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

According to information gathered by Xiao Yuheng's spies, all the recent rumors about him in the capital originated from the Second Prince.

"You, Xiao Yuhuai, have treated me so well, yet you treat me like this. Since you are so heartless, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

Luo Yichen didn't think so. He carefully considered his words and said, "Third Prince, please wait a moment."

"What are you waiting for? If you wait any longer, that second son will be shitting on my head!"

"No, no, I was just thinking that the Second Prince has always acted very mild-mannered. Even if he has ambitions and is deliberately hiding them, why is he suddenly being so obvious about them now?"

"It's because the crown prince is in decline, and he doesn't want me to become the only one in power."

"That's not quite right either. It's true that the Crown Prince's power is waning, but that doesn't mean he's finished. After all, the Emperor hasn't deposed him yet..."

"Who goes there! Come in!"

Laiwang walked in with a stoop and whispered something in the Third Prince's ear. Xiao Yuheng was so angry that he kicked the stool he was standing on far away.

"Xiao Yuhuai has gone too far! He's simply outrageous!"

"Third Prince, what exactly happened?"

"You know about the concubine's miscarriage a couple of days ago, right?"

Everyone in the Third Prince's residence knew this was a secret. It was obvious what this child meant to the Third Prince's household, but a problem arose at this crucial juncture.

"I have heard of it."

Xiao Yuheng took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He said, "I consider myself a very restrained and self-controlled person, but that night I inexplicably lost control... and..."

Luo Yichen naturally heard about what happened that night. Because of this incident, the Third Prince became a laughing stock in the capital. He was the one who killed the child. Even the Emperor was so angry that he slapped the Third Prince on the spot.

"The princess is capable. That very night, she found something unusual in the incense burner in the room. The incense sticks in the burner were fine when lit alone, but they were a different story when they came into contact with wine. Unfortunately, the wine was accidentally spilled that night."

"Someone deliberately plotted to kill me?" Luo Yichen asked. "Has the Third Prince's Consort found out who it was?"

"It hasn't been found out yet."

"Since this spice is so special, it must not be an ordinary spice. I think that if we trace the source of the spice, we might find something."

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, but once it was brought up, Xiao Yuheng's expression became even more unpleasant. What Luo Yichen could think of, he could naturally think of as well. Not only did he think of it, but he also had Laiwang lead people to investigate. As a result, they found out that Gu Hanjiao actually opened such a shop outside.

If others find out about this, he'll lose all face and dignity!

“I will investigate this matter. However, Laiwang just told me that he seems to have found the shadow of the second brother during the investigation. Regardless of whether the second brother directly took action, he must have been involved. The second brother and I are now irreconcilable enemies.”

"Third Prince, I hope you will reconsider."

"There's no need to say more now. I have other matters to attend to, Mr. Luo, you should go back first."

After seeing off Luo Yichen, Xiao Yuheng went to the main courtyard to find the Third Prince's Consort. Not only was the Third Prince there, but also Consort Yu. She was already a little apprehensive, and when she suddenly heard the Third Prince's voice, she was so frightened that she burst into tears.

“Cousin…” Yu Xinqiu knelt down on the ground immediately, “Cousin, I didn’t mean it, cousin…”

Xiao Yuheng was very annoyed. His people had naturally found out that the mastermind behind this matter was Yu Xinqiu. As for Xiao Yuhuai, he had just accidentally learned about Yu Xinqiu's plan and went along with it.

Li Qianyu knew that Xiao Yuheng was in a bad mood at the moment, and she also knew that this matter was difficult to handle.

Firstly, Yu Xinqiu is the daughter of the Yu family, which is also the maternal family of the Third Prince. Both the Third Prince and the concubines in the palace need the financial support of the Yu family. If the daughter of the Yu family is dealt with rashly, it would be tantamount to slapping the Yu family in the face.

The power of the Yu family is gradually falling into the hands of Yu Linglong. If it weren't for the fact that the second branch of the Yu family was attached to the Third Prince's residence, the Yu family might have directly cut off the Third Prince's funding.

You know, these days, it's incredibly difficult to do anything without money.

However, now that this matter has already occurred, it still needs to be handled properly, otherwise it will not only offend the Yu family but also make outsiders look down on the Third Prince's residence.

“Third Prince, you should think twice now. We are already besieged on all sides and can’t afford any more trouble,” Li Qianyu advised.

Xiao Yuheng, who was originally about to kick him, stopped his movement.

"Tell me yourself! What exactly happened?!"

Yu Xinqiu cursed her brother in her heart, calling him a good-for-nothing who was more trouble than a good person. She had repeatedly emphasized that this matter must be carried out in secrecy, so how come it was suddenly exposed now?

Perhaps this matter was never exposed at all, and that the Third Prince's Consort, Li Qianyu, wanted to use this opportunity to suppress her?

"I, the prince, am asking you a question! What are you doing!"

Yu Xinqiu shuddered in fright, but she was also very smart. She immediately concluded that this must be Li Qianyu's doing, because so far only Li Qianyu had said that she was involved, and there was no real evidence.

"Third Prince, I am truly innocent! What does this matter have to do with me? I was feeling unwell that day and stayed in the courtyard the whole time. I did not go out."

"You're still trying to deny it! If I hadn't caught you red-handed, do you think I'd be here questioning you right now!"

“Sister Yu, I know you have no ill intentions towards the Third Prince and are wholeheartedly devoted to our Third Prince’s residence. But right now, I have to say that you and your brother have been used.”

Upon hearing Li Qianyu mention her brother, Yu Xinqiu realized that this was not the time for her to play dumb, but rather the time to be honest.

But what could he say now? Saying it would only do him no good and confirm that it was her, so Yu Xinqiu just cried and didn't say anything.

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of Yu Xinqiu, Xiao Yuheng became even angrier and slapped her across the face.

"Third Prince!" Li Qianyu cried out in fright.

"Alright, alright, you won't tell, huh? Come here, I, the prince, will tell you for you!"

"You had your brother buy me some aphrodisiacs from outside? Do you even have a brain? What if that stuff was poison?!"

"No, no, no, how could my brother possibly buy poison!"

Yu Xinqiu had let something slip, and she collapsed to the ground like a deflated balloon.

“Cousin, I absolutely had no intention of harming you, and the aphrodisiac wasn’t bought by my brother. Rather, he took advantage of the situation and bought it from Consort Gu’s shop…”

Xiao Yuheng seemed a little confused and asked, "What did you say? What about Consort Gu's shop?"

“Cousin, you don’t know this, but Consort Gu is pregnant and still keeps you in her room every day. You don’t even come to the Prince’s wife’s courtyard much anymore. That’s why I had this idea. I just wanted to let you know about Gu Hanjiao’s despicable methods. Gu Hanjiao owns an adult products store in the brothel district. It’s said that they have everything. The girls in the brothel district love to buy things there to seduce men. This is Gu Hanjiao’s store. If people find out, our Third Prince’s residence will lose face. But who knew… who knew…”

It took Xiao Yuheng and Li Qianyu a few moments to finally understand one key point.

"What did you say? What do you mean Gu Hanjiao opened a shop in the brothel alley?"

"It's...it's...it's about buying that kind of thing."

Xiao Yuheng immediately understood. Gu Hanjiao had used the things Yu Xinqiu mentioned on him quite often. At first, he was a little annoyed, but Gu Hanjiao served him very comfortably. He always thought that these little things were just things that Gu Hanjiao cleverly came up with to compete for favor when she had nothing to do. He never expected that she would actually sell them outside!

Li Qianyu said angrily, "This is too much! What has Consort Gu done to the reputation of the Third Prince's residence! A woman from the inner quarters, and a lady from a respectable family at that, is actually doing this kind of business outside... This..."

“Cousin, I absolutely didn’t have any bad intentions. I just wanted you to know what Gu Hanjiao had done, but I didn’t expect someone to take advantage of the situation…”

At this moment, Li Qianyu's head maid returned.

"Third Prince, something terrible has happened to the Princess Consort! Rumors are spreading..."

"What did you say? What's been spread this time?"

Seeing Xiao Yuheng's murderous face, she hesitated to speak.

"It's alright, Xiao Ai, go ahead and say it," Li Qianyu said encouragingly.

"They're saying that one of our concubines runs a shady business outside, and that the child in her belly isn't even our Third Prince's..."

"That's unreasonable!"

Even Li Qianyu dared not say anything more. This time, the rumors had gone too far. Wasn't this putting a green hat on the royal family's head again?

Yu Xinqiu was truly terrified this time. She hadn't even seen Gu Xiaoyuheng smash the table to pieces. If that slap had landed directly on her face, she would probably be in the same boat as the table now.

"Xiao Ai, you guys take Consort Yu back to her courtyard first, and tell her that no one is allowed to release her without the Third Prince's and my orders."

"No! Your Highness, you can't do this. All matters, big and small, in the manor require my approval. Third Prince, please tell Your Highness that you can't lock me up!"

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about this matter. Now that something has happened, you shouldn't concern yourself with the affairs of the household for the time being. Just stay in your own courtyard and reflect on your actions."

Yu Xinqiu knew that after this incident, Li Qianyu would definitely try to take away the management of the Zhongkui from her, and if it was taken away, it would not be an easy thing to get it back.

"The Imperial Concubine will not agree to you doing this!"

“I will speak to your mother. You should go back and reflect on your actions. I advise you to think carefully about the details. The more you think about it, the better it will be for the Third Prince.”

Yu Xinqiu looked at Xiao Yuheng with teary eyes, but Xiao Yuheng ignored her and simply turned his back on her.

In fact, judging from Xiao Yuheng's current state of mind, he should be so angry that he wants to kill someone. The reason he only questioned Yu Xinqiu and did not lay a finger on her is because of the Yu family behind her.

"Go! Find out who spread such rumors! If I catch them, I'll have them torn to pieces!"

Compared to the gloomy atmosphere at the Third Prince's residence, the Second Prince's residence was clearly more relaxed and cheerful, with Xiao Yuhuai grinning from ear to ear.

"Hahahaha, I never expected the third brother to suffer such a big setback this time. Oh dear, just a while ago, he was so smug because one of his concubines got pregnant. He was practically walking around with his head held high. Well, look what happened. He really messed up the baby in that concubine's belly."

Lu Yan couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I didn't expect the Third Prince to be so good at having fun."

"By the way, how's the thing I asked you to do going?"