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

"Your Majesty, look at what you're saying. I've been following you since I was young, and I've seen and remembered all the hardships you've endured along the way. I may not know much about state affairs, but I think that Your Majesty managing a large family is similar to me managing my small household in the harem. Every aspect of life, from food and drink to daily expenses, is carefully considered and managed."

Today, the Emperor came to the main palace for dinner, and the couple enjoyed a rare moment of leisure. The Crown Princess was also here, but since the Crown Prince had not returned, she took her leave, saying that she would dine with the Emperor and Empress after the Crown Prince returned.

"Zitong".

The Emperor would only call the Empress by her maiden name when no one was around. The Empress was right; this woman had been by his side through thick and thin all these years. The fact that he could govern the country with impunity was also thanks to the Empress's help in stabilizing the various forces in the harem.

"You've had a tough time all these years."

"What's the point of talking about hardship? If we're talking about hardship, Your Majesty is working hard too. Look at your temples, you've got gray hairs, and so have I."

"Don't worry, it looks quite unique this way."

The Empress laughed. Everyone grows old, and all women are afraid of aging, but the Empress had come to terms with it. Women of every age have their own charm.

"Perhaps twenty is a time of youthful vitality, with a good figure and appearance, but that doesn't mean that women in their thirties or forties are past their prime. They are more mature and charming, and that inner beauty is the best gift of time, something that twenty-year-olds can never possess."

"The Empress is right. If the women in the harem could think like this, they wouldn't have to scheme against each other all day long, dressing up so extravagantly, and not even feel tired."

"Your Majesty is truly blessed but doesn't realize it. All their scheming and infighting is for your sake. By the way, the Crown Princess has been telling me these past few days that she's thinking of getting this matter settled in the next couple of days. What does Your Majesty think?"

"Didn't I just say that this idea is excellent? You can do whatever you want with it. To show my approval, should I take some money from my private savings as a starting point?"

The Empress laughed immediately: "Alright, you probably don't have much private money either. Besides, this is an activity among the women. What's the point of you throwing out a brick to start a fire? If anyone should throw out a brick, it should be me. I'm going to take out five thousand taels of silver, which is neither too much nor too little. I'll also add a pair of hairpins and some jewelry. That way, the other women won't be in a difficult position."

"The Empress's idea is very thoughtful. Let's do it that way then." The Emperor was in a great mood after eating and drinking his fill. He took off his shoes and sprawled on the bed with his legs crossed, looking very comfortable.

"Is His Majesty not reviewing memorials today?"

"I'm not approving it anymore, I want to take a break."

The Empress smiled and shook her head, not wanting to disturb the Emperor who was pretending to sleep. Instead, she and her personal maid prepared the things for the flower viewing banquet, which would be sent to the Crown Prince's residence in the next two days.

This day is when all the concubines pay their respects to the Empress. Since the Emperor and Empress strongly advocate frugality, most of the concubines in the harem do not dress extravagantly.

For concubines of lower rank, this was a good thing. Their families didn't have much money to begin with, and their monthly allowances in the palace weren't much either. This way, they wouldn't have to pretend to be rich when they were not, and they could also earn a reputation for being frugal.

Only Consort Yu, now stripped of her title and demoted, was no longer as arrogant and domineering as before. This time, her greetings were different from usual; she was not only not late, but also not too late. Her attire was also less flamboyant, and instead had a pure and innocent feel to it.

Seeing this, the Empress simply smiled and did not deliberately cause trouble for Consort Yu. It was a good thing to see that she had learned her lesson.

"Greetings to the Queen, may the Queen be blessed with good fortune."

"My sisters have all arrived so early. Get up! Look how hot it is, and you still come to pay your respects."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. The weather is indeed hot, but this time of morning should be the coolest. It's good for us sisters to take advantage of this nice time to gather and chat in Your Majesty's palace," said Consort Xian.

"You're the one who can't sit still the most. But you've come at the right time. Yesterday, I discussed with the Emperor and agreed to the Crown Princess's suggestion to host a summer flower viewing banquet. Firstly, it will allow everyone to get together and not be bored at home. Secondly, it will allow everyone to donate some of their wealth to the disaster-stricken people, which can be considered as relieving the Emperor's worries."

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances. Consort Xian said, "Your Majesty's suggestion is excellent, but what do we need to do?"

The Empress took the lead in providing 5,000 taels of silver to support the Crown Princess's decision. She also brought out a pair of hair ornaments and a jade bracelet that she had worn during her wedding to the Emperor, thus providing both financial support and material goods.

"My dear sisters, my abilities are limited, but this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please don't make things too difficult for yourselves. Anything is fine. In short, anything sent from our palace is of great value to the people in the disaster area. Even a bowl or a plate would be appreciated."

Since the Empress had taken action, the concubines in the harem were not to be outdone and had to show their support in some way, since it was all under the guise of raising funds for the disaster area.

The most conspicuous one should be Consort Yu, because she is the only one in the entire harem who is rich. Her daily spending is not only extravagant but also unimaginable to others.

"Five thousand taels? It seems Your Majesty has done your best. After all, we have long advocated frugality in our palace. It is truly not easy for Your Majesty to save up five thousand taels of silver. I am of little use and was even reprimanded by the Emperor a while ago. I feel very guilty. After thinking it over, this is the only thing that can make up for my mistake. I will contribute eight thousand taels."

In the past, the wealthy and powerful Consort Yu would have definitely taken out 10,000 taels to humiliate the Empress. But now she has learned to be clever. She neither exceeds 10,000 taels nor exceeds the Empress's amount, thus putting her at a disadvantage without offending the Emperor. Why not?

This scheme orchestrated by the Empress and the Crown Princess was clearly designed to enhance the Crown Prince's reputation. Even if it was just for the sake of the Third Prince, Consort Yu had to show her support, as this was a good opportunity to win the Emperor's favor.

"Although the money is not much, Your Majesty the Empress knows that I have been demoted and my monthly allowance is much less than before. But fortunately, I still have some jewelry. I plan to offer another pair of male concubines as a gift."

Wow, this is quite a grand gesture, no less impressive than what the Empress prepared. No one dared to say a word, and everyone quietly watched the Empress's expression.

The Empress was not angry; on the contrary, she was quite pleased. It was already quite an achievement to get Consort Yu to produce these things, and the fact that she could be the only one in the harem in this way was also part of their plan.

"That's good. The other sisters should do what they can without forcing themselves. The sun is rising, so let's all hurry back."

When the Empress Dowager learned of this, she only contributed similar items and silver as the Empress. As expected, Consort Yu ended up receiving the most. The Emperor was overjoyed and immediately restored Consort Yu's title. However, the Third Prince's confinement was still not lifted.

But for the Yu family, this was a great thing. They never expected that they could buy back the position of Imperial Concubine for only 8,000 taels. If they had known this would happen, spending 80,000 taels would have been worthwhile.

In gratitude for the Emperor's benevolence, the Yu family donated 100,000 taels of silver to the national treasury, prompting the Emperor to repeatedly praise the Yu family as the most benevolent and conscientious merchants.

"Oh dear, Father was right after all. Money really can make the devil turn the millstone. If Father hadn't given us a heads-up beforehand, we would never have imagined that we could turn our lives around so quickly!"

“Master is a farsighted man, and the Empress was personally taught by him, so she won’t be any less capable. As long as the Empress can calm down, everything will be alright,” Amber said.

"That's right, it's still uncertain who will emerge victorious. Look at the Empress's daughter-in-law, she is not only dignified and poised but also knows how to make her husband proud from behind. And look at my daughter-in-law, she is of no use at all except for bringing shame and trouble to me."

Hearing Consort Yu's complaints, Amber just smiled and quickly took out a box of ice cream, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't think like that. Miss Gu's suggestion on how to make ice has made our family a lot of money. Moreover, Miss Gu's cosmetics store has a considerable influence in the capital. Look, this is a new ice cream that Miss Gu is giving to you as a gift."

"She's always up to no good, and our Yu family has no need for her little bit of money."

"Yes, yes, yes, the Second Miss is indeed a bit short-sighted. With Her Majesty's guidance in the future, she should be better. I heard that this Ice Skin Cream is most suitable for summer use. It feels cool and refreshing on the face, moisturizes and softens the skin. Would Your Majesty like to try it?"

Consort Yu loved dressing up and would always buy the latest styles from the Caiyi Pavilion, as well as collect the new styles from the Duobao Pavilion.

Gu Hanjiao's cosmetics store is doing extremely well in skincare and beauty, and she has benefited a lot from it. Look at these new skincare products, which one wasn't sent over by Gu Hanjiao the first thing?

Even the emperor said that her skin was getting better and better, and it felt so smooth and delicate.

"She certainly has a lot of tricks up her sleeve, but that's not enough to become a prince's consort. By the way, how's it going with Lord Li? Is he still unwilling to let Li Qianyu become the third prince's concubine?"

While helping Consort Yu apply the ice cream, Amber shook her head and said, "There's been no movement, but I heard that Miss Li is on a hunger strike at home in protest, determined to marry our Third Prince. It's because Lord Li doesn't want his daughter to be a concubine..."

"I have met Li Qianyu. She is much more mature than Gu Hanjiao. If her family weren't not strong enough, she would be a suitable wife. We'll see if there's a suitable opportunity later. By the way, what about Qiu'er?"

"Miss Biao is already taking care of our Third Prince. I heard they are getting along quite well. Her Majesty's choice of person must be perfect."

Consort Yu nodded in relief. No matter what, the Third Prince must marry a woman from the Yu family in the future, so that the Yu family can always support him.

"Alas, it's a pity that Father is unwilling to let Linglong become Heng'er's concubine."

“Miss Linglong was personally taught by the master and has followed him all over the country since she was a child. I suppose the master would not want Miss Linglong to become someone’s concubine.”

"So you're willing to let me become someone's concubine?!" Consort Yu immediately became angry.

Amber didn't dare to reply. Back then, the master wasn't very supportive of Consort Yu entering the palace. If it weren't for Consort Yu's mother taking a liking to the emperor during his incognito visit, she would have followed the emperor even as a concubine. The master loved her the most and couldn't resist, so he used a lot of money to get Consort Yu into the emperor's harem. But these things couldn't be said.

"Father... Sigh, it's all fate. Since Linglong and my son are not destined to be together, let it be. I am willing to offend the family."

At this point, Consort Yu seemed a little dejected, closed her eyes, pretended to sleep, and stopped speaking.

Amber gently massaged Consort Yu's legs with a small hammer, thinking of her cousin, Yu Linglong. She was an extremely intelligent woman, and if she weren't a woman, she would surely have become the next leader of the Yu family...