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

The secret guards arrived quickly and left just as quickly.

The materials collected by the secret guards were simple, but more detailed than what the steward had described.

Marquis Yi'an had one son and two daughters, all born to his first wife. Not long after, his first wife died in childbirth, and Marquis Yi'an was heartbroken for a long time because of the loss of his first wife.

It was by chance that Marquis Yi'an met his current wife, and he fell in love with her at first sight. Regardless of the age difference between them, he insisted on marrying her as his second wife.

"Speaking of which, this lady is only six years older than the heir apparent," Gu Qingwan muttered, looking at the documents in her hand.

Marquis Yi'an and his new wife had a daughter, the eldest daughter of Marquis Yi'an. She had already married the heir of the Earl of Chengen under the arrangement of the first wife. The second daughter was also married to the second son of her maternal family by the first wife before she passed away. However, because the Marquis's wife had passed away, she had to stay at home to observe three years of mourning and her marriage was delayed.

As for the current Lady Hou, she is the illegitimate daughter of the former Minister of Revenue, Lord Li. Lord Li had passed away long ago, and his legitimate daughter was arranged to marry into a scholarly family in Jiangnan while he was still alive. The son of that family was quite promising and passed the imperial examination that year. He took his wife and children to take up a post in a remote area.

However, her husband has now passed away, and she has sold all her property to seek refuge with the Chen family in the capital, all for the sake of her son's path to the imperial examinations.

The eldest son didn't achieve anything significant; he took his family and went to serve as an official in another region. He still had a house in the capital, but no one lived there; it was just being watched over.

After reading all this, Gu Qingwan seemed thoughtful. It seemed that this Marquis's mansion was quite interesting, otherwise Princess Zirui wouldn't have written to the Prince's mansion.

"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Jingchen strode in from outside. When the guard saw that his master had returned, he thought that he had already done the things that the princess had asked him to do, so he turned around and left.

"It's nothing. I had my secret guards investigate the affairs of the Marquis of Yi'an's residence. I didn't expect that the Marquis of Yi'an was actually the Second Prince's uncle," Gu Qingwan replied, regaining her composure.

"This matter is not a secret. Marquis Yi'an and Consort Xiang in the palace are cousins. Consort Xiang has been able to live a relatively good life in the palace all these years thanks to Marquis Yi'an's military achievements."

Therefore, due to the Emperor's concerns about officials outside the palace and the inner palace, he did not confer the title of Consort Xiang. In addition, since ancient times, cousins ​​have always been the most interesting topic. Even if Marquis Yi'an really wanted to take care of his cousin, he would not dare to do so in such a grand manner.

"Why did Your Highness return so early today?"

Xiao Jingchen patted her hair and said, "I'm almost done with my work, so I'll spend more time with you when I get back."

"What? Are you leaving?"

"It will be in the next two days."

Gu Qingwan remained silent for a while. Although the prince had told her about this before, she still felt a little uncomfortable when the time for parting actually came.

"Okay, okay, it's not like we're leaving right now. Don't be upset. I'll go wherever you want these next couple of days, okay?"

Gu Qingwan took a deep breath and said, "Never mind, it's not like we're not coming back. By the way, look at this."

"Has everything been investigated?" Xiao Jingchen glanced at it but didn't take it in his hand.

"Since Princess Zirui has written a letter and will be arriving in the capital soon, I think I should go and take a look at the Marquis of Yi'an's residence."

"Do you need me to go with you?"

"No need. Don't you still have some things to finish in the military camp? Take this opportunity to tidy them up so you can spend more time with me later."

Xiao Jingchen felt extremely guilty and gently pulled her into his arms.

"Actually, you can be a little more willful; that might make me feel better."

"Then you'll feel bad. Even when you're out there, you'll still be thinking about someone at home who cares about you."

"Sigh, I suddenly don't want to leave anymore. Why don't we let the Crown Prince go?"

Gu Qingwan sat up from his embrace with some disbelief and asked, "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent. Have you considered his feelings?"

“I don’t want to consider his feelings. As the crown prince, he already has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, so he should take on this responsibility even more. Besides, who am I going out for? Isn’t it so that his future empire can be more secure?”

Gu Qingwan suddenly felt that the Crown Prince was really pitiful. He had an Empress Dowager who was often confused, and his father, the Emperor, adopted a laissez-faire approach to raising him. But at least the Emperor's attitude hadn't wavered. He finally had an uncle who treated him well, but it turned out that the uncle had ulterior motives.

They're all such a handful.

"By the way, the second daughter of the Marquis of Yi'an's family is getting married in a couple of days. Both sides have sent invitations. Are you going?"

"Logically, I should go. Both Marquis Yi'an and I are military officers, and we have fought side by side before. However, he is not at home now, and it would be really boring to go to his residence."

Gu Qingwan thought for a moment and said, "Then why don't I go to the Marquis of Yi'an's side? I am a woman, and it would be a way for me to add to the dowry and send off the second young lady of the Marquis of Yi'an, thus fulfilling the friendship between you and the Marquis of Yi'an."

"What kind of relationship do I have with Marquis Yi'an?" Xiao Jingchen frowned, strongly disagreeing with her words. Marquis Yi'an was indeed dashing and debonair when he was young, but over the years he has become a weathered old man.

"Whether it's true or not, it's settled. It's a good opportunity for me to visit Princess Zirui's daughter. The letter says that Princess Zirui will arrive in the capital soon. Since we want to talk to Princess Zirui, we should at least show some sincerity, shouldn't we?"

That day, Prince Chu, Xiao Jingchen, accompanied his princess to the Marquis of Yi'an's residence by carriage early in the morning. Although they were not late, there were already many carriages and horses parked at the gate.

Princess Consort of Chu was of noble status. When the people of the Marquis of Yi'an's mansion heard that the carriage of the Prince of Chu's mansion had stopped at the gate, Madam Wang hurriedly led people to the gate to greet them.

The Prince of Chu's mansion, supporting the princess by the hand, escorted her safely to the entrance of the Marquis of Yi'an's mansion.

A large group of people knelt down in a rush. The King of Chu nodded to them and then rode away, leaving the carriage to the Queen Consort.

Seeing that the King of Chu had no intention of entering, the others knew that the Queen Consort of Chu was representing the Chu royal family, and they warmly ushered her into the mansion.

Gu Qingwan smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite? Today is a special day at your residence. I hope my sudden arrival has not disturbed your enjoyment."