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

"Your Majesty, it is the Third Prince. I heard that His Majesty was furious, and the Third Prince is currently being reprimanded by His Majesty and kneeling at the entrance of the Imperial Study."

Consort Yu almost fainted as her vision went black.

"Your Highness!" Amber and Zijuan rushed forward to support the Imperial Concubine.

"Have you found out what the Third Prince did to offend the Emperor?"

The young eunuch hesitated, "I heard...I heard..."

"Hurry up and tell me!" Consort Yu suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

"I heard that the Third Prince angered the Emperor because of his wedding."

There was nothing Consort Yu didn't understand. Just now, when she left, she was still advising him not to act rashly and to discuss it later. But why was Heng'er so impatient?

"Quickly, quickly help me with my hair and makeup! I need to go to the Imperial Study to plead for the Third Prince!"

Consort Yu rushed to the door of the Imperial Study and saw that the Third Prince was still kneeling there. Consort Yu was both angry and heartbroken.

"Mother concubine."

Consort Yu slapped Xiao Yuheng across the face, startling Fuming, who was serving at the door.

"Miss!"

Consort Yu took a deep breath and asked Fuming with a smile, "Eunuch Fuming, please go inside and inform His Majesty that I have something to say to him."

Fu Ming paused for a moment, glanced at the Third Prince kneeling there, and nodded: "Your Majesty, please wait a moment, this old servant will go right away."

Now the Third Prince moved from kneeling outside to kneeling inside, with Consort Yu by his side.

"Your Majesty, Heng'er was just confused for a moment. I hope Your Majesty will forgive Heng'er this time for my sake."

"A moment of confusion? Look at what he's saying! Your mother is right here, so say it to her again!"

Xiao Yuheng certainly dared not say it again, for if he did, the Emperor would surely have him beaten.

Consort Yu's eyes darted around, and she came up with a plan. With a charming smile, she walked behind the Emperor and began to massage his shoulders to help him relax.

"Your Majesty, Heng'er actually told me about this idea before."

"I told you this, but you didn't scold him on the spot and tell him to get rid of this idea immediately!"

"Your Majesty, I certainly disagree, but Heng'er is a kind and loyal child. He makes me happy but also sad. Now, as expected, Heng'er has stumbled in matters of the heart."

The Emperor remained silent for a while, then glanced at Xiao Yuheng kneeling on the ground. He knew that the mother and son must have other ideas, so he did not speak.

Seeing that the Emperor remained silent, Consort Yu was unsure of his intentions, but she had already made up her mind on the way here.

Gu Hanjiao's status as a princess is already common knowledge in the capital. She has also asked her second brother to create momentum outside, saying that Heng'er is the chosen one. Therefore, Gu Hanjiao cannot simply give up this move.

Moreover, there's Gu Ziming. That old fox was finally tied to the ship, so of course we can't let him get off easily. Now that the emperor has the idea of ​​reform, it seems that the position of prime minister is about to be lost. Gu Ziming can only keep his position as prime minister by supporting a new monarch.

Gu Ziming had no other choice. Receiving Gu Ziming's help meant gaining the support of most scholars in the world, so he couldn't touch Gu Hanjiao for the time being.

Moreover, before Heng'er left, he told her about fortune telling. One fortune teller said it might be nonsense, but since the two fortune tellers were from the south and the north, and they didn't make the same prediction at the same time, it couldn't be taken lightly.

She thought for a while. Her son had talent, connections, and money. Apart from not being the legitimate son, she was already a Noble Consort, only slightly lower than the Empress. Her son was no less than the Crown Prince.

After much thought, Heng'er did indeed lack some luck. If Gu Hanjiao could really bring Heng'er good fortune, then taking a gamble was worthwhile.

"I think that Heng'er's marriage should not disappoint Miss Li. Miss Li risked her life to save Heng'er back then, and we cannot forget her kindness for that reason. Besides, Qianyu lost her chastity because of Heng'er."

"Mother, your son has none!"

"Shut up!" Consort Yu shouted angrily.

"Such a fine girl, she was carefully cultivated by Lord Li. In my opinion, she would be a perfect wife even if she were to become a royal consort. With her by Heng'er's side, I can rest assured to serve His Majesty well in the palace."

"Hmm, I think that child is indeed quite good, loyal and righteous. Hmph, if it weren't for me, do you think the Li family would have been willing to marry their daughter to you?"

Xiao Yuheng lowered his head and remained silent. He didn't know what to say. He clearly had the advantage of timing, location, and popular support, so why was things getting more and more chaotic, to the point that he couldn't even sort things out himself?

Li Qianyu… Thinking of that gentle and generous woman, Xiao Yuheng felt a little reluctant. She was indeed a good girl. If we were to talk about who would be the mistress of the house, Li Qianyu seemed to be more suitable. However, Jiao'er was the one he met first, and she was the woman he fell in love with from the very beginning.

"Yes, Your Majesty's kindness as a father is deeply appreciated by both me and Heng'er. However, I cannot bear to see Heng'er so sad. Perhaps..."

"Not as good as what?"

"I was thinking that since ancient times there has been the saying that lotus flowers bloom in pairs, which has a very good meaning. Why don't we have our Heng'er also have a lotus flower bloom in pairs to give it a good meaning?"

"How can a lotus bloom with two flowers on one stem?"

The Emperor narrowed his eyes, but Consort Yu didn't see the anger in them. She only felt that there was no displeasure in the Emperor's tone.

"The idea is to let Heng'er marry two princesses at the same time, regardless of their seniority. This way, Heng'er's feelings will be fulfilled, and Miss Li's kindness will also be repaid. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Consort Yu was smug, thinking it was a perfect plan.

Xiao Yuheng never expected his mother to come up with such an idea. The idea seemed good, but had his mother considered whether Li Xinhan would agree, and Gu Ziming would certainly not agree?

The Emperor's eyes flickered, revealing no information. After a while, he raised his chin and asked, "What do you think of what your mother said?"

Xiao Yuheng lowered his head even further, "If it is up to Father Emperor to decide, son... son does not want to let anyone down, son does not know what to do."

At this moment, the emperor felt incredibly tired. Although he was an emperor, he was also a father. He had experienced the fierce struggle for the throne and did not want to see any of his sons die a tragic death.

The choice of Li Qianyu as Heng'er's princess was entirely based on Li Xinhan's neutral attitude. Such a family would ensure that he could remain a leisurely and wealthy prince in the future. However, his son did not seem to appreciate this.

Ultimately, the Emperor did not express his opinion in the Imperial Study, but he calmly instructed Consort Yu to take the Third Prince, Xiao Yuheng, back with him.

Consort Yu was filled with anxiety, fearing that Heng'er's impulsive act had implicated her and caused her to be demoted from her position as a consort once again. She did not want to experience the feeling of falling from a high position again.

At that time, although she was also a concubine and had the grace of raising a prince, everyone in the palace was either flattering or sycophantic.

Seeing that the Empress disliked her, and that those petty people disliked her even more, even her own daughter would come to her every few days to cry and make a fuss, giving her a terrible headache.

After returning to Xitong Palace, the mother and son had a heated argument.

Xiao Yuheng was furious. He couldn't help but accuse his mother, "Didn't Mother say that she would decide for herself which of her sons to marry, Jiao'er, as his principal wife? How come now there's this talk of... a pair of twin lotus blossoms? If outsiders find out, they'll just say I'm greedy!"

He originally thought that even if he was reprimanded by his father, so what? Just like Jiao'er analyzed for him that night, the more he was entangled in matters of love and affection, the more his father would trust him. Then he could safely expand his power and develop his strength in secret.

But now, his mother's direct display of twin lotus blossoms completely stunned him. He felt guilty towards Miss Li, but he never expected to do it in this way. This wasn't making amends; it was humiliating.

"Why are you yelling at me? This is all because you went to your father's side and talked nonsense on your own. I only suggested this to save you." Consort Yu was also unhappy to be yelled at by her son. This ingrate! She had taken such a big risk to plead for him, and she didn't know what she got out of it.

"And isn't this a good thing? It can satisfy both your beloved son and Miss Li's feelings. Besides, you won't lose anything. Two beauties. Even outsiders will have to say that you, the Third Prince, are very lucky."

Needless to say, the second young lady of the Gu family, although she has some blemishes, her talent and beauty have long been renowned in the capital. If it weren't for those scandalous things, there would probably be a long line of men wanting to marry her. As for the eldest daughter of the Li family, Li Qianyu, although she is not well-known, her talent and beauty are also outstanding.

Marrying such a wonderful girl is like burning incense in one's past life; I never imagined the Third Prince could have two of them. What's wrong with that?

But for Xiao Yuheng, one man's meat is another man's poison. He is an ambitious man and does not want to be entangled in romantic relationships.

Although he had heard Gu Hanjiao say "one love for life" during a moment of passion, he was quite disdainful in his heart, but he still agreed verbally to coax her. This shows that he was not a person who was devoted to one person, much less like the royal uncle who only stayed with one princess.

Gu Hanjiao became his final choice because of her destiny. He thought that was the end of it, but then Miss Li appeared, putting him in a dilemma.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yuheng couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Why was it that the more he didn't want to be involved in matters of his children, the more he found himself unable to extricate himself from them?

First it was Gu Qingwan, then Gu Hanjiao, and now there's Li Qianyu.

"Mother, you should at least ask for my opinion before offering your advice. Now what do you think we should do? Father neither agreed nor consented, which shows that he is angry with me. Just now, Father bypassed the Crown Prince and gave me a task to receive the envoys from the Northern Border. Now that you've interfered, what if Father makes me stay at home to reflect on my mistakes?"

Hearing her son's incessant complaints, Consort Yu was filled with rage. She slammed her teacup on the table and said angrily, "What's wrong with Minister Li's eldest daughter? At least her status is enough to make her worthy of being a prince's consort! Unlike that neither-legitimate nor-illegitimate daughter, if it weren't for your feelings, I would have only allowed her to be a concubine at most, and that would have been out of consideration for you and her father, the prime minister!"

"Mother, please don't say that. After all, my daughter has an elder sister who is also a princess consort," Xiao Yuheng reminded her in a sinister tone.

Consort Yu suffered a myocardial infarction. Yes, that Gu Qingwan actually became the Princess Consort of Chu. In terms of status, she is a rank higher than Consort Yu. When they meet, she might even have to bow to Gu Qingwan.

Consort Yu patiently lowered her voice and explained the reasons behind this to her son in detail.

"Heng'er, you are the Third Prince, the hope of our Yu family, and there is a possibility that you will advance further in the future. You must always consider the dignity of the royal family, right? With such a beautiful princess in front of you, your reputation will be better, won't it? Besides, Li Xinhan is also very prestigious among civil officials. If you become their son-in-law, there will naturally be benefits for you."

Xiao Yuheng thought about it and realized that his mother was right. Although Li Xinhan did not agree to him marrying his daughter, could he really just ignore it? If Li Qianyu did not have that destiny, she was indeed more suitable to be a princess.

Xiao Yuheng nodded gently, "What Mother said makes sense, but what should we do now that Father has not expressed his opinion?"

Consort Yu lowered her voice even further and said, "For now, just pretend nothing happened. You should do what you're supposed to do. The main thing is to do the job your father has arranged for you well. As for the marriage, just leave it as it is. If word gets out, people will only say that the Third Prince is a man of deep affection. You can leave this matter to your second uncle."

"After that day..."

"Whether your father agrees or not in the future doesn't matter. They are just two women. Now that they've entered your harem, how you treat them is entirely up to you. As for the matter of the wedding ceremony, you don't need to worry about it. Concubines are also listed in the royal register, so they are no different from wives. If I were to say, my son is the luckiest person. You really don't need to take it to heart."

"That's all."

Xiao Yuheng was at a loss. He had originally thought that it would be best if his father agreed, but there was a high chance that he would not. If his father did not agree, he would not have let his beloved daughter down.

According to the fortune teller, as long as you are with people who are extremely lucky, you will get some good luck from them. In the end, as long as you treat people sincerely, you will be rewarded.

Xiao Yuheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He had done all he could; the rest was up to fate.

At this moment, the Crown Prince was in the Chu Prince's residence, and Gu Qingwan was also helping the Chu Prince with his follow-up medical examination. Upon hearing the news from the palace, the group couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.