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

With the lady confined to the small ancestral hall, there was no one to manage the mansion for the time being. Gu Ziming was too busy to personally inquire about these matters.

The old lady would not miss such a good opportunity. She had been lying on the bed groaning in a sickly state, but as soon as she heard that Wang Ruyan had been locked up, she immediately felt energetic. With Rou Niang serving her every day, she felt even more refreshed.

In fact, the old lady was not sick at all. Instead, Gu Hanjiao had given her a slow-acting poison, intending to make her confused and trick her into handing over all her gold and silver treasures.

However, Gu Hanjiao was not good at doing things. She would have succeeded sooner or later if she had done it herself, but she disliked the smell of the elderly and was unwilling to do it herself. So she bribed some maids to put things in the old lady's food every day.

Gu Hanqing, who frequently visited, learned of this matter, which also aroused Gu Qingwan's suspicion. Under Gu Qingwan's instruction, Rou Niang appropriately gave the old lady a small amount of the antidote in the past few days, which led to the old lady's radiant appearance and her attempt to take charge of the household affairs.

Wang Ruyan was originally very confident in managing the household affairs. Although Concubine Rou was favored, Gu Ziming would definitely not let her worry or get tired because she was pregnant. Another Concubine Li was so frightened by Feng'er a while ago that she didn't dare to bring her little illegitimate daughter to compete with her for anything.

There are two legitimate daughters in the family. It makes no sense that the eldest legitimate daughter, who is in charge of the household, should not let her daughter, who is about to become the princess, take over and learn from her. Therefore, although Wang Ruyan was confined to the Buddhist hall, she knew very well that Gu Ziming would naturally have someone release her soon enough.

But to her utter surprise, the old lady she thought was terminally ill actually became powerful, her illness miraculously improved, and she even successfully took over the family business. How could she not be resentful?

"Once I get out, none of you will escape!"

Little did she know that Gu Qingwan's plan was to keep Wang Ruyan trapped in the Buddhist hall, while still keeping her informed about what was happening outside, making her anxious and helpless.

That day, the old lady felt very refreshed, so she asked Aunt Rou to instruct everyone to come and pay their respects to her and have a good time.

So, apart from Gu Ziming, who was attending court, and Wang Ruyan and her husband, who were locked up in the small ancestral hall, Gu Hanjiao also came dressed up beautifully.

“My sister looks to be in great spirits, not at all worried about Madam and Brother Feng,” Gu Qingwan said first.

“Mother and brother did something wrong, and it’s right for Father to punish them. Does Sister think there’s something wrong with Father’s decision?” Gu Hanjiao didn’t back down at all.

Recently, because her mother lost control of the household affairs, the servants in the mansion have started to neglect them. However, since Gu Hanjiao is already the future Third Prince's wife, they are still behaving properly on the surface. They don't try to curry favor, but they also won't find any faults.

The old lady took the opportunity to replace many people, but what she didn't know was that the people she replaced were all arranged in advance by Gu Qingwan.

"My sister's magnanimity in being able to put aside her own family for the greater good is truly a sign of royalty. We elder sisters have been greatly impressed."

Gu Hanjiao wasn't unaware that Gu Qingwan was being sarcastic towards her, but she didn't know what was wrong with Gu Qingwan today. She usually treated Gu Qingwan like a mute, but today she was speaking to her with barbs.

"Sacrificing family for the greater good?" The old lady was displeased upon hearing this. "What do you mean by sacrificing family for the greater good? Even if she becomes a royal wife, she shouldn't forget her roots. Besides, she's not even married yet, and she's already disregarding the lives of her mother and brother?"

"Grandmother, I..."

"I heard about this from your father. It was thanks to Qingwan who happened to pass by and saved my Feng'er. Otherwise, our only son would have suffered."

"Grandmother, what are you saying? Our family will definitely prosper. You can tell just by looking at Aunt Rou's belly. Grandmother is such a blessed person. Maybe she can give you another grandson."

Gu Qingwan's words made the old lady extremely happy. Any elderly person likes to hear that her descendants are numerous and thriving.

"Look how eloquent Qingwan is becoming."

Everyone laughed along, and Aunt Rou also joked, "I take the eldest young lady's good wishes. My aunt also said that this baby will definitely be a boy. As long as it makes my aunt happy, that's all that matters."

"I'm so happy, this old woman is the happiest." The old lady didn't care about anyone else and hugged Aunt Rou tightly, showing her love and tenderness.

Gu Hanjiao felt her back teeth ache from the sourness. She couldn't hold back and said, "Grandmother said that Jiao'er doesn't cherish the affection between siblings. Grandmother is only concerned about an unborn child now. You've almost forgotten that your grandson, whom you've doted on since he was a child, is kneeling in the ancestral hall."

The old lady frowned and said, "Are you blaming me? Feng'er is a man. It's nothing for him to kneel for a day or two. I've already asked your father, and he'll be released in the next couple of days. Besides, I've had people send Feng'er delicious food every day. How could I mistreat my only grandson?"

"Then it seems that Jiao'er has misunderstood. Brother was punished by Father and no one else is allowed to visit him. Jiao'er is worried about brother."

"What! They actually invoked family discipline! Why didn't anyone tell me?" The old lady stood up in surprise.

Gu Hanjiao glanced at Aunt Rou and said, "Grandmother didn't know about this. Someone must have deliberately kept it from you. I wonder what good would it do that person if something happened to my brother?"

The old lady immediately understood the implication in Gu Hanjiao's words and stared at Aunt Rou seriously, asking, "Rou'er, I'll only ask you one question: do you know about this matter?"

Aunt Rou opened her mouth, then knelt on the ground with great difficulty, saying, "Aunt, Rou'er dares not lie to you. I only found out about this recently, but my cousin told me not to tell you. I... Rou'er..."

The old lady sighed. This child lived cautiously in the mansion, not daring to offend anyone or disobey her. Although she could still protect her, a woman who lost her husband's favor would not live long in the inner courtyard.

"Oh, you're so heavy, get up."

Gu Qingwan chimed in, "Indeed, Father did not allow anyone to visit. At that time, Madam was also confined to the small Buddhist hall, and Grandmother was not in good health, so no one dared to come and disturb Grandmother's peace."

"Hmph, whether she can't stand to see the three of us doing well or she doesn't want to bother her grandmother, we're not sure yet," Gu Hanjiao said sarcastically.

Gu Qingwan did not refute Gu Hanjiao, but suggested to the old lady: "Now that Grandmother seems to have recovered and is managing our household, why don't you let Jiao'er go and see Fengdi? After all, they are siblings. Even if Father finds out, he won't blame you too much for Grandmother's sake."

"Me? Why should I go!" Gu Hanjiao was the first to object; she was eager not to see the brother who had made her lose face.

The old lady looked at Gu Hanjiao with some displeasure, "What do you mean?"

Gu Hanjiao realized she had lost her composure and quickly organized her thoughts to try and smooth things over: "Grandmother, you've misunderstood. I sent someone to visit my brother that day, but they were stopped outside by Father's men. Through my persistent efforts, I found out that my brother had been punished with a beating, and the injury was in that spot..."

Seeing that the old lady still didn't understand her meaning, Gu Hanjiao simply spoke more bluntly.

“Jiao’er is already engaged to a royal bride. Although he is my own brother, there is still a difference between men and women. If word gets out, rumors will spread like wildfire. Even if Jiao’er herself doesn’t care, she should at least consider our family’s reputation, right?”

The old lady thought there was some truth to it.

"Then Qingwan, go ahead. Qingwan, take the medicine to your younger brother while you're at it, and watch as someone applies the medicine for him before you come back."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Rou gripped her handkerchief tightly. This old lady was far too biased! Was she afraid that Gu Hanjiao would affect her reputation? Did she think that the eldest young lady wasn't a lady of the house and didn't have a good reputation? Did she think she wouldn't be allowed to get married in the future? This favoritism was outrageous.

Just as Aunt Rou was about to speak up for Gu Qingwan, she saw Gu Qingwan quietly shake her head at her, so she refrained from making a decision.

Gu Hanjiao immediately thought this was exactly what she wanted to hear, and quickly said with a smile, "That's great! Big brother was saved by eldest sister, and I'm sure he wants to thank her in person. It would be best if eldest sister could come over. Even if father finds out, I'm sure he wouldn't have the heart to scold her because of his love for eldest sister."

The old lady also had her own ulterior motives. She had just gained the power to manage the household and did not want to offend her son so soon. However, she also wanted others to know that the power she held was real and that even the head of the family had to give way to her. Therefore, she still wanted to handle the matter in a more gentle way.

Everyone chatted with the old lady for a while, until she became somewhat weak, and then they all took their leave. Aunt Rou, feeling unwell, also hurried back to rest, as she would have to come and take care of the old lady when she woke up.

Only Gu Hanqing seemed a little absent-minded. He would glance at Gu Qingwan from time to time, as if he had something to ask but didn't know how to start.

Even after Aunt Li pulled her away, Gu Hanqing still didn't go to find Gu Qingwan.

Gu Hanjiao went to her mother early to explain her plans, but when she arrived at the entrance of the small Buddhist hall, the old woman guarding the door refused to let her in.

"Second Miss, you should go back to your own courtyard and stay there. Otherwise, you might be the next one to be confined."

"You sycophants, are you trying to torment my mother and me now that she's fallen from power? Can't I even go to see her?"

"Second Miss, please don't make things difficult for us servants. Master said no one is allowed to visit, and that's final. You should go back. Maybe Master will calm down soon and release Madam."

Gu Hanjiao stopped arguing with these people. Seeing that she couldn't discuss her plan with her mother, Gu Hanjiao decided to take matters into her own hands this time.

"Chunlu, go tell your cousin Wang to go to the ancestral hall from the garden tonight..."

"Miss... what if this gets discovered?" Chunlu was also a little scared. The second young lady was going to ruin the eldest young lady's future.

"Are you stupid? Don't ask my cousin Wang out in my name. Ask him out in my older sister's name. Even if something happens, it'll be because my older sister couldn't stand being alone, you understand? At worst, my cousin Wang can just say he secretly came to visit my brother."

“Miss…” Chunlu was still a little scared, “At this critical juncture, if anything else happens, what will happen to Master…”

"Why do you care so much? Just do what I tell you to do. I'll take care of everything."

Chunlu reluctantly ran out to deliver the message. Gu Hanjiao watched Chunlu's departing figure, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction. Gu Qingwan, Gu Qingwan, now you have to get married whether you like it or not.