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

Just then, a palace servant quietly entered.

"Your Majesty, Consort Yu is outside with the Second Princess to pay her respects. She said the Second Princess personally made some snacks to offer to you."

The Empress Dowager frowned and said, "Why are they here? Let them in."

Gu Qingwan raised an eyebrow.

When Consort Yu heard that the Duchess of Wen had come to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, she couldn't help but find an excuse to go to the Empress Dowager's side after thinking it over.

Ever since she learned that she was the eldest daughter of the Wen family, she subconsciously regarded herself as the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wen's mansion, and believed that the Duchess of Wen's wife was her biological mother, and couldn't help but want to get closer to her.

However, since their last meeting, the Duchess of Wen had not spoken to her alone, which made her somewhat anxious.

Sometimes Consort Yu thought that it would be better if Yu Linglong really found out. That way, she wouldn't need to hide it anymore. She was now a concubine with princes and princesses, and the emperor wouldn't do anything to her.

Even if it is a crime of deceiving the emperor, the Yu family should be punished, and it has nothing to do with her.

"Greetings to the Empress Dowager."

"Get up. Why did you bring the princess here in this cold weather?"

Consort Yu was naturally beautiful, and at this moment she deliberately acted more obediently, saying, "I didn't expect that the Prince of Chu and his wife would come today, as well as the Duchess. I've come at an inopportune time and have disturbed the Empress Dowager's leisure. However, the princess made some small snacks today and wanted to offer them to the Empress Dowager, so she asked me to bring them along. I hope the Empress Dowager won't find them offensive."

The Empress Dowager said with a smile, "Oh my, my little Anning has even learned to make things! Bring it here, let your grandmother have a taste."

The Empress Dowager has always been kind to the younger generation. She has experienced hardship herself, so she does not discriminate based on who the princes and princesses' mothers are. Of course, for the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess, being the legitimate son and daughter makes a difference.

"Grandmother, please try it. This is something Anning worked on for a long time to make, even Father didn't have this much!"

"Good good."

Since her last visit to the Chu Prince's residence, An Ning has become less resistant to the Chu Princess. Seeing the Empress Dowager praising her so highly, she even carried a plate to the Chu Princess's side.

"Would you like to try some, Your Majesty?"

No one present, including Consort Yu, expected An Ning to do this. Even if she wanted to let people taste it, she should have invited the Duchess of Wen, not this Gu Qingwan. What's wrong with An Ning's brain?

Gu Qingwan was taken aback, but after a moment of realization, she took out a piece and put it in her mouth.

"The princess's cooking is indeed excellent. Would Your Highness like to try some?"

"I do not like sweets."

Consort Yu followed suit and said, "It just so happens that the Duchess is here as well. Why don't you try some too? This was made by the princess, and this is made by me."

The way Consort Yu fawned over her made her forget about hierarchy; how could a concubine use the word "I"?

Lady Wen, the Duchess of Wen, took a couple of perfunctory bites and said, "Your Majesty and the Princess have really put in a lot of effort. The Empress Dowager is a blessed person."

An Ning has always been straightforward. Even though Uncle Chu refused, she was still very direct. It was obvious that the Duchess of Wen and Wenrou were just being perfunctory. Wenrou only touched her lips with her mouth and didn't even eat anything.

"If you don't like it, Madam and Miss, you don't have to force yourselves. You should know that the food made by this princess is not ordinary. You are only enjoying it because of the Empress Dowager."

Consort Yu's face stiffened, and she quickly pulled Princess Anning back.

"Please don't blame her, Madam. The princess didn't mean it... Anning, please apologize to Madam right away."

The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere became awkward. What was going on when a concubine told her ministers that the princess hadn't meant any harm?

It was obvious that the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Chu were unhappy, but Consort Yu seemed completely oblivious.

"Mother, what are you saying?" Anning asked incredulously.

The Empress Dowager coughed softly from above: "This Imperial Concubine is becoming more and more unruly."

Wenrou reacted the fastest, quickly rising and curtsying, saying, "It is my fault. I have not been feeling well these past two days and have not been able to eat sweets, which has offended the princess's kindness. I apologize to the princess now and thank the Noble Consort for her comfort."

She was gentle and eloquent, which made the situation seem like the emperor was showing compassion to his subordinates.

Consort Yu's complexion improved slightly, and she quickly continued, "Yes, yes, yes, it was my fault for speaking inappropriately. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

An Ning walked unhappily to the seat next to Gu Qingwan and sat down. Although she didn't say anything, it was clear that she was in a very bad mood.

Gu Qingwan took a sip of tea. The pastry was a bit too sweet. The Empress Dowager was getting old and her sense of taste was not as good as before. This kind of taste was just right for the Empress Dowager, but it was a bit unbearable for young people like them.

"Speaking of which, Miss Wenrou and Consort Yu are both gentle and kind people. Now that the two of them are together, they do look somewhat like sisters. If I didn't know them, I would definitely mistake them for sisters."

Her gentle face didn't look very good. Although Consort Yu was a consort, she was still the emperor's concubine. As a legitimate daughter, what did Gu Qingwan mean by comparing her to a concubine?

She became a concubine for the prince, but that's no excuse for Gu Qingwan to stab her.

"What does the Princess Consort of Chu mean?"

Consort Yu looked at Wenrou. She hadn't noticed until Gu Qingwan pointed it out, but now that she looked closely, Wenrou did indeed have some resemblance to her. They were indeed sisters, but they couldn't acknowledge each other now.

"Your Highness is too kind. The Imperial Concubine is absolutely stunning, how could my daughter possibly compare?" Madam Wen said with a smile, declining the compliment. She did not want Wenrou to have any connection with the Imperial Concubine Yu, not even a little bit.

She knew very well what kind of person Consort Yu was. What right did a woman of unknown origin and identity have to compare herself to Rou'er?

"enough!"

The loud bang startled everyone present. Gu Qingwan looked to the side and saw that Xiao Jingchen, who had been silent all along, had suddenly become somewhat irritable.

Although he was still sitting there, you could feel that the aura around him had changed. The coldness was like being stared at by a wild beast, as if you could be pounced on and killed at any moment.

Lady Wen was so frightened that she pulled Wenrou up, but she didn't dare to move. The Empress Dowager was also so frightened that she sat there without moving, and Consort Yu didn't even dare to breathe.

Looking at the shattered table and the King of Chu with his eyes reddening, everyone unanimously thought of the King of Chu from before.

In fact, the cruel, tyrannical, and cold-blooded King Chu was the King Chu they knew. It was just that after the King and Queen Chu got married recently, everyone gradually got used to the King's coldness and became numb to his behavior.

Now that the King of Chu has appeared, people are reminded of what the real King of Chu was like—a figure who struck fear into the hearts of soldiers on the battlefield, and whose name would make even children cry.