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

Ningguo Duke's Mansion

The old lady was initially pleased that Qingwan had sent gifts back to show her respect, but upon seeing the strange expression on Siqi's face, she knew that the girl had something to tell her.

Of Qingwan's four maids, Siqi is the most skilled in martial arts, but she is also the one who can't hide her feelings on her face.

The old lady found an excuse to send everyone away, and after hearing what Siqi said, she was so shocked that she broke out in a cold sweat.

"Is everything you're saying true? You saw the Second Young Master?"

"Madam, what I said was what the Princess Consort told me to relay. It was only after I asked the Second Young Master to change Ning Er's clothes that he brought him back to the Prince's Mansion. Oh, by the way, there is also a handwritten letter from the Second Young Master in here."

The old lady quickly took it and read it all at a glance, her heart growing heavier with each reading.

She stared at the handwritten letter in silence for a long while, while Siqi stood aside, not daring to breathe too loudly, for fear of disturbing the old lady's thoughts.

"Siqi, go back and tell your princess that I know about this matter and that I will definitely investigate it myself. Also, go back and tell the second young master that he is already so old, and the prince is not at home. What kind of behavior is it for a grown man to live in the prince's mansion? If someone with ulterior motives sees this, it will cause gossip. Qingwan is usually so calm and decisive, how come she is so reckless today?"

"In a couple of days, no, tomorrow, I will invite your princess to come to my house with Princess Qinghe and Princess Changle to have some fun. Then he can find a way to come back on his own and not go back to his own courtyard but come directly to my place."

Siqi was somewhat surprised. Princess Changle had only recently been brought out by their family's princess consort, so how did the old lady already know about it?

The old lady glanced at Siqi and immediately knew what the girl was thinking.

“Your princess took a princess directly from the palace. Do you think you can keep such a big thing a secret? Go back and tell your princess that I said this. Why did you act so recklessly this time? You could have at least told the Empress Dowager or the Empress. How can you just take a princess away so casually?”

Siqi, who idolized her princess the most, said, "Madam, our princess said..."

"Yes! I said so! I sent someone as clueless as you to tell him. The Prince isn't in the capital right now, and Qingwan is usually so careful, but this time she did this... Never mind, I won't say anything more. I'll ask her again in a couple of days. You should go back quickly too, and remember to pass on what I told you."

"Alright, Madam, don't worry!" Siqi accepted the order and quickly ran off.

The old lady stared at the letter in her hand, lost in thought for a long time. She was somewhat unwilling to believe that there could be a traitor in the family.

But if Ze'er wasn't mistaken, the letter of treason really did bear the private seal of the Duke of Ningguo's mansion, then there was a big problem.

It should be noted that there were two private seals in total. She carried one with her and hid it very well, while the other was on the old Duke himself, and their son only had the seal of the Ning family army.

What went wrong?

Speaking of the palace, things really went up in an uproar ever since Gu Qingwan took Chang Le away and had Si Qi deliver her to the Empress.

The Empress, in particular, was so angry that she was practically fuming.

"What does Gu Qingwan mean by this? I, the Empress, haven't even given my approval. She just quietly took Chang Le out of the palace. What does she take me for? I am Chang Le's legal mother and the mistress of this harem! If anyone should be in charge, it should be me. When did it become her place, a mere Princess Consort of Chu, to overstep her bounds!"

As she spoke, she angrily smashed the teacup in her hand on the ground, shattering it into pieces. The kneeling nanny, Cheng, was so frightened that she trembled. Even when the shards of porcelain bounced onto her face, she didn't dare to utter a sound, fearing that the Empress would beat her to death.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down."

"Your Majesty, you are so discerning! Princess Chu had me beaten without any regard for the facts. I already said that matters in the palace are decided by Your Majesty, and even if I did something wrong, I should obey Your Majesty's orders. But Princess Chu just ignored me."

Granny Cheng, seizing the opportunity, fanned the flames. She had also realized that the Empress was actually dissatisfied with the Princess Consort of Chu. As long as the Empress didn't pay attention to her, she still had a chance to save her life.

Upon hearing this, Granny Xu stepped down from beside the Empress and slapped Granny Cheng several times across the face.

"How dare you! How dare you, an old hag, discuss the Empress and the Princess Consort of Chu? You're just stirring up trouble here. This is outrageous! Go kneel outside and don't defile Her Majesty the Empress's place!"

"No, no, no, Your Highness, this servant really didn't do it! It was all Princess Chu who slandered this servant!" Granny Cheng crawled forward on her knees, kowtowing repeatedly until her forehead turned red.

"Your Majesty, it was you who promoted me from a sinecure to serve Princess Chang Le. I was naturally extremely grateful and served the princess diligently and wholeheartedly without daring to slack off in the slightest."

The Empress was already even angrier after hearing this.

"You know in your heart that I have treated you well, so why did you still betray me?"

"Your Majesty, I was out of my mind. I had no choice. I will be released from the palace soon. I have to make plans for my future."

The Empress was so angry that she swayed.

"So, Princess Chu was right all along?"

Granny Cheng knew that it would be futile to argue at this point, so she prostrated herself and begged for mercy repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, I beg you to save me, for the sake of the fact that I served Princess Anqing."

"You dare mention the princess? If it weren't for the fact that you served the princess, I wouldn't have sent you to Chang Le's place. That child is so well-behaved, how could you be so cruel!"

Xu Mama quickly ordered someone to carry Cheng Mama out, and then turned around to persuade the Empress.

"Your Majesty, now is not the time to vent your anger on your servants. You should think carefully about how to resolve this matter. I heard that Princess Chu has also sent someone to the Empress Dowager's side."

She desperately wanted to bring Gu Qingwan to the palace right now to ask what was going on and whether she was going to become the Empress's mistress. However, after hearing what Xu Mama said, she regained some of her rationality.

"Why is she so troublesome? So eager to be in the spotlight? The King of Chu is no longer in the capital, can't she just stay quiet for a bit?"

Seeing that the person had already left, Xu Mama closed the door and went to the Empress's side to pat her back.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you lately? Why are you so angry? Perhaps we should summon the imperial physician to treat you."

Xu Mama was her confidante, and the Empress couldn't help but feel discouraged when she heard her say such things.

"Is that so? Have I been in a bad mood lately?"

"Her Majesty is the kindest person imaginable, but she is always taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives."

"How to say?"

"Your Highness, please forgive my indiscretion, but this Princess Consort of Chu... Putting aside her status as Princess Consort of Chu, have you forgotten that you and Miss Ning were once very close friends, along with the Duchess of Ning? The three of you were the best of friends among the young ladies. Do you remember the first time you met Princess Consort of Chu? It was Madam Ning who personally brought her to see you."

Xu Mama spoke gently to the Empress, saying that she was an old woman who had married into the family with the Empress and had served her since childhood.

Clearly, the Queen was thinking about those days from the past, and couldn't help but sigh.