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

The steward was, after all, a man. Even if he wanted to adopt Aning as his daughter, there was still a difference between men and women. He asked an old woman to go in and change Aning's clothes and apply medicine. Only after the old woman said it was okay did he go in.

"How could you be so stupid, child?" The housekeeper said with a hint of disappointment as he saw Aning leaning against the headboard with a somewhat dazed look in her eyes.

A Ning forced a bitter smile: "Uncle Hua, I was only thinking of the Prince, how can you call me stupid? But why can't the Prince understand A Ning's good intentions?"

"Oh dear, good child, I've advised you before." Uncle Hua said helplessly, pulling up a stool to sit down. "What is your status? And what is the prince's status? If you behave yourself and wait until you're old enough, I'll ask the prince to adopt you as his goddaughter, let you leave the bodyguard profession, and find you a good family to marry into, so you can live an ordinary life. Wouldn't that be better? But why did you..."

"Heh, leaving the secret guards?" A-Ning looked rather disdainful: "Leaving the secret guards means leaving the prince, doesn't it? What's the point of my life if I leave the prince?"

"Child, are you confused? Even if you don't leave, do you intend to follow the prince like this forever?"

A Ning nodded and said, "I want to follow the Prince and stay by his side forever. The Prince must have been averse to women for too long, which is why he is infatuated with that Miss Gu. If I offer myself to the Prince today, won't he feel better? Won't he be bewitched by that woman? What's wrong with that?"

"You!" Uncle Hua was at a loss for words. After a long while, he slowly said, "You are a woman and often follow the prince, so it is understandable that you are infatuated with him. However, you should have understood from the moment you became a bodyguard that the first rule of a bodyguard is that you are not allowed to have feelings and can only obey your master's orders. You have broken the rule."

"I don't mind. I can leave the secret guards and serve the prince in the palace. I can be his maid or concubine." A-Ning looked at the steward with a stubborn look in her eyes: "Uncle Hua, please help me."

"How do you want me to help you? Besides, Miss Gu is a well-bred lady who is excellent in every way. She is a perfect match for our Prince. Even without Miss Gu, our Prince will marry the Princess Consort sooner or later. Are you going to stop the Prince from getting married even when the Emperor or Empress Dowager issues the decree?"

Upon hearing this, Ah Ning's eyes dimmed slightly, and she fell silent.

"Oh, good child, you escaped death by a hair's breadth. Your brother sacrificed himself to save the prince. The prince will treat you well because of this. Why do you have to get involved in the royal family's affairs?"

"If you're going to treat me well, why don't you want me!" Ah Ning burst into tears and knelt on the bed, pleading in despair.

"Uncle Hua, I have no family. You love me the most. Please, please help me think of a way."

"You!" The steward saw that his earnest advice had been ineffective and decided there was no need to waste any more time with her. He loved A-Ning very much, but in his heart, she was no match for the Prince.

"Think it over carefully. The prince is not asking you to leave. Just adjust your mindset and serve the prince well."

Seeing the housekeeper leave coldly, Ah Ning felt quite bad. She realized that she still had to rely on herself.

The prince didn't like using maids, so besides a few old women, she was the only one in the mansion. She managed the mansion for the prince, and the servants all treated her like a mistress.

Thinking about the future, A-Ning made up her mind to stay by the prince's side. Although the prince did not take her tonight, everyone knew that she came out of the prince's room almost naked, and they would all think that she was the prince's woman.

Ah Ning got out of bed, stood in front of the mirror, tidied her stray hairs, and smiled.

The next day, everyone saw that the usually dashing guard, A Ning, was dressed in women's clothing and bustling around the mansion, as if nothing had happened the night before.

Everyone began to wonder, had the prince taken Miss Aning as a concubine?

Ah Ning came early in the morning to bring breakfast to the prince. The prince did not say anything and walked straight out of the courtyard without paying any attention to her.

Upon reaching the main gate, he instructed the steward: "Uncle Hua, out of respect for you, I've removed A-Ning from the secret guard team. However... this is only for this time. If it happens again, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"

"Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Your Highness."

The steward also felt sorry for A-Ning. Unable to resist A-Ning's pleas, he knelt in the courtyard all night to beg for her life. In the end, the prince, out of respect for him, agreed to let A-Ning leave the secret guard and become his daughter, to take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days.

"Furthermore, while she may escape the death penalty, she will not escape punishment. You all know the price she will pay for leaving the secret guards. I don't want to say anything more. From now on, she is not allowed to go to the study or the main courtyard. Find someone to take a look at her as soon as possible."

After saying this, Xiao Jingchen rode off to the palace.

The steward knew in his heart that the prince was a cold-faced but warm-hearted man, and that the prince's handling of the matter was already lenient and merciful; normally, the prince would have already ordered his execution.

Ah Ning emerged from behind the pillar, her eyes slightly red. But she had chosen this path herself, and she should walk it herself, even if there was an abyss ahead.

From then on, the prince lost a highly skilled female bodyguard and gained a steward's daughter, the frail and delicate girl, A Ning.

Soon, the Northern Rong delegation arrived in the capital. The Northern Rong and Daqing had always had border friction, but the Northern Rong were very afraid of the King of Chu. With the King of Chu around, they had never gained any advantage.

This is why the emperor sent someone to summon Xiao Jingchen back.

This time, the emperor sent the crown prince to receive the foreign delegation on his behalf. Considering that the crown prince usually had to oversee the country and had many other things to do, the emperor asked the third prince to assist him.

Because of his own experiences, the Emperor valued the Empress's legitimate son highly. Of course, he also hoped that his sons could be like him and the Prince of Chu, being brothers and respectful to each other, and thinking about the future of the Great Qing Empire.

But reality often doesn't go as planned.

On this fine and sunny day, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince welcomed the Northern Rong delegation at the city gate.

"It was actually His Highness the Crown Prince who greeted us. It seems that the Great Qing Dynasty really values ​​our Northern Rong delegation."

"A guest is a guest, and since they are guests, I should welcome them no matter who they are."

This statement neither flattered the Northern Rong too much nor seemed overly impolite.

“Not at all, the envoy from the Northern Rong is extremely honored. It is only right that this prince and my elder brother come to receive him. I hope that Prince Hulun will not have a wasted trip and will have a pleasant time in my Daqing.” The Third Prince stepped forward and spoke.

"Who is this?" Prince Hulun didn't know whether he genuinely didn't know or was pretending not to recognize the Third Prince.

The third prince was immediately embarrassed and looked somewhat unhappy.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you, Prince. This is the Third Prince, who is also in charge of entertaining you all."

"So it's Your Highness the Third Prince. I'm truly sorry, I'm new here and ignorant. I hope Your Highness won't be offended," Prince Hulun said casually.

Everyone could see that Prince Hulun clearly looked down on the Third Prince and did not want to associate with him.

"Brother, is this the Third Prince? He is indeed handsome." A charming voice came from behind the crowd.

The crowd parted to make way for the princess of the Northern Rong, who was dressed in unusual attire. However, her clothing made some of the people present feel uncomfortable. How could the princess dress so revealingly? It was not dignified.

However, the Northern Rong princess didn't care. She was completely captivated by the Third Prince's beauty and gentleness. How could someone be so handsome? The Northern Rong princess secretly made up her mind to marry the Third Prince in front of her.

When Prince Hulun saw his sister like this, a complex light flashed in his eyes, as if he was somewhat dissatisfied, but it only lasted for a moment.

"Haha, let's not stand here in the wind. The embassy is all ready. The prince and princess have traveled a long way, go and rest," the prince said.

"That's only right, Nazha, get in the car, don't be rude."

Princess Nazha was somewhat reluctant to part, but she dared not disobey. However, she still gave the Third Prince a flirtatious look, completely disregarding how many people were present.

Even though Xiao Yuheng was used to women flattering him, he was still quite taken aback by such boldness and felt a little embarrassed.