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

Time flies, and before they knew it, the day arrived for the Second Prince's wife to invite them to an audience. During this time, the young ladies from all the noble families stayed obediently at home, lest they make any mistakes and be confined to their homes to reflect on their actions, thus missing the best time to meet their future spouses.

In general, banquets held by royalty and nobility, such as this flower-viewing banquet, would include not only actual flower viewing but also poetry recitations, talent performances, and other activities. Therefore, the noble ladies and talented young men of various families were also putting in a lot of effort to cram at home to make themselves more talented.

Women also need to carefully consider their clothing and appearance, what kind of clothes to wear, what kind of jewelry to match, and what kind of makeup to apply. These things can determine how others perceive you, and perhaps a small detail can touch someone's heart.

Gu Qingwan was dragged out of bed by Baoqin early in the morning and sat in front of the dressing mirror to start getting ready. Baoqin had spent most of the night studying the clothes and jewelry that Shishu had sent yesterday before deciding on the makeup and accessories to match them.

The young lady's outfit is not particularly flamboyant, but it's not exactly understated either. Since she doesn't like white clothes, the lining is light pink, and the most distinctive feature is the quicksand fabric.

Under the sunlight, this material cascades down like a galaxy of flowing water. The large pleats of the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) create a sense of rhythm with every movement. In this case, a small mutton-fat jade safety buckle is all that's needed as an accessory at the waist.

"Miss, how about we do a light makeup look today?"

"I'll do whatever you say, just don't be too flashy or attract attention. You go ahead and do your thing, I'll take a nap." Gu Qingwan yawned and then closed her eyes to rest, leaning against Shishu and falling asleep.

Baoqin felt rather helpless. No matter what her young lady was like, there was one thing she couldn't do: get up early. Back when she was practicing martial arts, getting up early was a great torture for her.

Baoqin was gentle, wanting the young lady to sleep a little longer. Since returning home, the young lady's skin, under the care of the madam and Baoqin's various treatments, was no longer so dark and had become much smoother than before. Although it was not as delicate as it could be, it was still radiant.

After getting dressed, Gu Qingwan was called to put on her clothes. The clothes she wore made her look ethereal and graceful, as if she were draped in stars and the moon. Even though she deliberately chose a low-key makeup look, her ladylike temperament was still evident.

Gu Qingwan stared at herself in the bronze mirror for a long time. She took out a handkerchief and wiped away the jeweled flower between her eyebrows. She then deepened the distant mountain lines painted by Baoqin a little, making her look more down-to-earth. As for jewelry, Gu Qingwan kept only a jade hairpin and removed all the other jewelry, making her look much simpler and lighter.

“Miss, why did you take them all off? This is a complete set.” Baoqin asked, holding up the jewelry.

"Your young lady is beautiful even without these things."

“Yes, that’s right, but…” Baoqin muttered softly.

"I have other matters to attend to today, so I shouldn't dress too ostentatiously. Baoqin, go and fetch the pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets that your aunt sent. That way, you won't lose your dignity and bring shame to the Duke's mansion."

"Oh, that's good."

Gu Qingwan knew what Baoqin was worried about. After all, this was her first public appearance since returning, and she couldn't afford to embarrass the Duke's Mansion and the Prime Minister's Mansion. Yesterday, her aunt had come to her place and explained in detail the relationships between the main figures in the capital, as well as the things to pay attention to and the etiquette. These were things that were ingrained in her bones from her previous life, so how could she forget them?

However, she is not the main character this time. Now that she has someone she loves, she should keep a low profile and focus on completing her revenge mission. Nothing else matters.

After having breakfast at her maternal grandmother's house, Gu Qingwan followed Madam Ning in a carriage to the Second Prince's residence.

Speaking of the second prince, he was quite an interesting prince. His mother was a concubine who was not favored in the palace. She followed the lead of the Noble Consort and lived a relatively peaceful life in the palace. He was the most refined of all the princes. His studies were not the best, and his martial arts were terrible. He rarely touched the affairs of the court and spent his time at home raising flowers and dogs.

However, his princess consort was completely different from him. She was a distant niece of the Imperial Concubine's family. She was a competitive and sycophantic person who didn't have many friends. The reason she was able to invite so many people to the banquet was largely because the Imperial Concubine was choosing a consort for Xiao Yuheng.

"Wanwan, don't be nervous. Although it's your first time going out, your attire is impeccable. Show the demeanor of a legitimate young lady. Remember, you have the Duke's Mansion and the Prime Minister's Mansion behind you." Madam Ning saw that Gu Qingwan was silent and thought that the child might be nervous, so she quickly comforted her.

"I wasn't nervous about my aunt, I was just a little sleepy," Gu Qingwan replied with a smile.

Upon arrival, the daughters of various families gathered together. Madam Ning led Gu Qingwan to pay her respects to the Second Prince's Consort and also met with the other ladies.

The room was already full of people; it seemed everyone had arrived quite early. At first glance, it was the same familiar faces. The ladies of the various families were gathered here chatting and talking, while the young ladies had been taken out to play.

"Madam Ning has arrived," the maid announced as she entered.

"Oh, Madam Ning has arrived! Please come in." The Second Prince's wife's laughter instantly filled the air.

"This humble woman greets Your Highness the Crown Princess and wishes you good health."

"Madam Ning is not easy to invite. It is an honor to have you all here. However, you are a little late this time. You should be punished with a cup of wine later." After saying this, the Second Prince's wife quickly stepped forward to help Madam Ning up.

Upon hearing this, Madam Ning couldn't help but curse inwardly; it seemed like she was just looking for trouble.

"Your Majesty is too kind. Someone needs to stay at home, but it's just my mother-in-law and me. It's inconvenient for us to go out. I hope everyone can understand and forgive us," Madam Ning explained to the crowd.

"It's alright, it's alright. The old Duke and General Ning are both far away on the border, and there is indeed no one to take care of the household. In addition, the old lady is also getting old. Madam Ning's filial piety in serving the household is commendable. These banquets we are attending are just for our usual entertainment. How could we possibly blame them?"

"That's right, that's right. Everyone knows that the Duke and General Ning are both away from home, and they rarely come back even once a year."

"Yes, yes, guarding the border is not easy."

"No."

The crowd responded one after another, seemingly unwilling to offend the Duke's mansion, which held military power.

Seeing that her attempts to sow discord had failed, the Second Prince's wife looked somewhat disgruntled. She wanted to say something more, but it was time for the aunt sent by the Imperial Concubine to remind her that the Duke of Ningguo was someone she absolutely could not offend, as he was someone she wanted to win over.

"Ahem, who is this?" The Second Prince's wife let it go upon seeing this.