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

Back at the Chu Prince's residence, Xiao Jingchen said he had something to do and went to the study first. After a long while, Gu Qingwan felt a little uneasy, so she took her people to the study in the front yard. To her surprise, it turned out that the Crown Prince had come to visit, along with the uninvited young Marquis Chen Zizheng from the Chen family.

Seeing this carefree and irresponsible young marquis, Gu Qingwan couldn't help but sigh.

“Young Marquis, next time you come, you can enter through the main gate. There’s no need to be a gentleman on the wall.”

"Oh, Your Highness, of course I also want to come in through the main gate, but wouldn't that reveal that I'm the Prince's man? So it's better to sneak in. But next time, Your Highness, please tell the guards not to kill me when they see me. It hurts so much! Ouch, I almost died here."

Gu Qingwan was speechless. If someone climbed over the wall and the guards didn't arrest them, that would be dereliction of duty.

"Next time, if the young marquis wants to come in but doesn't want anyone to know, he can just slip in through the side gate in the southwest corner. If all else fails, you can come with the crown prince. At least you won't be in such a sorry state."

The Crown Prince, sitting to the side, couldn't help but chuckle at Chen Zizheng's appearance and coughed lightly.

"Ahem, Your Majesty, this young marquis has some rather unusual hobbies."

Gu Qingwan said, "I'm not worried about anything else. What I'm worried about is that if the people below don't know their place, Princess Yongning will be heartbroken and come to the palace to fight me."

Seeing these people, what else could Gu Qingwan not understand? It seemed that Prefect Zhao of the Capital Prefecture must also be one of the Crown Prince's men. The Crown Prince had quietly won over quite a few people.

Suddenly, Gu Qingwan seemed to remember something and asked.

"Your Highness, that scholar who sells paintings that I mentioned to you before..."

Upon hearing what the Princess Consort of Chu said, the Crown Prince immediately understood what was going on and replied, "I have already met the person that my aunt mentioned, but he does not yet know my true identity. Besides, the imperial examination is just around the corner..."

Although he didn't say what came next, Gu Qingwan knew that the Crown Prince was also observing. Since he had been hiding his identity and associating with him, it meant that the Crown Prince still recognized his talent. The reason why he didn't reveal his identity was probably because he hoped that the other party wouldn't feel too much pressure and could continue to move forward.

After all, Your Highness, you haven't reached that critical juncture yet. It would be best to send some loyal ministers now.

"It's good that you know what's going on. There's no need to build up so many henchmen like the second and third brothers. Having more henchmen is fine, but too many can be a burden."

“What the Imperial Uncle says is true.”

"The reason I called you here today is to ask if Young Master Chen is ready."

Chen Zizheng, who had been called out, put away his nonchalant attitude, sat up straight, and looked at Prince Chu.

"Your Highness, what are your orders?"

"You need to be prepared. Whether it's the southern border or the west, you'll have the opportunity to gain experience soon. But if your mother wants you to stay in the capital, that's not out of the question."

“The Qingping Marquis’s mansion has already fallen into decline. If I don’t fight for it in my generation, then what will become of us in the future…” Chen Zizheng was also worried.

"It's good that you're mentally prepared, there's also the Xia Prince's Mansion."

The Crown Prince's face immediately darkened. He had served the Emperor the longest, and he still vividly remembered how the Prince of Xia had harmed their palace and almost caused them to perish in the struggle for the throne.

"Could it be that there are still orphans in the Xia King's mansion?"

Xiao Jingchen neither shook his head nor nodded. "Young Marquis Chen, you are the only son of the Princess. I do not wish for you to take risks alone. However, you are close to the Crown Prince. You should know in your heart where you should place yourself. Now, the matter of the Prince of Xia is entrusted to you."

"Your Highness, rest assured, this young marquis will definitely investigate thoroughly. I don't care whether he's the King of Xia or the King of Dong, he absolutely cannot cause trouble."

Xiao Jingchen frowned. He had already managed to hold on in the palace, and he felt quite tired after returning.

Upon seeing this, the Crown Prince asked, "Uncle, are you alright?"

"Have you found out anything about Consort Xi in the palace?"

"Not yet. What we found out is the same as what the Third Prince said. It seems that this person really just appeared by chance. I also sent people to investigate the hometown that Consort Xi mentioned. I think we will have results soon."

Gu Qingwan helped Xiao Jingchen up, knowing that his ailment was about to start again.

"It's getting late..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud bang was heard, as if a mountain had collapsed and the earth had split open, causing everyone to get up and go outside to see what was happening.

Gu Qingwan squinted. She was all too familiar with that voice. Could it be Thunderbolt?

Before she could even think, someone came to report.

"Master, there was an explosion in the west of the city. It seems that the explosion was caused by the poor management of several fireworks shops due to the approaching Chinese New Year."

"Are there any casualties?"

"The area in the west of the city, especially those around the fireworks shops, has been almost completely razed to the ground, and it is very likely that people have died there."

The Crown Prince's face darkened: "Uncle, I'll go take a look first. This matter is no small thing."

Xiao Jingchen nodded, "You go first, I will follow shortly."

Chen Zizheng did not ask any more questions about what the King of Chu had not finished saying, and followed the Crown Prince to the west of the city.

Gu Qingwan walked to Xiao Jingchen's side and said, "Why doesn't Your Highness go and take a look? This matter may not be so simple."

"It is indeed not simple. The imperial court has always controlled the sale of fireworks and firecrackers, so even if they explode, they will not cause such a big consequence."

"That can only mean that someone secretly manufactured a lot, or something else..."

Xiao Jingchen looked over and asked, "Anything else?"

Gu Qingwan thought for a moment and said, "I'm not sure yet. I'll go and check it out in a bit."

"What are you going to do? You can stay in the Prince's mansion. I'll go."

"No, I have to go this time because I need to confirm something."

Xiao Jingchen knew that Gu Qingwan must not have made such a request without a reason, so he didn't say anything more.

"Xiao Jia, go to the Ministry of War and convey my order to requisition the camp tents. Xiao Yi, bring all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to me!"

The imperial physicians were forcibly taken away by the King of Chu's personal guards, some of them still shouting that the King of Chu did not respect his subjects and was too domineering.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, you can't do this! I just finished my night shift and am resting. What could possibly require your personal guards to drag me out of bed..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xiao Yi's sword was at his neck.

The King of Chu didn't even glance at him and said, "Imperial Physician, look at this scene. Not to mention you, which of your colleagues in the Imperial Hospital hasn't been brought here by me? You all see what it means to have a doctor's benevolence. Every doctor in the capital is here right now. Tell me, shouldn't you all come over?"