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

There was no chance for reconciliation between Xiao Yuheng and Xiao Yuhuai. Xiao Yuheng couldn't get over the incident when Consort Gu miscarried and he was seriously injured by the comments. Even now, he still harbors resentment towards women. Even though he has consulted folk doctors, they all say that there is nothing wrong with his body but rather with his mind, and that he should relax.

How could he relax about something like this? He could only accept Meng Kui's help. However, he hadn't even verified the news he heard in the brothel before Xiao Yuhuai fell into his hands.

How could Xiao Yuheng possibly pass up such a good opportunity to suppress others?

Xiao Yuhuai was unaware of Xiao Yuheng's thoughts, and promised to stand by his side, hoping that he could become a wealthy and leisurely prince after things were settled.

To show his sincerity, he even presented him with a woman's portrait. It was this woman's portrait that made Xiao Yuheng show leniency towards Xiao Yuhuai.

However, the future is still far off, and Xiao Yuheng will not allow someone who once did the right thing for him to live on.

In the imperial court, the Third Prince tearfully pleaded for the Second Prince, even mentioning how the Second Prince had injured his leg while saving him when they were young.

The second prince felt a toothache when he found out, because that time it wasn't to save the third prince, but because the third prince himself pushed him off the artificial hill and broke him.

If it weren't for Consort Yu's threat, the Second Prince wouldn't have lied and said he fell down on his own. For this reason, he was reprimanded by the Emperor, who said he wasn't setting a good example, was playing around with his younger brother, and even had the nerve to cry after getting hurt, disgracing the royal family.

Xiao Jingchen stood aside listening to the Third Prince pleading for the Second Prince, without saying a word, until the Emperor asked him.

"King Chu, what do you think is the most appropriate way to deal with the Second Prince?"

The King of Chu responded, "This was originally a private matter for the prince, and bringing it up in court would inevitably take up everyone's precious time."

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince realized that Uncle Chu meant that his matter was not a big deal. Could it be that Uncle Chu was planning to protect him this time? Could he think that Uncle Chu believed he was the one who was capable of taking on the great responsibility?

Although Xiao Yuheng was also surprised, he quickly came to his senses.

"Uncle, you are mistaken. You have just returned and may not know what Second Brother has done, but the princes' affairs, though small in scope, are a matter of the Chu family. But on a larger scale, they are a matter of setting an example. As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too..."

"What, Third Prince, tell me, which beam is the one that's crooked?"

"Uncle, there's no need to misunderstand me. My second brother's incident wasn't a big deal to begin with, but Father is angry, and many people are also..."

The King of Chu completely ignored Xiao Yuheng and said directly to the Emperor, "Speaking of which, I have something to report."

The emperor's anger had subsided considerably, although he still felt resentful upon seeing the second prince kneeling on the ground. He thought to himself, "How could someone as great as myself have given birth to a son with such a peculiar fetish? It's truly shameful."

"Alas, it's all debts owed to children. King Chu, tell me, what is it?"

"On the way here, I accidentally ran into two people. I thought they were quite interesting, so I detained them. Unexpectedly, after asking them a couple of questions, I found out some things."

The courtiers looked at each other, completely bewildered by what the King of Chu was saying.

Xiao Jingchen didn't care whether others understood or not.

"It's quite a coincidence, perhaps because I look so frightening, that person couldn't take it after I said a few nice words and confessed everything."

The Emperor, somewhat curious, asked, "Oh? What did you confess to?"

"It's nothing much, just the matter of killing our Prime Minister Gu."

This sentence is like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples to spread outwards in circles.

The second prince, who was kneeling on the ground first, visibly stiffened. He lowered his head and remained kneeling in front, and no one noticed anything unusual about him.

Then there's Chen Dianqing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, standing among the court officials, with sweat beading on his forehead.

"Does Your Highness mean that the murderer of Prime Minister Gu has been found?"

"Wasn't Prime Minister Gu murdered by the second young master of the Ning family? Wasn't it said that letters of treason and collusion between the Ning family and the enemy were also found during the search?"

The emperor smiled but remained silent.

The King of Chu continued, "What's even more coincidental is that the person traveling with him is also an old acquaintance of ours. I suppose Minister Chen of the Court of Judicial Review should know him even better."

Chen Dianqing, whose name was called, immediately stepped forward, forcing himself to calm down, but his heart was pounding.

"Your Highness does not know what you are talking about. How could I possibly know the two people Your Highness intercepted on the way? Besides, His Majesty ordered the Dali Temple to investigate the Ning family, but there is still no progress. The first thing Your Highness did upon returning was to talk about the Ning family. Are you feeling sorry for Princess Chu? But even if it is for Princess Chu's sake, Your Highness should think carefully. The incident occurred in the northern border, while Your Highness came from the southern border. How could you possibly have encountered any so-called witnesses?"

Xiao Jingchen remained calm and composed, waiting for Chen Dianqing to finish speaking.

"Oh? What does the Second Prince think? After all, His Majesty ordered you to lead the investigation on this matter." Xiao Yuhuai, who was kneeling in front, was suddenly called out and subconsciously felt that the Prince of Chu must know something.

Xiao Yuhuai did not answer the King of Chu's question, but said to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, I have been working diligently on the Ning family case, investigating it thoroughly and determined not to let any clues disappear. As for the two people that my uncle mentioned, I am also investigating them. However, according to the people I sent out, they disappeared in the northern border, and their voices and appearances are all those of the Northern Rong. If my uncle says they are old acquaintances, I find it somewhat impossible."

Upon hearing the Second Prince's words, Chen Dianqing, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, couldn't help but wipe his forehead with his sleeve. Although the Second Prince was already in dire straits, he still chose to protect him.

The Emperor's ambiguous attitude signaled to the Prince of Chu to continue speaking.

"Therefore, I think the Second Prince's abilities are still somewhat lacking. The Ning family case has been going on for so long, and not only have they failed to find any answers, but they also confiscated the Princess's estate, causing her to live in fear. This is truly unacceptable."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized that the prince was in such a hurry to attend court to avenge his princess. Since it was to avenge the princess, everyone should keep quiet and not be the first to speak out.

The second prince was taken aback and said, "This matter is my fault. After court, I will personally visit my aunt to apologize."

"Whether or not they apologize is not important. As your royal uncle, I am heartbroken to see my nephew so stupid. So Your Majesty, I have brought both of them back. In addition, the testimonies and some evidence have been prepared and will now be presented to Your Majesty."

To everyone's surprise, the person who came to present the evidence was Ning Chengze, the second young master of the Ning family, who had been imprisoned not long ago.

What's going on? Everyone looked at each other, then at the King of Chu. Could it be that the King of Chu went to the imperial prison to intercept prisoners for the sake of his queen?

"Your subject, Ning Chengze, has come to Your Majesty to clear the Ning family's name. I hope Your Majesty will consider this matter!"

Ning Chengze had originally planned to escort Miss Su and her maid to the west to find Marquis Yi'an, as his cousin had suggested. However, they encountered the prince's men as soon as they left the city gate. The prince said that after hearing about the Ning family's troubles, he had already arranged for people to make preparations along the way. Miss Su and Cuiping were also taken over by the prince's men and arranged to be escorted.