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

April weather is warm and comfortable, without torrential rain or scorching sun. Flowers bloom, willows sway gracefully, clear waters flow gently, and mountains are verdant, with fragrance everywhere.

At this time, all the prominent mansions in the capital successively received invitations to the flower-viewing banquet from the Second Prince's Consort. It was unclear where the news came from, but the invitations extended to young ladies and talented young men from various families.

It is said that this flower-viewing banquet will gather hundreds of flowers in one mansion. Everyone in the capital knows that the Second Prince is a prince who loves flowers and plants. All kinds of rare and famous flowers can be seen in his mansion. Moreover, this time is not ordinary. Young men and women are among those invited. It is said that this is for the Third Prince to see.

Of course, the Prime Minister's residence also received the invitation. Ever since receiving the invitation, Gu Hanjiao had been planning in her mind how to prepare for the upcoming flower viewing banquet. She thought it wasn't enough yet, so she decided to go and discuss it with her mother and go to Duobaoge and Caiyige to order some clothes and jewelry.

"Mother, Mother, shall we go shopping?" Gu Hanjiao slowed down as she entered the room and saw her mother helping her father put on his outer garment. "Jiao'er didn't know Father was here. I greet Father."

"There's no need to be so reserved at home." Gu Ziming lowered his head and straightened his sleeves. "Oh? Is something good happening that makes Jiao'er so happy?"

"Father, it is a beautiful spring day with flowers in full bloom. The Second Prince's Consort is hosting a banquet to invite young ladies from various families to the mansion to admire the flowers. Everyone says that the Second Prince's mansion has the most varieties of flowers, and the most beautiful ones. I was also invited to such an invitation, so I am naturally very happy."

"Oh? Let me see it." Hearing Gu Hanjiao say this, Gu Ziming became somewhat interested.

“This child is just so impulsive, even though she’s such a grown-up.” Wang Ruyan tapped Gu Hanjiao’s forehead, and Gu Hanjiao made a face at her mother, looking inexplicably cute and playful.

Gu Ziming glanced at the invitation, stroked his beard, and said, "Not only are there young ladies from various families invited, but also young talents. Hmm... Madam, you should take Qing'er to see them too."

"Replying to your question, sir, it's not that I'm unwilling to bring Qing'er, but Qing'er recently caught a cold, and it's not easy to cure in a short time. Even if she recovers, she'll need to rest for a while. The guests at this flower-viewing banquet are all royal relatives and nobles, so if..." Wang Ruyan looked at Gu Ziming with some difficulty, while Gu Hanjiao was also somewhat unhappy ever since she heard her father ask her mother to bring that concubine's daughter.

“What you say makes sense, Madam. Let’s forget about it then.” Gu Ziming stood up, took the hat, put it on his head, and straightened himself. “You two can talk. I have to go out for a bit.”

"Will the master come here for lunch again?"

"No, I have an appointment with some colleagues to discuss some matters, so don't wait for me for lunch."

"Father, take care."

Gu Ziming felt very proud as he watched his beloved daughter grow up to be more and more beautiful and charming. He had a feeling of pride and joy.

Watching Gu Ziming leave the courtyard, Gu Hanjiao's smiling face immediately fell, and she complained, "Father always thinks about that little illegitimate daughter in that courtyard. I don't know what kind of bewitching potion she's given him."

"Alright, stop saying that, or your dad will hear you."

"Oh." Gu Hanjiao pouted, still looking unhappy.

Seeing her daughter like this, Wang Ruyan thought her child was outstanding no matter how she looked at her, even her angry expression was adorable. "Why did you come to see your mother? You didn't come here to get angry, did you?"

"I almost forgot something important." Gu Hanjiao shook off her previous unpleasantness. "Mother, let's go shopping and pick out a few more outfits and jewelry."

"Look how anxious you are." Wang Ruyan pinched her daughter's face. "I sent someone to Duobaoge and Caiyige a long time ago to make an appointment. It just so happens that we can arrange for them to come to the manor today to look at the styles and make clothes for you."

"But there's only a little over half a month left, is it possible to make it in time?"

"Yes, why can't you catch up? I think it's because your heart is running too fast, and you can't keep up."

"My mother would tease me."

"Madam, Duobao Pavilion and Caiyi Pavilion have sent people to the manor." At this moment, a maidservant came in to report. Looking from a distance outside the courtyard, there were indeed two people waiting there. They were none other than Manager Wu of Duobao Pavilion and Manager Wang of Caiyi Pavilion.

The two of them arrived one after the other and bumped into each other. They looked at each other and understood what the other was thinking: the young lady was right, the money had arrived!

First, Manager Wu from Duobaoge went in and stood outside the screen. He took out his jewelry box and handed it to a maid to take inside. Gu Hanjiao looked at the styles and shook her head.

"Shopkeeper, these are all old styles. Are you trying to fob me off with these?"

"Replying to Miss, these are new styles released this month and last month, not old styles," Manager Wu replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

“You have to buy every new style that Duobaoge comes out. No wonder you see these are all old styles,” Wang Ruyan said, pulling her daughter aside.

"Manager Wu, do you have any new ideas?" Wang Ruyan asked Manager Wu, who was standing outside the screen.

"In response to your question, Madam, there is indeed some, but..."

"But what? If you have it, just bring it out. It's not like my Prime Minister's residence can't afford it," Gu Hanjiao urged hurriedly.

"Jiao'er." Wang Ruyan felt a little helpless seeing her daughter so impatient and reminded her. Gu Hanjiao also realized that she had been a bit impolite in front of outsiders, so she calmed down and sat on the embroidered stool to drink tea.

"I've brought a catalog." Manager Wu took out a small stack of catalogs from his cloth bag. "The top one is the styles we currently have in the store, the middle one is the styles that have just arrived and are being made, and the bottom one is the custom styles that we have carefully selected."

Chunlu took the flower catalog from Manager Wu and handed it to Gu Hanjiao. Gu Hanjiao didn't look at the first one, but went straight to the last one. The designs in the last one were indeed stunning. Every design was just right, making one want to buy them all. However, Gu Hanjiao also knew that the price in this catalog must be quite high. So, which one should she choose?

Shopkeeper Wu seemed to sense the hesitation in the room, so he cleared his throat and began to speak: "Madam and Miss have good taste. The designs in this last booklet were specially designed by our shop. You can't find the same styles anywhere else on the market. You can rest assured. This is the advantage of this series of products, and it's also the style that most young ladies choose."

"What? Other young ladies have already started choosing jewelry?"

"Yes."

"Since someone has already chosen it, how can you guarantee that the same style won't be produced?" Wang Ruyan asked.

"In reply to Madam, as you can see, our booklet is not bound very tightly, so as long as the price is right, we will keep the customers who are selected separately and will not sell it to the public."

"Mother, I want the best." Gu Hanjiao thought. Other young ladies all had their clothes custom-made, so she couldn't be worse than them. Otherwise, she would be so embarrassed if she wore the same thing as someone else at the Hundred Flowers Banquet.

“Miss, please look at the next page. There is a blank blue page. The designs that follow are styles that haven’t been selected yet. If you want to make a private custom order, you can choose from here. However… hehe, as you know, the prices at our Treasure Pavilion have never been very low.”

"No matter how much it costs, our Prime Minister's residence can always afford it," Gu Hanjiao said to the person outside the screen.

Madam Gu, Wang Ruyan, couldn't stop her daughter even if she wanted to. Outsiders felt caught in a dilemma. She had just looked at the price list, and the prices were more than three times higher than usual. Custom-made items were even ten times more expensive. This was all Baihua Lake's money, but Wang Ruyan didn't want to lose face for the Prime Minister's Mansion.

"Mom, I think these are all very beautiful."

"Jiao'er, you already have quite a few pieces of jewelry. Just choose the one you like best from here."

"I want more."

"My dear, if your father knew you were being so extravagant, he would definitely be unhappy. Sweetheart, I think this one is quite good."

Listening to the conversation inside, Manager Wu consciously took his things and left to wait in the courtyard. Sure enough, Xue Niang came out with a booklet and took out two patterns.

"Our lady said that these two patterns can produce two pieces of jewelry."

"No problem, no problem, it's just a deposit..."

"Please wait a moment. I'll take you and Manager Wu from Caiyi Pavilion to the accounting office to collect the deposit later." After Xue Niang finished speaking, she led Manager Wang, who was waiting in the courtyard, inside.

When Manager Wang entered, he sensed that the atmosphere was not very harmonious. Wang Ruyan's idea was to make two ordinary sets, but Gu Hanjiao insisted on a private custom-made set that could not be the same as others. So one set would be fine, but the child was very willful and said that one set was not enough. What if she had to change clothes? Wouldn't she have no jewelry to wear? Now that two sets have been made, that's not silver but gold.

"Phew, Manager Wang, just bring over your catalog of fabric styles and patterns."

"It's ma'am."

Gu Hanjiao was also unhappy, not expecting her mother to be so stingy as to only buy her two pieces of jewelry. However, seeing the clothes, Gu Hanjiao put her attention back into them.

After much deliberation, Gu Hanjiao and Wang Ruyan chose two outfits to match the two pieces of jewelry. Unexpectedly, Gu Hanjiao asked a question at this moment.

"Will anyone else be wearing the same clothes as me then?"

Wang Ruyan knew something was wrong, but it was too late. This question was exactly what Manager Wang wanted to hear, as he was just thinking about how to bring it up appropriately.

"In reply to Miss, as per our previous rules, if you want something unique, you'll have to pay extra to buy it outright."

“Mother…” Gu Hanjiao looked at Wang Ruyan with teary eyes.

“No one else is going to happen to be wearing the same thing as you. Shopkeeper Wang, just go with the size we usually buy.” Wang Ruyan looked at the price list; the prices were all higher than usual. “What, have you raised your prices too?”

"Madam, there have been a lot of custom-made clothes in the capital lately. We don't have enough manpower, and the fabric is also limited, so we have raised our prices."

"Mother, I don't..."

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Wang Ruyan quickly stopped Gu Hanjiao, who was about to speak. "Xue Niang, take the two managers to the accounting office."

"Yes, please come this way, both of you."

"Then I'll take my leave. The custom-made jewelry will be delivered to your residence in five days," said Manager Wu.

"I'll also take my leave. My clothes might not arrive as quickly as Manager Wu's, since his were custom-made. Mine will take twelve days to arrive."

Gu Hanjiao wanted to plead again, but seeing her mother's stern eyes, she temporarily suppressed the idea.

The two managers who left the Gu residence have been feeling very happy lately. They are so busy every day that they don't have time to rest, and they even have to work overtime at night to calculate with an abacus. Their fingers are almost cramping, but they are happy nonetheless.

"Manager Wu has recently struck it rich! Congratulations!"

"Manager Wang is doing well lately too, congratulations to him!"