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

In the Ningguo Duke's Mansion, Old Madam Ning sat at the head of the table, surrounded by Madam Ning and Gu Qingwan.

“Mother, you don’t know how much this Miss Gu has imitated that pitiful and delicate girl. Your daughter-in-law can’t stand her behavior.” Madam Ning sat to the left of Old Madam Ning, drinking her tea. Heaven knows how thirsty she was. She dared not drink anything from outside, for fear of getting into trouble and implicating her whole family.

"It's been quite a rollercoaster ride, actually. I've heard a bit about what's going on since you went out. What exactly happened?"

"Mother doesn't know that the second young lady of the Gu family is superior to all the other young ladies in every way. If the princesses hadn't stayed out of it, they would probably have been outshone by her. She is truly proficient in all the arts, and she deserves the reputation of being the most talented woman in the capital. However, a poem she wrote at the banquet was accused by the male guests of plagiarizing a courtesan, which caused the young master of the Gu family to get into a fight with the other young masters."

Madam Ning usually didn't have much to do. She was asked to read books and worship Buddha, but she was a restless person when she was young, and she was even less likely to like these things now that she was old. So she loved to listen to the people below chat with her about gossip and everyday matters to pass the time.

"Is it plagiarized? Or from a brothel?"

"Indeed, Madam Gu and Miss Gu were so embarrassed they didn't know where to put their faces. Thinking about it that way, the dance she did was quite similar to those in brothels, all that flirting and posing, as if she was afraid the young masters opposite her couldn't see it," Madam Ning commented disapprovingly.

"Then how did you end up in the palace? I heard from outside that Miss Gu was caught in adultery with both the Second Prince and the Third Prince? That's a royal scandal! What's the truth? What does it have to do with you, and why did you end up in the palace?"

"Grandma is truly insightful," Gu Qingwan joked.

"Stop being so glib, or I'll have your aunt lock you up and make you practice embroidery!"

"My granddaughter knows she was wrong."

"If you know you're wrong, then hurry up and tell me."

"Yes, yes, maternal grandmother and aunt, Gu Hanjiao is right about some parts of the whole thing."

"Where?" Madam Ning asked curiously.

“Miss Meng did enter that small attic at the time, but afterwards she said that she was tricked into going there. Qingwan happened to see it in the small garden. She didn’t think much of it at first, but when she saw that the maid had locked the door, she felt something was amiss, so she climbed out the window and rescued Miss Meng.”

"My goodness!" Madam Ning exclaimed, covering her mouth with her handkerchief in astonishment. "Then it must be Miss Meng who was framed, but is it the Second Prince or the Third Prince?"

"Well... I don't know, but I suppose this flower-viewing banquet was originally intended to select a princess consort for the Third Prince. If it's the Third Prince, wouldn't putting on this show be counterproductive?"

Madam Ning nodded.

Gu Qingwan knew how to be tactful as she continued her story, but she omitted some key details, as saying them would only arouse suspicion and make it even harder to explain what had happened.

"How dare they pull such a stunt at the Second Prince's residence? Could it be that the Second Prince did this on purpose..." Madam Ning looked at Old Madam Ning.

"Judging from how things unfolded, it does seem like the Second Prince did it on purpose, making everyone think that he wanted to win over the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion. But thinking about it more carefully, it's a bit unbelievable. Isn't this too blatant? Does he want everyone to know about the Second Prince's ambition?" Old Madam Ning disagreed with Madam Ning's thoughts.

"Qingwan didn't understand what happened either, but she managed to rescue Miss Meng. However, how Miss Gu and the Third Prince got in is unknown."

“You did the right thing. This Madam Meng and I are old friends. Their family and our family have always had a good relationship. It’s just that we’ve become somewhat distant over the years to avoid suspicion from the higher-ups.” Thinking of her good friend, Madam Ning felt quite nostalgic.

Back when they first arrived in the capital, many established noble families looked down on this newly rich Lady Ning, who only knew how to dance and play the staff and had a loud voice. However, due to the Duke of Ning's status, they had no choice but to treat her politely. But how could she not know those who mocked her in private?

Only the current Madam Meng doesn't care about those things, and she gently stands in front of her to express her friendship. How could Madam Ning forget such a friendship?

"But Mother, in your opinion, who is this whole show aimed at today?"

"Who are they targeting? Although they didn't say it outright, there's always someone trying to scheme against the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion. As for our Duke of Ningguo's mansion, we might have been caught in their trap as well. It's just that our family is cautious and hasn't been caught in the crossfire. You must be careful in the future."

Madam Ning nodded. Almost all the men in their family were away, and among the women, only Qingwan was someone they could scheme against. Could it be that these people's thoughts were actually on Qingwan?

The more Madam Ning thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"Let's keep our doors closed to visitors, so we don't attract unwanted attention when we go out."

"Childish! Just because you don't go out doesn't mean people won't miss you!" Old Madam Ning looked at the childish Madam Ning with disapproval.

Madam Ning, unusually abandoning her usual dignified demeanor, went to Old Madam Ning's side and began massaging Old Madam Meng's shoulders in a coquettish manner: "Mother..."

"Alright, go back to sleep now. You two have been through a lot all day. Luckily, it was all over. Take a rest and don't go out for a while."

"Yes, Mother," Madam Ning replied. "Mother, is Hao'er sleeping here with you?"

"That kid ate, drank, and played until he was tired, then he fell asleep. You can find someone to carry him home."

“If you’re going to sleep, then sleep with your mother. It’s chilly outside, and we’re worried that you might catch a cold on the way back. Let’s leave you here so your daughter-in-law can rest. We can all come to your mother’s for breakfast tomorrow morning.”

"You're so good at planning! I'm tired after taking care of the kids all day!" Old Madam Ning said, pointing at her daughter-in-law.

"Then let Grandma work a little longer. I want to eat osmanthus cake first thing tomorrow morning. Granddaughter is leaving now." With that, Gu Qingwan quickly left with Siqi. All that could be heard inside was Old Madam Ning laughing and scolding Gu Qingwan for being such a clever little devil, asking where she was going to get osmanthus in this season, and of course, Madam Ning's voice saying goodbye.

On the way back, only Siqi followed Gu Qingwan. At this moment, Gu Qingwan's smile disappeared, and she began to think about what had happened during the day.

"Siqi, are you sure that little maid is dead?"

"Yes, Miss. After I informed the Second Miss and the Third Prince as you instructed, I went to find that little maid and wanted to bring her to the scene. But when I found her, she had already been thrown headfirst into an inconspicuous well."

"It seems that Gu Hanjiao was the one who designed this play today, but it's still unknown who is the mantis, who is the oriole, and who is the cicada. I need to think about it carefully."