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

"You've hit the nail on the head. It seems that the poem Gu Hanjiao wrote at the flower appreciation banquet is also in that book."

Gu Qingwan thought to herself that this shouldn't be the case. She had sent it to the brothel, so it shouldn't be in that book. Could it be that all the poems Gu Hanjiao wrote in her previous life were plagiarized from Yun Jing's?

"Then how do you say it was copied from a brothel?" Gu Qingwan asked, handing a handkerchief to Meng Yanran.

"Hehehe, people outside are also surprised. Some people say that after this matter came out, some busybodies went to the brothel to inquire. The girl said that she heard that a wholesaler from the west took pity on her and thought she served him well, so he told her about it, hoping to help this poor girl."

Gu Qingwan nodded knowingly. She had heard of the Cloud Mirror in her previous life, but it was indeed a mysterious existence. Only those inside could come out to serve, and very few people could find their way in.

It was like a mysterious country, located on the border of another country, belonging neither to this side nor to that side. But it was also very strange, because the Yun family produced many talented people, so they were sought after by various countries. As if they had agreed beforehand, no one dared to make a move against the Yun family.

Whether it was a coincidence or someone deliberately arranged it, this old Taoist priest managed to suppress the matter of the Prime Minister's Mansion releasing him to smear Miss Gu. It seems that Gu Hanjiao's reputation has been ruined these days, which should keep them busy for a while. It shouldn't be long before her father remembers that he has a daughter.

It gets more and more interesting from here on out.

"Qingwan? What are you daydreaming about?" Meng Yanran waved her hand in front of Gu Qingwan's eyes.

Gu Qingwan snapped out of her daze and asked with a smile, "Sister Yanran, how do you know so much about this?"

"Hehe, you can't hide anything from me. I couldn't stay at home any longer. That day, my brother went out, and I happened to follow him. I overheard it on the second floor of the teahouse."

Gu Qingwan shook her head: "You can't be so reckless anymore. If you get surrounded and asked about what happened that day, it won't look good for a young lady from a prominent family like you."

"Don't worry, my brother is here." Meng Yanran waved her hand dismissively. "That's good. I've always looked down on Gu Hanjiao's pretentious and arrogant attitude. She's all talk and no action. You two are sisters, but you're different."

“Our young lady is different, otherwise she wouldn’t have lived in the Duke’s mansion for so many years.” Baoqin helped fill the teacups. “The two young ladies shouldn’t eat too much. Ruhua’s grilled fish is almost ready. It looks like lunchtime is approaching.”

"Grilled fish?" Meng Yanran was pleasantly surprised: "Qingwan, shall we have grilled fish for lunch today?"

Xiao Qingwan nodded with a smile: "Yes, it's still your favorite chopped chili grilled fish."

"That's wonderful! Let's prepare the meal quickly!" Meng Yanran was immediately excited when she heard about such good food. Sure enough, her grandmother was right. This eldest daughter of the Gu family was truly kind to her. Not only did she save her at a critical moment, but she also sent someone to inquire about her preferences. The more Meng Yanran thought about it, the more she felt that she had made the right choice in making Gu Qingwan as a friend.

"Baoqin, tell them to set out lunch in the flower hall, where it's bright and spacious. Then send someone to invite the young master over."

"Sister! Sister!"

Before he could finish speaking, a small cannonball rushed in from outside the yard.

"Sister, what delicious food are we having today?"

Ning Chenghao strode in from outside. Gu Qingwan saw that he was still wearing shorts and had beads of sweat on his forehead, obviously he had just finished practicing martial arts, so she went up to wipe his forehead.

"There are still guests here. It's not good for you to be so reckless, even though you're young. Come here quickly. This is Miss Meng. Just call her 'sister'."

"Hello, Sister Meng." The little girl's bow was very standard, but there was always something about it that looked cute and funny.

"No need to be so polite. I didn't bring anything with me." Meng Yanran touched her clothes and suddenly felt a jade pendant in her sleeve. She took it out and said, "I got this from my brother yesterday. I thought it was a man's item and it would be perfect for you."

Ning Chenghao looked at Gu Qingwan, who smiled and nodded. Ning Chenghao then stepped forward to accept the gift, saying, "Thank you, Sister Meng!"

"You're welcome, you're welcome. It's so cute to have a younger brother like that."

"Baoqin, take Hao'er to clean up and get ready for dinner," Gu Qingwan instructed, then took Meng Yanran's hand and said, "Sister Yanran, don't be envious, you'll have one soon too."

Hearing Gu Qingwan's pointed remark, Meng Yanran was also happy: "Yes, I will soon have a little brother or sister too."

"Sister Yanran, you won't blame me, will you? Hao'er is still too young to be on guard. You don't mind if he eats with us, do you?"

Meng Yanran quickly waved her hand: "No way, this is what makes it lively. Besides, the separation of men and women isn't that strict here. Otherwise, how could Gu Hanjiao have so easily won the title of the most talented woman in the capital?"

"I have just arrived in the capital and am new to the city. I am always afraid that if I make a mistake, I will bring shame to the Duke's mansion."

"Oh, how could I not know? Don't worry, there's plenty of time."

As the two talked, they arrived at the flower hall. Siqi, Ruhua, and Shishu were all ready. When Meng Yanran saw a dish of chopped chili grilled fish in the middle, she was overjoyed.

"Qingwan, do you also love spicy food? I absolutely love it, but my mother always says that girls should eat less spicy food, otherwise they will get pimples on their faces."

"I live on the border year-round, and the people there love spicy food, which I do too. But don't worry, after eating, drink a cup of plum juice to relieve the spiciness and prevent breakouts."

"That's great!"

After everyone was seated, Gu Qingwan said to Ruhua, "Ruhua, send two portions of the soy sauce-flavored sauce to my maternal grandmother and aunt."

"Don't worry, Miss, everything is arranged. I'll send it over right away so it will be ready in time for the main kitchen's meal."

"Well, let's go."

"Sister, I'm all done! It smells so good! I'm so hungry. I'm going to eat three big bowls of rice today!"

Ning Chenghao also finished getting ready and came over. The group sat down to eat, laughing and chatting. In the middle of the meal, Old Madam Ning sent over two dishes, saying that they were for the young ladies so that Miss Meng wouldn't go hungry.

After eating their fill, the group rested on the couch in the warm pavilion. Ning Chenghao, having eaten and drunk his fill, patted his belly and fell asleep.

"I really had a great time today, Qingwan, thank you so much."

"Sister Yanran, you don't need to be so polite. You're the first person I don't have any friends in the capital."

As they were talking, Shi Shu came in carrying a small box and presented it to Meng Yanran.

"What's this?" Meng Yanran asked curiously as she took it. "It's Shu embroidery!"

Gu Qingwan smiled and said, "Yes, I heard from my maternal grandmother that Madam Meng was very skilled in embroidery when she was young. I suppose Sister Yanran has also inherited her skills. I don't have anything good to give you, so I'll give you this Shu embroidery technique and pattern."

"I love this so much! The techniques of Shu embroidery are very rare and cannot be explained to outsiders. This book is enough for me to study for a long time. I'll embroider a couple of patterns and give them to you after I've finished studying it!"

Seeing that she liked it, Gu Qingwan smiled and picked up her teacup to drink.

Meng Yanran spent the afternoon at Gu Qingwan's place, discussing needlework with her for a long time. Gu Qingwan hadn't learned much needlework in this life, but in her previous life, she had put in a lot of effort to learn it in order to win over that person's heart, but it was all in vain, and she had ultimately wasted everything.

Thinking of this, Gu Qingwan's eyes turned icy cold.

Meng Yanran was having a great time when someone came to deliver a message that Young Master Meng had come to the mansion to take Miss Meng home.

When Gu Qingwan saw Meng Yanran off, she happened to see Young Master Meng waiting outside the mansion after paying her respects to her elders.