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

"Has Xiao Yuheng gone mad? How dare he openly defy the imperial edict for a woman? Has he lost his mind? Could it be that he didn't break his leg last time, but instead smashed his head?"

The Crown Prince was truly baffled. He had initially regarded Xiao Yuheng as a valuable competitor or a whetstone, but now it seemed that Xiao Yuheng's mind wasn't quite right and he wasn't suitable to be a whetstone.

"Uncle, what kind of look is that?" The Crown Prince saw in his uncle's eyes an expression that seemed to say, "You're not so smart after all."

“What’s so hard to understand? The Third Prince is just a little impatient. Seeing that his position as Crown Prince is becoming more and more secure, it’s inevitable that he’s losing his composure,” Gu Qingwan explained from the side.

Gu Qingwan thought about her past life. At that time, in addition to the Ning family's army, Xiao Yuheng should have been maintaining an army outside. If nothing unexpected happened, the weapons made in Xishan were not only sold to enemy countries, but some were also supplied to his private army.

She just didn't know if Xiao Jingchen had found out yet. When she got back, she would think about the details carefully and might be able to figure out where Xiao Yuheng had hidden those secrets.

Gu Qingwan glanced at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was a good one. Apart from her own mother being somewhat unreliable, he was the perfect choice to become the heir apparent. It seemed that the Emperor had seen this, which was why he kept the Crown Prince by his side and personally taught him.

However, in his previous life, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had no children, which made the Crown Prince a constant target of criticism. As a result, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess became discordant over the issue of having children. In the end, the Crown Princess became depressed and withdrawn from worldly affairs, while the Crown Prince was in great pain and gradually lost the energy to attend to state affairs.

Since the Crown Prince later had a child with someone else through the Empress's scheme, it means that the Crown Prince was not the problem. The problem lies with the Crown Princess, but that's not necessarily the case, since having a child is a matter of fate.

Thinking of this, Gu Qingwan took out a porcelain bottle and a prescription from her medicine box and gave them to the Crown Prince.

"what is this?"

With clear eyes, Gu Qingwan said to the Crown Prince, "Medicine for treating infertility."

……

A moment of silence fell over the courtyard. Siqi and Xiaoyi were shocked but also wanted to laugh. Even if their princess was the crown prince's aunt, she shouldn't be so casual about the crown prince's infertility.

"Ahem." Xiao Jingchen spoke first, clearly finding his little princess's words somewhat unbelievable.

"What's with those expressions?" Gu Qingwan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"That..." Since it involved himself, the Crown Prince felt it necessary to say something, "That little imperial aunt, your nephew and the Crown Princess..."

"You don't need to shy away from seeking medical help. The fact that you don't have children will become a problem sooner or later. I'm doing this for your own good. You can go back and discuss it with the Crown Princess. It would be best if I could take a look. Besides, if you had a child of your own, I think your relationship with the Crown Princess would be even better, wouldn't it?"

In fact, Gu Qingwan was being somewhat tactful. Having an heir would make his position as crown prince even more secure. The little imperial aunt was right; having an heir was not only a concern for the couple, but also a constant worry for the empress.

Because of this incident, the relationship between the Crown Princess and the Empress, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, deteriorated further.

Thinking of this, the Crown Prince accepted Gu Qingwan's kindness, knowing that the princess whom his uncle had chosen would not harm him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will definitely ask Lingyue to come and find you when I get back. I hope Your Majesty will take good care of me."

Xiao Jingchen was a little unhappy. Their wedding was imminent, and there were too many things to do. How could they have time to take care of the Crown Prince and his wife? He said, "There's no rush. Having a child depends on fate. After your aunt marries into the family, you can bring your wife over."

"But……"

"Your Highness is right. This matter cannot be rushed. I am also reminding the Crown Prince that you and the Crown Princess should both take this medicine. You don't need much; take one pill every three days. This medicine is not for drinking. After boiling it, use it to soak the Crown Princess's feet every day. It is only for conditioning her body. We will discuss how to use it after I take her pulse."

"That's enough, thank you, Your Majesty."

Gu Qingwan is indeed very meticulous. His and the Crown Princess's positions are very sensitive, and they have to be careful in everything they do, especially when it comes to food and medicine. It's not that he doesn't trust Gu Qingwan, but he's afraid that someone might tamper with the medicine during the cooking process.

Although he was confident that he had a good grasp of everything inside and outside his Eastern Palace, there were still some petty people who took advantage of the loopholes.

Xiao Jingchen was a little unhappy. He had finally been able to be with Wanwan, but the Crown Prince was sitting there, spoiling the mood and refusing to leave. He had no sense of propriety at all.

The Crown Prince will tell the Crown Princess about this when he returns. The Crown Princess also felt that the Crown Prince was indeed a bit lacking in emotional intelligence. It was not easy for the Imperial Uncle and Imperial Aunt to have a chat. Why didn't he leave quickly? What was he doing lingering there?

"My aunt is a good person." The Crown Princess touched her lower abdomen. Having a child was also a sore point for her. As the Crown Princess, she naturally knew what offspring meant to the Crown Prince. Now that her aunt was willing to help her, she felt only gratitude, regardless of whether it worked out or not.

News from the palace spread quickly: the Third Prince, deeply devoted to his country, was unwilling to betray the two women who were both important to him, and wanted to set a precedent by marrying two princesses at the same time. This immediately gave the common people a new topic of conversation.

Upon hearing the news, Gu Hanjiao was first stunned, then she twitched the corners of her mouth.

How could Xiao Yuheng be so useless? Although he fulfilled his promise after all the fighting, it was still far from fulfilling her promise of a lifetime of one love. But she knew that this matter couldn't be rushed and had to be taken slowly. The current result was the best for her. The child in her belly wasn't an illegitimate child; it would be the eldest legitimate son when it was born.

The Li family was utterly ashamed and indignant upon hearing this news. Li Xinhan was so angry that he shut himself away from all visitors, declaring that the Third Prince and Consort Yu had utterly humiliated the Li family. Upon hearing this, the eldest daughter of the Li family fainted from anger. When she woke up, she said that being humiliated was worse than hanging herself.

"Your Majesty, although my Li family is not a prominent clan, we are an honest and upright family. What do the Third Prince and Consort Yu mean by this? If they really do not want to marry my daughter, my family is not one to cling on shamelessly! There is really no need to insult me ​​like this!"

"Lord Li, what do you mean by this? How is it that having my daughter, a member of the Gu family, as a principal wife is an insult to your Li family? If you have any objections to me, Lord Li, you might as well speak them directly in front of His Majesty!"

When Gu Ziming saw that the Third Prince actually had the audacity to compete with the Emperor for his daughter's so-called true love, he knew that his family would benefit from it anyway. As a father, he had to stand up for his daughter, since being the principal wife was much more advantageous than being a concubine.

"Hmph, this humble official would naturally not dare to have any objections to His Excellency the Prime Minister, but is merely stating the facts." Li Xinhan was not afraid of anyone. He understood that as long as he worked diligently for the Emperor, he really didn't need to be timid or afraid of others.

"Your Majesty, I have been well-versed in the classics since childhood, and I have never neglected the education of my children at home. My daughters in the Li family naturally possess a certain integrity."

"Lord Li, does marrying a prince mean disgracing your daughter? Besides, in the future, our two families' daughters will both become princesses, which will only strengthen our belief in love. They are close friends, so this can be considered a fulfillment of their affection, can't it?" Gu Ziming said casually.

The Emperor did not speak. Ever since the news of Xiao Yuheng's intention to marry two princesses spread, Li Xinhan and Gu Ziming had come to the Imperial Study at the same time. At that time, he was playing chess with the Prince of Chu, so the Prince of Chu happened to be there as well.

"Hmph, Lord Gu, there's really no need to set a trap for me like this. My loyalty to His Majesty is as clear as day and night. As long as His Majesty needs me and the Great Qing Dynasty needs me, my family will do anything, even risk our lives. However, my daughter must never share a position with that woman who has no morals!"

"Li Xinhan! Who are you calling immoral!" Even with his good manners, Gu Ziming couldn't help but feel annoyed. Li Xinhan's insult to Gu Hanjiao about immoral behavior was an insinuation that he, as her father, was disrespectful.

"What I'm saying is perfectly clear to Lord Gu. I'm not being personal, I'm just stating the facts!"

“Li Xinhan, what do you mean? I have two daughters, one of whom is the Princess Consort of Chu.” Gu Ziming glanced at the Prince of Chu, who was sitting there like a god, and continued when he saw that the prince did not react. “One of them is the Princess Consort of Chu, which shows that the Gu family’s upbringing can withstand the test.”

"The Princess Consort of Chu was raised by the Ning family." The King of Chu casually remarked this, causing Gu Ziming to blush.

The King of Chu's meaning was very clear: his queen was indeed good, but it had nothing to do with the Gu family. His queen had told him more than once that she wanted to change her surname to Ning, and this idea seemed feasible. Being surnamed Gu was indeed a bit of a burden to his queen.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. My ears are about to explode."

"Your Majesty, please forgive us." The two men immediately knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness.

Seeing that the two had stopped arguing, the Emperor continued, "You are both my trusted ministers, how can you believe everything you hear? I haven't agreed yet."

Gu Ziming's face paled. He hadn't expected this scene. The rumors outside had become so vivid; he had almost thought...

"His Majesty……"

The Emperor glanced at Gu Ziming and asked, "What is the Prince of Chu's opinion on this matter?"

Xiao Jingchen remained silent for a while, and without any regard for the fact that Gu Ziming was Gu Qingwan's biological father, he spoke very objectively and fairly.

"Miss Gu is indeed unfit for the position of Crown Princess."

No one expected that the Third Prince, after all his arrogance, would be dismissed by the Prince of Chu with a single sentence: "Incompetent for the task." The Emperor, of course, listened to his younger brother, so apart from causing a slight ripple, the matter remained unchanged.

But the Third Prince did just that, which made Li Xinhan very unhappy. He had indeed pledged his loyalty to the Emperor, promising never to take sides and even to sacrifice one of his daughters.

But this absolutely does not mean that he can allow the other party to insult his daughter like this. He wants to stand up for his daughter. Even if he no longer cares about her in the future, as long as she does not leave the house, she will still be his daughter.

"Your Majesty, my daughter nearly committed suicide, and my wife fainted several times from crying. Even if it's not for myself, I must seek justice for those two. If I can't even protect my own family, I have no face to face my colleagues."

Li Xinhan meant that if Your Majesty didn't stand up for me, I would be ridiculed, and if I was ridiculed, my whole family would be ridiculed. We scholars care about our reputation. If I'm ridiculed, I won't go out. If I can't go out, I won't be able to work for you. So Your Majesty, you should decide for yourself.

"Lord Li, since the Emperor has said it's just gossip, what more do you want?" Gu Ziming asked through gritted teeth.

The Emperor seemed to be deep in thought; he was still quite willing to facilitate anything that could suppress the Prime Minister.

"What are your thoughts, my dear minister?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not. I leave it entirely to Your Majesty to decide."

The emperor was speechless. Putting aside their roles as ruler and subject, it was as if the fathers of three children had come together to seek justice for their own children.

"Your Majesty, I do have an idea," said the Prince of Chu, who usually disliked getting involved in trivial matters.

For a moment, Gu Ziming actually thought that the King of Chu must be trying to help Gu Qingwan's only sister because of the Queen Consort's family.

"Oh? King Chu has an idea? Then why don't you tell me?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that once the imperial decree has been issued, there is no reason to retract it. The mistress has indeed gone too far this time, showing no regard for the dignity of our royal family. Therefore, she has indeed wronged Miss Li. How about this?"

"Since ancient times, a wife's status has depended on her husband, and a mother's status has depended on her son. Before the eldest son of the legitimate wife is born, the daughters of the concubines and the harem are not allowed to give birth to the eldest son without permission. I wonder if Lord Li is satisfied with this arrangement?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xinhan was naturally satisfied. This would greatly secure his daughter's position as a princess. Gu Hanjiao was a woman with a deep mind who could make the Third Prince risk disobeying the imperial decree. Given her relationship with the Third Prince, there was a very high chance that she would give birth to an illegitimate son. If she were to usurp the power of the princess, his daughter would suffer greatly.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

"No way!" Gu Ziming was naturally displeased and quickly refused, "Isn't Your Highness being a bit too nosy? What if the Princess Consort still can't conceive?"

"Lord Gu, please watch your words. What do you mean by 'the princess consort can't conceive'? Are you cursing the royal family's daughter-in-law?"

"I'm just stating the facts, and it's also for the sake of the royal offspring. Lord Li, there's no need to make a big deal out of it."

"And why can't Your Highness do anything about it?"

Gu Ziming immediately felt embarrassed. In principle, the Prince of Chu could indeed intervene, firstly because he was the elder of the Third Prince, and secondly because he was the head of the Xiao family of the royal family. However, since the Xiao family was the royal family, matters of clan were not very prominent. In his anxiety, he forgot about it.

Seeing the Emperor's unfriendly gaze, Gu Ziming quickly knelt down, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Highness, please forgive me, I didn't mean that."