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

"It seems that the Marquis of Yi'an's family is behind this, but I don't know if it was the Marquis of Yi'an who was involved or if it was the young master's idea," said Old Madam Ning.

"Grandmother, we did this very discreetly, why?"

Madam Ning glanced at Gu Qingwan and said, "Do you think you've done it discreetly? You might already be being watched. Do you think your second brother was able to wait for you in the restaurant for so many days without being discovered, and how he managed to get that little maid Siqi to bring him back to the Prince's Mansion?"

"You mean someone did this on purpose?"

"That's hard to say. The fact that the heir of the Marquis of Yi'an went out on the street to stop you today shows that they had sent people to keep an eye on you outside the palace long ago. You should be careful while you're at home alone."

"Grandmother, don't worry, there are few people in the capital who can rival me."

"You little rascal, you should know that the capital is full of intrigues and schemes. Those things are like poison that can kill you. How could you possibly handle them? And this time, your actions were far too reckless. How could you just bring Princess Chang Le back from the palace?"

"I was just angry for a moment, how could such a young child..."

Madam Ning knew that Gu Qingwan was soft-hearted. She patted the child's shoulder and said, "The palace is the first place that eats people without spitting out the bones. It's better now. Our emperor is wise and powerful. Although the empress is sometimes confused, she is ultimately a kind and generous person. With the empress dowager in charge of the harem, it's already quite good."

“But Chang Le is just a child, about the same age as Hao’er.”

"She is a child, and she is not a child. It all depends on what she thinks. If she stays for two more days, you should let Princess Qinghe take Princess Changle back. Staying for two more days is not a good thing for either you or the Empress."

Gu Qingwan knew exactly what was going on, so she could only nod, for the palace was, after all, Princess Chang Le's home.

"Qingwan understands. In two days, I will take them to the hot spring resort to soak in the hot springs, and then I will have someone pick some vegetables and fruits that grow near the hot springs and send them to the palace."

Seeing how sensible Gu Qingwan was, Madam Ning felt much more at ease.

"How was Second Brother settled?"

“That child seemed steady, but I didn’t expect him to be as reckless as you. When he came back this morning, I immediately had him go to your grandfather’s study to keep watch when no one was around. I thought that since that person succeeded once, he would try again. However, according to your guess, there is an inside man in the Ning family. But I have thought about it for a long time these past two days and I still can’t figure it out. Nobody seems to be the one.”

“Grandmother, this matter is of utmost importance. Do you remember the weapons and silver that Qingwan found at my mother’s dowry estate when she returned? It’s unlikely that Wang Ruyan could have done it alone, which means that someone among us is acting as a go-between for her.”

"If that's the case, then that nail is buried way too deep."

"If Gu Ziming hadn't suddenly died this time, we might not have known about the existence of this nail."

"Sigh, speaking of Gu Ziming... he deserved it, considering your mother back then..."

Gu Qingwan knew that her maternal grandmother was missing her mother again, so she stepped forward to comfort her, saying, "Gu Ziming is already a useless pawn. I just didn't expect him to die at such a critical moment, and even frame my second brother. Now that the heir of the Marquis of Yi'an has received the news, the Emperor will probably know in the next day or two. What should we do then?"

"You don't need to worry about that. The seal that person used was just a forgery. At most, he saw what the seal your grandfather had looked like, but he still couldn't find the real one."

"What do you mean by that, Grandmother?"

"Don't worry, that person will definitely be caught within three days."

"What about Second Brother? Won't he be wanted by the Emperor once he finds out?"

After thinking for a moment, Madam Ning said, "Mama Fang, go and invite Princess Qinghe and Princess Changle over."

"Do we need them to do anything?" Gu Qingwan was completely confused. This matter was neither a big deal nor a small one. Ning Chengze was currently accused of assassinating the prime minister. If this charge was proven true, then the Ning family's treason would be a foregone conclusion.

After all, there are witnesses and physical evidence.

Seeing how worried Gu Qingwan was, Old Madam Ning couldn't bear to let the child be so anxious. Before Princess Qinghe arrived, Old Madam Ning shared her thoughts with Gu Qingwan.

“Child, our family seal is not actually with us, but with the Emperor. So the letter bearing your maternal grandfather’s seal is completely forged, unless the Emperor failed to keep it properly.”

"Huh?" Gu Qingwan was somewhat shocked. "How did it end up in the Emperor's hands? Isn't this the Duke's mansion's private seal? I always thought it should be with your aunt if it wasn't with you."

At this point, Old Madam Ning explained with some helplessness, "Originally, our family didn't have any private seals. It was just that your maternal grandfather happened to acquire a fine piece of jade and commissioned a skilled craftsman to carve it. The scenery on it was incredibly lifelike. Once the seal was finished, it had to be presented to the Emperor, since this item would represent the Duke's Mansion in the future. But somehow, the Emperor didn't hold it properly and chipped off a corner. Your maternal grandfather was heartbroken and insisted that the Emperor make an exact replica to compensate him..."

Gu Qingwan was speechless. So it was the Emperor who broke it and then delayed in compensating, which resulted in the Duke's mansion not having its own seal.

Gu Qingwan felt like the emperor wasn't worried but the eunuch was, and she also felt that her second cousin's anxiety was unnecessary.

"So what about the personal seals we usually use?"

"That's a defective product. You don't know how many private seals your maternal grandfather made, and not one of them was satisfactory. When he finally found one that was satisfactory, the emperor broke it. So he just randomly picked one to use temporarily at home, for things like purchasing. It's only useful at home; nobody would recognize it in the army."

What should Grandma do now?

"What should we do? In my opinion, you should not go to the hot spring resort. Let Princess Qinghe take Princess Changle back, and also help bring Ning Chengze to the Emperor's side."

Gu Qingwan instantly understood. The most dangerous place is the safest place. Since the Duke's mansion's private seal had been stolen, it meant that there was a problem with the Emperor's side. Therefore, Ning Chengze was safe. As long as he stayed by the Emperor's side, there would be no worries.

"But one thing is certain: something must have gone wrong in our household, otherwise such letters wouldn't have been leaked. Moreover, I heard from Ze'er that the handwriting on them is exactly the same as your uncle's, almost indistinguishable from the real thing."

Gu Qingwan also said with a serious expression, "Grandmother, would you like Qingwan to stay at home for a few days and help you investigate thoroughly?"

"No need. The Chu Prince's Mansion still needs you to oversee things. You should go back safely. We've heard about what happened in the harem in Bafian Domain. We don't know exactly what happened. If this matter isn't handled properly, then war in the Northern Border is only a matter of time."

Thus, Gu Qingwan's plan to take Princess Changle and Princess Qinghe to the hot spring resort was put on hold. That afternoon, after they finished eating, Princess Qinghe took Princess Changle back to the palace.

The Emperor was initially surprised when he saw Qinghe bring Ning Chengze to him.

"Uncle, Qinghe has brought the person on behalf of Madam Ning. Princess Chu said she would bear all the consequences. You should ask Second Young Master Ning for details. Qinghe still needs to deliver Chang Le to the Empress."

The Emperor was amused and said, "You're good at shifting blame. Aren't you good friends with Princess Chu? So why should she bear the consequences?"

"Oh dear, she has the doting husband King Chu, so there's nothing to worry about."

"You brat, alright, go on your way now."

Inside the Imperial Study, only the Emperor, Eunuch Fu, and Ning Chengze, disguised as a maid, remained.

The Emperor could no longer bear to look at Ning Chengze's attire and finally said, "Eunuch Fu, why don't you take Young Master Ning to wash up and change his clothes? That girl Qinghe must be playing a trick on Young Master Ning."

Ning Chengze was also somewhat amused and exasperated. There was nothing he could do. If he wanted to enter the palace unnoticed, he would have to disguise himself as Princess Qinghe's maid. Otherwise, how could a princess and a county princess bring a grown man into the palace?

Before leaving, Ning Chengze handed the letter to the Emperor.

After Ning Chengze came out, the Emperor casually tossed the letter onto his desk.

"It shows they put in effort, but it's still just a little bit lacking."

Ning Chengze knelt on the ground below and said, "Your Majesty, please understand. It was just this little bit that almost cost the lives of everyone in our Duke's Mansion."

The Emperor squinted and said, "Yes, you are quite meticulous. If I hadn't damaged that seal back then, I would have thought it was your father who did it just by looking at the handwriting."

Upon hearing this, Ning Chengze immediately prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Your Majesty is wise and discerning. Our Ning family is loyal to Your Majesty and has no disloyalty. My grandmother asked Princess Qinghe to bring me to the palace to meet Your Majesty, also to ask for Your Majesty's protection."

The Emperor stared at Ning Chengze in silence for a while before saying, "The palace is not an absolutely safe place. If you trust me, you may have to endure this for a while."

"Whatever Your Majesty decides, I will have no objection."

Seeing Ning Chengze kneeling below, the Emperor also stepped down from above. He personally helped Ning Chengze up and said, "The entire Ning family are loyal and righteous people, but today I may have to wrong you a little. It's time to uproot the villains around me. They've been jumping around for far too long."

That afternoon, news spread from the palace that Ning Chengze was suspected of plotting to murder the current prime minister and had been arrested and imprisoned, awaiting trial.

Everyone was shocked by the news. When did the Emperor bring Ning Chengze back? And wasn't Ning Chengze supposed to go to the northern border with the Duke of Ning? How did he get involved with Prime Minister Gu again?

Some speculate that it was to avenge the deceased eldest daughter of the Ning family, while others speculate that it might be true, perhaps the Ning family really did collude with the enemy and betray the country. In short, there are all sorts of opinions.

Xiao Yuheng naturally learned of this news as well. At first, he was quite surprised, but afterwards he was rather happy.

"It seems that the Ning family is already being dealt with without me even having to lift a finger. Send down the order to prepare what we have on hand and see if anyone impeaches the Ning family in court tomorrow. If so, have our men follow up."

For Xiao Yuheng, the Ning family was a force he wanted to win over, but now that he couldn't win them over, it would be better to destroy them. He didn't want the Crown Prince to benefit from what he couldn't have anyway.

Luo Yichen frowned, finding the matter unbelievable. The Ning family was the most loyal to the emperor; it was impossible for them to be the ones to betray the country.

"Third Prince, we need to think this over carefully before we act."

"What's there to think about? That old bastard Ning Guozhong, no matter what I do, he ignores me. And the Crown Prince is so close to the Chu Prince's mansion. If the Ning family can't be used by me, then I might as well replace them."

"Third Prince, Ning Guozhong is an old man who followed the late emperor in conquering the country. He has never made any mistakes over the years. Even when the current emperor ascended the throne, I heard that the old Duke was as steady as Mount Tai and firmly guarded the northern border, which prevented foreign enemies from taking advantage of the situation. So this time, the emperor suddenly imprisoned Ning Chengze. I'm afraid there is another reason behind it."