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

These past few days, the Duke's mansion has been trying to avoid trouble, and the lady of the house has ordered that no one in the mansion should go out at will, so Gu Qingwan is happy to have some peace and quiet every day.

Gu Qingwan slept too late yesterday and was unusually reluctant to get out of bed today. However, her biological clock is always very punctual. This time, she didn't get up but also didn't fall asleep. Instead, she lay in bed pretending to sleep and clear her mind.

Gu Qingwan is still in shock, feeling as if she has truly come back to life. Her past life seems like a dream. Sometimes she wonders if she is being too attached, and if her past life was really just a dream.

Gu Qingwan shook her head self-deprecatingly. In the end, she was kind-hearted. No matter how vicious she was with her words, she still felt a little reluctant in her heart and was unwilling to do all those evil things.

But if she didn't do it, then even if the past was just a dream, it would come true again. If it happened again... Gu Qingwan clenched her hands. There was still no revenge for her mother.

We must not be soft-hearted!

"Miss, are you up?" Baoqin asked, knocking on the door.

"Well, come in."

After saying that, the door was pushed open from the outside, and Baoqin was the first to enter, followed by Shishu and the people in the courtyard. A young maid carried washing utensils and rushed in to serve them.

"Miss, you woke up unusually late today. Are you feeling unwell? Should we call a doctor to take a look?"

Gu Qingwan raised her arm and let Baoqin help her put on her clothes, while Shishu tidied up the books Gu Qingwan had been reading last night and some account books next to the desk.

"No need. I drank a couple more cups of tea last night and went to bed a little late. It's alright. Have any messengers from my maternal grandmother's or aunt's side come to call me?"

"No, Miss. But Madam sent someone to say that Miss Meng sent a visiting card today and asked if you would like to receive it."

Gu Qingwan straightened her sleeves and sat down in front of the dressing table. She thought that it was probably because her sister Meng felt a connection with her and, like her, had been cooped up at home for several days, so she had come to visit her.

She intentionally befriended the Meng family.

"Of course I must meet her. Sister Yanran is a rare and straightforward woman. Since Madam sent someone to ask me, it must be because they don't object to my friendship with the Meng family."

"That's wonderful. The maids are also very happy. Miss finally has close friends in the capital and is no longer alone."

Gu Qingwan smiled and looked at herself in the mirror. "Even though I'm meeting guests, there's no need to dress too elaborately. It's better to be casual at home and just be polite."

"Okay, sure," Baoqin replied crisply.

Gu Qingwan looked at Shishu's reflection in the mirror as she tidied the study, and suddenly thought of something. However, since Baoqin was combing her hair, she didn't do anything, but simply spoke: "Shishu."

"Oh, Miss." Shi Shu stopped what she was doing and looked at Gu Qingwan.

"I remember I had an old book on Shu embroidery techniques and a set of patterns. Can you still find them?"

Shi Shu thought for a moment and nodded in response, "Of course I remember. Didn't you already master Shu embroidery but still want to take it out for another look?"

Gu Qingwan shook her head and said, "It's not for me. Go find it yourself."

Shi Shu nodded without saying anything more, tidied up the important things on the desk, and arranged for the maid to clean up the rest. She then went to find the things Gu Qingwan wanted as instructed.

A short while later, Ruhua and Siqi brought breakfast and set it on the table.

Two small dishes, a bowl of meat congee, and a plate of custard buns—it smelled delicious.

"Miss, come and have your breakfast."

"Hmm, have you eaten?" Gu Qingwan sat gracefully, holding a spoon in her hand and gently stirring the meat porridge in the bowl, but no sound of the spoon hitting the bowl could be heard.

"The maids have all eaten, so please don't worry, Miss." Ru Hua smiled, revealing two dimples at the corners of her mouth, her round, apple-shaped face being the most endearing feature.

“The maids had chicken noodle soup early this morning; Ruhua prepared a special meal for us,” Siqi chimed in from the side.

Gu Qingwan smiled and nodded, preparing to begin her meal.

Once everyone saw that Gu Qingwan had started eating, they stopped talking to their young lady and went about their own business.

"Miss, the item has been found."

Just then, Gu Qingwan finished her porridge and ate a custard bun. When she saw Shishu carrying a book in, she picked up the tea that Ruhua had brought her to rinse her mouth, and then used the handkerchief that Siqi handed her to wipe her mouth.

Gu Qingwan waved her hand and said with a smile, "That's great. With our Shishu here, we won't have to worry about not finding anything."

"Miss, what are you doing with all this?" Siqi stepped forward and asked, noticing that the things Shishu was holding weren't touching the ground. "Are you planning to do embroidery today, Miss?"

“No.” Gu Qingwan flipped through the book. “You don’t know, although Sister Yanran is very easygoing and doesn’t care about details, she has excellent embroidery skills. This is a gift I gave her.”

"Miss Meng's needlework is so good?" Siqi was a little surprised. She thought that an interesting person like Miss Meng would like to play with swords and knives, so it was really unexpected that she liked embroidery.

Gu Qingwan smiled and nodded: "Shishu, go to the small storeroom and find a nice box to put it in."

Shi Shu nodded.

"Siqi, go to the Meng residence and send a message to Sister Yanran. Tell her that I am overjoyed to know that she is coming, and invite her to come to the residence early. There is something delicious in the kitchen today, and it will be more enjoyable for the two of us to have lunch together."

"Yes, miss..."

"Ruhua, you also need to make preparations today and help me entertain our guests. If you need any ingredients, send someone to ask the main kitchen. If the main kitchen doesn't have them, send someone out to buy them."

"Okay, miss."

"Oh, right, don't forget to give her the money," Gu Qingwan instructed. Although she had always lived here and her maternal grandmother and aunt treated her like their own daughter, she never took advantage of their favor. She would always give them extra money to make up for any over-allotments.

“Miss, I’ve got it. But it won’t cost much. You can rest assured about Ruhua’s skills.”

"Well, Sister Yanran likes spicy food, so you can decide what to do."

“It’s similar to our young lady’s taste,” Baoqin said with a smile as she folded the blankets.

The group burst into laughter, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere in the courtyard.

"Shishu, could you tell your aunt later that lunch will be taken care of in our courtyard, so please don't trouble her? Also, please take the account books to your aunt while you're at it. There are a few shops that we'd like to trouble her to look after."

"The dowry ledger? Didn't Madam say she wouldn't interfere and that you, Miss, should handle it?" Shishu asked, somewhat puzzled.

Gu Qingwan tapped the table with her finger and nodded: "After all, we are new here and there are some things we can't take care of for the time being. Although Aunt is not strong in the big picture, she is an expert in managing the family business. Besides, we will need to rely on Aunt to help us get all of this back in the future."

Shi Shu nodded and stepped forward with her zither to pour Gu Qingwan a cup of tea: "I wonder if the Prime Minister's Mansion will be willing to give up our lady's dowry. A bunch of bloodsucking leeches have been sucking our lady's dowry dry."

"Whether you want to or not, you have to be willing," Gu Qingwan murmured to herself. "It's just not the right time yet."

Gu Qingwan had made all the arrangements, and they went about their own business. Gu Qingwan herself ate the fruit that Ru Hua had brought and basked in the warm sun in the courtyard, waiting for Meng Yanran's visit.

Sure enough, after Siqi sent the message, Meng Yanran was overjoyed and immediately decided to go with Siqi.

Madam Meng smiled and nodded, making no attempt to stop her. The gifts had been prepared the night before, and Meng Yanran was allowed to go.

"Don't cause trouble once you're there, and come back as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Grandma."