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

After the account book issue was resolved, Gu Qingwan kept Manager Wang behind and gave him the same instructions as Manager Wu at Duobaoge.

"Manager Wang, since the prices of the ready-made garments have already gone up, let them go up as well. All the new styles in the store have been priced up recently. I will have someone deliver the new designs in a few days. Once you have the samples, please arrange for a reliable person to make the ready-made garment samples as soon as possible."

"I just don't understand why you're doing this, Miss. Won't you lose some customers if you raise the prices?"

"No, I just want you to upgrade the new styles. The affordable clothes for ordinary people will remain at the same price. Just don't put any effort into these clothes recently, because in a few days many noble ladies will come to you to order clothes. At that time, you'll need Manager Wang's persuasive skills to get them to buy our new styles. If you can't do that, the shop can close for three months. You can take your wife and children out for a trip."

Upon hearing this, Manager Wang's eyes lit up. The young lady always meant what she said, so if she said there was money to be made, it must be feasible. "A new style or just one design?"

"As usual, if the price is a buyout, then it's the only one on the market. If it's not a buyout, then there's no guarantee. Just let them know when the time comes."

Manager Wang's mind was already racing with calculations. He smiled and swept away the unpleasantness from before, seeing Gu Qingwan off.

Once in the carriage, Siqi pouted, somewhat puzzled. "Miss, even with Fugui in such a state, you still give him money and let him go? Isn't that too easy on someone like him?"

“Siqi, you only know martial arts. Miss must have a plan for doing this.” Shishu continued Siqi’s words, “After all, she is Manager Wang’s relative. If we go too far, how can Manager Wang still be so devoted to our young lady in the future?”

"Shishu is indeed clever, but she only got one point right."

"Anything else?" The two of them looked at Gu Qingwan at the same time.

"People say that even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite. If we push him to the brink, he might do something that would be detrimental to Caiyi Pavilion, such as selling our designs to competitors or something we can't even imagine."

"Yes, what if someone like him were to burn down Caiyi Pavilion? We would suffer heavy losses." Siqi patted her head in sudden realization.

“Yes, leaving the capital far away and never coming back is the best solution, and no one will know that Caiyi Pavilion is Miss’s shop.” Shishu also praised, and the two little maids looked at each other and hugged each other with smiles.

Gu Qingwan lifted a corner of the curtain inside the carriage and saw that Xiao Jingchen's carriage was still parked under the shade of the trees. She wondered if the prince had something to ask her. She wondered if, if she could start over, that person would still be as devoted to her as he was in her previous life. But no matter what, Gu Qingwan felt that she had to give it a try.

Sometimes in life, you can't hesitate, especially when it comes to relationships. One moment of hesitation could mean missing out on a lifetime.

"Siqi, get out of the carriage and go to the carriage over there to ask the prince if he has time. Tell him that your young lady has invited the prince to dinner."

"Miss! Isn't it inappropriate for an unmarried woman like you to invite a man to dinner so abruptly?" Shi Shu didn't quite agree with Gu Qingwan's decision and wanted to advise her to think it over.

"Yes, Miss, if Sister Baoqin finds out, she'll scold us again." Although Siqi didn't have much of a sense of separation between men and women, she still felt it was better to be cautious about Shishu's questioning.

"It's alright, Siqi, you can go ahead."

The two exchanged a glance. Since their young lady had spoken, they shouldn't try to stop her. Perhaps she had her own reasons.

Siqi got off the carriage and went to the Chu Emperor's carriage. She said to Xiao Yi, who was guarding the carriage, "Please inform him that my young lady wants to invite the prince to dinner. I wonder if the prince would do her the honor."

Xiao Yi thought to himself, "Of course the prince doesn't have time. He was supposed to go to the palace to dine with the Empress Dowager today, but he's already been delayed for a long time. If he doesn't go soon, the Empress Dowager will probably urge him to ask again."

"Tell your mistress that I will personally host another banquet today. I have matters to attend to at the palace and cannot go." A muffled voice came from inside the carriage.

When Siqi heard that she had been rejected, she felt a little happy but also a little disappointed for her mistress. She was happy that she no longer had to worry about the strict separation of men and women, but she was disappointed because this was the first time her mistress had taken the initiative to invite someone to dinner and had been rejected.

After Siqi returned, she truthfully reported to Gu Qingwan.

Gu Qingwan felt a little uneasy after hearing this. Was her initiative too abrupt? Would Xiao Jingchen think she lacked the reserve a woman should have? What should she do next? Their social statuses were vastly different, and it was really not easy for her to see him. She didn't even know if he was angry with her.

"Miss? Miss?" Siqi saw Gu Qingwan staring blankly with a conflicted expression and found it quite amusing. "Miss, what should we do next?"

Realizing she was getting upset over such a small thing, Gu Qingwan couldn't help but find it a little funny. It was alright, this was just the beginning. She lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and saw that the carriage had indeed left. She then calmed herself down.

"Ningyi, let's find a noodle shop and have a simple meal. Today we need to take back all those shops."

After having lunch at a very remote but delicious noodle shop, Gu Qingwan and her entourage took the dowry list and began tidying up the shop.

These shops were all publicly known as the Prime Minister's residence, and everyone assumed they were his property. However, the real owner was Gu Qingwan. Gu Qingwan instructed Ning Yi and Ning Er, along with Shi Shu, to collect the account books and close the shops.

Several of the shopkeepers were the Prime Minister's wife's people, and their attitude was extremely arrogant. Ning Yi didn't waste words with them and showed them the dowry list and land deeds. When the shopkeepers saw that there was an official stamp, they were dumbfounded. However, some of the troublemakers still made a fuss.

According to Gu Qingwan's instructions, those who cooperated could be kept and reused in the future, while those who did not cooperate were thrown out. Later, it was necessary to carefully investigate whether these people were hired from outside or had their indentures held by her. Shishu was instructed to keep an eye on them.

The afternoon went very smoothly. Gu Qingwan parked the car in an inconspicuous spot in the alley and let Ning Yi and the others pass by. There were also many onlookers around the shop, pointing and whispering.

Upon seeing this, Gu Qingwan thought that it wouldn't be long before Madam Gu was furious, and her father, the Prime Minister, would also know that she, Gu Qingwan, the rightful legitimate daughter of the Gu family, had returned!