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

When Gu Qingwan woke up the next day, the sunlight outside filled the curtains, and she suddenly felt as if she had been dreaming.

She remembered to check, and a strong arm pulled her into its embrace. The warmth of the arm against her body told her that it wasn't a dream; Xiao Jingchen had really returned.

Gu Qingwan looked up at his chin. He was clearly awake, but he was still pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed. She couldn't help but reach out and trace the contours of his face.

Suddenly, the man opened his eyes, and the deep expression in them almost made Gu Qingwan fall for him, but she quickly saw the smile in his eyes again.

Gu Qingwan nudged the person next to her, feeling a little embarrassed.

"It's getting late, Your Highness. You'd better get up quickly, or the servants will laugh at us if they find out."

Xiao Jingchen didn't stop Gu Qingwan. He simply put his arm under his head and looked at his princess's long, beautiful black hair draped over her smooth, jade-like back. His eyes darkened a little. When he saw a red bodice strap across that snow-white expanse, he pursed his lips and pulled her into the bed.

"Ugh! What are you doing!"

"Your Highness, I've finally made it back. Why did I get up so early? Besides, this is our home. Who would dare to laugh at us?"

Gu Qingwan couldn't help but blush. She grasped the hand that kept lighting the fire and said, "Then it's time to get up. Besides, doesn't His Highness usually get up to exercise?"

"What the princess says makes sense. Exercise cannot be stopped even for a day. I will exercise with the princess from now on."

Hearing Xiao Jingchen's words, Gu Qingwan's face turned even redder. The exercise she talked about was completely different from what he was saying.

Baoqin and the others outside the door couldn't help but blush. They knew that the prince had returned in the middle of the night and had asked for hot water several times along the way. They naturally knew that the prince and princess were more excited than ever after being apart. However, it was already late in the morning, and their masters were still fooling around.

Baoqin, being the head maid, pretended to be deep and said to the servants around her, "Go away and wait for the master to call us. If I hear anyone gossiping about what happened today, I will rip their tongues out."

The maids nodded in agreement.

Only Green Pearl, one of the second-class maids, had an unnatural glint in her eye. While everyone else bowed their heads and left, she stared blankly at the door.

Your Highness... Your Highness is such a good person. So what if there are flaws on your face? They can't hide your handsome appearance and gentleness.

If only she could receive even a sliver of the prince's tenderness... Thinking of this, Green Pearl couldn't help but laugh at her own wishful thinking. She quickly followed the group and retreated outside the courtyard to await her masters' summons.

The two fooled around for a while, but because Gu Qingwan had other things to do, she wouldn't allow Xiao Jingchen to fool around anymore.

"There's no one else at home, so it's a rare opportunity to rest."

"Don't you need to go to the palace?"

"I went there yesterday when I came back. My brother told me to get some rest. Also, don't worry too much about the Ning family. Since my brother sent Ning Chengze to investigate quietly, there's still room for things to be resolved."

Hearing this, Gu Qingwan was stunned for a moment. She said, "It wasn't a big deal at first. I was a little anxious, but after seeing the Emperor's attitude, I knew that there was no use in being anxious, so I didn't tell you. I didn't expect you to find out anyway."

"Why are you unhappy?" Xiao Jingchen asked, propping his head up with one hand.

Gu Qingwan shook her head and said, "I'm not upset, but I didn't expect that someone as innocent as the Ning family would be framed. I still feel a little uncomfortable."

"If you want to be a loyal minister, you have to take on more responsibilities than others. You've known for a long time that things aren't always peaceful and stable in the court."

Yes, Xiao Jingchen is absolutely right. Daqing may seem like a wealthy and powerful country now, but in reality, it is fraught with crises.

The southern and northern borders were eyeing Daqing covetously, but fortunately, the King of Chu and the Ning family army were stationed there respectively, so they didn't cause any trouble.

However, other small countries to the west are still eager to make moves.

Speaking of the west, we must mention Marquis Yi'an. Marquis Yi'an is a great general who guards the west. Gu Qingwan doesn't know if Marquis Yi'an has really taken sides or not. Can the actions of Marquis Yi'an's heir really represent the entire Marquis Yi'an family?

As Gu Qingwan dressed, she said to the person lying lazily on the bed, "Your Highness has returned from a long journey, so you should get some rest. Yesterday I sent Siqi and the others to the estate to rescue two people, and it seems that it's about time. Siqi should be back by now."

Xiao Jingchen frowned and asked, "Is it about the matters concerning the Marquis of Yi'an's residence?"

Gu Qingwan's movements as she dressed suddenly slowed down. She asked softly, "Don't you think I'm meddling in other people's business and not being a proper princess? I should actually stay in the palace and help you manage the household."

"What are you saying? You are my queen, you can do whatever you want, as long as you are happy."

Xiao Jingchen turned over, buried his head in the pillow filled with Gu Qingwan's fragrance, and said in a muffled voice, "Those two, Xiao Er and Xiao San, are jumping around too much. The Crown Prince is only thinking about his Crown Princess. They don't seem to be very ambitious while I was away. They're good-for-nothings."

The Crown Prince suddenly sneezed, which startled the Crown Princess, who thought he had caught a cold. For the sake of the child, she was considering whether the Crown Prince should sleep in the study that night.

Gu Qingwan continued dressing, saying, "Then you don't need to worry about it. I'm just disgusted that there are still people like that in this world. Also, Su Che is a good person and will definitely be a pillar of the state in the future. By the way, have you introduced Su Che to the Crown Prince?"

"There's no need. The Crown Prince is doing well now, and my elder brother is in good health too. There's no need for the Crown Prince to cultivate his own power so early. That would be a losing proposition. He should just go out and see the hardships of the common people instead of fighting amongst himself with the second and third princes."

Gu Qingwan sighed and said, "I hope the Crown Prince can understand and not be blinded by the sight before him."

After Gu Qingwan left, she instructed everyone not to disturb the prince's rest, and naturally no one disobeyed the princess's wishes.

Xiao Jingchen then summoned his guards to listen to what had been happening in the manor recently.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his queen, but he wanted to know if she had been wronged or if anyone had given her any trouble while he was away.