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

4.1 The Third Prince Xiao Yuheng gradually felt the urgency of the situation in the struggle for the throne and decided to adopt a more radical strategy.

"Consort Xi, I have raised you for so long, it's time for you to do something for me..."

He wrote to Consort Xi, hoping she could find a way to transfer Prince Xiao Jingchen of Chu out of the capital in order to weaken his influence in the court.

As a powerful concubine in the palace, Consort Xi might be able to achieve this goal through certain means.

Consort Xi stared at the letter in her hand, a struggle flickering in her eyes. Had it really come to this? Even after using Gu to follow that person here, did he still refuse to accept her? Perhaps it was because of their social status. If they both relinquished their identities, could they become a pair of celestial lovers in the martial world?

Before Consort Xi could figure it out, the palace maid beside her snatched the letter from her hand.

This was none other than Consort Xi's personal maid, but now she showed no respect or timidity whatsoever. She coldly stared at Xin, a sneer tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Tell Xiao Yuheng that I will find a way to resolve this matter, but there is only one condition: give up fifteen cities in exchange for that man's life and to preserve his position."

"Your Highness!" Consort Xi exclaimed in shock.

"What, you're feeling sorry for him? So what if you feel sorry for him? You're so lowly, how dare you even think of him?" With a slap, Consort Xi fell to the ground, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, showing how much force the person had used.

Even so, Consort Xi dared not utter a single complaint, nor even show the slightest dissatisfaction.

"You should know in your heart what you are. If I hadn't saved you, you would be a dead man by now. How foolish of you to dare to make a deal with Zheng Yang. However, I won't take his life. That man is mine, and can only be mine. I will definitely take him away. From now on, there will be no more King Chu in this world, only my husband..."

Looking at the stubborn woman before her, Consort Xi suddenly doubted herself. Had she made a mistake, leading to a series of errors? She seemed to see an abyss ahead.

In the Third Prince's study, Gu Hanjiao chattered incessantly about modern weapons. She knew the Third Prince might be facing a desperate situation, so she brought out all the things she had read about in novels where the female protagonist created them to change her fate, including hidden weapons like the Rain of Pear Blossoms Needles. However, Gu Hanjiao seemed a little embarrassed as she talked.

"Jiao'er, what you're saying... does sound like good stuff, but what exactly is the principle behind it, and how can it be made? Could you please explain in more detail?"

Xiao Yuheng was getting a little annoyed. At first, he found Gu Hanjiao's bold idea interesting, but she couldn't draw it and could only describe it verbally. Even the craftsmen he found said they couldn't make it.

"This..." Gu Hanjiao didn't know how to explain it to Xiao Yuheng. In her heart, she was also cursing those novel authors. Why couldn't they write better and describe these key things in more detail? Why couldn't they describe the production steps of the materials in more detail?

Seeing Gu Hanjiao's slightly twitching expression, Xiao Yuheng began to doubt whether his insistence back then was a mistake. But what the Taoist said was absolutely right. He did lack some luck, and in fact, his luck improved after meeting Gu Hanjiao. His current bad luck all started when Gu Hanjiao entered the prince's residence as a concubine. Could it be that because Gu Hanjiao was only a concubine, she failed to borrow his fortune, which led to his repeated setbacks in the struggle for the throne?

Xiao Yuheng pulled Gu Hanjiao into his arms and gently comforted her, "I understand your intentions. Some things are urgent, but some things can't be rushed. The things you mentioned are all good. Once we have consolidated our power, we will naturally be able to find skilled craftsmen to help us complete these exquisite things you mentioned."

Gu Hanjiao looked at Xiao Yuheng with tears welling up in her eyes. "Brother Heng..."

Xiao Yuheng gently patted her back and said, "What you need to do now is to manage the Prince's residence well, and also take good care of the Princess Consort, especially the child in her womb. This is my first child and also my legitimate son, so there can be no mistakes."

"Brother Heng, we will have our own child, why..." Gu Hanjiao felt resentful. Her own child had just passed away, why should she have to take care of another woman's child?

"My dear, I have high expectations for you. I don't care about Li Qianyu, but that child is indeed the legitimate son, and you may be the one to raise him in the future. Do you understand?"

This implication was almost becoming an explicit statement, and even someone as naive as Gu Hanjiao could understand it: "Your Highness means to leave the mother and keep the child!"

Xiao Yuheng frowned and scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Although Xiao Yuheng scolded her, Gu Hanjiao was still very happy. She knew that Xiao Yuheng didn't really mean to scold her, but that she had overreacted. It turned out that Brother Heng still cared about her, and was even prepared to let that bitch Li Qianyu make room for her. As for the child...

Only the matriarch can raise the legitimate son, and only the princess consort can raise the little grandson. She wants to use that child to become the princess consort. After she has her own child in the future, she has plenty of ways to send that child to the underworld to accompany that bitch Li Qianyu!

Thinking of Li Qianyu's deep affection for him, Xiao Yuheng felt a pang of pity. However, he was currently in a very disadvantageous position. The Yu family had completely severed ties with him, and even with Yu Xinqiu as his concubine, he could only gain the support of the second branch of the Yu family. But what was the second branch anyway? Their assets were meager, and as long as the second branch of the Yu family wasn't removed from the family register, they wouldn't dare disobey the head of the Yu family. Otherwise, their assets could be taken back at any time.

The Li family, the princess's family, never took sides from the beginning. Even after he married Li Qianyu, that stubborn old man remained unmoved. If he cared about his daughter even a little, Li Xinhan should have supported him in suppressing the bandits in court that day, instead of keeping him in the capital under the Crown Prince's nose.

Since the Li family doesn't care about this daughter, why should he show her any pity?

Xiao Yuheng's series of actions revealed his anxiety and desperate mentality in the struggle for the throne.

However, court intrigues are complex and ever-changing, and a slight misstep can lead to complete defeat.

"Alright, Your Highness is tired. Jiao'er, you should go back and rest."

“Brother Heng…” Gu Hanjiao looked at him with a hint of grievance, her eyes filled with love and vulnerability that made one feel a pang of pity.

"I know what you mean, but your staff will be coming over soon, and it won't be good for them to see you. You should go back now."

Gu Hanjiao wanted to say something more, but she chose to remain silent after seeing the Third Prince's gaze. However, her hands were not idle. She untied her skirt, revealing her specially made clothes, which were as light as thin gauze, with black silk covering the key areas. The black silk and her jade-like skin complemented each other, and the ribbons that swayed with her body seemed to beckon to him.

Gu Hanjiao's appearance, so that she resembled a monarch, made Xiao Yuheng's blood rush to his brain.

The man guarding the door heard the commotion inside and couldn't help but show a disdainful expression. However, he still went to the front yard to tell the waiting staff that the Third Prince had some urgent business to attend to and asked them to go back first.

Luo Yichen, the leader, frowned. Others might not know, but he did, because he had arrived earlier. Consort Gu had clearly gone in earlier, and she hadn't come out yet. The Third Prince was saying he had something to do, but what could it be? Most likely, he was being held back by that vixen. If the vixen wasn't eliminated, the Third Prince's grand plan would inevitably run into trouble sooner or later.

The sound of the midnight gong pierced the rain, and the side gate of the Third Prince's residence creaked open. A maid in a green robe, carrying a glass palace lantern, slipped in sideways, her embroidered shoes stepping through the puddles on the blue bricks, yet her skirt remained completely dry. Xiao Yuheng stared at the seal script on the gilded token at her waist, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

"Her Majesty says that the Prince of Chu's birth date and time clash with His Majesty's." The maid's voice was like a silver needle dipped in ice. She took out a yellowed silk scroll from her sleeve. "Three days later, at the Western Suburbs, a sacrifice will be held to Heaven. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau will say that there are anomalies in the Purple Palace and that the Northwest Wolf Star is offending the ruler."

Xiao Yuheng paused, unfurling the silk scroll. In the flickering candlelight, he saw his shadow on the window paper suddenly twist into a beast-like shape, sharp claws tearing at another blurry figure. A chill ran down the back of his neck, as if someone was breathing behind his ear.

“Tell Your Highness that I will send ten jars of Western Region wine to the Chu Prince’s residence.” He brought the silk scroll close to the candlestick, and dark red blood beads seeped out where the flame licked it. “Just say… it’s a farewell gift for the Imperial Uncle.”

Inside the study, the nine-branched lamps flickered on and off. Xiao Yuheng twirled a blood-red agate chess piece between his fingertips and gently tapped it on the sand table. The chess piece landed on the southern border, the place where the King of Chu was about to go, where a small black iron flag was planted, and a strand of a woman's black hair was wrapped around the flagpole.

"Your Highness, a spy reports that His Majesty has regained consciousness and immediately summoned the Prince of Chu, who accepted the imperial tally." The black-clad guard knelt in the shadows, his voice muffled as if it came from underground. "But His Majesty dispatched the elite cavalry to accompany him, saying... saying they were to protect him."

Xiao Yuheng suddenly grabbed the entire box of chess pieces and smashed it against the bronze mirror. Agate beads splattered like blood, and his face shattered into several hideous pieces in the cracks of the mirror.

“Go and invite Master Zhang.” He stared at the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror. “Tell him that I, Your Highness, want to change the feng shui of this mansion and cut down that century-old cypress tree in the west wing to make a coffin.”

The torrential rain at dusk washed over Zhuque Street, and wisps of smoke rose from Xiao Jingchen's black iron scale armor. The palace lantern hanging beside the saddle flickered, illuminating the back of his hand that gripped the reins—three fresh scratches were seeping black blood, caused by the withered claws that suddenly emerged from the Emperor's dragon bed curtains when he received the Tiger Tally in the Zichen Palace.

"Your Highness!" Gu Qingwan greeted him from the corridor, carrying a plain gauze lantern, her apricot-colored skirt sweeping across the puddles on the stone steps. She reached out to undo his cloak but suddenly stopped, her fingertips hovering over the collar embroidered with anti-poison patterns: "You've been fumigated with mugwort?"

Xiao Jingchen grasped her cold hand and pressed it against his chest; beneath his armor lay a Daoming yellow scroll. The sound of rain masked the soft clatter of their teeth, but Gu Qingwan heard an eerie double heartbeat emanating from his chest. Just as she was about to speak, the steward, carrying a lacquer box, staggered and knelt: "An urgent dispatch from the Southern Frontier, eight hundred li away!"

Gu Qingwan knew that nothing she said would make a difference; the prince was determined to go this time, as it was his mission and his responsibility. Without a word, Gu Qingwan quickly summoned several maids to help Xiao Jingchen pack his luggage. For some reason, Gu Qingwan felt a vague unease in her heart.

"Your Highness, what should we do about the Gu worms in your body? Perhaps I should go with you?" Gu Qingwan thought this was an excellent idea.

Xiao Jingchen was standing behind the screen changing his clothes, which had been soaked by the rain, when he heard the princess's words and he frowned.

“If I could, I would like to take you with me, but…” Xiao Jingchen was silent for a while and then said, “My brother is already ill. Our plan must continue. There is also my mother. The people serving in the palace say that my mother’s health has been deteriorating recently. She sleeps for longer than she is awake each day. I suspect that my mother may also be infected with the same Gu worm as me.”

Thinking of this, Gu Qingwan knew that she really couldn't leave. As she stuffed the last piece of soft armor into her bag, she caught a faint scent of datura from Xiao Jingchen's collar. Her fingertips trembled slightly, and she suddenly pulled open her husband's front—there was a silver bell inside, which was now open, but the contents were gone.

"This..." Xiao Jingchen asked, somewhat puzzled, "Qingwan, where did the Gu King go?"