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

Gu Qingwan didn't care whether she had clothes to change into. In her opinion, changing clothes outside was a dangerous thing. Many noble ladies had lost their reputation and were forced to marry because of this.

Therefore, you should never think about changing clothes unless absolutely necessary. Also, you should wear as few accessories as possible when you go out, and even if you do wear them, you should make sure that the people around you, including yourself, remember what you have, down to a small handkerchief.

Siqi disliked the intricacies of young ladies' lives, especially the scene of two well-bred young ladies vying for the same man in the room. Even as a servant, she found it somewhat distasteful and unbearable to watch.

"Then let's take a walk outside. It's so polluted in there that even I can't stand it anymore."

"Why can't you stand it anymore? It would be so much better to watch the show from inside." Gu Qingwan said to Siqi as she searched for something along a familiar path.

"What's so interesting about that? Aren't you ashamed?"

"Be careful what you say," Gu Qingwan reminded her somewhat displeased. "This is someone else's residence. If they hear you, your young lady won't be able to protect you."

"No way! Even if Miss can't protect me, I'll run faster than a rabbit, hehehe."

Gu Qingwan noticed the large banyan tree in the garden. The wind rustled through the treetops, and the lush green shade made her feel incredibly cool.

Gu Qingwan stood there staring at the tree, lost in thought, when a maidservant ran over to ask if she was lost.

“Indeed, I was captivated by the scenery of the Prince’s residence. I’ll sit here for a while and then head back. You can go about your business.”

"Miss, would you like some tea?" The little maid certainly wouldn't dare let a stranger wander around the Third Prince's backyard; if the head steward found out, he would definitely scold her.

Gu Qingwan understood what the maid meant, so she readily agreed and said, "I was originally going to change my clothes in the carriage, but it's getting hot and my clothes are almost dry, so I'll sit under this big banyan tree to cool off for a while. Could you please pour me a cup of cool tea?"

The maidservant's eyes flickered as she said, "Please wait a moment, Miss. I'll bring you some tea right away."

"Go ahead, we won't wander off. Since we're here as guests, we won't cause any trouble for the Third Prince. If you're worried, you can inform the Third Prince."

"You flatter me, Miss. Please wait in the pavilion for a moment, and I'll be right back." The maidservant quickly curtsied and left.

Gu Qingwan looked at the beautiful figure. Was it a maid? Gu Qingwan recognized her.

That was Hongxiu, Xiao Yuheng's head maid. Why would I run into Hongxiu here? Gu Qingwan looked in the direction Hongxiu had left.

That's because Xiao Yuheng's study was not far away, and Hongxiu served in the study. Presumably, a servant they met on the way had gone to inform them, so Hongxiu came here specifically to stop them.

"This Hongxiu is no ordinary person."

"Hongxiu? Who is Hongxiu?" Siqi asked, somewhat confused.

"That little girl who just left is Hongxiu. You just need to remember what she looks like." After saying that, Gu Qingwan led Siqi down from the pavilion and walked towards the banyan tree.

Gu Qingwan remembered that it was this banyan tree. Every time she came back from outside, she would take a nap on this banyan tree. The cool breeze and lush foliage made Gu Qingwan feel that she had her own time and her own little world at that moment.

The wind came again, and the treetops swayed. Unfortunately, the tree was still the same tree, and the wind was still the same wind, but the person in the tree was probably not the same person anymore. Now she was under the tree. Gu Qingwan smiled but did not look up.

“Miss, I will never forget anyone I have met.” Siqi touched the big banyan tree. “Miss, this tree is quite old. It must be very cool in the summer with such a tree in the yard. Let’s plant one in our yard someday.”

"Silly girl, planting trees is a long-term project, it's not something you can just do on a whim. This Hongxiu is a maid in the Third Prince's study, she's very troublesome."

Gu Qingwan said to the big banyan tree, "But later your young lady will stay behind to chat with Hongxiu so you can learn how to be a qualified maid."

"Huh?" Siqi was suddenly completely bewildered. "Am I not qualified enough?"

"By the way, Siqi, you probably don't know this, but this big banyan tree is quite old. This mansion belonged to a minister from the previous dynasty. That minister was said to be very favored, so the courtyard is exceptionally large. However, the only drawback is that this minister was particularly fond of women."

Is there anything wrong with liking women?

"This minister prefers young girls, especially those who are just about to come of age; he could be their grandfather."

"Huh? How can he be so perverted? Doesn't he find it disgusting? Didn't his family try to stop him? Aren't they afraid of being criticized?" Siqi looked disgusted.

"Of course he's afraid. After all, he's an official in the capital, and his reputation is very important. So every time this official's son finds a young girl, he carries her in through a hidden side door of the mansion and then sends her through a secret door on the north wall of the study."

"His son also aided and abetted the evildoer?"

"More than that. Large families always have some unspeakable dirty deeds. What's so special about a son finding women for his father? It's shocking when both father and son enjoy playing with the same woman."

Siqi was speechless, her jaw practically dropping to her lips: "This is simply... horrifying."

"People say that the study is a place to read the books of sages, but the study is sacred on the surface. Who knows if a vase or a Pixiu could reveal a hidden world by moving around in it?"

“Miss, this kind of secret room design is really not clever. Using vases and the like as mechanisms and hidden doors is easy to be discovered, isn’t it…” Siqi looked down on such a simple mechanism.

"It's not very clever, but it works, so that's fine. What if other people have to turn it twice to open it?"

"Well... it's alright, but I don't think it's very good."

"So what if it's not clever? Someone still can't find it."

The person squatting on the book felt a little ashamed. The princess was right; he had come several times but had not found it.

The person perched in the tree was none other than Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi had been instructed by the prince to search for some items in the study of the demonic third prince. However, the courtyard of the study was very large and guarded by many overt and covert guards, making it difficult to enter. This had been keeping Xiao Yi scratching his head for quite some time.

Unexpectedly, the princess knew about it and insisted on telling the prince about it when she got back. Xiao Yi saw someone coming from the study and immediately seized the opportunity to slip away.

Just as Gu Qingwan finished speaking with Siqi, she saw Hongxiu carrying a tea tray walking over from the side path. At that moment, a gust of wind came, and Gu Qingwan's eyes narrowed into slits.

"This child is truly teachable."

Siqi also sensed something was wrong at this moment, and whispered in Gu Qingwan's ear, "Miss, do you smell a familiar scent?"

"Smell? What smell? I can't smell it. I guess it must be the aroma of tea that attracted you, you little glutton. Let's go back to that pavilion."

Gu Qingwan chatted with Hongxiu for a while, about the time it takes to drink another cup of tea, until the Third Prince and his entourage arrived.

Gu Qingwan noticed that it was almost time, so she let Hongxiu go.

"Greetings to Your Majesty." Hongxiu bowed her head and greeted the Third Prince respectfully.

"Get up."

"Why is my sister here? Didn't you go to change your clothes?" Gu Hanjiao asked knowingly. Gu Qingwan had left in a hurry, and even the carriage was intercepted by her father to go to court. How could she have had time to bring a change of clothes?

"I was originally going to change my clothes, but I was so captivated by the scenery at the Third Prince's residence that..."

"If Qingwan likes it, feel free to come more often in the future. If there's anything you don't like, just point it out, and I'll have someone fix it." Xiao Yuheng seemed very easy to talk to.

Gu Hanjiao felt as if a jar of vinegar had been overturned. She didn't care whether they were sisters or not, and immediately said, "I forgot, sister came in a hurry and didn't bring any change of clothes. Why didn't you tell me earlier that there were some in my carriage? We are about the same size, so mine is yours. You don't need to be so polite."

"My darling is still as sweet as ever." Looking at the two Gu sisters, Xiao Yuheng couldn't help but feel a surge of desire. If he could bring them both into his harem, he would truly enjoy the beauty of two women at once.

Look, there's a lovely cousin like Yu Xinqiu beside him. Xiao Yuheng suddenly felt that they were the women in his backyard.

Yu Xinqiu was adept at reading people from a young age; otherwise, she wouldn't have been chosen by the Imperial Concubine among the many Yu family children. When she noticed the Third Prince's gaze sweep over her, Yu Xinqiu quickly smiled and spoke up.

"Why bother having someone fetch it from the carriage? This place is very close to the backyard. If Miss Gu doesn't mind, Qiu'er has prepared many new clothes that haven't been worn before. Would you like Qiu'er to have a maid fetch them for you to change into?"

Gu Hanjiao almost crushed the fan in her hand when she heard this. It turned out that Yu Xinqiu already had a private room in the prince's residence, so she had gotten there first.

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Yu. Qingwan is not a worldly person. She was so captivated by the beautiful scenery that she came here to cool off. Fortunately, the Third Prince's residence is very hospitable, and her clothes have dried before she knew it."

"But there are still some water stains..."

"That's right, that's right. Sister, why don't you go with Miss Yu to change into a dress? I'll wait for you here. By the time you come back, it will be almost time for us to head back."

Gu Hanjiao would never miss a moment alone with the Third Prince.

When Xiao Yuheng heard that Gu Qingwan was going to change her clothes, he started to have a plan. This was a good opportunity to see if Gu Qingwan had the birthmark. If she did, then he would have a better chance of getting her.

If Gu Qingwan knew that Xiao Yuheng's wicked intentions were still alive, she would definitely kill him immediately.

Gu Qingwan's original intention was to bind this adulterous couple together tightly, and she was more than happy to create an opportunity for them now. Looking at Yu Xinqiu's appearance, Gu Qingwan felt that if she handled it well, it might even add some fun to Gu Hanjiao's married life.