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

Upon arriving at the old lady's courtyard, just as Gu Qingwan had imagined, the old lady was indeed a very vicious person, and there was nothing she wouldn't do to punish people—only things you couldn't imagine.

How did Gu Qingwan find out? Her mother, Ning Jingxian, had been abused by this old woman. Not only were she forced to follow rules every day, but she also learned how to pick up Buddhist beans from somewhere. A person who never ate vegetarian food or chanted Buddhist prayers built herself a small Buddhist shrine, which was covered in dust that was almost eight layers thick.

Her mother was a gentle person who was tolerant and forgiving towards her mother-in-law. Later, when her mother fell ill, the old lady, contrary to her usual behavior, came to visit her every day.

Although Gu Qingwan was young, she had a very good memory. She saw with her own eyes the old lady send everyone away to the bedside and curse her mother for faking illness. She even viciously took a needle to prick her mother, deliberately choosing places that could not be seen by others.

Gu Qingwan, at a young age, rushed to protect her mother and was pricked. Not only that, she went to her father to complain, but the old lady said that she was using acupuncture to treat her daughter-in-law.

For this, Gu Qingwan was scolded by Gu Ziming.

Look at the scene now. The large courtyard is full of people. The old lady is sitting in the armchair at the main entrance. There is a large vat in the middle. Two old women, their sleeves rolled up and their clothes wet, are pulling Wang Ruyan's hair and pushing her into the vat.

Wang Ruyan's hair had long since come undone, and the white nightgown she was wearing was soaked with water, revealing the red bodice underneath. The marks on her neck were also very noticeable.

"That slut! Push her into the water! Let her wake up and see who she really is!" The old lady viciously ordered the servants below.

Gu Hanjiao was the last to enter the courtyard. When she saw this scene, she was stunned at first, but then she realized what was happening and rushed over.

"Mother! Mother! You lowly servants, how dare you treat your mistress like this! I'll sell you all off!"

Gu Hanjiao, along with Chunlu and Qiushuang, pulled and dragged Wang Ruyan away from the two old women.

"Mother, Mother, how are you?" Gu Hanjiao asked anxiously.

Wang Ruyan was finally able to catch her breath. Her face was pale, covered by her wet hair. Gu Hanjiao helped her tuck her hair behind her ear.

Wang Ruyan, breathless, gripped Gu Hanjiao's hand tightly.

"Quick, Jiao'er, quick!"

"what?"

"Go find your brother quickly and tell him to run away and never come back! Go now!"

Wang Ruyan, her voice barely audible, struggled to utter these words in Gu Hanjiao's ear, leaving Gu Hanjiao even more confused.

Upon her return, she was met with the shock of her father divorcing her and abandoning her children. Her mother was punished by her grandmother and became a grotesque figure. Now, her mother was saying such things, leaving Gu Hanjiao completely bewildered.

"Mother, what's wrong? What's wrong? Where are we sending my brother?"

Gu Hanjiao thought it was still because of Gu Changfeng's grain exchange, because after thinking it over, she couldn't think of any other reason.

"Mother, don't worry. If it's because of the grain exchange, then we should let him come back, explain things to Father, and then let him be punished a little."

Wang Ruyan shook her head, her face streaked with tears, her throat choked and unable to speak.

"Mother, don't be confused. As long as we abandon Xue Niang's family, we can still protect my brother."

Hearing this, Wang Ruyan felt utterly hopeless. She realized that Gu Hanjiao had no idea what had happened.

"Exchange grain? What exchange grain?" Wang Ruyan managed to squeeze out the question.

Gu Qingwan said, "Madam probably doesn't know, but Changfeng ran away to gamble and couldn't pay back his debts. He was being chased by creditors, so he secretly exchanged moldy old rice for good rice for the porridge distribution to get money."

"Gu Qingwan, what nonsense are you talking about? It has nothing to do with my brother, it was all those servants who did it!"

"Really? That's not important. Changfeng is also a stubborn person. It would be good if he paid off his debts with the money he got, but not only did he not pay them off, he continued to gamble and has accumulated a huge debt. Didn't those ladies chasing after him see him this morning? But we haven't seen Changfeng yet. I wonder if someone will bring a severed finger for ransom later?"

Wang Ruyan felt as if all her strength had been drained away. Her son's situation was too dangerous. Outside, there were those unreasonable debt collectors, and inside the mansion, there was a master who wanted to kill him...

"Gu Qingwan! Stop spouting nonsense! My brother just went out to socialize, stop throwing mud at him."

"Slinging mud? Gu Hanjiao, do you even respect me, an old woman?! How dare you stop me from punishing this slut, you really are a bastard!"

The old lady was furious. When she saw Wang Ruyan's children, it was as if she saw the green hat on her own son's head. In her heart, Gu Changfeng was not a member of the Gu family, so Gu Hanjiao must not be a daughter of the Gu family either.

"Grandmother, what are you saying? No matter what, I am still the second young lady of the Gu family, and the third prince's wife whom the emperor has bestowed upon me. How can you say such things about me?" With the third prince backing her up, Gu Hanjiao became much more assertive.

"Oh, you're not even married yet, and you're already trying to intimidate this old lady with the Third Prince?"

"I wouldn't dare, Jiao'er wouldn't dare. But as you saw, the Third Prince just left and even left a maid behind to appease me. She's not from the Gu family. If she says something inappropriate when she goes back to report, I'm afraid Grandmother will suffer."

"How dare you threaten me!"

Gu Ziming remained silent throughout. After leaving the Gu family's gate, the Third Prince, unable to resist Gu Hanjiao's pleading, left behind a maid. One reason was to support her, the future Third Prince's wife, and the other was probably to find out what had happened in the Prime Minister's residence.

"Someone, take this maid to the side hall for some tea and snacks," Gu Ziming ordered.

"Your Excellency, I am here to serve the Second Miss. Wherever she is, I shall be there." The maid ignored Gu Ziming's orders.

Gu Qingwan understood and stepped forward, holding a purse, and said softly, "I don't know how to address you, but as you've seen, this is the current state of our household, and..."

Gu Qingwan glanced at Gu Hanjiao and Wang Ruyan and said with a smile.

"Besides, you should be able to understand the situation now, which should be enough for you to report back. It's better to be a little confused about some things."

"But the Second Miss..."

"Since the Third Prince was able to keep you, it means you are a smart person. As for the Second Miss, you don't need to worry that she will hold a grudge against you. She will be thanking you in the end."

Gu Qingwan patted her hand and said.

The maid naturally preferred to know as little as possible; knowing too much would only hasten her death. Gu Hanjiao would become the Third Prince's consort in the future, and if she witnessed the whole thing, Gu Hanjiao would be reminded of the humiliation she suffered every time she saw her, and she would surely lose her life.

It would be better to step down now, go back and tell the Third Prince what you saw. Anyway, the Second Miss doesn't remember who she is, and we can just find Sister Hongxiu a job that isn't in her presence later.

"Then I will obey the Prime Minister's command."

Gu Ziming nodded in satisfaction. "Go ahead and rest for a bit. You'll be back later."

"No, how can you leave! The Third Prince ordered you to stay here and serve me. What kind of behavior is this if you leave! Do you dare to disobey the Third Prince?" Gu Hanjiao shouted angrily.

"Second Miss, this servant has no intention of disobeying the Third Prince. The Third Prince only instructed this servant to ensure your safety. Now that this servant has seen your situation, I will hurry back to report to the Third Prince."

"Alright, alright, hurry up and go. Tell them that the old lady in the Prime Minister's mansion is going to kill me and my mother, and ask the Third Prince to come and save me." Gu Hanjiao was only now realizing the danger. Looking at the fierce-looking old women in the courtyard, she already felt something was wrong.

The maid said nothing, curtsied, and took her leave without staying for tea.

"Good, good, so you actually know to call for reinforcements. A slut's child is a slut. Men, bring that adulterer up here so these two unfortunate lovers can have a good look at each other!"

As soon as the old lady finished speaking, a man with torn clothes was dragged up. His buttocks were soaked in blood, and he was thrown next to Wang Ruyan like a tattered rag.

"Ah!" Wang Ruyan screamed in fright and quickly burrowed into Gu Hanjiao's arms.

Gu Hanjiao was also startled. She put her arm around Wang Ruyan and asked, "Isn't this Doctor Zheng? Father, what's going on! Please tell your daughter what's happening!"

Wang Ruyan pleaded softly, sobbing, "Don't ask anymore, don't ask anymore."

"No, I need to know the truth! Father, why? Why are you treating us like this? Why are you removing my brother from the family genealogy and divorcing Mother? Why is this happening?"

Gu Hanjiao asked, crying.

Gu Ziming's face was gloomy and he didn't want to say anything. He sat wearily on the stool next to the old lady, and Aunt Rou kindly stepped forward to massage his temples.

Gu Hanqing and Gu Qingwan, siblings, stood together in silence.

"You want to know what happened? Then let me tell you what happened," Gu Ziming said in a hoarse voice.

"Your mother had an affair with this man beside her and gave birth to you and your brother."

These words struck Gu Hanjiao like a bolt from the blue, leaving her stunned on the spot.

"No, sir, no! Jiao'er is your own daughter! Please don't implicate her. It's all my fault, and Jiao'er has nothing to do with it!"

Upon hearing that Gu Ziming intended to implicate Gu Hanjiao, Wang Ruyan immediately stood up and kowtowed to defend Gu Hanjiao. Gu Hanjiao was indeed the daughter of the Prime Minister's family, and since her relationship with Gu Changfeng was already ruined, she had to protect Gu Hanjiao.

"Heh, really? Gu Hanjiao is my daughter?"

Wang Ruyan wiped away her tears, thought for a long time, and said, "Master, have you forgotten? Back then, Jiao'er, the eldest young lady, and the second young master were all kissed by blood-drip people. Her blood is compatible with yours."

“Yes, Father, I am your daughter, a young lady of the Gu family…” Gu Hanjiao said softly, her eyes somewhat vacant.

"So, I didn't expel you from the family tree, and I even made you the Third Prince's consort. Otherwise, do you think you would have survived until today?" Gu Ziming stared at Gu Hanjiao with a cold gaze.

Gu Hanjiao shivered and pushed Wang Ruyan away incredulously.

Dr. Zheng, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly smiled, though his body trembled as the pain aggravated his wound.

"What are you laughing at?" Gu Ziming asked.

"I laugh? I laugh at the ignorance of the Prime Minister. Do you know that blood test is accurate? I laugh at the Prime Minister who has devoted so many years of his life to raising his children. Hahahaha."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ruyan immediately pounced on Doctor Zheng as if possessed.

"How could you slander my precious child like that? She's still a child with a bright future ahead of her. How could you do this!"

"Why not! My son is doomed, so why should his daughter be able to live so freely? Yan'er, even if we die, wouldn't it be better for the four of us to be together?"

"No, no, I don't want it, I don't want it! You have to explain to the master, Jiao'er isn't your child, she's the master's child..."

"No, Yan'er, I will take responsibility for my actions. Both children are mine."

"Shameless! Shameless! I'm so angry! Drag him away and beat him!" The old lady was so angry that steam was practically billowing from her head.

Gu Hanjiao was so shocked by all this that she didn't know how to react. Whose daughter was she anyway? Now it all depended on Gu Ziming's attitude.