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

The banquet was held near a pavilion by the pond. The pavilion was quite large, with many rooms connected by corridors, enough to accommodate all the ladies and young women.

They ate while enjoying the surrounding scenery, and being near the water was also very cool. Overall, everyone really enjoyed the Crown Princess's arrangements.

Since it was mostly women, the banquet consisted mainly of sweet and sour fruit wines that wouldn't make anyone drunk.

"Sister, I think Qingwan is about the right age. I wonder if she's engaged?" Madam Meng, who was sitting next to her, asked quietly.

Madam Ning's eyes suddenly lit up. She put down the fruit wine in her hand and said softly, "My old lady dotes on this one the most. She hasn't thought about arranging a marriage for her yet. Besides, there's no rush. Your Yanran hasn't been engaged either."

“My mother-in-law has already started looking for a partner for Yanran, but her personality… it’s really worrying her to death.”

"I think Yanran is a good girl, so don't worry about her. If you have to worry about her, focus on your unborn child first."

Originally, Madam Meng wanted to sound out what her son was thinking, but Madam Ning changed the subject with a few words. By the time she came to her senses, the Crown Princess had already spoken.

"Thank you all for gracing us with your presence today. Please forgive the small size of the Crown Prince's residence."

"Your Highness is too kind. It is our honor to receive an invitation from the Crown Princess."

Naturally, everyone should exchange pleasantries before getting to the main topic.

"As everyone knows, the Crown Prince has gone to the south to provide disaster relief. I've heard that although the situation there has stabilized, the victims are still suffering terribly. It's hard for us to bear the thought of the victims while we're enjoying ourselves here."

"Her Majesty the Crown Princess is kind."

"It's not that I'm being merciful, but this is also a knot in my father and mother's hearts. So I thought, why don't we each take out some of our private savings and things we don't need at home, and donate them to the people in the disaster area? It would be a way to accumulate blessings. What do you all think?"

The crowd looked at each other, realizing that although they had received word of their arrival, no one dared to step forward.

Seeing that no one responded, the Crown Princess knew she had to add fuel to the fire: "We don't need to donate too much. Her Majesty the Empress said that one plate and one bowl are enough for the people in the disaster area. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and Her Majesty the Empress took the lead in donating five thousand taels, and Consort Yu generously donated eight thousand taels. The other concubines in the harem also donated money if they had it and some jewelry and clothing if they didn't."

"The Empresses have the world at heart; it's a blessing for the people in the disaster area," someone below echoed.

"As the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, I naturally cannot be left behind, so I will also contribute four thousand taels of silver within my own means. Everyone can take what they can."

As soon as the words were spoken, the ladies of each family, according to their rank, began to report their amounts. No one contributed more or less than five thousand taels. This meant that the imperial relatives each contributed five thousand taels, along with some gold and silver items. The Duke of Ningguo's mansion and the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion each contributed three thousand five hundred taels, and the Prime Minister's mansion also contributed three thousand five hundred taels. The rest were all around the same amount.

Madam Li was somewhat short of money. She hadn't realized how tight things were at home until now, when she compared herself to others, she discovered that her savings were pitifully small. She only managed to contribute 1,500 taels of silver. After all, Lord Li was an honest official, so the Crown Princess did not reprimand her.

Everyone brought their silver notes, so the head maidservants were asked to register them on the spot. A list of gold and silver items was also prepared and sent over.

"You are all kind-hearted people. I believe the people in the disaster area will remember your kindness. Today is a lotus banquet, so please don't be shy and enjoy it. There are also some snacks made from lotus flowers and leaves on the table. Please don't mind them. I invited the imperial chef from the palace to make them, and they are made with ingredients from this lotus pond."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Princess."

Gu Qingwan thought the banquet was about to end, and the Prime Minister's residence had performed adequately. Meng Yanran, who was next to her, was obviously more interested in the lotus leaf pastries on the table. Just then, someone stepped forward.

"Your Highness, I have an idea, but I don't know if I may speak of it?" Gu Hanjiao stepped out of her seat and bowed to the Crown Princess.

"Oh? It's Miss Gu. We've already been betrothed, and soon we'll be family. There's nothing you can't say, so feel free to speak your mind."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty. It is like this: I thought that the money donated this time would definitely help the people, but the items, jewelry and clothing we donated may not be practical for the people. Even if they receive them, let alone whether they can use them, they may not be willing to use such good things, especially those from the palace. The people may never see them in their entire lives. If they get them, they will definitely treasure them."

Upon hearing this, some people began to agree, feeling that what Gu Hanjiao said made sense. These families were among the wealthiest in the capital, and everything in their homes had to be marked. For ordinary people, one or two of these marks would be enough to support a family for a year.

Actually, some people don't care. Who would really give away their family's things to those people, especially clothes and jewelry? What if some malicious people come to their door and try to cheat them?

"So what are the Second Miss's plans?"

"I dare not. I just had an idea after considering this point, which I thought could solve the problem, but it is not very mature. I hope that the Crown Princess can give me some guidance."

As her future sister-in-law, the Crown Princess was willing to give her this much face, especially since Consort Yu had now been reinstated. So, out of respect for Consort Yu, the Crown Princess wouldn't say anything.

"Then tell us what you have to say, and we'll all hear it."

"This is what I think: we can gather all these items together and then hold an auction."

"An auction? What auction?"

This term is quite new; no one has ever heard of an auction before.

"These items are put together and then sold according to the highest bid. Whoever bids the highest price gets ownership of the item."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Meng Yanran whispered below, "I heard there are auctions like this in the Red-light District. I never expected to run into one here."

Meng Yanran's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it wasn't quiet either. As soon as she said this, everyone felt a little awkward. Gu Hanjiao was, after all, a young lady from an official's family. How could she know so much about such things?

"What do you know? You're just a kid talking nonsense. Have you ever been to a place like that?" Madam Meng looked like a gentle person, but she also had a short temper. She immediately tapped her daughter on the head.

“Mother, I was wrong. I heard it from people outside when I went to a teahouse before…”

Everyone laughed at Meng Yanran's childlike behavior. It's true that children are playful, and it's common for them to sneak out at this age.

Miss Gu might have heard about this while out having fun, but everyone present couldn't help but think of her philandering brother. Perhaps it was the eldest son of the Gu family who told his sister.

Wang Ruyan was initially happy for her daughter, but when she heard people around her talking about her son's womanizing ways, her face immediately fell.

Gu Hanjiao was not intimidated. Instead, she explained gracefully, "I did not know what Miss Meng was talking about, but this method is indeed not mature. It still needs more guidance from the Crown Princess and the ladies present."

The Crown Princess thought for a moment and said, "This is not a bad idea, but we don't quite understand how to implement it. The people in the disaster area are waiting. This method is novel, but it still sounds a bit troublesome. How about..."

"So Your Highness the Crown Princess agrees, which means that the method I proposed is feasible. This method sounds complicated, but it is actually very simple to implement. There are quite a few wealthy families in our capital. All we need is a spacious place and someone to take charge."

However, the Crown Princess was clearly someone who didn't want to cause any trouble. She thought for a moment and said, "Your idea is good, but we still need to report it to Father and Mother. Besides, you are the only one among us who is familiar with this matter, but you are not yet married, so it is not very convenient for you to act on it."

"Your Highness the Crown Princess is capable!" Gu Hanjiao strongly recommended.

At this moment, Madam Ning stepped forward and said, "Actually, Miss Gu's idea is quite novel. If time permits, we would all be willing to participate and have some fun."

"However, most of the donated clothes are made by our families at our estates outside, and are only for ordinary people. There are very few clothes that we would wear next to our bodies. Firstly, it would affect the reputation of all the ladies, and secondly, it would be disrespectful for us to give our own clothes to others. So, Miss, you don't need to worry about this."

“That’s right, the little stuff we’ve donated isn’t really worth auctioning off. Even if it’s valuable, it’s not necessarily that valuable. There are plenty of wealthy families in the capital, and they might not even be interested in our stuff,” Princess Yongning chimed in.

“I noticed a set of porcelain bowls on the princess’s gift list. The name of the bowls looks quite auspicious. I still have some loose silver in my purse. Why don’t you sell them to me, princess?”

"Look, look, look! Where did this penniless wretch come from, trying to extort money from my princess's residence with such a pittance? Your Highness, you must stand up for me!"

This joke made all the ladies laugh, and it seemed that Gu Hanjiao's suggestion was about to be put on hold.

“My daughter was just offering a suggestion out of good intentions. Even if Madam Ning doesn’t like my daughter, there’s no need for her to suppress her like this,” Wang Ruyan, a protective mother, immediately retorted.

The Crown Princess frowned slightly, somewhat displeased.

"Madam, there's no need to worry. It was my second sister who said that the ladies could offer some guidance. Why..."

"What? Miss, are you so confused about who's inside and who's outside? Do you even know your own surname?" Wang Ruyan was practically pointing her finger at Gu Qingwan and cursing her.

"Does Madam have some dissatisfaction with Qingwan? Qingwan's surname is Gu, that's a certainty in the family genealogy. As for the Ning family, Madam can go and ask His Majesty and the Empress how the matter was judged back then!"

Seeing that Madam Ning was about to lose her temper, Princess Yongning stopped Madam Ning's hand and shook her head.

The Crown Princess said, "Well then, everyone is offering their suggestions for the good of the people. Miss Gu's good idea can be saved for later. Once you and your third brother are married, he will surely give you his full support. I was a little inconsiderate this time."

“What’s wrong with that?” Princess Yongning said. “The Crown Princess has someone cross out the unsuitable items from the gift list, and then each household can prepare the remaining items. It’s just a matter of two strokes.”

"My cousin Yongning is really good at handling things. I'm still wondering what to do. I originally wanted to help alleviate the living pressure of the people in the disaster area, but I hope I don't make things worse."

Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Gu Hanjiao kept a good eye on her expression, at least on the surface. She returned to her seat with a graceful demeanor and chatted and laughed with the people next to her, as if it really was just a small suggestion of hers.

However, people have a new perspective on Gu Hanjiao, the future wife of the Third Prince.