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

"Grandmother..." An Ning stepped forward to greet her with a pitiful expression.

"Look at Anning, she used to be such a cheerful child. How did she become like this? Consort Yu, you are the princess's mother, how have you taken care of her?"

"Your Majesty, please atone for your sins..."

"Grandmother, Anning doesn't want to marry Prince Buffy, Anning doesn't want to go on a political marriage..."

Although the Empress Dowager was very fond of the younger generation, when it came to the country and the Emperor's throne, she was very firm in her stance. Upon hearing An Ning's words, she immediately lost her previous warmth.

"If you don't want to marry Prince Buffy, then who do you want to marry?"

An Ning's eyes lit up and she said, "I beg my grandmother to grant my request. I wish to marry Young Master Ji Yue."

"You insolent fool!" Consort Yu quickly reprimanded An Ning. She hadn't expected An Ning to be so bold. There were other things to do today, and if they were to be disliked by the Empress Dowager at this time, it would be very disadvantageous for their plans later.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Recently, Anning has been unable to sleep at night because of the thought of leaving the palace and her father and grandmother. The child seems to be obsessed. When I return, I will definitely persuade the princess to focus on her marriage and not have any wild thoughts."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's expression softened: "Yes, you are a reasonable person. Talk to Anning properly. This is a good thing. It is not only beneficial to the country but also to her."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this child is very filial; he is still thinking of Your Majesty and the Emperor."

The Empress Dowager nodded, not wanting to hear what the Consort had to say anymore. The Consort, being perceptive, also knew she should end the topic, otherwise she would really displease the Empress Dowager.

Gu Qingwan watched silently from the side, but she didn't believe Consort Yu's words about filial piety. It was obvious that they were still plotting something, with the aim of preventing Princess Anning from going out for a political marriage. However, what she didn't expect was that Princess Anning also had feelings for Young Master Jiyue. If Qinghe found out, wouldn't she be sent to the palace to fight for her?

"Since the Princess Consort of Chu has finally come to the palace, then I will accompany the Empress Dowager and the Princess Consort on a leisurely stroll through our back garden."

"It's rare to see you in such high spirits. Come to think of it, Qingwan hasn't had a proper look at the scenery of our palace yet, has she?"

"What Mother says is true. In the past, our visits were always rather rushed, and we certainly didn't get a proper look around."

"Speaking of the scenery in the Imperial Garden, it has to be Consort Chun's place that is more beautiful, especially the black chrysanthemum in Consort Chun's harem, which is a beautiful color."

"Oh? Consort Chun has such an interest? I thought she was a princess from a foreign land and didn't know the fun of tending to flowers and plants, but I didn't expect her to be more knowledgeable than us."

"That's right, the scenery over there is the most beautiful. No wonder the Emperor is biased, after all, Consort Chun is the most beautiful among us."

The Empress Dowager said somewhat displeasedly, "You are an old man in the palace, why are you still so jealous? Aren't you afraid the children will laugh at you?"

"Your Majesty is right. I may have been a bit petty, but Your Majesty and the Emperor have always cherished me and kept me in the position of Noble Consort. I am always grateful for that."

"Looking at you, I sometimes feel like I'm seeing my younger self. If you weren't a daughter of the Yu family, you would look just like me when I was young."

Fang Mama said, "What the Empress Dowager said is true. It seems that the Noble Consort does indeed have some of the Empress Dowager's looks from back then."

Gu Qingwan observed Consort Yu from the side. She hadn't noticed the relationship between her and Duke Wen before, but now it seemed there were clues. Even the Empress Dowager herself felt that Consort Yu looked just like her when she was young. It seemed that Consort Yu was definitely of the Wen family bloodline.

Gu Qingwan smiled and said, "Looking at it this way, Consort Yu really does resemble the Empress Dowager, especially her nose and ears. They both have ingot-shaped earlobes, which means she is blessed."

Consort Yu touched her earlobe, wondering why Gu Qingwan would suddenly praise her, but this praise made Consort Yu feel uncomfortable.

Princess Anning remarked, "My imperial aunt has quite the discerning eye. My mother is truly blessed to have me and my third imperial brother. She will surely be just like the Empress Dowager in the future..."

"Anning! Shut up!" Consort Yu interrupted Anning with a headache. How could she say such a thing?

If she were as fortunate as the Empress Dowager, what would that mean? Would it mean that she would become the Empress Dowager in the future? Even if this was what she truly thought, she couldn't just say it out loud, could she? That would be a capital offense. If a mere concubine became the Empress Dowager, wouldn't that mean the Emperor had passed away?

As expected, the Empress Dowager frowned somewhat unhappily.

Consort Yu had come with a purpose. She smiled charmingly and led everyone towards Consort Chun's side, praising the beauty of the ink chrysanthemums in Consort Chun's courtyard all the way. Her words of praise made it seem as if they had missed out on some unparalleled beauty this time.

Gu Qingwan watched Consort Yu with great interest. Consort Yu was so engrossed in Gu Qingwan's gaze that she could hardly speak. She felt that the Princess Consort of Chu's eyes clearly held other intentions today, but for the sake of Anning's marriage, she could not afford to be distracted by anything else.

The Empress Dowager and her entourage arrived outside Consort Chun's palace, which was Chunlu Palace. Although Consort Chun was only a concubine and, in principle, should not have her own palace, she was, after all, a princess from a foreign land. She would be promoted to imperial concubine as soon as she gave birth to a royal heir or her maternal clan brought good news to the Great Qing.

However, something strange happened at this time: Consort Chun's palace gates were locked, and none of the palace maids and eunuchs who should have been on duty were there.

"Oh dear, we may have come at the wrong time. It seems that Consort Chun is not here," the Empress Dowager said with some regret.

"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but Consort Chun is quite an interesting person. She doesn't like to open the main gate, finding it too straightforward. Her Chunlu Palace has a small flower gate, which is quite unique. Consort Chun has made the so-called 'winding path leading to a secluded place' very clear."

The Empress Dowager became interested upon hearing this. "Princess Consort of Chu, look at the profound culture of our Daqing! Consort Chun has only been here for a short time and already knows our ancient poems."

"What Mother said is true. In the past, I also thought that Princess Nazha was a lively woman. Her dance in the palace was amazing and unforgettable."

Following Consort Yu's directions, they soon arrived inside Chunlu Palace. Just as Consort Yu had said, the entrance was an arched doorway made of a trellis covered with vegetation. However, there was no vegetation on it at this time of year, but it would be extremely beautiful in spring.

"Although the scenery isn't quite what I imagined, the layout is still quite nice. It will definitely have a different feel when spring comes. Let's go in and take a look at Consort Chun's black chrysanthemum since we're here."

Since the Empress Dowager has spoken, there is naturally no reason for anyone not to obey.

However, once inside, a young palace maid saw the arrival of the Empress Dowager and her entourage and was so frightened that she tried to run away.

"Guards, seize this sly palace maid! How dare she not bow before the Empress Dowager!"

Consort Yu was overjoyed. Sure enough, her people's report was correct. Today, Consort Chun and Prince Bafi are probably in deep trouble!

Since being taken into the emperor's harem, Princess Nazha's initial anticipation has turned into boredom and loneliness. The emperor's time is too tight and he is too busy, so he can be said to visit the harem very few times.

Even when he came, he would only sit for a short while and ask how she was doing. At first, the emperor would symbolically come to her palace to have dinner with her and watch her dance with great interest. However, when night fell, the emperor would leave, saying that he had memorials to review and would not stay overnight at all.

As time went by, she couldn't help but feel resentful. Whenever the night was quiet, she would think of the Third Prince Xiao Yuheng who had greeted them at the gates of the capital. That handsome man was the kind of man she wanted to marry. But why did things turn out differently...?

The more she thought about it, the more obsessed she became. She believed that it would be better to support a new emperor than to follow an emperor who was about to die. So she tried every means to contact the third prince.

Unfortunately, the Third Prince did not agree to her request or come to negotiate with her as she had imagined. Later, she heard that the prince of Buffy Kingdom had also come to Daqing to ask for the princess's hand in marriage, so she had other ideas and wanted the prince of Buffy to take her away. So today, when she heard that the prince of Buffy would be entering the palace, she found a way to invite him over.

The two negotiated for a while. Prince Buffy did not want to take such a big risk by taking the princess away for the marriage alliance, since the benefits she promised were just empty words and could not be taken seriously.

Consort Chun was also clever. She knew that her greatest advantage was her good looks, but even so, she could not seduce him directly. If he turned his back on her, she would be left alone in the harem, which would be the most dangerous thing. If she were discovered, not only would she die, but her maternal family would also be implicated.

"Consort Chun, I advise you not to try such petty tricks. Our two countries are not neighbors. How can you expect me to believe that you will join forces with us to deal with Daqing? And what makes you think that our two families can divide Daqing up?"

"Prince Buffy, how will you know it won't work if you don't try?"

"Hehehe, I say, Consort Chun, you should be more realistic. Instead of thinking about these things, you should think about giving birth to a little prince. For the sake of the little prince, we can still cooperate. After all, if the little prince ascends the throne, he will be much better than the current one."

"Or is it that Consort Chun summoned me here today to prepare for vaccination and childbirth?"

Looking at Prince Buffy's outrageously handsome appearance, even more alluring and beautiful than she, a woman, Chunpin couldn't help but indulge in fantasies. If she could really have a child with such a man, it would surely be very beautiful.

"If the prince has such thoughts, then this princess is not unwilling. If a worthy man like the prince were to be my match, I would think that our two countries..."

"You're dreaming! Don't you even look at yourself? How dare you covet this prince? You're utterly absurd! Do you think I lack women? I'm so handsome, why would I possibly choose an ugly one!"

After Prince Buffy left, Consort Chun was so angry that she felt like her head was about to burst into flames. She thought that such a person deserved to be enslaved by Daqing. If the countries joined forces, Daqing would not be able to take care of them all. In the end, they would gradually erode Daqing's fertile land.

There was a rustling sound behind her. Consort Chun thought it was a palace maid coming over and sounded very impatient.

"What are you doing here! Did I call you here?!"

"Consort Chun has quite a temper."

When Consort Chun heard that it was neither Prince Buffy's voice nor the voice of a palace servant, she turned her head and saw that it was actually the Third Prince, Xiao Yuheng.

"Third Prince, what brings you here?"

Xiao Yuheng frowned and asked, "Didn't you invite me here? You said you had something to discuss."

Consort Chun didn't care about any of that. Although she hadn't invited him this time, as long as the Third Prince came, who cared who he was? Consort Chun looked at the handsome Xiao Yuheng and suddenly remembered what Prince Buffy had mentioned about vaccination earlier.

If she followed this man, and if she and her maternal clan could fully support him after he ascended the throne, and she gave birth to another prince, wouldn't she be able to become the Empress of Daqing?

"Yes, yes, yes, it was I who invited the Third Prince."

Although somewhat suspicious, Xiao Yuheng patiently asked, "I wonder what Consort Chun's instructions are?"

"It's not so much an order, but my maternal clan wants to lend the Third Prince a hand."

Xiao Yuheng shook his head, pretending not to understand.

"Third Prince, there's no need to play dumb. Don't you want to take another step forward? The Crown Prince is clearly a very mediocre person, and even the Empress is not a very insightful Queen Mother. I feel wronged for you to be subordinate to such people."

“Crown Prince… Hmph, the Crown Prince is completely unworthy of his position. I am clearly more outstanding than him, but Father Emperor can never see my efforts.”

“That’s exactly what they say. If there is a new ruler in Daqing in the future, I would prefer it to be you, the Third Prince. To show my sincerity, I am willing to provide you with a purebred Akhal-Teke horse and also send someone to breed your warhorses to cultivate excellent warhorses.”

Xiao Yuheng was immediately tempted. He knew that Consort Chun's maternal clan was famous for its fine horses and was known as a nation on horseback. If he could acquire such warhorses, he would have a greater advantage in military matters.

However, for such a serious matter as rebellion, if the other party is not entirely sincere, it is still necessary to observe further.

“I don’t understand Consort Chun’s words at all. Consort Chun came here for a marriage alliance, and the matter of the harem should have been part of the marriage alliance. Why bring it up separately? Moreover, I am the Emperor’s son. If I wanted that position, I was qualified to compete with His Highness the Crown Prince. Why should I hold military power and become a rebel?”

Seeing Xiao Yuheng sitting casually on the stone bench, playing with the tea set and ornaments on the stone table, Consort Chun became interested and sat down in Xiao Yuheng's lap with a coquettish smile.

"Whatever you say, Your Highness will understand." After saying that, she moved closer to Xiao Yuheng's ear and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "And... Princess Consort of Chu, don't you want to have her?"

Xiao Yuheng looked at Consort Chun in surprise. Consort Chun had only been testing him, but she hadn't expected that he would actually find out. Consort Chun was even happier and nestled in Xiao Yuheng's arms, not wanting to get up.

Gu Qingwan is Xiao Yuheng's darkest desire. Ever since she became the Princess Consort of Chu, he has been determined to have her. Now, whenever he sees a woman who resembles the Princess Consort of Chu, he wants to bring her into his backyard.

It's best to keep your own quirks to yourself. If others find out, especially the King of Chu, then what awaits him would be terrifying.

"Third Prince, please listen to my advice. Only by ascending to that position can you have what you want."

"I wonder what Consort Chun wants? After all, she took such a big risk," Xiao Yuheng asked with an unfriendly expression.

"This concubine? All I want is a place to settle down and make a living. I hope the Third Prince won't despise me and will give me a proper title again..."

"You shameless hussy! How could such a shameless harem have been placed in our palace!"

The sudden sound startled Xiao Yuheng and Consort Chun, and they stood up to look at the source of the sound.

"Queen Mother!"