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

"That would be the best. I really hate those girls who have to send invitations days in advance before they can play together. They're so fussy and annoying. I'll come find you first thing tomorrow morning, and we can have breakfast together. Remember to have your girl prepare some good food."

"Breakfast! Oh my god, how can I be missing? No, Qingwan, wait a minute, I'll go tell my mother that I want to go back with you tonight and stay with you."

Gu Qingwan nodded. Meng Yanran was clearly not just talking; she immediately ran to find her mother.

Princess Qinghe's eyes visibly dimmed upon seeing this scene.

Gu Qingwan stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "I believe it won't be long before the prince and princess return, and the princess will be able to reunite with her family."

"You don't know, my father and mother..."

"Perhaps good news will come soon?"

Gu Qingwan blinked playfully and said, "Princess, please go back quickly. Qingwan will have a gift for you tomorrow as an apology for tonight."

Princess Qinghe was comforted. She smiled and said goodbye to Gu Qingwan before leaving with the palace servants.

The Ning family had finished packing up and were saying goodbye to everyone before leaving.

Seeing Gu Qingwan's departing figure, Xiao Yuheng felt an even stronger urge to have her, even more so than before.

He downed the drink in his glass in one gulp, his eyes fixed on Gu Qingwan's figure with a gloomy expression.

He can't leave yet. He needs to work with the Crown Prince to handle the remaining matters before he can leave. After all, starting today, his confinement is lifted, and he can return to the court.

Xiao Yuheng told himself: No rush, no rush, he will get what he wants sooner or later!

The Emperor and the Prince of Chu sat in the inner palace for a while, but the Empress Dowager did not come out.

Clearly, this was a sign of the Empress Dowager's anger, because the two brothers had arranged the marriage of the King of Chu without her consent.

Although the emperor himself bestowed the marriage upon him, and the empress dowager wouldn't say much, Xiao Jingchen couldn't bear to let his elder brother take the blame, which is why he proposed in the main hall.

The Emperor was not in a hurry at all, but appeared relaxed and at ease, as if he were back at home chatting with his family. At this moment, Granny Chang sent someone to bring over some hangover soup.

"Mother must not be ready yet. Don't worry. Jingchen and Uncle, please sit down. You are all family here. The hangover soup in Mother's palace tastes very special. Please try it."

As he spoke, he took a sip himself. "Oh, this must have been made by Granny Chang herself. It still tastes the same as before, it hasn't changed at all."

"I'm glad Your Majesty remembers this. I'm just glad Your Majesty doesn't find it offensive."

"What's there to complain about? When we were little, Jingchen and I often ate the soups made by Granny Chang. Although the taste was simple, it is still unforgettable."

Clearly, the Emperor's words reminded everyone present of the difficult times of the past.

Duke Wen's expression was clearly not very good. When the Empress Dowager and her son were in trouble, his family did not offer any help so as not to be implicated.

Jiang had always been reserved and dared not be arrogant in front of Duke Wen, and at this moment she was sitting below Duke Wen.

Wenrou was very perceptive; she personally picked up the teacup, ready to serve tea at any time.

"Cousin, please sit down quickly. There are palace maids to do this, so why trouble you, cousin?" the Emperor said.

With a forced smile, Wenrou naturally dared not address the Emperor as her cousin. She said respectfully, "Your Majesty is too kind. I am used to doing these things, it is nothing."

"What! How could the legitimate daughter of the Wen family be doing servant's work in the palace? This is outrageous!"

Madam Jiang doted on her daughter. At home, her daughter was practically pampered and never lifted a finger. Madam Jiang wished she had a whole host of maids and servants to wait on her. How could she have come to the palace and ended up doing servants' work? This annoyed Madam Jiang, but also made her feel a lot of heartache.

"Yes, how could someone of my status, my cousin, be doing servant work in my palace? It's truly inappropriate." The Emperor didn't even glance at Jiang Shi, simply saying this indifferently.

Duke Wen's expression changed slightly, but only slightly. In an instant, he sat there as steady as a mountain and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. My wife is ignorant of etiquette and spoke recklessly. I will definitely discipline her severely when we get back. Jiang Shi, why don't you quickly apologize to Your Majesty!"

Jiang's face stiffened. Seeing the Emperor's cold expression, she suddenly understood the meaning of "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger." She was so frightened that she quickly stood up.

"Oh, Uncle, why make such a fuss? We are family after all. How could I be so narrow-minded? If Mother sees this later, she will scold me again."

The Empress Dowager, who had been standing behind the screen for a while, naturally heard their conversation. She was indeed somewhat angry, but there was also a sense of helplessness mixed in with her emotions.

Wenrou gazed at the King of Chu with tender affection, but the King of Chu simply ignored her, sitting there as if he were invisible.

Just as the atmosphere was about to turn cold, the Empress Dowager finally came out.

"Your Majesty, how are you feeling? Have you summoned the imperial physician to take a look?"

"It's an old ailment, nothing serious. As long as you two brothers don't upset me too much, I can live to be a hundred years old."

"What are you saying, Mother? Has Jingchen done something wrong to offend you? Just speak up, and I will definitely teach him a lesson to avenge you."

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the Prince of Chu cooperated by putting down his teacup, standing up, lifting his robe, and kneeling before the Empress Dowager.

"Your son is dull-witted, please enlighten me, Mother."

This knowingly advisory attitude infuriated the Empress Dowager so much that she nearly fell over.

"Alright, I won't beat around the bush with you anymore." The Empress Dowager glanced at Wenrou and said, "I heard you found a good marriage for yourself in the palace?"

"As for what you said, Mother, I already told you before, and you nodded in agreement."

The Empress Dowager then remembered that the King of Chu had indeed told her that he had someone he loved, and she had even asked him to bring the person over so she could see her. She never expected to find him waiting for her here.

"I asked you to bring her here so I could see her, not that I asked you to... Do you even respect me as your mother? Don't you need your own mother to know about your marriage?"

"Your Majesty, you flatter me. Miss Gu is a kind-hearted person, and many people like her. I was just a little worried that someone my age, with no achievements to speak of except for his status as a prince, would feel a bit insecure standing in front of Miss Gu. I was afraid that I would be outshone by the young talents in the capital. That's why I proposed to her without thinking it through in the main hall. Fortunately, Miss Gu is also very affectionate towards me, which has comforted my infatuation."

The King of Chu spoke with such conviction, as if he were truly an old bachelor in the capital who couldn't find a wife and no one wanted him, and he even went so far as to fawn over Gu Qingwan.

"How can you be so self-deprecating? Who in the capital can compare to you!"

The Empress Dowager is most intolerant of people speaking ill of her descendants. She is extremely protective of her own. When she was young, she had to compromise in every way due to pressure from all sides. Now that she is the Empress Dowager, she naturally will not allow anyone to speak ill of her and her son.

“A mother sees her son as good in every way, but there are indeed many talented people in the capital. If you don’t believe me, Mother, you can ask the Duke of Wen.”

Duke Wen, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, was suddenly called out and could only bite the bullet and reply: "Indeed, there are many talented people in the capital, but someone like the Prince of Chu is one of a kind. The Empress Dowager is right. The Prince of Chu has made great military achievements and his status is extraordinary. So there is no need for him to be so self-deprecating."

"What Duke Wen said is true. Wanwan also advised me in the same way, and that's how I regained my confidence."

The Empress Dowager glanced at the composed Emperor, whose eyes were red and tender, and sighed before continuing.

"Very well, since you have the idea of ​​marriage, that's good. I've met Gu Qingwan before. She was raised by Old Madam Ning from a young age, so her character is naturally good. However, she grew up on the frontier and is not familiar with the affairs of our capital and the palace. As a wife of the imperial family, she must be sensible. How about this, I'll give Gu Qingwan the position of a concubine, and as the principal wife, I..."

"Mother, please don't make things difficult for your son. Just now in the main hall in front of all the civil and military officials, your son swore that he would only marry Miss Gu in this life. Duke Wen can be a witness."

The Duke of Wen was mentioned again, but he couldn't deny it. The King of Chu said it was true, so he could only nod reluctantly.

"It's not like I'm stopping you from marrying. Giving her the position of a concubine wouldn't be an insult to her. As for the principal wife, you know my heart belongs to someone else, and that is..."

"Mother, I have fought on the battlefield for many years, and I have finally found a woman I love. If I cannot keep my promise to stay with her forever, then I would rather return to the border and continue to fight on the battlefield to protect the Great Qing Dynasty, my brother, you, and her..."

These words evoked a strange sense of sadness, and even the Empress Dowager felt like the villain who broke up the couple.

"But... isn't there any other way out?" The Empress Dowager looked at Wenrou with some concern.

Wenrou couldn't help but rush out and kneel beside the King of Chu, kowtowing to the Empress Dowager.

“Aunt, please grant my wish with the Emperor. Wenrou has been deeply in love with Prince Chu since childhood and has waited for many years. Now, she has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Wenrou has no ambition and only wants to stay by Prince Chu's side. Even if... even if she is a concubine or a mistress, Wenrou is willing. I beg the Emperor and Empress Dowager to grant my wish!”

"Rou'er! How can you belittle yourself like this! You are the legitimate daughter of the Wen family. How do you put the Wen family in such a position with your behavior!" Duke Wen stood up angrily and scolded.

"But Father, I really can't control my feelings. Please, Father, grant my wish and just pretend I don't exist." As she spoke, Wenrou took out her handkerchief and began to cry.

“Jingchen, look at your cousin… I originally intended for her too.”

Xiao Jingchen stood up. He didn't want to have any involvement with other women, let alone kneel side by side in front of his own mother. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was paying respects to his parents. If Wanwan found out, it would definitely cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

“Miss Wen.” Xiao Jingchen said in a low voice, looking down at Wenrou, who was kneeling on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

She gently raised her face; even when she cried, she was still a beauty. The angle perfectly revealed her slender, fair neck. If other men saw her, they would surely have all sorts of fantasies and wish they could hold her in their arms.

However, the person standing opposite him was the unromantic Prince Xiao Jingchen of Chu, so all his gentle gestures were wasted.

"You are deeply in love with me, but have you asked if I am willing?"

Wenrou was taken aback by the question. Why did she have to ask a woman if she was willing to fall for her? When did this saying come about?

"Your Highness, please don't push your luck. Even if she isn't your cousin, she is still a young lady from a respectable family. I hope Your Highness can speak kindly!" Duke Wen said unhappily.

"Since she is a young lady from the inner chambers, how can she be more unrestrained than the women from beyond the Great Wall? It is said that all the young ladies in the capital are very reserved. I think Miss Wen has been away from home for too long. After all, Mother is getting old and it is not very easy for her to discipline her. Moreover, Madam Wen misses her daughter very much. Mother should send Miss Wen home as soon as possible. Otherwise, keeping her here will only breed hatred."

“How can you say such a thing, Your Highness? My aunt treats Rou’er like her own mother. How could she possibly neglect her?” Wenrou retorted.

"Look at her, she clearly has a mother, but after being taught by others for two days, she already feels like she misses her biological mother. I wonder where Miss Wen puts Madam Wen?"

"Alright, Jingchen is your maternal aunt, you're not allowed to make up stories like that," the Empress Dowager reminded her displeasedly.

However, the King of Chu's words also served as a wake-up call for the Empress Dowager. Wenrou had been by her side for many years. If this matter could not be resolved amicably, would she hold a grudge against her? And would the Wen family become estranged from her because of this? If that were the case, even if she were the Empress Dowager, the Wen family would probably not care about anything in the future.

"Your Majesty, what do you think?" The Empress Dowager finally pulled the Emperor, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, into the conversation.

"What opinion can I possibly have? The imperial edict has already been issued; I cannot change it at will, can I?"

"Your Majesty is mistaken. Your Majesty has only issued a verbal edict, not an imperial decree, so..."

"Oh? Your Excellency the Duke is quite resourceful. Why don't you draft this imperial edict yourself?"

"Your subject dares not!" Duke Wen immediately knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness.

The Emperor's words carried great weight; was he giving him a warning?

But his daughter had waited for the King of Chu for so many years, and the family had made a name for themselves in the folklore because of it. If this matter did not succeed, then the gentle card would be wasted.

Wenrou is someone the Wen family has carefully nurtured; she cannot be abandoned just like that.

"Your Majesty, as a father, I also pity my daughter. Wenrou has loved the Prince since she was a child. In order to be worthy of the Prince, Wenrou has studied very hard, hoping that one day she could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Prince. But now..."

As Duke Wen spoke, his back became slightly hunched, much like a father worrying about his beloved daughter.

"I'll say it again, what does that have to do with me? You did this without even asking if I was willing, it's just wishful thinking on your part."

"Your Highness!" Wenrou looked at Xiao Jingchen with a hint of despair. She knew that he was not good with words, but she did not expect that once he opened his mouth, he could be so hurtful.

"Chen'er, it's just placing a woman in the back courtyard. Even your cousin will give up. Otherwise, you could offer your cousin the position of a concubine," the Empress Dowager suggested.

"What, is the eldest daughter of the Wen family going to become someone's concubine?" Xiao Jingchen asked sarcastically.