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

"Drive! Drive!"

"Miss! Miss! Slow down, I can't catch up with you!" the maid called out breathlessly to the woman in front of her.

"Slow down?" Gu Qingwan replied to the maid who was trying to catch up with her from her horse, "Instead of letting your young lady slow down, you should try harder to catch up with her yourself."

The grassland is vast and open, with occasional cows and horses grazing. The sky is a clear blue, like the eyes of a child. The phrase "vast sky and boundless wilderness" perfectly describes this place. Among the green grass are wildflowers blooming towards the sky. Looking into the distance, there is a field of golden-orange flowers. If your eyesight is good enough, you can even see butterflies and bees.

The tranquility was broken by two people riding in on horseback. A woman dressed in a red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) rode galloping on horseback, seemingly oblivious to her gender. Her dress, with its flowing fabric, swayed in the wind. The horse was moving so fast that the woman seemed to be rushing forward like a ball of fire, as if trying to penetrate something.

Gu Qingwan reined in her horse by the river. Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, she jumped down and patted the chestnut horse, a gift from her uncle. It was very wild and wouldn't let anyone touch it except Gu Qingwan. The horse puffed out its breath, seemingly enjoying the ride. It stamped its hooves, walked to the river to drink, and then wandered around the area on its own.

Gu Qingwan straightened her skirt, squatted down by the river to wash her hands, and then stood there to watch the sunset.

When I arrived, I saw the setting sun enveloping the girl in red by the river, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, fiery and vibrant, as if she were about to transform into a phoenix and soar into the heavens, making people afraid to approach and disturb her.

Their young lady was different from others. She loved wearing red clothes, had a particular fondness for women's ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and never wore men's clothing. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also skilled in both literature and martial arts. She was unrestrained and didn't like to talk, but she always had a smile on her face and seemed very easygoing. She never thought about morality or etiquette when she wanted to do something, regardless of whether it was a man or a woman. However, such a woman did not have a complete family.

"Miss, we'll be able to return to the Duke's mansion tonight!" Siqi ran to the woman's side with water in her hand.

Gu Qingwan took a sip of water and handed it to Siqi.

"Hmm, Baoqin and the others are still behind us?"

"Driving the carriage is indeed a bit slow, should we wait for them?"

“No need. Baoqin knows what to do. We won’t go back to the Duke’s mansion tonight. We’ll stay at the estate where Mother is part of her dowry, and then go back with the rest of the caravan early tomorrow morning.”

"Won't the old lady worry about Miss?" Siqi asked.

“Let’s slow down and wait for Baoqin and the others. After we meet up, you can have someone ride a horse back to the Duke’s mansion first to let your grandmother know that you are safe and sound. Tell her that she doesn’t need to wait for me and that I will arrive first thing tomorrow morning.”

"Yes, ma'am."

Gu Qingwan looked towards the capital city. She had returned, much earlier than in her previous life.

In her past life, she fell into the lake in the mansion. Her mother was so anxious that she went into labor prematurely that day. However, her mother died and her unborn child perished. She was rescued and taken to the Ning family by her maternal grandmother to be raised.

She was misled by Wang Ruyan and thought that she had harmed her mother. She felt guilty and thought that Wang Ruyan was a good person who treated her like her own daughter. For the sake of her family, she did everything she could, including her maternal grandparents' Ning family.

However, this life is different from the previous one. In the previous life, she did not return at this point, but when rumors began to circulate in the capital about her relationship with the Third Prince Xiao Yuheng, and that Xiao Yuheng had already seen her body when she fell into the water.

Even more shockingly, rumors circulated that she had a pink birthmark on her waist that resembled a flower petal, which confirmed that it was Xiao Yuheng who saved her back then. It should be noted that even she herself did not know who saved her back then. If she had not been reborn underwater, she might not have known.

The Prime Minister's wife is quite cunning. She keeps her away from gossip in the mansion, ostensibly protecting her, but in reality, she spreads rumors about her mischievousness and disgraceful reputation once she leaves the house.

Gu Qingwan practiced martial arts at the border, often wearing men's clothing. Upon returning to the capital, the Prime Minister's wife told her not to force herself to wear whatever she wanted, otherwise people would say she was a tomboy…

Rather than being forced back by rumors, she'd rather take the initiative and come back first, silencing the rumors and finding out who started them. She'd take the blame and throw the mud back at them beforehand.

As for Gu Hanjiao's long-cherished marriage, since they are sisters in two lifetimes, Gu Qingwan will definitely grant their wish. How can they be together if they don't get together?

However, if we think about it carefully, where did this rumor actually start?

Besides her mother, aunt, maternal grandmother, and four maids, no one else knew about the birthmark on her waist. Her maternal grandparents would not harm her, her mother had passed away early, and the four maids had followed her since childhood and remained loyal to her until death. She would not doubt who had seen the birthmark on her waist.

"Those who are meant to come will come, and none can escape it," Gu Qingwan murmured to herself.

"What did you say, Miss?"

"It's nothing, let's set off after we've rested." Gu Qingwan snapped out of her reverie, shook her skirt, and mounted her horse first.

This time, however, she did not gallop on horseback. Instead, she chose to let the horse graze at its own pace. Firstly, she wanted to think about things; secondly, she wanted to wait for Baoqin and the others; and thirdly, she wanted the horse to rest, as it was tired after traveling for so many days.

Not long after, Baoqin and the others arrived in their carriage. Siqi remembered her young mistress's instructions and told Shishu. Shishu then arranged for a servant to take the Ning family's waist token and return to the capital to report that the old lady was safe.

"Wait a minute." Gu Qingwan called out before the attendant was about to leave, and the man quickly pulled on the reins.

"When you get back, tell your grandmother that she has troubled to write a letter to my father, the prime minister, so that he won't have any reason to criticize me."

"Yes, miss"

"Go back and rest well. Don't come looking for me again. Have a safe journey."

The man nodded, his heart filled with warmth. His young mistress treated people extremely well. Even though they were all servants, she never looked down on them. If his young mistress hadn't given him instructions, he probably would have come back to protect her.

As dusk approached, taking advantage of the remaining light, they finally arrived at the village.

This estate was originally part of the dowry given to my mother by the Ning family. After my mother's death, all of this naturally belonged to Gu Qingwan. Even if the Gu family wanted to take it over, they dared not make any moves because of the Ning family.

The steward of the estate was the son of Gu Qingwan's mother's wet nurse. The old lady, remembering their past relationship, allowed the wet nurse's family to move to the estate, partly to provide them with a livelihood and partly to fulfill the bond of being fed by her when she was a child.

In other words, the old lady was aware of some things, but she let them go because of the circumstances at the time.

These people went out with their mothers as part of their dowry, and their mothers passed away early. The Duke's mansion didn't have time to pay attention to them, so these people became somewhat fearless and dared to do such a thing in front of Gu Qingwan.