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

She had originally planned to go out that afternoon, but Ning Chenghao, who came to find her after school to eat and play, held her back. So, she had no choice but to ask Ru Hua to go to the kitchen to make him his favorite lotus leaf chicken and snowflake rolls.

Therefore, the plan to collect the dowry was delayed until the next day.

The next morning, after having breakfast with her maternal grandmother, aunt, and the rest of the family, Gu Qingwan told Old Madam Ning about her plans. Old Madam Ning gave her permission, and Gu Qingwan then took Siqi, Shishu, Ning Yi, and Ning Er and set off in a carriage.

Today, Gu Qingwan wore a wide-mouthed blouse embroidered with auspicious clouds and lotus leaves. The hem of the skirt was hand-painted with a traditional Chinese ink painting of "a small lotus bud just showing its pointed tip." Although it was called an ink painting, it was more like an embroidery by a skilled embroiderer. With each step she took, it seemed as if the little fish inside the skirt began to swim, and the lotus leaves swayed in the wind.

"Let's go to the Treasure Pavilion first."

Duobaoge is the most popular jewelry shop in the capital, but no one knows that this jewelry shop belongs to Gu Qingwan. Over the years, most of the exquisite pieces produced in the shop have been designed by Gu Qingwan. Of course, some of them were designed by people Gu Qingwan commissioned. As for who she commissioned, we will keep that a secret for now.

As the name suggests, Duobaoge has a wide variety of novel and fashionable jewelry. It is probably more popular with customers than any other jewelry store in the entire capital. Of course, the prices here are also generally higher than other stores, which is a kind of positioning.

This multi-treasure shop caters to the elite and nobility. If it's too cheap, they'll think it's cheap. In this era where everything is about comparison, the more expensive it is, the more it shows how rich and powerful one's family is. Who cares about a few measly coins?

This treasure pavilion is indeed an attic, located at the corner of a street intersection. No business owner likes such a location, feeling that having so many roads leading to the door is like scattering wealth. But Gu Qingwan thinks it's an excellent location.

This noblewoman always travels in a carriage, larger and more spacious than others. The location is convenient, with wide roads and plenty of parking.

So Gu Qingwan took a liking to her mother's worst shop and revitalized it by moving one of her jewelry stores there. The shopkeeper here only admired the young lady's wisdom back then and did not mistreat Gu Qingwan because of her youth.

Because they arrived early and there were no customers in the shop yet, Gu Qingwan led Si Qi and Shi Shu through the side door into the inner hall with ease. The owner inside immediately greeted his mistress with a smile as soon as he saw her.

"Miss, you've returned from the border!"

"I just arrived a few days ago. How's business at the shop these days, Uncle Wu?"

"Thanks to Miss's good fortune, the business is running quite well. Would you like to have the ledgers brought out for a look?"

Gu Qingwan nodded. Uncle Wu instructed the young shop assistant to bring over all the account books. Gu Qingwan looked at the account books and nodded, noting that they were very meticulous. She took out a stack of white paper from her sleeve, and Shishu took it and handed it to Uncle Wu.

"Miss, these are your designs!" Uncle Wu looked at the design drafts; such novel patterns were definitely not found anywhere else in the capital.

"No, it was designed by Madam Li."

"Young Miss, who exactly is this lady? Why don't we pay a high price to bring her to our side? That way, she can produce more works, and wouldn't our business be even better?"

“Uncle Wu, things are valued for their scarcity. Sometimes having too much is not a good thing. As for Madam Li, don't think about her anymore. She's just doing a part-time job for us.” Gu Qingwan looked around, glanced at the patterns in the display case, and nodded. “I came today because I have something to tell you…”

A carriage stopped at the entrance of an alley. After a short while, a guard ran over to report, "Your Highness, it is Miss Gu's carriage."

The person inside nodded and then fell silent.

Xiao Yi, the bodyguard following outside, couldn't help but roll his eyes again. The prince was on his way to the palace to see the emperor, but as he was walking, a carriage came towards him, and he seemed to hear coughing coming from inside, which turned the prince into this.

When the bodyguard Xiao Yi returned last time, he told the steward that the prince had feelings for Miss Gu. As a result, the prince sent him to the torture chamber and subjected him to inhumane training. Now that he's finally allowed some fresh air, he has to stay in this alley with the prince again.

A short while later, Gu Qingwan finished giving her instructions and left Duobaoge with her entourage. Xiao Yi, without the prince's permission, followed them at a distance in his carriage.

Inside the carriage, Gu Qingwan thought for a moment and said to Ning Yi, who was driving outside, "Ning Yi, I need to go out tonight to find Lady Li. You'll come with me then."

"It's Miss."

"Is Miss going with Ningyi by herself? Should we come along too?" Siqi asked.

"No need. Too many people will only attract attention. This time, as usual, I'll just take Ningyi with me. You all have things to do."

"Miss, what do we need to do?"

“Ning Er has found a Taoist priest. This priest may not have any other skills, but he is first-rate at deceiving people. Siqi, you will go with Ning Er tonight to find this Taoist priest. We must make sure that this Taoist priest works for us, no matter what method we use.”

"Miss, you're sending Siqi? You don't mean you're planning to have Siqi seduce that Maoshan Taoist priest, do you?"

Ning Er's uncontrollable laughter could be heard from outside the car.

"Ning Er! If you dare to eavesdrop again, I'll get out and beat you up!" Si Qi cried out in the car, but Ning Er outside didn't respond.

This Maoshan Taoist priest indeed had no real skills, but he was eloquent and very good at deceiving people. Not long after arriving in the capital, he had many noble ladies who believed him without a doubt. Back then, Xiao Yuheng brought this man under his wing, which made his own promotion even more powerful. The so-called chosen one was just something this man said casually.

This time, let Gu Qingwan intercept it. Even if she can't use it for herself, she can't leave it to Xiao Yuheng. Absolutely not!

"Siqi, remember this: if this person can't be used by us, then you must be ruthless and cripple him. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss, you can rest assured."

This is why Siqi was sent instead of Shishu. Among the four maids, Siqi is the most decisive and can be ruthless in critical moments. This is also one of the reasons why Siqi is the best in martial arts among the four.

Baoqin is indecisive and suitable for a housekeeper to manage her daily life. Ruhua is innocent and a little timid. Shishu doesn't talk much, but she is very good at managing accounts. That's why I took Shishu with me this time. When closing the shop, I definitely need to look at the account books. With Shishu by my side, it will be much more efficient.

"Miss, it seems someone is following us outside," Ning Yi whispered from outside the window.

"who is it?"

Gu Qingwan quietly lifted the curtain at the back of the carriage and saw that there was indeed another carriage following them at a distance. However, upon closer inspection, she realized that it was none other than the carriage of Prince Chu, Xiao Jingchen.

"It's alright, let's keep going to Caiyi Pavilion."