Third Prince to cook?"

"The Prime Minister's family upbringing is truly excellent; even a lowly maid dares to speak like that."

Hearing Yu Xinqiu's sarcasm, Chunlu felt that she had no right to speak in this situation and didn't know what to do.

After all, this involves the Gu family's upbringing. If Gu Qingwan, the eldest daughter, doesn't step forward to protect the Gu family at this time, then it will be another troublesome matter when the Prime Minister finds out.

"It is not for Miss Yu to comment on the upbringing of the Prime Minister's family."

Gu Qingwan stood up and stepped forward, saying, "Let's not talk about what happened earlier. Just now, when His Majesty bestowed the marriage, he praised the Gu family's good family traditions. So, Miss Yu, are you questioning His Majesty's intentions by raising these questions?"

"You!" Yu Xinqiu never expected that Gu Qingwan, who had always been silent like a decorative vase, would stand up and speak at this moment.

"Miss Gu, what are you saying? Qiu'er was just marveling that someone as pampered as the Second Miss would actually go into the kitchen to cook soup. After all, even in our family, we would hire servants to do such things."

"Cooking for your fiancé is nothing special. Miss Yu will understand the joy of it once she has a husband and gets married."

Gu Hanjiao raised an eyebrow, not expecting Gu Qingwan to speak up for her at this moment.

Yu Xinqiu was speechless. Although it was predetermined that she would become the Third Prince's concubine, it was not publicized or announced. She couldn't very well announce that her future husband was the Third Prince. She had to swallow this bitter pill.

“What the young lady says is true, cousin. Look, Qiu’er has embarrassed you.”

Xiao Yuheng patted Yu Xinqiu's hand casually, indicating that she shouldn't take it too seriously.

Gu Qingwan couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing. Xiao Yuheng was just such a person who weighed the pros and cons. The Yu family was his money bag, and the Gu family was his support in the court. He couldn't offend either of them, but he had to keep them in check.

So he let Gu Hanjiao and Yu Xinqiu fight it out, while he watched from the sidelines. Whoever was weaker, he would give her a treat, firstly to appease the one who lost and encourage her, and secondly to warn the one who was gaining momentum to be mindful of her status.

Gu Hanjiao noticed that the Third Prince treated this cousin with the same special affection as her mother had said, so she glanced at Yu Xinqiu a few more times. She was indeed a difficult person to deal with.

"Hey, why are you saying all this? Brother Heng, come and take a look. This is a dessert that Jiao'er made. It's called Snow Mochi. It's hot and it's hard to store. Brother Heng, come and try it."

The Third Prince, being a royal descendant, was very particular about his food and its elegance. Gu Hanjiao personally stepped forward and cut a snow skin mooncake into four small pieces with a knife, then placed one of the pieces on a small plate offered by Chunlu and handed it to the Third Prince.

Xiao Yuheng picked up the small plate and gently scooped up a spoonful of the filling and skin together, instantly filling his body with a milky aroma and a refreshing coolness.

"How is this made? It's so delicious! The texture is delicate, slightly sweet but not cloying, and it's icy cold. I've never heard of anything like it."

Seeing the deep affection on the Third Prince's face, Gu Hanjiao expressed her satisfaction with the feedback, "It's good that Brother Heng likes it. The outer skin of this mochi is made of glutinous rice flour, and the inside is made of simple ingredients such as eggs and milk. There's nothing special about it."

"Jiao'er, don't be modest. Even the chefs in the palace can't make something this good."

Yu Xinqiu was seeing this for the first time. It was pink and cute, and after hearing the Third Prince's description, she wanted to try it even more.

Gu Qingwan was also very curious. If she had known there was something like this today, she should have brought Ruhua with her. Ruhua could have figured it out just by taking a look. Her culinary talent was no joke.

"Qingwan and Qiu'er, you should try some too."

"Brother Heng, there are only three today, I'm afraid it won't be enough to share." Heaven knows how difficult this thing is to make, and Gu Hanjiao was a hundred thousand times against sharing it with them.

"It's okay, there are still three small pieces left, one for each of you three."

“But this was made especially for Brother Heng…” Gu Hanjiao looked at Gu Qingwan with a troubled expression.

Gu Qingwan couldn't help but sigh. Fortunately, she remembered the appearance and recipe of the Snow Mochi. She would tell Ruhua about it later. Besides, she really didn't dare to eat anything made by Gu Hanjiao. Heaven knows what kind of things such a young lady who couldn't take care of herself could make.

“What my sister says is true. The food is rather scarce, and the Third Prince is ill, so he should eat it all by himself. Perhaps eating it will improve his appetite, and that will put His Majesty and the Empress at ease.”

"Qingwan is right, but such a good thing must be sent to Father and Mother to try as well. Someone pack up the remaining two, put ice back in them, and send them to the Imperial Concubine as fast as possible."

As soon as Xiao Yuheng finished speaking, a maid came forward and wrapped the food box back up as before, leaving only the small one that the Third Prince had eaten.

"It's just that it's not quite right for me, the prince, to enjoy this all by myself like this." It was a bit embarrassing for a grown man to be watched by three women while he ate dessert.

"Cousin, you're not fully recovered yet. Don't eat too much cold food. The imperial physician said so." Yu Xinqiu didn't want Gu Hanjiao to steal the limelight, so she could only try to salvage the situation with words.

"Qiu'er, this stuff is really delicious, why don't you try some?"

Yu Xinqiu shook her head and said, "You can save the good stuff for your cousin. I'm just advising you not to eat cold things. What good stuff can't our Yu family get? Speaking of good stuff, look what I brought you, cousin."

As she spoke, Yu Xinqiu took out a jade pendant from her purse.

"What is this?" Xiao Yuheng asked, somewhat puzzled. However, when he held the jade pendant in his hand, a cool but not piercingly comfortable sensation spread from his palm.

Xiao Yuheng asked with some surprise, "Is this ice jade?"

"My cousin is only half right. This is Frost Jade. My brother was lucky enough to buy it from a merchant at a high price. I heard that it was a small piece of ice jade that was dug out from the thousand-year-old ice, so it should be Frost Jade. Although this jade is born from ice, it is extremely nourishing. Wearing it in the summer will make your body more comfortable."

Xiao Yuheng played with the Frost Jade in his hand, reluctant to put it down. Such a good thing was definitely not as simple as Yu Xinqiu said. It not only required luck to obtain it, but also a lot of money. The Yu family had never been stingy with him.

Gu Hanjiao was so angry that she twisted the handkerchief in her hand. She had put a lot of effort into making the pastries, but they couldn't compare to a piece of jade that she had bought with money.

Seeing that Gu Hanjiao was about to retort to Yu Xinqiu, Gu Qingwan lost interest in staying any longer. Her purpose in coming today was not simply to accompany Gu Hanjiao to see Xiao Yuheng. At this moment, Gu Qingwan inappropriately knocked over the teacup in front of her, instantly wetting her skirt.

"Miss, be careful!" Siqi called out from the side.

“This…” Gu Qingwan quickly stood up and wiped herself with the handkerchief in her hand.

"How are you? Are you burned?" Xiao Yuheng asked anxiously. If he weren't so physically disabled, he would have already gone to check on you.

"It's alright. Fortunately, the tea wasn't very hot. It's just that my dress is wet. Qingwan needs to go change her clothes. I apologize for disturbing the Third Prince's enjoyment."

Gu Hanjiao and Yu Xinqiu were caught off guard, but Gu Hanjiao secretly hoped that Gu Qingwan would get out of the Third Prince's sight as soon as possible.

"Someone, take Miss Gu to the side room to change her clothes," Xiao Yuheng ordered.

"There's no need to trouble the maids in the Third Prince's residence. There are clothes on the carriage. I'll be right back."

"Just have your maid fetch it. It would be good for you to rest in the side hall. If you feel uncomfortable, you can have your sister or Qiu'er accompany you."

The two people who were named didn't want to accompany Gu Qingwan to change clothes, since if one of them went, it would give the other a chance to be alone with the Third Prince.

Gu Qingwan cursed Xiao Yuheng in her heart for being a leopard that could never change its spots.

"We sisters are here as guests, especially Qingwan, who is visiting your home for the first time. As a woman, she wouldn't know if she accidentally left anything behind or if anything is missing from your home. Thank you for your kindness, Third Prince, but it's no trouble at all."

With that, Gu Qingwan left with Siqi.

Gu Qingwan knew exactly what Xiao Yuheng was planning. If she really went to the side hall of the prince's residence as he said, and lost a handkerchief or other personal items while changing clothes, Gu Qingwan would have no way to explain herself.

Not to mention, given Xiao Yuheng's wicked nature, if he were to suddenly appear and barge into her changing room, ruining her reputation, even though the Emperor would criticize him, it wouldn't be impossible to take the risk for the sake of the Ning family.

"Miss, we came in a hurry and didn't bring any change of clothes. Your dress is all wet, what are we going to do?" Siqi asked from beside her.

"It's alright if you don't have any clothes. This garment is a darker color, so it won't be too noticeable. It'll be fine once it dries." Gu Qingwan led Siqi into the garden of the prince's residence without any concern.

"what?"

"You haven't seen the garden of the Third Prince's residence, have you? I haven't either. The clothes are dry, so it would be good for us to take a stroll together in a while."