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

Gu Qingwan and Princess Qinghe followed Meng Yanran's hand and looked over. Inside the carriage sat a tall and imposing man with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, holding a bundle of rope in his hand and swinging it back and forth.

"Meng Jiyue!" Princess Qinghe exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the newcomer. "What are you doing here?"

Compared to Princess Qinghe's surprise, Meng Yanran was clearly a little guilty. She glanced around and dared not meet her brother's eyes.

"Um... why is this rope so flimsy? Why couldn't I break free when Mom tied me up with it before?"

Hearing this, Gu Qingwan understood everything. Meng Yanran must have kidnapped her own brother. Perhaps this kidnapping suited Jiyue Gongzi's wishes. After all, besides his literary talent, Jiyue Gongzi was also very skilled in martial arts, especially his sword, which was unparalleled.

Qinghe pulled Yanran aside and whispered, "Yanran, why did you tie your brother up? Aren't you afraid he'll beat you up?"

"Oh dear, how am I supposed to get him here if I don't tie him up..."

Meng Jiyue got off the carriage and went to Gu Qingwan to pay her respects.

"May the Princess Consort of Chu be well."

"I never thought that Young Master Jiyue would have such a day." Gu Qingwan's words had a double meaning, which others might not understand, but Meng Jiyue could.

He looked at the two little heads huddled together beside him with a look of tolerance and tenderness in his eyes.

"My younger sister is mischievous, but not too excessive. As her older brother, it's not a big deal for me to play with her for a while."

Princess Qinghe had changed her usual fierce demeanor; her cheeks were slightly flushed, perhaps from the spring breeze, and even her voice had softened.

"Um, Young Master Jiyue, I didn't expect you to come and see me off."

Meng Jiyue stared intently at Princess Qinghe without speaking, which made Princess Qinghe even more nervous. She nervously tugged at Gu Qingwan's sleeve, but Gu Qingwan just smiled and didn't say anything.

“That brother, I helped you kidnap him. Princess Qinghe is leaving, and we don’t know when she’ll be back. We’ve known each other for a while, so as a friend, you should come to see her off. Besides, Qinghe…”

"Yanran!" Princess Qinghe suddenly raised her voice several octaves, startling everyone present. Seeing the looks from those around her, Princess Qinghe felt a little embarrassed. She coughed twice and said, "Um... Yanran, it's already very kind of Young Master Jiyue to come and see me off. Even if he hadn't come, I wouldn't have had any regrets."

That's weird...

Gu Qingwan and Meng Yanran silently recited the same words in their hearts.

Seemingly sensing her friend's thoughts, Princess Qinghe felt a little embarrassed, but with her beloved by her side, even she, as unrestrained as she was, couldn't help but feel a little reserved.

"Um... Young Master Jiyue, thank you for coming to see me off. In the future..." Qinghe's mood inevitably soured at the thought of not knowing when she would see Jiyue again. "In the future, please take good care of yourself. Qinghe, that's all..."

"Your Highness." Meng Jiyue interrupted Princess Qinghe and addressed the Princess of Chu directly.

Princess Qinghe felt a little embarrassed. She had always known that the person in that person's heart was only Qingwan, and she also knew that Qingwan was really a good person. If she were a man, she would also like a girl like Qingwan.

But... but she still couldn't help feeling sad.

"Your Highness, I am about to travel to Yunnan for further studies. I hope Your Highness can take care of things at home."

Everyone was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but Gu Qingwan was the first to come to her senses. She seemed to understand Meng Jiyue's meaning, but now was indeed not a good time to leave the capital. If he could escort Princess Qinghe along the way, it would be reassuring. However, the capital was about to descend into chaos, so the Yongyi Marquis's residence also needed someone to keep order.

"Is Young Master Meng leaving home?" Gu Qingwan said. "Young Master Meng, leaving at this time is clearly not the best time."

“What the Princess Consort said, Ji Yue understands. My father and grandmother are at home, and it was my father who sent me to Yunnan this time. Moreover, the Prince is also there. However, Ji Yue is just the heir of a marquis’s mansion and does not hold any official position. So this trip is just for studying. I will escort Qinghe along the way and also pay a visit to the Prince of Yunnan. My father has something for me to take to the Prince of Yunnan.”

"Huh?" Meng Yanran was the first to ask a question. She asked curiously, "Brother, doesn't our family have a grudge against the King of Yunnan? Why does Father still want you to bring things to the King of Yunnan? The King of Yunnan is injured now. Does he want you to go and anger him?"

“Yanran…” The group of people looked silently at the fool in front of them.

Meng Jiyue couldn't understand how Meng Yanran, with such a brain, had become close friends with the Princess of Chu and the Princess of Qinghe. She really couldn't understand what these two influential figures saw in her younger sister. Could it be that fools are just lucky?

“Princess Qinghe, there’s no need to worry. My sister was just joking. There’s no hatred or grudge between the Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion and the Prince of Yunnan’s mansion. In fact, my father and the Prince of Yunnan are good friends. They even fought side by side and were comrades-in-arms for many years. It’s just that now one is in Yunnan and the other is in the capital, so they don’t contact each other very often. It doesn’t mean that the two families have a bad relationship.”

"Huh? How come I didn't know that our two families had such a good relationship?" Princess Qinghe looked completely bewildered.

Although Gu Qingwan was somewhat surprised, she also understood that, apart from her maternal grandfather who was older and of higher seniority, the Yunnan King, Yongyi Marquis, and her uncle had all climbed up together from the lowest ranks of soldiers. It was possible that they were not familiar with each other, but it was absolutely impossible that they did not know each other or had any grudges.

The fact that someone can become a commander of a region means that their vision is definitely not as narrow as outsiders might think.

Meng Jiyue took out a jade pendant from her bosom. The mutton-fat jade pendant felt cool to the touch in her palm, and in the sunlight, its wispy structure resembled slowly drifting clouds. The craftsman skillfully preserved the natural gold flecks to outline the mountains, polishing it to a thick, creamy luster, subtly revealing the ink-wash charm of the painting "Travelers Among Mountains and Streams." Her fingertips traced the engraved lines of the dragon pattern; the rough parts resembled the bold strokes of a rubbing from a stone tablet, while the rounded parts evoked the fluidity of a letter from the Jin Dynasty, perfectly embodying the philosophy of being outwardly flexible yet inwardly principled in life.

"What is this?" Gu Qingwan was a little confused as to why Meng Jiyue would take out a jade pendant at this time.

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but this jade pendant was a token of my father's engagement. The two parties agreed that if both children were boys, they would become sworn brothers; if both were girls, they would become sworn sisters; and if one was a boy and the other a girl, they would be able to marry."

"Oh? That's interesting. We've never heard of Young Master Meng having a childhood betrothal," Gu Qingwan teased. Upon hearing that Meng Jiyue already had a fiancé, Princess Qinghe felt a surge of bitterness welling up inside her, like a river bursting its banks. She thought the right thing to do was to gracefully turn and leave, not...

"Princess, please don't make fun of me. It's precisely because our two families have a son and a daughter that the other side is unhappy about marrying their daughter to my family. That's why my father and I have been at odds for so many years and haven't been in contact for a long time."

Gu Qingwan seemed to have figured something out. She subconsciously touched her stomach and said with a smile, "Young Master Meng, your fiancée isn't in Yunnan, is she?"

Princess Qinghe and Meng Yanran's ears perked up like antennas.

"Could that person happen to have the surname Mu and only have one daughter?"

Meng Jiyue just smiled and didn't say anything. What was there to be confused about? It turned out that the person who had made a secret agreement with Meng Jiyue was none other than Princess Qinghe. However, Princess Qinghe seemed to be still immersed in her own bitterness and hadn't realized it yet.

"That's for the best. With Young Master Jiyue by my side, I can rest assured."

Meng Yanran, who was standing with Princess Qinghe, suddenly jumped up, "Ahhhhh, doesn't this mean I have a princess sister-in-law? Oh my god, this is too good! Qinghe, Qinghe, you're going to be my sister-in-law! Ahhhhhh..."

Before Meng Yanran could finish her call, Jiyue Gongzi silenced her and sent her to Gu Qingwan's side.

Gu Qingwan touched Meng Yanran's hair and said to the two of them, "It's getting late, you two should hurry on your way. Don't worry about anything with me in the capital. Send me a letter when you get there."

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."

Clearly, relying on Princess Qinghe at this moment was too unrealistic. Meng Jiyue took her leave on behalf of Princess Chu and the others. Siqi and the others stood aside, wanting to laugh but not daring to laugh out loud. What a joke! Although the other party was the princess's close friend, she was still a princess. They were just servants. How dare they ridicule a princess? They were really asking for trouble.

The petrified Princess Qinghe was completely paralyzed, and no matter how much the maid beside her reminded her, she seemed not to hear her. Helpless, she could only follow Young Master Meng's instructions and help her princess to the carriage that Miss Meng had just brought.

Normally, given Qinghe's personality, she wouldn't care at all that she was a girl and would definitely ride back day and night at full speed. However, Meng Jiyue was obviously thoughtful. He prepared a very low-key but not shabby carriage, which must have been well-equipped with many things. This made Gu Qingwan feel more at ease.

Gu Qingwan and Meng Yanran leaned against each other, watching their departing figures, reluctant to look away for a long time.

"Sister Yanran, I never imagined that we would have such a connection, especially you and Princess Qinghe, your fate is truly too deep." Gu Qingwan couldn't help but sigh.

"Ah ah ah ah ah."

Well, the little mute girl beside her hasn't had her pressure points released yet, so Gu Qingwan gently patted her chest.

"That's right! I didn't expect it either. My parents must know about this. I must ask them about it when I get back. Also, my brother is really awful. He's treating me like a pet cat, making me run around in circles. All that effort I put into getting information to pass on to Qinghe was for nothing. It turns out he did it on purpose!"

Meng Yanran was so excited she almost jumped up. If Meng Jiyue were here now, she would probably fight him again. However, she didn't notice that the pressure points that Young Master Jiyue had pressed were released with a gentle tap from Gu Qingwan. You should know that besides being personally taught by Marquis Yongyi, Young Master Jiyue was also taught by the Flower-Picking Young Master of the martial arts world. There are very few people in the martial arts world who can undo his pressure point technique.

When they sent Meng Yanran back, they happened to run into Marquis Yongyi, who had just left the court. It turned out that Marquis Yongyi had indeed returned.

Seeing his unruly daughter being personally escorted back by the Princess of Chu, Marquis Yongyi, as the host, could not slack off in his manners just because the Princess of Chu was young and a close friend of his daughter. He respectfully stepped forward to bow to the Princess of Chu.

"My lord, there's no need for such formalities. I heard from Young Master Meng that you have returned. I imagine the old lady and the madam are overjoyed."

"I have heard about the family matters from my family. I thank Your Highness for your righteous help."

"It's nothing, not worth mentioning," Gu Qingwan said dismissively.

"Father, why did you come here?" Meng Yanran jumped down from the carriage and rushed to Yongyi Hou's side like a fledgling bird returning home, tugging at his sleeve like a little girl.

"With the Princess Consort here, how can you be so unruly? What kind of behavior is this?" Although Marquis Yongyi's expression was serious, the doting look in his eyes was self-evident.

Gu Qingwan saw it all clearly, but being suspicious, she felt no envy. Gu Ziming's father was now dead, but at least he had avenged her mother's death. If she could, she would even feel ashamed to have Gu Ziming's blood flowing through her veins.

"Dad, Qingwan is my best friend, what's wrong with that?"

"Your Highness, you flatter me. My daughter is about the same age as you, but she is not as composed as you."

"My lord, please don't say that. I can't even begin to envy Yanran's personality. The fact that she's like this only shows that you've protected her very well."

Marquis Yongyi understood what Princess Chu meant. Everyone in the capital knew about the falling out between Princess Chu and the Gu family back then. Moreover, with the King of Chu, a god of war, backing her up, who would dare to say a word against Princess Chu for being unfilial? Back then, which woman could be as resolute as Princess Chu?

Fortunately, Princess Chu was also a person who valued loyalty and righteousness. Although the Gu family has declined, with Princess Chu's support, Gu Changqing, the young man of the Gu family, seems to be quite good and should be able to uphold the Gu family's reputation in the future.

"Your Highness, would you like to sit in the mansion for a while? Yanran's mother was just talking about you the other day."

"Thank you for your kind invitation, Your Excellency, but I have other matters to attend to and will not be able to disturb you at your residence."

Before Gu Qingwan lowered the carriage curtain, she suddenly called out to Marquis Yongyi, saying, "My lord, the weather has been unpredictable lately. If you're not careful, you can easily catch a cold and get sick. So unless you absolutely have to go out, please don't go out."

Marquis Yongyi was taken aback. He looked deeply at Princess Chu, a young woman who was a year or two younger than his daughter. Her words were clearly loaded with meaning. Was Princess Chu's mind so delicate? And what did Princess Chu mean by that? Was she really asking about the weather? Marquis Yongyi understood, but he understood even more implicitly.

As soon as Gu Qingwan finished speaking, the carriage was already on the road. If the father and daughter hadn't been so close, they wouldn't have heard Princess Chu's seemingly casual but profound instructions.

"Father, what is Qingwan saying? Is the weather about to change? No, it's spring, it's getting warm. In a couple of days, the grass in the horse farm will grow, and I can go play polo with them again."

"Yanran..." Marquis Yongyi looked helplessly at his eager daughter beside him, not knowing what to say. Perhaps she had been too well protected by him. She had not yet truly experienced the dangers of the world. His family was still relatively clean. The only flaw was that his old mother was getting old and confused, which allowed his cousin to cause such a scene at the mansion.

Thinking of his cousin in the manor, he felt particularly guilty towards his wife. He hadn't been by her side during such a major event as childbirth, especially since it involved twins. This made him even more unsure how to make it up to his wife and the children.

"Yanran, didn't you hear what the Princess said? The weather is about to change. You should stay home and keep your mother company for now. Don't go out anymore."

Meng Yanran was clearly unhappy. She pouted and said, "Father, you are being too biased. My brother can accompany Princess Qinghe on a trip to Yunnan, but I can't go out."

“Your brother has important business to attend to. Why are you getting involved? You're not young anymore. Your mother has been looking for a husband for you these past few days. Don't take it lightly. After this period, your mother will give you a proper makeover, so that you won't…”

"Okay, okay, okay, this is giving me a real headache. I know, Mom's been nagging, and now Dad's starting too. Oh no, I'm never going to have a peaceful day again..."

At this moment, Meng Yanran was clearly not going to bother anyone and hurriedly ran to the backyard.