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

The place where you watch the dragon boat race is called Wangjiang Pavilion. It's not the most bustling area in the capital, but business has always been good. Merchants from the north and south would stay or rest here when they docked at the pier.

This is also the regular venue for the annual Dragon Boat Race in Beijing. The viewing platform here is two or three stories high. The owner designed it ingeniously, allowing guests to enjoy the view while eating and drinking tea on ordinary days. During the Dragon Boat Festival, due to its prime location, it is booked by high-ranking officials and nobles, making them a fortune.

The backyard also has small private rooms, which clearly shows that the villa has been transformed into its current state.

The Crown Prince led Gu Qingwan through a maze of turns to a side gate and pointed to the waiting carriage outside.

"Miss Gu, I'll leave you here."

"Thank you for seeing me off, Your Highness, but my aunt and the others..."

"I have already sent someone to inform Madam Ning that she will soon meet Miss Gu at the gate."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince nodded. At this moment, someone moved the Crown Prince's horse over. The Crown Prince and his servants mounted the horse, then looked down at Gu Qingwan, then at the carriage, his gaze full of profound meaning.

"drive!"

Watching the Crown Prince's departing figure, Gu Qingwan was somewhat puzzled.

"Miss, what did His Highness the Crown Prince mean by that look in his eyes?" Siqi also noticed it.

"I'm not really sure either..."

However, Gu Qingwan quickly understood what that look meant.

After Gu Qingwan got into the carriage, she was still adjusting to the light when she suddenly noticed someone in the carriage. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was the Prince of Chu sitting there, flipping through the storybook she had casually placed there, and holding the jade pendant that she had tied with a tassel in his hand.

"Your Majesty?"

Upon hearing Gu Qingwan's words, Siqi immediately stopped trying to catch up with the carriage and resigned herself to standing guard for Gu Qingwan under the carriage.

"What are you doing here, Your Highness?"

"Wait for you."

Only then did Gu Qingwan realize what the Crown Prince's look meant.

"Did the Prince arrange for the Crown Prince to summon me?"

"You're dawdling too much. What's the point of that kind of thing? Hurry up and get out."

"Since I had nothing else to do, I went to join in the fun. When did the prince arrive?"

"It's been here a long time ago."

The prince arrived long ago, but no one else knew. So many people have come today and he still hasn't seen him. Could this place also be Xiao Jingchen's property? That would be too outrageous.

"This place...is also the prince's private property?"

"No."

"Phew! That startled me. If this is also the prince's private property, how long will it take me to become as rich as him?"

"Although it's not mine, I'm helping to take care of it."

Xiao Jingchen increasingly prefers to refer to himself as "I" in front of Gu Qingwan, as it makes him feel more relaxed and at ease.

Gu Qingwan was so intelligent that she understood after a little thought. The only person Xiao Jingchen could personally manage it was either the Empress Dowager or the Emperor. Since neither of them could easily go out, it was obvious that such a transportation hub must be the Emperor's property.

Gu Qingwan nodded but didn't say anything: "Does Your Highness like it?"

"A gift for me?" Xiao Jingchen held up the ornament in his hand, and seeing Gu Qingwan nod, he said, "Of course I like what you gave me."

"Ahem." Gu Qingwan said somewhat embarrassedly, "Although it's not as good as the one Your Highness gave me, I'm glad Your Highness doesn't mind."

I know how you feel.

Suddenly, Gu Qingwan felt the air in the carriage was a bit hot and didn't know what to say, and Xiao Jingchen wasn't a very talkative person either.

"Shall I...shall I help Your Highness fasten it?"

"it is good."

Because they were so close, Gu Qingwan could hear the prince's breathing. When she lowered her head, it felt as if his hot breath was spraying onto her neck, and it took a lot of effort for Gu Qingwan to stop herself from trembling.

In fact, Xiao Jingchen was also finding it hard to resist; the faint scent of a woman had long since invaded his mind.

"Ahem, Your Highness, it's tied."

"Ah."

...Another silence followed.

"Your Highness, where is Xiao Yi, who is by your side?"

"He's a bodyguard, and he's nearby."

"Is there no one else besides him, Your Highness?"

"One Xiao Yi is enough."

Gu Qingwan thought for a moment and said, "Then from now on, will it be Guard Xiao Yi who will help the Prince deliver messages?"

"What? Is there something you're worried about?" Xiao Jingchen didn't understand Gu Qingwan's meaning for a moment.

“I don’t have any concerns. I think it would be more convenient for Xiao Yi to be a guard in the open. If I need anything, I can easily contact him. He can’t keep climbing over the wall to deliver messages for the Prince at the Duke’s mansion. It wouldn’t be good if my grandmother found out.”

Xiao Jingchen hadn't thought about this question.

"Besides, now that His Highness is in the capital, being a secret guard is too hard. It would be more convenient to be His Highness's personal guard. For example, today I can have Guard Xiao Yi ask Siqi to call me instead of troubling His Highness the Crown Prince."

Seeing Gu Qingwan blush, Xiao Jingchen suddenly understood. He had asked the Crown Prince to help find her so that the Crown Prince would know that he treated Gu Qingwan differently, which made the young girl in front of him feel embarrassed.

"I understand." He then called out, "Xiao Yi!"

"Master, I am here."

"As Miss Gu instructed, you will henceforth be transferred from a secret guard to an open guard, and will serve by my side."

"Huh?" This sudden change left Xiao Yi somewhat bewildered.

You see, a secret guard is like the master's shadow, doing things for the master in secret. But a public guard is different; he is a bodyguard by the prince's side. Wherever the prince goes, he can follow him openly and serve him anytime, anywhere. Simple tasks like serving tea and water are no problem for him.

The prince's leniency left Xiao Yi momentarily speechless.

"What are you standing there for? Go back and change your clothes before you come back!" Seeing his foolish guard, the prince questioned for the first time whether his decision was right or wrong, and whether he should replace him.

"I obey my orders!"

Siqi couldn't help but laugh as she watched Xiao Yi, who seemed to be acting like a block of wood, his body and mind not aligned with any commands. She said, "Guard Xiao Yi, you're going the wrong way!"

Xiao Yi came to his senses, scratched the back of his head, and looked rather embarrassed.

Gu Qingwan, sitting in the carriage, said with a smile, "Xiao Yi is a very simple and good person. I feel at ease knowing that someone is serving the prince."

Xiao Jingchen didn't refute anything, because he was so immersed in the feeling of being cared for that he couldn't extricate himself.

"With such a thing happening today, I wonder how His Majesty will handle it." Thinking about today, Gu Qingwan really felt that Gu Hanjiao was just unlucky.

"My brother has decided that the banquet in the palace will be held on the fifteenth of this month. We'll find out then."

Gu Qingwan felt something was off about Prince Hulun: "Your Highness, have you sent anyone to keep an eye on Prince Hulun?"

"what happened?"

"I don't know either, I just feel something's off. Prince Hulun looks down on the Third Prince but pursues the Crown Prince very closely, but he doesn't stop the princess from getting close to the Third Prince. It just feels a bit awkward."

"Hehe." Xiao Jingchen chuckled softly, making Gu Qingwan blush.

"What are you laughing at!" He sounded rather embarrassed and angry.

"I will send someone to keep an eye out. The Northern Rong delegation will be leaving soon after the palace banquet. The fox will naturally show its tail."

"Yes, Your Highness is right. Perhaps I'm overthinking it."

"No. Are you going to the palace banquet?"

"Hmm? Why does Your Highness ask that?" Gu Qingwan was somewhat confused. "Your Highness...does that you don't want me to go?"

"It depends on your mood. If you like watching a commotion, I suggest you go and take a look. Don't worry, I'm here."

"Yes, I'm not worried."

Siqi whispered from outside, "Miss, the madam's carriage has arrived."

"okay, got it."

Xiao Jingchen didn't linger. Before leaving, he only said, "No need to be so careful. I'll take care of everything."

Yes, he's there for her in everything, what is there to be afraid of? He did see through her inner fear, and why was she afraid? Gu Qingwan knew in her heart that she was afraid it was all just a dream.

Meanwhile, in the other private room, Gu Hanjiao changed into her own clothes and told her mother, Wang Ruyan, about the sarcastic remarks Gu Qingwan had made about her.

"No way? She...she actually dared to do this? Aren't you afraid we'll tell your father?"

"Mother, we can't tell Father." At this moment, Gu Hanjiao's intelligence seemed to return. "If we tell Father now, he won't believe us. After all, Gu Qingwan rarely appears, and now she's only here under the pretense of caring for me. It has to be reasonable. Besides, there were only the two of us in the room at the time. He might not believe what I say anyway."

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to make do with this." Wang Ruyan stroked her daughter's hair.

“A temporary grievance is nothing. My daughter is about to marry the Third Prince and become a princess. That’s the most important thing. You’ve seen that the Third Prince is truly in love with my daughter. I guarantee that he will listen to me in everything after the marriage,” Gu Hanjiao said to her mother with a touch of pride.

"Oh, right, Mother, you need to start arranging my dowry. The Crown Prince's consort absolutely cannot be too meager, or people will laugh their heads off. Or you could give me Gu Qingwan's share as well," Gu Qingwan said coquettishly, clinging to Wang Ruyan's arm.

Wang Ruyan's expression was not good. These days she had been planning how to bring Gu Qingwan back to the mansion so that she could use her dowry for her daughter, but before she could carry it out, this incident happened.

Moreover, judging from the situation, her daughter was unaware of what had happened outside. The Third Prince's expression was very grim, and even she, as his mother, was unsure whether her daughter could still become a prince's consort.

But seeing her daughter's longing for the world like that, she didn't know how to bring up the topic of the outside world with her.

"Alright, that's enough. How was your rest? Is Xue Niang's carriage ready?"

"Reporting to Madam, everything is ready. We're just waiting to leave," Xue Niang replied from the doorway.

Once they returned to their residence, even if the couple tried to hide it, they couldn't keep it a secret. The very next day, people came to propose marriage, but they were driven away one after another. It would be difficult for Gu Hanjiao not to know. She was so angry that she fainted on the spot. When she woke up, she was smashing tables and throwing chairs.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gu stayed up all night drafting memorials and arrived at the palace gates early in the morning to wait for court. His colleagues were at a loss for words to comfort him.

In the imperial court, Gu Ziming lifted his robe and knelt down to present a memorial to the emperor, asking him to make a decision for him.

"Your Majesty, please do justice for this old minister! The Northern Rong delegation has wantonly murdered a noblewoman; this clearly shows they have no sincerity in coming for a marriage alliance, and it is a provocation against the might of our dynasty!"

"Oh? What's going on here? Could any of my ministers explain this to me?"

At this moment, the Censorate stepped forward: "Your Majesty, it was yesterday, the fifth day of the fifth month, at Wangjiang Tower, while watching the dragon boat race... that the daughter of Prime Minister Gu had a dispute with Princess Nazha of the Northern Rong..." The Censorate was selective in what he said, because offending either side would be bad, but he could not lie to his scribe.

"Oh, these are just petty squabbles between young ladies. There's no need to bring them up in court. You can settle them privately."

"Your Majesty! That Northern Rong princess nearly killed my daughter. How can this be a mere quarrel between young ladies!" Gu Ziming kowtowed heavily, begging the Emperor to do justice for him.

At this moment, a eunuch came up and announced that the prince of the Northern Rong was requesting an audience outside the palace.