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

Duke Wen paced anxiously back and forth in his spacious and elegant study, his face grim. His heavy footsteps seemed to wear through the exquisite floorboards. His hands were sometimes behind his back, sometimes crossed in front of his chest, and his brows were tightly furrowed, revealing his extreme anxiety and anger.

In the center of the study, on the cold, hard marble floor, Wen Liang, the son of the Duke of Wen, knelt upright. Although it was early spring, the chill emanating from the floor still felt like icy cold, constantly assaulting his knees, making it unbearable. Yet, even so, Wen Liang dared not move or complain, simply bowing his head and silently enduring it all.

“Father…” Wen Liang wanted to try to soften his father’s heart and forgive him once, “It’s just a woman. Killing her is better than her tarnishing the reputation of our Wen family.”

That's right, this time the assassination attempt wasn't on Lord Wen himself, but on his eldest son.

"You idiot, what do you know! Do you know what we lost after she died? She was someone I painstakingly recruited and invested so much money to train, but now you've killed her. She used to keep many important officials in check, and now that she's dead, who will be wary of us and work for us!"

Wen Liang seemed to realize something and asked, "Then what should we do?"

"What to do! You still dare to ask what to do! It's one thing to send someone to assassinate, but why did you send out the manor's secret guards? Do you know how much time, manpower, resources, and money it takes to train a secret guard? What if they get caught after you send them out like this!"

Like a frightened rabbit, Wen Liang lowered his head, letting the sharp and sarcastic rebukes flood him like a tide. His face turned ashen, his lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to explain something, but ultimately chose silence. Nevertheless, deep down, Wen Liang firmly believed that everything he had done was not wrong.

He silently endured it all, a sense of grievance and helplessness welling up inside him. The accusations around him weighed heavily on him, making it hard to breathe, but his stubbornness kept him from bowing his head and admitting his mistakes. Perhaps to outsiders, his persistence seemed foolish or even obstinate, but only he knew how firm his beliefs were.

"Father is just a secret guard. We're not short of money, so why can't we train another one? Besides, that woman has to die. If she doesn't die, she will definitely tarnish our family's reputation. More importantly, she will also implicate us with the Imperial Concubine in the palace. Wouldn't that put us in a very passive position? If the Emperor finds out... Father, the Emperor has been wary of our family for quite some time now!"

Duke Wen sighed. Only he knew how angry and helpless he was. How could he have let Song Yue'e reveal her relationship with Consort Yu at this crucial moment? If the Emperor believed it, wouldn't all his years of forbearance and planning have been in vain?

"Liang'er, you...sigh!" Duke Wen hesitated, as if he had a thousand words to say but could not. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly, "Child, I hope you won't regret it one day."

Wen Liang didn't understand. He had only killed one person, and he hadn't even done it himself. Why would he regret it? Perhaps his father was really getting old and was starting to act timidly. If his father had been bolder, their family could have held absolute power by now.

Duke Wen, who had been listening to Wen Liang with a serious expression, turned ashen-faced at the next words. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes widened in fury. He abruptly stretched out his hands and gripped Wen Liang's neck like vises, the force so great it seemed he intended to kill his own son! Wen Liang, unable to breathe, turned red-faced and desperately tried to pry his father's hands off, only managing muffled groans. Anyone witnessing this scene would be stunned, completely unprepared for Duke Wen's rage, even to the point of harming his own child.

Although the Duke of Wen's face was grim, he still retained a sliver of reason. He slowly released his grip on Wen Liang's arm, as if using all his strength. Wen Liang, now freed, gasped for air like a bird released from its cage, his body trembling slightly from excessive tension and fear. Leaning against the wall, he clutched his chest, breathing heavily, each breath labored and heavy.

"Father, even if the secret guard is caught, it doesn't matter. He's just a servant sent out by our Duke Wen's mansion to help. As long as we don't admit it, what evidence do they have to say that it was Jingxin? Besides, Father, that woman is a shameless woman who fools around with countless men outside. I heard that she has syphilis. Isn't that kind of poison only found in brothels? How come... she seems to be even worse than a courtesan in a brothel!"

The Duke of Wen's face suddenly darkened, as if a clear sky had been obscured by clouds. His complexion became extremely ugly, as if water could drip from it. His once bright and spirited eyes were now filled with gloom and anger, staring intently ahead, sending chills down one's spine.

"What did you say? You said she has syphilis and was fooling around with many people!"

"Yes, Father, you don't know, it was such a filthy woman who actually wanted to climb up to our Duke's mansion. She's like a toad trying to eat swan meat, she's dreaming quite a dream..."

Duke Wen was completely bewildered. He couldn't hear what his son was saying, only that the woman was sick and that he was also under her spell. Did that mean he also...? Duke Wen looked down at his crotch.

"Get out! Get the hell out of here!" Duke Wen grabbed a vase and smashed it. Now he was not only exposed, but he might also be dying. The poison was extremely lewd and currently incurable. When the poison took effect, he would always want to mate with someone. If he couldn't find anyone, then...

The Duke of Wen's hands trembled uncontrollably at the thought. No, it couldn't be! He kept reassuring himself, wanting to find the best imperial physician or doctor to diagnose him as soon as possible. But quite a few people knew about this, and he absolutely couldn't let the imperial physician examine him. If the truth came out, everyone would know that a first-rank duke was entangled with a commoner. Then the Wen family's ancestor would probably turn the coffin upside down to teach this unfilial descendant a lesson.

Duke Wen felt exhausted. Things were getting further and further away from what he had expected. Fortunately, the general direction had not changed. Right now, the only way to turn things around was to support the Third Prince with all his might. And the Third Prince did not disappoint him. Not long after, someone came to deliver a letter, saying that it was written by the Third Prince himself.