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

Green Pearl lay prostrate on the ground until the prince's footsteps disappeared, only then daring to quietly raise her head. Despite being scolded by the prince, her heart for him remained unchanged.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tassel that had fallen beside the bed. Judging from its style, it must have fallen from the prince's jade pendant. Green Pearl looked around and saw that no one was around, so she quietly put the tassel into her bosom and got up to leave.

As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Ru Hua. Ru Hua had seen everything that had just happened. She said with a forced smile, "Oh, I wondered who was trying to climb the social ladder. It turns out to be our Miss Green Pearl."

Green Pearl turned pale when she was caught. She knew that Ru Hua was the princess's head maid, but she was also the most easy to talk to and the most naive of the four. She absolutely could not let the princess know about this, or she would definitely be kicked out.

Green Pearl pretended not to understand and replied, "What did Sister Ruhua say? Green Pearl didn't understand."

"Ha, you can't understand? I saw it all just now."

"That's because there was no one around to serve me, and the prince had to call for people. It wouldn't be right to leave the prince waiting there. Besides, I didn't say anything when I went in. I behaved myself properly and don't know why Sister Ruhua suddenly blamed me. Even if this matter were to reach the princess, I would still be considered to have acted uprightly."

"Wang Xiaohua, I didn't expect you to be so quick-witted. Do you really need to go to the Princess to say something about this? Humph, you should think about what will happen to Aning. You're so clueless."

Ru Hua was not without sadness, after all, Wang Xiaohua, no longer called Lü Zhu, had always been with her in the small kitchen. If she hadn't run into her by chance today, she wouldn't have realized that Lü Zhu had different thoughts.

Thinking back to when I first met Wang Dazhu and Wang Xiaohua, how come the rebellious Xiaohua changed her name and even her personality? The princess would be heartbroken if she knew.

"While the princess is unaware, I hope you can realize your mistake and return to the right path."

After saying that, Ru Hua ignored Green Pearl standing at the door and went straight in to tidy up the bed.

Green Pearl, standing at the door, was pale. She and her brother had signed a death pact. The princess had saved her life, and if it weren't for her intervention, she would probably have been defiled by that beast. How could she have gotten such a high position in the royal palace?

Green Pearl bit her lip.

But since the princess has given her the opportunity to marry into the royal family, why can't she be allowed to take it a step further? Besides, she's not greedy; it's just a small step. The princess is such a kind person; she should be able to grant her wish.

As for A Ning before, she may have offended the prince. After all, there was no principal wife in the mansion at that time, and the prince was a man of integrity, so he dealt with her that way. But now it's different. The princess has entered the mansion, and the prince will inevitably have three wives and four concubines in the future.

But thinking about it, the princess had been very good to her, and doing this would be like betraying the princess, which made her feel very uncomfortable. Now she was in a state of turmoil, not knowing what to do.

After Xiao Jingchen finished practicing martial arts and washing up, he and Gu Qingwan had breakfast in the front yard and then took a carriage to the palace.

Today, Lady Wenguo and Wenrou came to visit the Empress Dowager. Xiao Jingchen and Gu Qingwan didn't have a good impression of them, so they decided to go to the back garden first and then go there after they left.

The two walked side by side in the back garden, slowly enjoying the scenery and chatting.

"I must say, the gardens in the palace are truly unique. These beautiful plants are delicate, and it must have taken a lot of effort for the gardeners to make them bloom at this time of year."

"If you like it, we'll move back."

"No, thank you. By the way, will it be inconvenient for us to wander around here?"

"What's wrong?"

"I've heard that the back garden is a place of trouble. On such a cold day, there are plenty of people who wear summer clothes out just to catch a glimpse of the Emperor."

"That's insane," Xiao Jingchen said with a disdainful look.

As the couple were chatting and laughing, they turned a corner and saw a pair of figures embracing each other in the pavilion. The man was wearing bright yellow clothes, which must be the emperor, and next to him was a woman wearing a snow-white cloak, whose appearance could not be seen clearly.

The chief eunuch who was standing nearby saw the King and Queen of Chu and quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"This servant greets Your Highness and Your Highness."

"Get up."

"Your Majesty, I, your younger brother (and his wife), pay our respects."

The Emperor then turned around and, seeing that it was Xiao Jingchen and Gu Qingwan, smiled and released the beauty, replying, "It's the Prince of Chu and his consort. Have they come to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager?"

"That's right, Your Majesty."

The Emperor thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, "The Wen family must have sent people, otherwise you wouldn't be strolling around the back garden at this time."

Gu Qingwan smiled and said, "Did we disturb His Majesty? We'll go visit the Empress Dowager now. Perhaps she has already sent someone to look for us."

The Emperor waved his hand good-naturedly and said, "No, no, I was just taking Consort Xi to enjoy the scenery in the back garden when I had nothing to do. Consort Xi, come here."

The concubine, dressed in a white cloak, then stepped out from behind the emperor. She curtsied but did not speak or rise.

Xiao Jingchen frowned, pursed his lips, and remained silent. Gu Qingwan, however, smiled and replied, "Your Highness Consort Xi is too kind. This is our first meeting. I've long heard of the arrival of a stunningly beautiful consort in the harem, and now that I've seen her, I can confirm that her reputation is well-deserved."

The Emperor was quite pleased. He helped Consort Xi up with one hand and said with a smile, "As expected of the Princess Consort of Chu, you know how to speak well. Consort Xi is a beauty, but heaven is jealous of her beauty and has taken away her beautiful voice. But that doesn't matter. Just as the Prince of Chu has such sincere feelings for his Princess Consort, so do I feel the same way for Consort Xi."

Gu Qingwan never expected that the Emperor would have such feelings for a concubine, actually comparing her, a proper princess, to a concubine. Where would that leave the Empress?

“Brother!” Xiao Jingchen frowned in disapproval.

Gu Qingwan stopped Xiao Jingchen from saying anything more. She took Xiao Jingchen's hand and said to the Emperor, "Then Consort Xi is the truly blessed one."

Consort Xi hid behind the Emperor somewhat embarrassedly, while the Emperor was overjoyed: "Qiaoqiao, even the Princess Consort says you are blessed. Then my beloved consort is indeed a blessed person, hahaha."

A splash came from the lake, and Gu Qingwan and her husband noticed a thinly dressed woman lying on the surface of the lake below the pavilion.

"This is……"

“That’s Consort Lan.” There was no need for the Emperor to explain this himself. Fu Ming interjected at the opportune moment: “Today, the Emperor and Consort Xi were strolling in the garden when they happened to run into Consort Lan ice skating.”

The Emperor smiled and said, "Consort Lan is getting on in years and is not as agile as she used to be. She slipped and fell after only a short time. Someone, take Consort Lan back."

Hearing the Emperor's response from afar, Consort Lan couldn't help but shed tears.

She had learned that the Emperor was coming to the back garden today, so she specially wore the ice skating outfit that the Emperor had once bestowed upon her, hoping to remind the Emperor of the wonderful time they had shared.