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

Gu Qingwan seemed to have noticed her concerns, so she softened her tone even more.

"You are still young, and it is already quite good that you can think of finding someone else to protect yourself. Consort Xin is intelligent. Although I have never dealt with her, seeing you like this, I can roughly guess what kind of woman Consort Xin is."

"Aunt, aren't you going to blame Chang Le?"

"Why blame you? Passing by Chang Le Palace today was by chance. After all, most people wouldn't think of going to such a remote place. It can be said that God gave us two a destiny. Since we have this destiny, let's make the most of it."

"Aunt, it's all Chang Le's fault." Princess Chang Le cried and nestled in Gu Qingwan's arms.

Gu Qingwan didn't respond. She was thinking about what Chang Le had just told her, and began to ponder it slowly.

I have a feeling that there are some things she has overlooked.

The second prince doesn't seem as docile and respectful as he appears; in fact, he's the most unpredictable of all the princes.

The flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Second Prince's Consort was clearly a trap set for Meng Yanran. Although it inadvertently led to the Third Prince and Gu Hanjiao's marriage, the person who set the trap clearly did not intend to do so.

Later, when she married the King of Chu, the gifts from the princes, though seemingly rare and precious, were still quite ordinary. However, the gift from the second prince was the one that made people's imaginations run wild.

Gu Qingwan remembered it very clearly; it was a square raw stone made from the He Shi Bi jade.

The reason it's described as "made" is because the shape couldn't possibly be naturally like that; it could only be so square if it had been deliberately cut by someone.

What was the He Shi Bi used for? It was a piece of jade reserved for the imperial family, specifically for the emperor, since the imperial seal was made from the He Shi Bi. Moreover, the one presented by the second prince was similar in size to the imperial seal.

What is he trying to do?

The next day, the King of Chu had the jade cut into several pieces and made into jade pendants, giving one to each of his princes and princesses. He also promised that if any new offspring were born in the future, the Chu royal family would also present them with a jade pendant as a symbol of royal offspring.

Then there's his relationship with Lu Yan, the heir of the Marquis of Yi'an, which also involves the Su siblings. She hasn't figured these things out yet, but she imagines that Shi Shu should have some news by the time she gets back.

Even today, Chang Le told her that she had bumped into the Second Prince with a woman from the harem at Wanxiu Palace...

Wait! Wanxiu Palace!

That's not where Consort Wang lives, and today Bafianyu has also been implicated in it.

Consort Wang's pregnancy was clearly a good thing, but the emperor was obviously unhappy. And what about Bafeianyu, a foreign prince? Why was he so concerned about someone else's concubine?

The level of concern they showed was so high that no one would believe there was no illicit affair involved.

Gu Qingwan looked at Chang Le, who was already asleep in Bao Qin's arms, and seemed to be deep in thought.

"Your Highness, there's a carrier pigeon," Ning Yi whispered from outside.

"Bring it in."

"Yes."

Siqi held the carrier pigeon in her arms and took out some rice she carried with her to feed it. The pigeon was not afraid of people. After eating, it nestled by the stove on the carriage and closed its eyes to keep warm.

Gu Qingwan looked at the letter in her hand, and the contents of it made her expression very serious.

"What's wrong, Your Highness? Has something happened to the Prince?" Siqi asked.

"It's not a prince, it's from the north."

"Our old Duke!" Siqi became even more nervous.

"No, it's Gu Ziming who died."

Upon hearing the princess's words, Siqi and Baoqin exchanged a glance but did not ask any questions. Although they knew that their princess loathed Gu Ziming, he was still their princess's biological father.

With her biological father dead, we'll have to wait and see what the princess's true feelings are.

Gu Qingwan didn't know what the two maids were thinking, but at this moment her mood was indeed somewhat heavy.

Gu Ziming should have died long ago, but he died at the worst possible time.

He wasn't sent by the emperor to escort grain supplies, so why did he die at this time? And what is the situation in the north now?

Gu Qingwan felt that something was wrong. Although Gu Ziming had lost his power, he was still the father of the Third Prince's concubine and, in the eyes of outsiders, the Prince of Chu's father-in-law. Yet, such a person had died so quietly. Something was definitely not right.

"Ning Yi, has any other news come from the north?"

"No."

Gu Qingwan frowned. This was not normal. Her information network in the north should be quite reliable. Now, only one message had come to inform her that Gu Ziming was dead.

But they didn't say anything about how he died, what caused his death, or what exactly happened in the north.

How could my maternal grandfather, uncle, and cousin not know about such a big thing?

"Your Highness, please don't worry. It's freezing cold today, so some news should still be on its way."

Gu Qingwan could only nod; now was not the time to rush.

"Baoqin, you're right. Maybe it's still on its way. Let's wait and see."

The carriage swayed along the road, the driver carefully maneuvering because of the remaining snow. Gu Qingwan heard the commotion outside and knew they had arrived near Jufenglou.

"Siqi, go down and go with Ning Er to Jufenglou. Order two tables of food to be sent to the Prince's Mansion."

"Why did the princess ask us for a banquet? And why did she ask for two tables?"

"This table is naturally to welcome our Princess Chang Le. This child hasn't eaten properly in a long time, so when you go to order, see what looks good and bring it."

“We have Ruhua, right? Ruhua’s skills are much better than those outside.”

Gu Qingwan smiled and tapped her forehead, saying, "Silly Siqi, today is the Winter Solstice. You should let your Ruhua sister rest well. The feast is for you. You can order whatever you like."

Siqi said happily, "Today is the Winter Solstice, so we must eat dumplings. I know what kind of dumplings Your Highness likes to eat, so just watch and see."

Siqi was a woman of action; she jumped directly out of the carriage, startling the driver outside.

Baoqin said, "This Siqi is still too impulsive. What if she startles the horse? Wouldn't that cause the princess to suffer?"

"That's just how Siqi is. She's the most lively of you all," Gu Qingwan said casually. "Today is the Winter Solstice. You should all take a good rest after you go back. Let the servants have a get-together. Once they've finished their work, those with families can go home. But they can't all leave, or our manor will be empty. Let them take turns resting."

"The princess is kind-hearted, and everyone in our palace is grateful to her."

"hope so."

Baoqin sensed something was amiss and quietly asked, "Your Highness, could it be that something's wrong in our household..."

Gu Qingwan gently shook her head. Baoqin then realized that Princess Changle was still in the carriage. Obviously, it was inappropriate for her to say such a thing. In an instant, Baoqin shut her mouth. She tightened the cloak on Princess Changle and found that Princess Changle was sleeping soundly.

The carriage was silent except for the sound of the wheels turning and pressing down on the snow.

Gu Qingwan asked through the door, "Has the princess returned yet?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Princess has returned and has been sending people to inquire about when the Princess Consort will return."

"Okay, I know"

After getting off the carriage, Gu Qingwan instructed someone to carefully wrap up Princess Chang Le and temporarily send her to Princess Qinghe's place. Princess Qinghe currently has her own courtyard, which is not very small and also has a small greenhouse.

“Baoqin, tell the princess to take care of the princess temporarily, and then find someone to clean up the adjacent courtyard for the princess to live in. Once everything is ready, bring the princess over.”

After watching Baoqin leave, she instructed Ning to prepare a carriage and go to the study.

"Ning Yi, instruct our people to keep a close eye on the movements in the palace. If conditions permit, investigate what the Emperor and Bafianyu said. However, be careful not to expose your own identity and cause trouble. Also, investigate Consort Wang. Find out what's going on, what her background is, and how she got involved with both the Second Prince and Bafianyu. Also, find out how she entered the palace. In short, the more detailed the investigation, the better."

"Your Highness, I'm afraid our people can't investigate that much. Should we borrow the Prince's men?"

Gu Qingwan thought for a while and said, "Don't touch the people on the Prince's side for now. See what you can do. Find out as much as you can. Also, we need to find out what's going on in the north. We need to let our people find out the cause of Gu Ziming's death."

"Yes!"

Gu Qingwan sat alone in the study, staring blankly at the large characters that Xiao Jingchen had practiced before leaving, which were on the desk.

The prince has been gone for over a month now, and I wonder how things are going on his end. Judging by the days, his letter home should be arriving soon.

Gu Ziming is dead. Given his personality, he wouldn't have let himself die so quietly. There should also be some movement from Gu Hanjiao's side.

Gu Qingwan thought of the silver and weapons in the villa and felt something was wrong. So much time had passed, why had no one come to investigate the cellar? Weren't the perpetrators afraid that what they hid inside would be discovered?

Now that Wang Ruyan is dead, all the clues have focused on Doctor Zheng. Since A Ning rescued Doctor Zheng, all the clues have gone cold, and A Ning has also disappeared. These are all problems.

"Your Highness." Ning Yi knocked on the door from the outside.

"Come in."

"Your Highness, we've made some progress on the matter you asked us to investigate."

"What do you think."

"A message came from Master Huang, saying that the heir of the Marquis of Yi'an and that Lady Song have recently come to Qingquan Temple for a secret rendezvous. Because he received instructions from the Princess, Master Huang paid attention and personally eavesdropped on their conversation in the secret room."

Gu Qingwan couldn't help but freeze when she thought of that scene: a Taoist priest eavesdropping on someone's conversation, and those two people were not exactly respectable. Yet, Taoist Priest Huang was able to sit calmly to the side and listen to the whole thing. He was quite a talent.

Ning Yi had obviously thought of the scene at that time, so he coughed unnaturally.

"This time, Master Huang heard the Marquis of Yi'an mention the Second Prince."

Gu Qingwan frowned. Why was it him again?

Inside Qingquan Temple.

"You dead man, you still remember me?"

"Why couldn't I remember you? I practically begged you to come over, and here you are complaining." Lu Yan stroked Song Niangzi's chin and whispered in her ear.

"Hmph, who knows? You must have something on your mind, otherwise you wouldn't have thought of me so soon."

I love your intelligence.

"Hmph, I knew it! You rarely come back. If it weren't for something important, you'd probably be locked in bed by your stepmother and wouldn't be able to move. How could you possibly be thinking about someone else's bed?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Madam Song knew more or less about what happened between him and Madam Chen, and his feelings for Madam Chen were genuine. However, recently, for some reason, ever since he proposed to take Su Xi as a concubine, she had started to find fault with him in every way. Now she was even more excessive, sending people to call him back every day. It was really annoying.