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

Gu Hanqing and Aunt Li returned to the courtyard and became absent-minded. Last night, his elder sister sent someone to tell him that the time was almost right and that he should seize the opportunity. Today, when he saw his elder sister, he really wanted to go up and ask her when the right time would be.

Aunt Li was sewing handkerchiefs and sachets by the door, taking advantage of the good sunlight. She planned to collect a batch and have the servants take them out to sell so she could get some money.

"Qing'er, why do you seem so absent-minded today?"

“Aunt, yesterday my eldest sister came and told me to seize the opportunity, but I... I don’t know when the right opportunity will be.”

Aunt Li put down her needlework and looked at her son. Yes, Qing'er is such a good child, but he has to be raised as a girl. He has no playmates. And his voice is about to change and he won't be able to hide it anymore.

He was too young to understand what the young lady meant, but how could she, as a mother who could protect her son, not understand? Her son had to regain his identity because he still needed to start his education. He couldn't just quietly disappear into this cannibalistic backyard.

"The flowers outside are really beautiful."

"If Auntie likes them, Qing'er can go and pick a few for Mother to put in a vase, shall we?"

Aunt Li shook her head, then suddenly looked at Gu Hanqing with a determined expression.

"Qing'er, if I were to go to your father and ask to be allowed to return to your male identity, would you be afraid?"

Gu Hanqing was taken aback when he heard this. He didn't expect his mother to bring up this topic. He subconsciously thought that his mother must have been bullied. Seeing that there were only the two of them in the room, Gu Hanqing stepped forward, took Aunt Li's hand, and asked.

"Mother, has that wicked woman, Madam, been bullying you again in private?"

It is said that daughters are their mothers' warm little cotton-padded jackets. Look at her son, he is no less so. However, Aunt Li was filled with sorrow. It was all her fault that her son, who should have been a pillar of strength, was as indecisive as a woman. Because of this, she became even more determined in her beliefs.

"No, child, this matter was bound to come out sooner or later. Now is a good time. Your father has lost patience with your brother. He intends to groom the next head of the family. Also, the madam has now given the power to manage the household to the old lady, who is locked up in the ancestral hall. She can't do anything to us for the time being."

Since the Madam lost her power to manage the household, Aunt Li suddenly noticed that the treatment in their courtyard had improved. Even if the Old Madam were in charge, things wouldn't have changed so quickly. That could only mean that the Eldest Miss was behind the scenes. If that was the case, what did the mother and son have to fear?

"But Aunt Rou was said to be carrying a baby boy?"

"Even if it's a boy, he's too young. Besides, I think Aunt Rou is on the side of the eldest young lady. She won't be of any benefit to us, mother and son. Furthermore, I'm not asking you to fight for the eldest son to inherit the family business. I just think my son is intelligent from a young age and should receive fair treatment to study."

Gu Hanqing agreed: "Mother is right. I don't care about a single blade of grass or a tree in the Prime Minister's mansion. When I pass the imperial examination, I will take you out to live a normal life. Father was able to produce a successful son from a poor family. We are not poor either. I will definitely pass the exam."

"That's it. When your father returns, you will come with me to see him."

After the mother and son strengthened their resolve, they stopped talking and began to mentally plan how to proceed with the upcoming battle.

Over at the small Buddhist shrine, Wang Ruyan's eyelids kept twitching, and even though she had been kneeling and chanting sutras in front of the Buddha for a long time, there was no sign of the twitching subsiding.

Wang Ruyan felt uneasy. She went to the window and listened carefully to the sounds coming from the ancestral hall, but there was no sound except for the chirping of cicadas.

"Xue Niang, I'm feeling uneasy, but I can't get out. Could you go and ask around for me?"

Xue Niang said somewhat embarrassedly, "Madam, I can't just sit and wander around the mansion as I please. The only place outside this courtyard is the main kitchen..."

"I don't care, you have to find out by asking around through our old friends. I'm always feeling uneasy about this."

"Please don't worry, Madam. I'll go and do it right away."

Gu Ziming returned from outside in the evening. As soon as he entered his study, someone came to report that Aunt Li and her son were requesting an audience.

Gu Ziming frowned. He disliked people from the backyard running into the front yard, especially important places like the study.

"Tell her to go back and talk about it. I'm too busy right now."

After a while, the servant who had gone out to deliver the message ran back and said, "Master, Concubine Li says it concerns your offspring..."

Gu Ziming's face immediately turned ashen. Why was everyone bringing up his offspring now? "Get out, get out, tell her to get back to where she is!"

Hearing Gu Ziming's furious shouts from inside, Li Yiniang, who was kneeling at the door, knew there was no way out and hurriedly cried out, "Master, you don't just have one son, you have another son!"

Sure enough, his words worked. Gu Ziming personally opened the door and let the mother and son in. He also instructed the servants to guard the study and not to enter or leave without his permission.

The study was dimly lit. Aunt Li and Gu Hanqing knelt on the floor. Although it was summer, they still couldn't help but feel a bit chilly.

"Tell me what happened. If you dare to lie to me, you know the consequences."

Aunt Li shivered, but without hesitation, she said, "Qing'er, get up and take off your clothes."

Gu Hanqing bit her lip, glanced at her mother, and obediently did as she was told.

"Are you out of your mind! Qing'er is a young lady from a respectable family. You want her to undress in front of me, her father? And you! Your aunt is not in her right mind, are you not in your right mind either?"

Gu Hanqing didn't say anything, but bit her lip and moved more firmly and quickly, and soon she had taken off all her clothes.

Before Gu Ziming could call for help, he saw Gu Hanqing's clothes fall down. In that instant, out of the inherent integrity of a scholar, he quickly turned around.

"Get dressed right now and take your aunt back home! What kind of behavior is this for a young lady? Will she ever get married?"

"Master!" Aunt Li cried out, "Master, please turn around and look! Qing'er isn't a girl, he's a boy!"

Gu Ziming was indeed shocked and his eyes widened. He quickly turned around and saw that Gu Hanqing was a girl except for her hair ornaments. Although she was a little thin, she was definitely a boy, especially her lower body. The facts spoke for themselves.

Gu Ziming suppressed his surprise and said, "Qing'er, put your clothes on first."

Gu Hanqing didn't waste any time and quickly put on her clothes. Gu Ziming looked at Gu Hanqing dressed in women's clothing and felt a strange mix of emotions. He had something to say but didn't know how to say it.

"What exactly happened? Qing'er couldn't be..." Gu Ziming's first thought wasn't how Gu Hanqing could be a boy, but rather that intersex people do exist, and such people are considered freaks.

"What are you thinking, sir? If you don't believe me, you can call the doctor outside to take a look. Qing'er is a genuine boy."

Gu Ziming thought for a moment and called Batu in, instructing him, "Go and fetch the imperial physician."

"No! We can't call the imperial physician!" Aunt Li screamed, stopping Batu. "He's the madam's man, we can't call him here. Please, sir, give us a way to live!"

Upon hearing Aunt Li's explanation, Gu Ziming frowned deeply.

"Master, shall we call the doctor I found outside earlier?"

With Gu Ziming's permission, Batu hurriedly went to find the person. This person was easy to find; ever since he finished treating the master with the tonic, he had instructed that the person should be available at any time and had even paid a large sum of money in advance.

During this time, Aunt Li explained to Gu Ziming in the study why Gu Hanqing had turned into a daughter.

"I remember, after the birth, the lady held the baby up for me to see. It was indeed a girl. How come..." Gu Ziming was starting to doubt whether it was his child.

“My lord, on the day I gave birth, I was with Sister Han. Your attention was entirely on Sister Han. Moreover, in order to protect Qing’er, I told everyone that I was pregnant with a girl. That’s why Madam didn’t keep such a close eye on me, and that’s why my sister-in-law was able to help me. If you don’t believe me, you can send someone to find my sister-in-law. She was the one who delivered my baby.”

"Then why haven't you said this all these years?"

"I had my reasons. Did you think that Sister Han's difficult childbirth was just an accident?"

"Isn't that right? The doctor said it was because the fetus was too big and the baby was in the wrong position..." Aunt Han was a woman from Jiangnan. Her gentle and considerate appearance made Gu Ziming unable to extricate himself. He thought it was just a case of a beautiful woman dying young. Could there be another hidden story?

"It is true that the baby was too big and the delivery was difficult, but has the master ever thought about why the baby was too big? Even if the baby was too big and the delivery was difficult, if the baby was in the wrong position, as long as an experienced doctor could give an acupuncture or an experienced midwife could massage the baby to help it go smoothly, it would not have resulted in the death of both mother and child."

Do you know the truth?

"It's the madam! They're all the madams!"

Upon hearing Aunt Li identify her mistress, Gu Ziming immediately assumed it was a scheme used by the inner court to take advantage of the mistress's downfall.

"If you dare to talk nonsense..."

"I am not talking nonsense. It was Madam who sent tonics to Sister Han like water without any expense. I also received some. However, my sister-in-law is a midwife. She warned me not to eat too much, otherwise the fetus would be too big and I wouldn't be able to give birth. That's why my Qing'er was able to be born safely."

"But Sister Han is different. You saw how fat Sister Han became when she gave birth. And why there was only one midwife in the mansion when she gave birth, and why Sister Han and I went into labor on the same day—it was all premeditated."

Speaking of tonics, Gu Ziming immediately thought of his cousin Rou'er. Since Rou'er became pregnant, his wife had been exceptionally enthusiastic, sending her tonics every day and the best medicines to help with pregnancy. At first, he was a little wary and asked Ba Quan to have someone take a look, but later the doctors all said they were good things, so he relaxed his guard.

I never imagined that the woman's private affairs could be so despicable.

"What about Qing'er? You could have told me earlier that he was a son."

At this point, Aunt Li burst into tears: "Master, it's not that I don't want to, but that I can't. I'm terrified of Madam's methods. Otherwise, why do you think your harem only has the eldest son? If Madam had known beforehand that Qing'er was a boy, and since you only have eyes for the eldest son and don't care about the illegitimate son, Qing'er would have died soon. I had no choice but to do this."

Gu Ziming did not refute. Indeed, he cared a lot about his legitimate son. Even if he had a son born out of wedlock, he would not care about him and teach him as carefully as he would his legitimate son.

"Then why say it now?"

"Qing'er... it's time for Qing'er to start school. My knowledge is limited and I can only provide basic education. I hope Qing'er can go to school and study. I don't want to ruin his life. Even if you want to beat me to death, I will accept it. As long as my Qing'er is well, that's all that matters."

"Auntie..." Gu Hanqing called out to Auntie Li with tears in his eyes. He threw all the hairpins and ornaments on the ground, knelt down and kowtowed three times.

"Father, please grant my request!"