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

"Is it..." Luo Yichen seemed to suddenly think of something, but then felt it was impossible and didn't continue.

"What's wrong with you today, sir? You only say half of what you mean. This isn't like you at all."

"Third Prince, please forgive me. I don't understand either. If that fortune teller wasn't wrong, and we didn't look for the wrong person, why..."

Luo Yichen wondered if they had found the wrong person. The Gu family had more than one young lady, there was also the eldest young lady, Gu Qingwan. But then he remembered that the Third Prince had said he had someone investigate carefully, and only the second young lady of the Gu family matched the timeline and other details.

Since the Third Prince is so certain, if he raises any objections, the Third Prince will be unhappy with his questioning. After thinking it over, he decided to let it go. He is an ambitious man who has finally gained the Third Prince's favor. There is no need for him to be unhappy about his rise to power because of a woman.

As they were speaking, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Upon seeing that it was a bodyguard, Xiao Yuheng asked, "What's wrong?"

"Reporting to Master, our men have spotted the Calculator in the capital."

"What!" Xiao Yuheng was a little shocked; it was exactly what he had predicted.

"Are you sure that's the fortune teller from Fengzhou?"

"There's no mistake. I went to Fengzhou with my master back then. I can't be wrong."

Xiao Yuheng naturally trusted his secret guards and couldn't help but mutter, "Wasn't he in Fengzhou? How did he get to the capital? Where is he staying now?"

The guard seemed a little awkward when asked this question.

"Your subordinate is incompetent and lost track of them."

"It's alright. Now that the person has appeared in the capital, they won't suddenly disappear; they will reappear."

Luo Yichen offered a suggestion from the side, "Instead of guessing here, Third Prince, why don't we capture that fortune teller and ask him to clear up our doubts? It would be even better if he could come up with a solution."

“That makes sense. You should do as Mr. Luo says.”

"Yes."

However, instead of the fortune teller coming, a new topic about Gu Hanjiao was stirred up in the capital, suddenly elevating Gu Hanjiao to a whole new level.

The whole thing started a while ago when Gu Hanjiao wasn't sitting properly at home during her pregnancy. She insisted on going to Qingquan Temple to relax because she was feeling down.

The Third Prince has not returned since he left last time. In the meantime, he has sent many things, including clothes and tonics. Gu Hanjiao has repeatedly sent people to invite the Third Prince, but he always says that he is busy with this period.

Gu Hanjiao worried that men would forget about her once the novelty wore off. Now that she was pregnant and could no longer serve Xiao Yuheng, she was likely to forget him once he had another woman by his side.

Furthermore, Xiao Yuheng had previously promised to give him the position of his principal wife, but it's unclear how far things have progressed, and the lack of any news about it is what's causing concern.

At this moment, she suddenly remembered that Master Huang had predicted her fate as one of the Phoenixes, so could she make use of this opportunity again?

After making up her mind, she sent Qiushuang to Qingquan Temple to find Master Huang.

"Why are you so late? How did it go?" Gu Hanjiao had been waiting at home all day, and she was finally able to welcome Qiu Shuang back.

“Miss, Qingquan Temple isn’t exactly close to us. I rode at top speed in the carriage and my bones were practically shaking off the wheels just to get back,” Qiu Shuang said with a pained expression.

"Alright, alright, you've worked hard. Now tell me what happened?"

"I had the opportunity to meet Master Huang today. As Miss instructed, I hope that Master Huang can help Miss determine a more auspicious destiny, so that Miss's reputation can be further enhanced."

"What did Master Huang say?"

"At first, Master Huang did not agree, but later the maid showed the young lady his sincerity and he relented."

When Gu Hanjiao heard that Master Huang had agreed, which meant he was willing to help, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is there any silver left over from the money I gave you?"

At this point, Qiu Shuang said somewhat embarrassedly, "As Miss instructed, I gave half at first, but that Taoist priest Huang seemed dissatisfied and didn't want to accept it. I had no choice but to give it all away. Not only that, but I also gave away one of my hairpins and a jade bracelet, both of which were newly bestowed upon me by Miss. I was heartbroken."

Gu Hanjiao didn't hear Qiu Shuang complaining about her jewelry; instead, she only heard that the matter was settled but she had lost all three thousand taels of silver, which made her feel a pang of heartache.

Gu Hanjiao took a deep breath and suppressed the irritation in her heart.

"Once the matter is settled, has Master Huang given any instructions?"

Seeing that her mistress had no intention of rewarding or comforting her, Qiu Shuang couldn't help but feel somewhat dissatisfied.

"Master Huang said that tomorrow is an auspicious day. If you have time, Miss, you should go there. Many distinguished people will come to Qingquan Temple to burn incense and pray. At that time, Miss, you can go with the crowd to have your fortune told. Your wishes will surely come true."

Gu Hanjiao nodded. Tomorrow was indeed an auspicious day. In previous years, she would go with her mother to Qingquan Temple to donate some incense money to show the generosity of the Prime Minister's Mansion on such an auspicious day. However, Gu Hanjiao knew how unwilling her mother was in private.

"Then you all go and make preparations. We'll go to Qingquan Temple tomorrow."

Chunlu hesitated and asked, "Miss, your health is very important right now. Is it really appropriate for us to go to Qingquan Temple tomorrow? After all, we'll be climbing a mountain. If something happens to you, the Third Prince will be very distressed."

These words struck a chord with Gu Hanjiao. The child in her womb was Xiao Yuheng's first child, and the eldest son, whether legitimate or illegitimate, was extremely important and her greatest bargaining chip.

"What should I do?"

Qiu Shuang's eyes lit up, and she suggested, "What's the big deal? We can make the carriage softer tomorrow, and then ask the sedan chair bearers to carry Miss up the mountain when we get there."

Chunlu disagreed with the suggestion, but before she could say anything more, Gu Hanjiao had already nodded in agreement.

"Let's do it that way then. Go and make the preparations."

The next day, Gu Hanjiao and her two servants went to Qingquan Temple.

That evening, after having dinner, Gu Qingwan chatted with her maternal grandparents for a while before heading home.

Gu Qingwan went straight to the side gate without changing her clothes. Siqi was waiting there, and the two of them went to the Chu Prince's Mansion together.

Xiao Jingchen was reading in his study instead of sleeping. Hearing footsteps, he immediately focused and knew within a moment that it was Gu Qingwan coming over.

Xiao Jingchen unconsciously curved the corners of his mouth into a smile. This little guy had made such a commotion that he probably didn't even know she was here.

"Why is the Princess here?" Xiao Yi was surprised to see her, but what made him happiest was that Siqi had also come along.

Siqi asked with a displeased expression, "What, do we have to report to you before our young lady comes here?"

"Of course not. If I had known the Princess was coming, I would have swept the entrance seven or eight times and waited there early."

Seeing Xiao Yi's silly antics amused Gu Qingwan.

"Alright, your prince and I aren't married yet, isn't it a bit too early to call me princess?"

"Hehe, it's already a done deal, so what's the difference? Besides, the prince allows us to call the princess that. The princess doesn't know, but the prince gets happy for a long time every time he hears us call her that."

Hearing this, Gu Qingwan didn't bother to correct him, after all, she was there on official business. "Is the Prince inside?"

"Hehehe, Master is in the study."

Gu Qingwan hesitated for a moment, "Is now a convenient time?"

"Convenient, convenient. The Prince waits for the Princess to come in every day." The steward appeared out of nowhere.

Looking at the butler's narrowed eyes, Gu Qingwan found it amusing. How could someone as cold and aloof as Xiao Jingchen have such a cheerful and lively subordinate around him?

"Uncle Hua, how have you been lately?"

"Oh, thank you for your concern, Your Highness. This old servant is in good health and can easily take care of three children!"

This implication was practically an explicit statement. Xiao Jingchen, who was in his study, couldn't stand it any longer and opened the study door.

"Cough cough."

"Oh, Your Highness, are you done with your work?" Uncle Hua's face was full of wrinkles. "You see, I told you that no matter how busy Your Highness is, he's not busy as long as the Princess Consort comes."

Gu Qingwan continued to watch them chat and laugh with a smile.

Xiao Jingchen forced a smile and ordered, "Wanwan is here to treat me. You all hurry up and prepare, and call Chunbo over."

“Your Highness, the study is probably not suitable.” Gu Qingwan had been to Xiao Jingchen’s study before. It was bare and anyone who came in had to stand, let alone receive treatment.

"Then let's go to the main courtyard."

Chunbo had prepared the silver needles that Gu Qingwan had asked him to prepare well in advance.

When he arrived, Gu Qingwan was taking Xiao Jingchen's pulse.

"It seems that Uncle Chun's tonic is very effective. The prince's pulse is much stronger than last time, so I can apply a stronger needle today."

Chunbo said with a smile, "It's not my tonic that works, it's the young lady... no, I should call her the princess, it's the princess's pills that work."

"Alright, Uncle Chun, even you've picked up their bad habits and started teasing me. Today I had Siqi bring two bottles of this for you."

"Oh dear, that medicine is worth a fortune! Siqi, you must take good care of it and make sure it doesn't break," Uncle Chun carefully instructed Siqi.

Chunbo was as funny as ever. Siqi deliberately tossed two bottles of medicine over to him, and Chunbo caught them as if they were his lifeline.

"You brat, I told you to take good care of them, and you still treat these two little darlings like this! You deserve a beating!"

"Miss, please save me!"

Gu Qingwan smiled and interrupted their playful banter.

"Alright, it's getting late, let's begin. Uncle Chun, go and add another ten percent to the medicine you prepared last time. I'll administer the medicine based on the Prince's pulse last time. Now that his pulse is good, I can increase the dosage. I'll administer the acupuncture. Siqi, you go with Uncle Chun to prepare."

"Do not worry."

Gu Qingwan said to Xiao Jingchen with a serious expression, "You may feel some numbness, swelling, and pain in a while, but no matter what, you cannot use your internal energy. I will seal your internal energy in advance, and you cannot force it to break through. Can you do that?"

"can."

"If you feel unbearable pain, tell me and I will stop or reduce the pressure of the needle. Don't push yourself."

"it is good."

Gu Qingwan seemed to have thought of something again. She looked at Xiao Yi and then whispered something in Xiao Jingchen's ear for a while.

Xiao Yi was a little curious, but then he saw the prince blush.

Gu Qingwan straightened up and went to disinfect the silver needles to prepare.

Xiao Jingchen coughed awkwardly twice: "Xiao Yi, you stand guard at the door and don't let anyone barge in."

Xiao Yi, somewhat bewildered, squatted down at the doorway to act as a door god.

Gu Qingwan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"I thought you would ask Xiao Yi to help."

"With the Princess here, there is no need for anyone else. Let the Princess enjoy my body."

Gu Qingwan smiled and shrugged. She had just told Xiao Jingchen to take off all his clothes. As a doctor, she naturally wouldn't feel uncomfortable, but she was afraid that Xiao Jingchen would feel uncomfortable.

"that……"

"What's wrong?" Gu Qingwan wiped the silver needles with strong liquor, speaking to him casually without turning her head.

"Did you treat others like this before?"

This question made Gu Qingwan turn to look at him, and after a long while she said, "You are the first and only one. Isn't there Uncle Chun? He's already very capable."

"If in the future..."

"You're so long-winded, Your Highness. I already told you, Uncle Chun is here."

Xiao Jingchen paused for a moment and then laughed. He had indeed been too cautious. Wanwan meant that this was the only way to treat him, and if there was a second person, Chunbo would be asked to take action.

Gu Qingwan raised her chin and pointed to the bed, "Your Highness, take your clothes off and get on."

Gu Qingwan's needle insertion was not a simple matter of inserting the needle in. The location and angle of insertion were very particular, and the force applied was also carefully considered, with different amounts of force applied to each acupoint.

After she finished bandaging him, Xiao Jingchen looked like a hedgehog.

Gu Qingwan wiped her hands and said, "This time we're only pricking the back. Close your eyes and rest for a bit. If you feel any pain or discomfort, be sure to tell me. We'll turn over and continue after an incense stick has burned."

Xiao Jingchen did feel some pain, but the tingling sensation was bearable.

Gu Qingwan raised an eyebrow. He really was tolerant; a normal person would have screamed when she inserted the needles.

Gu Qingwan stared at his back, looking at the scars all over his body. How could he be the kind of person who couldn't endure pain? If he were the kind of delicate person, he probably would have died from the pain even if he didn't die on the battlefield.

The wounds, large and small, are scattered across his strong, powerful muscles; he must have endured so much hardship.

Thinking about it, Gu Qingwan reached out and touched his scar. The moment she touched it, Gu Qingwan clearly felt the body under her hand tremble.

"What? Are you starting to feel the pain?"

Xiao Jingchen chuckled and said, "It doesn't hurt. It's just that it's not good for the princess to take advantage of the situation like this. I'm a little inconvenient right now. If the princess can't wait until the wedding day, I'll take care of her properly after I finish my medicinal bath."

When Gu Qingwan heard that this guy was joking with her again, she was so angry that she slapped him.

Xiao Jingchen was caught off guard and was already in pain, so he couldn't hold back anymore and cried out.

This sound was quite alarming, as someone barged right in through the door. Gu Qingwan reacted quickly, immediately pulling down the bed curtains. After the person walked around the screen, all they could see was the tightly wrapped bed curtains and Gu Qingwan standing beside them.

"What have you done to the Prince! If anything happens to the Prince, I will not let you off!"