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

With the Dragon Boat Festival just around the corner, the weather is perfect for families to go out and enjoy themselves. Most importantly, since the incident at the last flower-viewing banquet, no family dares to hold any more banquets to invite their daughters to go out and enjoy themselves, for fear of being affected by the last incident.

But this time was different. Dragon boat racing was a traditional festival supported by the imperial court. On this day, there was no strict separation between men and women, and women who were capable could also compete in the dragon boat races.

However, such scenes are rarely seen in the capital. The main reason is that even without strict separation between men and women, if someone accidentally falls into the water, the outcome is not pleasant.

The Northern Rong delegation arrived at a very opportune time, just in time for this festival. His Majesty the Emperor invited them to stay in the capital for a few more days to enjoy themselves, without mentioning the matter of a marriage alliance at all.

The Northern Rong delegation has been a hot topic of conversation lately, as Princess Nazha from the Northern Rong has been inseparable from the Third Prince, constantly pulling him along to have him show her around the capital.

"Miss, you don't know, but it seems everyone knows that Princess Nazha really likes the Third Prince's looks. Some people speculate that the Third Prince might be the one to marry the Northern Rong Princess." Ru Hua said as she helped carry the tray of jewelry and the zither to help Gu Qingwan dress up, while talking about what she had heard from Liao Ting in the kitchen.

"The Third Prince and the Northern Rong Princess?"

"Wouldn't that person in the Prime Minister's residence be disgusted to death?" Baoqin teased with a smile.

“That’s not true. So what if she’s a young lady from the Prime Minister’s mansion? She’s not as noble as the princess of Bei Rong, is she?” Ru Hua nodded and commented.

"You don't need to dress too flashy today. Just be quiet and reserved. It's best not to let anyone notice your young lady in the crowd at first glance," Gu Qingwan instructed.

“Miss, you used to love red the most, but you haven’t worn it since you came to the capital,” Ruhua said, pouting.

"I don't need to care about these things. I like whatever I wear, except for white, which I find a little hard to accept."

"Hehehe." The four maids laughed. They remembered that Gu Qingwan had said before that she didn't like wearing white, because it would make her look like she was in mourning. Since everyone in her family had fought on the battlefield, there were certain taboos that needed to be avoided.

"Stop fooling around, hurry up and pack up, your aunt will send someone to call us to leave soon."

"It's Miss."

Gu Qingwan sat in front of the mirror, thinking that the Northern Rong had been in the capital for some time now, but His Majesty the Emperor had not yet brought up the matter of a marriage alliance. Even when Prince Hulun brought it up, the Emperor only said to be patient and to wait until a palace banquet was held to entertain them before making a decision.

Because the Northern Rong would create some minor frictions on the border every year, although they had never succeeded, they were indeed annoying. The Emperor wanted to give them a warning, so he hadn't held a proper welcoming banquet yet, which was unreasonable. But it was the Emperor's decision, so it had to be appropriate.

As for the rumors circulating about the Northern Rong princess and the third prince, that's simply impossible. The emperor would never allow a prince to have a wife from the Northern Rong.

"Miss, Madam sent someone to ask if you've packed yet. It's time for us to set off." A maid of about fifteen or sixteen years old ran in from outside the courtyard to deliver the message.

Gu Qingwan looked at herself in the mirror and thought she looked alright, so she nodded: "Go and tell Madam that I'll be there right away."

"Yes." The little maidservant accepted the order and quickly went to reply.

After Gu Qingwan finished getting ready, she instructed her four maids, "Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, so you're all on holiday. Go out and have some fun, but Siqi has to come with me."

"Yay!" Ru Hua clapped her hands excitedly.

“Miss, please take Siqi with you. Be careful on your journey. I will stay here and guard the courtyard for you,” Baoqin said.

"You can arrange it as you like." Gu Qingwan had just stepped out of the room when she suddenly remembered something: "Baoqin, could you bring me the jade pendant I ordered from Duobao Pavilion a while ago and the knot I made?"

"Yes, please wait a moment, Miss."

Sitting in the carriage, Gu Qingwan took out the jade pendant and the knot she had made in her spare time and carefully tied them on. The prince had given her many small gifts, so she had to give him something in return. This time she would give him an ornament, and next time she would make him a set of clothes or a pair of shoes.

It's been so long since I've seen the Prince. I wonder if I'll be able to meet him today.

When they arrived, the stands were already full of people, it seemed that everyone had arrived quite early. There were also many dragon boats moored in the river across the river, all set up by various families to join in the fun. Today, many young masters from prominent families would personally participate to win colorful ribbons.

Since there were no men in the Duke's mansion, they had never arranged a dragon boat race before. This year, it was only because Ning Chenghao insisted on going out to watch that the old lady persuaded her to take the two children out to play so that Gu Qingwan wouldn't feel cooped up at home.

Although there were many people, the Ning family also had their own seats. Madam Ning led Ning Chenghao and Gu Qingwan directly down the back stairs to their seats to watch.

Gu Qingwan thought this spot was quite good; it wasn't too prominent in front, nor too far away to see the view below.

Looking up, Gu Hanjiao, dressed in white, stood beside the Third Prince, talking to him with deep affection. The two of them, both dressed in white, looked very well-matched.

Although the Empress's decree has not yet been issued, rumors have already spread in the palace that Gu Hanjiao is the Third Prince's consort.

The previous incident caused Gu Hanjiao to lose her reputation as the "most talented woman in the capital," but now she has the destiny of a phoenix rising high to protect her.

Soon after, a commotion was heard in the crowd. Sure enough, Princess Nazha, dressed in bright red, squeezed through the crowd to the side of the Third Prince, pushing Gu Hanjiao aside.

"Third Prince, we agreed to come together, why did you leave me behind?"

"Greetings, Princess. I thought Prince Hulun would bring you here, and he has arranged the best viewing spot for you. I will send someone to take you there shortly." The Third Prince responded politely.

Gu Hanjiao pouted. This woman was shameless and had such a bad temper. She was shoved and it hurt.

"My brother has already gone there with the Crown Prince accompanying him. I, the princess, will stay here and keep the Third Prince company."

The third prince's expression stiffened slightly; he had become somewhat impatient with the princess's constant pestering these past few days.

"This prince still needs to go down to the dragon boat race. Princess, please excuse me. Please let Miss Gu accompany you." He then gently instructed, "Jiao'er, thank you for your trouble."

When Gu Hanjiao saw that the Third Prince still treated her as a princess consort and that's why he let her entertain the guests, she immediately felt like the hostess.

"Third Prince, please go with peace of mind, and be careful."

The third prince nodded, gestured to the princess, and left. Before Princess Nazha could say anything, he was gone. She pouted and looked at Gu Hanjiao with some disdain.

I really don't know why the Third Prince likes such a frail and heartbroken woman.

"Your Highness, is there anything inappropriate about you looking me up and down like that?"

"Yes, I'm wondering what's wrong with the Third Prince that he likes a woman as frail and weak as you, dressed like a woman who has lost her parents."

"Princess, you!"

"And look at your small frame, it's as flat as a cutting board, where is there even a trace of femininity?" Princess Nazha said, then listened to her chest.

"you!"

Gu Hanjiao was so angry that she didn't know what to say. She was admired for her fairy-like appearance, but she was being spoken of in such a despicable way. Moreover, the stands were open, and the ladies and young women around her could hear it as well, and some of them couldn't help but laugh. Gu Hanjiao was extremely annoyed. She thought that the people around her must be laughing at her in secret.

As she looked up, she happened to see Gu Qingwan, whose mocking gaze made Gu Hanjiao instantly furious.

“Princess, I treat you with respect because you are a guest, but in the end you are nothing more than a princess of a defeated country. Standing on the land of my Great Qing Dynasty, you speak arrogantly and shamelessly cling to His Highness. I really don’t know where you get your confidence and arrogance?” Gu Hanjiao said sarcastically.

"What did you say?"

Those around gasped. Gu Hanjiao was right, but she shouldn't have said it so bluntly. Princess Nazha was on the verge of exploding in anger.

"Miss Gu, please watch your words! Princess, please calm down." The lady who was nearby quickly stepped forward to comfort them, but no one appreciated it.

"Princess, what...what do you want to do? I am the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, what are you trying to do!"

Gu Hanjiao watched as Princess Nazha suddenly stood up and pressed closer to her, her beautiful eyes filled with a threatening look.

"The Prime Minister's mansion has a legitimate daughter? What is that? How dare you speak so sarcastically about my Northern Rong? I'll tear your mouth apart!" With that, Princess Nazha pounced on Gu Hanjiao to slap her face.

The servants and maids around rushed forward to stop them, and the scene immediately descended into chaos. People wanted to break up the fight, but they didn't know where to start.

On one side is the Prime Minister's daughter, the future princess consort; on the other is the princess who has come for a political marriage. Offending either of them would be a bad idea.

Gu Hanjiao was so frightened that she flailed her hands wildly. At this moment, Gu Qingwan had already quietly moved to a suitable position and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, flicked a peanut at Princess Nazha's elbow joint, causing her to pause in her movements.

By sheer coincidence, Gu Hanjiao's wildly waving hand found an opportunity and slapped Princess Nazha across the face with a crisp sound, leaving a bright red handprint.

The surroundings fell silent instantly. The princess was stunned and touched her face. Gu Hanjiao also stared in shock at her numb right hand. Just then, the drums that signaled the start of the competition sounded, bringing the princess back to her senses.

"Hehe, you really have guts. You're the first person to dare hit me. Interesting. I'll show you where my confidence and arrogance come from."

After saying this, he ordered his personal maid to restrain the maid next to Gu Hanjiao, and then he stepped forward and threw Gu Hanjiao, who was leaning against the railing, down the railing.

Those who were far away were oblivious to what was happening, as they were watching the dragon boat race and cheering enthusiastically for their respective teams when suddenly a person flew out, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

Suddenly, the woman in white fell into the water with a splash, just like a butterfly.

But at this moment, Siqi felt like she was a very large, fluttering moth...

Hearing a splash, one of the women finally reacted: "Oh my god! Someone has fallen into the water! Help!"

When the men who were racing dragon boats heard that someone had fallen into the water, they stopped the race and jumped in to save the person.

Hearing the exclamations of the crowd, Madam Gu, who was standing on the stands, looked down with some curiosity and asked Xue Niang next to her.

"Who fell into the water?"

Just then, Qiu Shuang ran over: "Madam, Madam, something terrible has happened! Miss has fallen into the water!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu nearly fainted and, disregarding her image, leaned over the railing, craning her neck to look down.

Seeing the men jumping into the river like dumplings being dropped into a pot to save people, she wished she could just faint, but the person in the river was her own daughter.

Suddenly, Gu Changfeng was spotted standing on the dragon boat in the crowd: "Feng'er! Feng'er! Hurry down and save people!"

Madam Gu was very clever; she didn't mention that it was her daughter and tried to keep it a secret.

Regardless of whether Gu Changfeng heard it or not, even if he did, there was nothing he could do, because he couldn't swim at all. If he wasn't afraid of losing face, he wouldn't have represented the Prime Minister's Mansion in the dragon boat race. His father had already arranged for someone who was a good swimmer to protect him on the dragon boat.

When Madam Gu saw that her son was useless at the crucial moment, she was so anxious that she stamped her feet. She hurriedly asked Qiu Shuang to go find the Third Prince, and she also quickly took Xue Niang down to find Gu Han Jiao. She couldn't let her body be seen naked when she got ashore, could she?

Those upstairs who were nearby naturally knew what was going on. Soon, word spread that Gu Hanjiao had argued with Princess Nazha, slapped the princess, and was thrown into the water by the princess.

When the Third Prince learned the news, Gu Hanjiao had been rescued by someone and brought ashore. With so many men around, the Third Prince's face turned ashen, as if it had been dyed by a vat of dye.

Gu Hanjiao coughed up water incessantly on the shore. Because she was wearing white, her graceful figure was fully exposed, and even the pattern of the bodice underneath was visible.

There were quite a few people around on the shore; who wouldn't want to feast their eyes on the most beautiful woman in the capital?

The Third Prince quickly took off his coat and draped it over her, then picked up the unconscious Gu Hanjiao and left.