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

As expected, Gu Hanjiao emerged from the ancestral hall. After all, she was Gu Ziming's daughter, whom he had doted on since childhood. Unlike Gu Qingwan, Gu Hanjiao had always been good at coaxing Gu Ziming, otherwise he wouldn't have kept her by his side to teach her personally.

"Doctor, how is it?" Gu Ziming hurriedly asked the doctor who had just finished examining him.

"Your Excellency, please calm down. The young lady is fine, but she is a little malnourished. Girls are at the age when they are growing, so we must pay attention to her diet." The old doctor put it rather tactfully, but to put it bluntly, she was hungry.

"Thank you, doctor. Is there anything else I should be careful about?" Gu Ziming understood the doctor's words perfectly well and was somewhat displeased.

"I will write it down now. Just take two doses of medicine and pay attention to dietary supplements."

"Very well, very well. Someone, escort the doctor out and treat him well. Do not neglect him."

After seeing the doctor off, Gu Ziming's expression was not good. He went into the room and saw that Gu Hanjiao was sleeping peacefully.

"Let Jiao'er rest well. Qiu Shuang, take good care of your young lady. Once she wakes up, have the kitchen prepare some bird's nest soup to nourish her," Gu Ziming instructed.

"It's Master."

"Madam, please don't disturb Jiao'er's rest. Please come out with me for a moment."

Although Wang Ruyan felt sorry for her daughter, she didn't dare to delay any longer when she saw the old man's unfriendly expression. The two returned to the main room, and Gu Zixiu began to question Wang Ruyan.

"How exactly have you managed this household? The doctor's words were so subtle, but anyone could understand that I let my own daughter faint from hunger. If word gets out, where will I put my face? Our family doesn't need her to eat!"

"My lord, please forgive me." Wang Ruyan immediately knelt down: "My lord, you really can't blame me for this. Jiao'er eats only watery soup every day, even less than in temples and Taoist monasteries. Jiao'er is a piece of my flesh, how can I not feel sorry for her?"

As she spoke, Wang Ruyan picked up her handkerchief and began to cry.

When he saw his wife crying, he felt even more heartbroken, especially since they had just been intimate.

"Oh, don't cry. If Jiao'er isn't eating well, just have someone send her some good food."

Gu Ziming stepped forward to help his wife up, and Wang Ruyan, seizing the opportunity, wiped away her tears and said, "It's not that I don't want to see you off, but..."

"What is it?"

"It was Mother. Ever since that incident, Mother sent someone to say that she would temporarily take away my management of the household and that I should take good care of Master and teach the children, and not worry about the affairs of the mansion."

At this point, Wang Ruyan glanced at Gu Ziming's expression and, seeing his somewhat helpless look, continued.

"I thought Mother was just being kind to me, and it just so happens that I have time to take care of the children. But seeing my darling eating food that's worse than what a servant would eat, my heart aches so much that I can't sleep. Waaah."

Gu Ziming knew his mother to some extent; she was a woman with a very narrow vision and was extremely greedy. In fact, he couldn't blame his mother; it was all thanks to her saving money bit by bit to support his education in his early years that he was where he was today.

However, as his official rank rose higher and higher, the affairs of his household became more and more numerous, and his mother was absolutely incapable of managing the household affairs. Because of this, his mother had come to him countless times.

Every time Gu Ziming thought of this, his head ached. But he couldn't afford to have a headache right now, as his wife was crying her heart out, looking pitiful.

"Don't cry. You're not well yourself. If you cry yourself sick, who will take care of Jiao'er and me?" Gu Ziming put his arm around his wife. "You could have told me about this. Why didn't you?"

Hearing this, Wang Ruyan felt even more aggrieved: "Master hasn't come to my room for so long. He's either resting in the study or going to Aunt Li's place. I... I don't even have the chance to speak up."

"It's my fault, it's my fault. Don't cry. I'll go find Mother right now. This family can't do without you."

"But won't Mother be happy?"

"Don't worry about that, I have a plan." Gu Zixiu patted the shoulder of the person in his arms and tidied her hair. "Jiao'er won't wake up for a while, so you should rest first."

When Wang Ruyan saw the teasing look in Gu Zixiu's eyes, her cheeks flushed instantly. She gave him a charming glance, which clearly pleased Gu Zixiu.

"You rest, I'll be right back and stay here tonight."

"I will tidy up and check on the children. Master, please don't be too upset with Mother. She is getting old, and we children can understand. Actually, it doesn't matter who is in charge of the household."

Gu Zixiu felt more and more that his wife was sensible, gentle and understanding, and most importantly, she always thought of him. Back then, Ning Shi always acted like a noble lady, without any charm, and was as dull as a wooden chicken. Moreover, all she said was to admonish him, and he couldn't say anything else.

But Wang was different. She and he were in love and she always thought of him. Wang was such a weak woman with no background and could only rely on him to survive. It was because of this that he took a liking to her and made her his principal wife despite all the difficulties.

"Don't worry."

Wang Ruyan watched Gu Ziming's departing figure, then picked up a handkerchief and wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes.

After seeing the master leave, Xue Niang hurriedly came in as well.

"Madam, this is..."

"Hmph, that old hag is thinking of taking away my management rights. Doesn't she realize that all my scheming over the years has gone down the drain?"

"That fellow is just taking advantage of his age; he's no match for Madam."

"Hmph, it doesn't spare me and Jiao'er from suffering." Wang Ruyan adjusted her hairpins: "Xue Niang, help me change my clothes so we can go see Jiao'er."

"The arrangements on Miss's side are all set, Madam, please rest assured."

"Sigh, it's all because of my children. By the way, the fifteenth is coming soon. Have you finished what I asked you to do last time?"

"It's all taken care of, now we're just waiting for that day. But..."

"But what? What conditions did he propose?"

"There were no other conditions, they just said they wanted money."

A disdainful smile crept across Wang Ruyan's lips. Even those who cultivate the Dao are not immune to worldly desires like gold and silver: "If you want silver, that's the easiest way. How much do you want?"

"Two thousand taels."

"Two thousand taels! Why doesn't he just rob someone?!"

Wang Ruyan curled her lips. That old Taoist Huang was really asking for an exorbitant amount of money, just for a single sentence. If it weren't for her daughter's bad reputation and needing his fortune-telling skills, she wouldn't need so much of her private savings.

"Just give him the money, and make sure he does it well. He'll get his share of the profits after it's done."

That's what they say, but Wang Ruyan is now practically seething with rage.

Gu Qingwan also received a reply from Huang Laodao, saying that he had asked the Prime Minister's wife for three thousand taels, but later bargained down to two thousand taels.

Gu Qingwan laughed after hearing this.

“Miss, even after all these years, that man still can’t shake his petty ways,” Ru Hua mocked.

“You should know that he doesn’t have any family fortune. The little he has now is all from sucking blood from our lady,” Shi Shu continued.

"You should vomit up what you ate!" Siqi raised her fist indignantly.

"Alright, Siqi, go and tell Lao Huang to take care of it without worry.

"It's Miss."