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

"Offspring!" Rou Niang was quite surprised to hear Gu Qingwan say this, and after the initial surprise, she couldn't help but feel a little bitter.

"As you know, I was given a contraceptive potion before, so having children... is probably hopeless."

Who wouldn't want a child? So that they'd have someone to rely on when they get old, but right now I can't have one.

"It seems Rou Niang wants it. If you want it, it's possible to make it happen, Si Qi."

Siqi stepped forward and took out a white porcelain bottle from her bosom, handing it to Rou Niang.

"Rou Niang, although you were given the drug, it has been a while. If you want to get pregnant, it's not impossible to find a doctor to help you get better. You need to think carefully before using the medicine I'm giving you. This pill can help women get pregnant, but it's very potent."

Rou Niang looked at the small porcelain bottle in her hand with a pleasant surprise.

"However, I must also remind you not to be too happy too soon. There are two possible outcomes after taking this medicine: either you will have a son, or you will be infertile for life." Gu Qingwan explained softly, "Of course, you can also choose not to use it. I will find a good doctor to take good care of you, and I believe there will be good news in time."

Rou Niang gripped the porcelain bottle tightly in her hand, her heart filled with complex emotions.

Just then, a knock came at the door: "Wife, the bird's nest soup is ready. Shall I bring it in for you?"

"Oh, did you put in rock sugar?" Rou Niang quickly asked.

Xiao Cui didn't understand when her wife started putting rock sugar in bird's nest. "No."

"Then go to the kitchen and add a piece of rock sugar. My mouth feels a bit bitter and I want something sweet."

"Yes."

Inside the room, Gu Qingwan was also pleased to see Rou Niang like this, knowing that only a woman like Rou Niang could compete with a woman like Wang Ruyan after entering the Prime Minister's residence.

"You can keep the things; it's up to you whether you use them or not. I'm leaving." With that, Gu Qingwan got up and prepared to leave with Siqi.

"Miss!" Rou Niang hurriedly chased after her.

"Anything else?"

"When...when will you come to see me again?"

Siqi looked at the young lady dressed in men's clothing, and then at Rou Niang with her hair down and wearing a nightgown. She immediately felt that the scene was a bit strange, as if the young lady had brought her to see her lover.

Gu Qingwan didn't turn around but said, "Soon, we'll be able to see each other often."

Rou Niang was overjoyed to hear this. She watched Gu Qingwan leave, and just then, Xiao Cui returned.

"Wife, what are you doing standing here?"

"Oh, nothing."

Outside, Gu Qingwan led Si Qi and Ning Yi through the deserted streets with light steps. The only sounds were the night watchman's drumming, the occasional bark of a dog, or perhaps a drunk man beating his wife.

“Miss, you also gave the household registration documents to Rou Niang, and today you even bestowed an heir upon her. What if she turns against you in the future?”

"She won't turn against me."

"Why? This servant is very worried. We don't have anything we can control."

“Rou Niang has no one to rely on, we are her only support. Even if she has children and enters the manor in the future, she will still have to rely on us. Don’t you think Wang Ruyan can tolerate her? We don’t need to have any leverage over her. Saving her back then was unintentional. Even if she turns against us in the end, at most we will lose some money and skills.”

"That maid also feels it's a pity."

"Yes, it is indeed a pity. When I get back, I need to ask Shishu how much money she has made for me recently, and I also wonder how Shishu is managing the rouge shop in the brothel alley."

"Shishu, Miss, don't worry, it's an ancient mythical beast called Pixiu."

“Miss Shishu is quite pretty. Why is she called a Pixiu? I remember Pixiu being quite ugly,” Ning Yi suddenly asked from the side.

Gu Qingwan and Si Qi both stopped and looked at Ning Yi. Ning Yi was a little reserved: "Did I say something wrong?"

“Silly Ningyi, a Pixiu only takes in and never gives out, isn’t that how our Miss Shishu is with money?” Siqi said with a smile.

"No way! I think Miss Shishu is good at managing a household!" Ning Yi said with some pride, defending Shishu.

"It seems our maidservant will have someone to protect her from now on, so I, Miss, can worry less." Gu Qingwan patted Ning Yi's shoulder.

In the stillness of the night, Rou Niang stared intently at the bottle in her hand. She knew that her mistress wasn't trying to scare her. When the eldest young lady told her to come to the Prime Minister's residence and asked if she was willing, why wouldn't she? She was just a drifting duckweed, and having a place to belong was every woman's wish, especially since her cousin, with whom she had a childhood friendship, was now the high-ranking Prime Minister.

But so many years have passed, and that affection was gone when he abandoned her. It has been worn away by all the hardships over the years. That affection is no match for the young lady's life-saving grace.

Rou Niang thought that if she could give birth to a son in one go, the young lady would have a brother by her side who could be of some use, which would be good for her.

If she were to seek medical treatment, the young lady said tactfully, but she knew how potent that soup was back then, which had prevented her from menstruating for many years, so how could she possibly conceive?

Rou Niang didn't want to recall the past anymore, so she ate the pills with bird's nest. Si Qi had told her how to take them before she left. There were three pills in total, one every four hours, and she couldn't have sex for three days. If nothing unexpected happened, her period would come tomorrow.

At this moment, Gu Ziming arrived.

"Rou'er, are you still awake?"

"Cousin! Why are you here? I thought you were going back today, so I didn't wait for you."

"No, I went out for a social engagement and came a little late." Gu Ziming sat on the edge of the bed and saw Rou Niang's clothes slip down due to her movements, revealing her fair shoulders. Gu Ziming swallowed hard.

Just as he was about to make a move, his servant said at the door, "Master, Madam says that you need to return to the main courtyard after your social engagements. She has something to discuss with you."

Gu Ziming said impatiently, "What could she possibly have to do! It's just because I haven't visited her in a while, and she's throwing a tantrum. She's so old and still acting like this."

Rou Niang thought for a moment and said, "Cousin, calm down. Perhaps Madam really has something to discuss with you? Let's go and see."

"But you..."

"Rou'er isn't feeling well lately and it's not convenient for her to take care of her cousin. It would be better if he went home for a few days before coming back." Rou Niang lowered her head, her face slightly flushed.

Gu Ziming thought for a moment and then ruffled her hair: "You are still as well-behaved and sensible as before. You have suffered so much these past years. If you had come to me sooner, you wouldn't have had to go through all this."

“My cousin is now in a very high position, and Rou’er is worlds apart from him. Even if she finds out where he lives, she wouldn’t dare to go to you, for fear of causing him trouble.”

"Rou'er, don't belittle yourself like that. I've always kept my feelings for you deep in my heart. I never thought that God would take pity on me and allow me to take care of you in my lifetime. I always thought you were already married."

“My heart is with my cousin, how could I possibly want to get married? Although my stepmother married me off back then, I didn’t want to betray my cousin on my wedding night, so I ran away. But I couldn’t find him. I traveled all the way here and found out that he had gone to the capital, so I chased after him to the capital. I almost died here back then. If it weren’t for my godmother giving me a bowl of tofu pudding, perhaps…”

"Rou'er, don't say anymore. This tofu pudding is the red thread between you and me. The tofu pudding saved you, and it led me to meet you. The day I bumped into your stall, I almost didn't recognize you."

"Cousin, will you mind that Rou'er was married before?... Waaah!" Rou Niang leaned against Gu Ziming's arms and sobbed softly.

"What is the truth? Others may not know, but how could I not know?" Gu Ziming hugged his little cousin with heartache.

Rou Niang recalled what her mistress had said to her before.

"Remember, your father is a very suspicious person, so what you say must contain both truth and concealment. Although you have managed to hide your virginity from him in terms of sex, he may still inquire about it. Even if he doesn't inquire, he will ask you many times. At different times, you need to make the story more complete. If you want to deceive others, you must first deceive yourself!"

"But if the Prime Minister really inquires about me, wouldn't that give us away?"

"Don't be afraid. Now that I've decided to help you, I'll definitely take care of everything else for you. Just remember to make sure your story is plausible. When you finally face Wang Ruyan, she'll do everything she can to suppress you..."

At this moment, the servant outside interrupted Rou Niang's recollection.

"Master, we should go now."

Gu Ziming was a little unhappy when he was suddenly interrupted while they were deeply in love, but there was nothing he could do about it. So he comforted him, saying, "Take good care of yourself. I'll bring you a gift in a few days."

As expected, after returning home, Gu Ziming went straight to the main courtyard. Gu Ziming was right; the madam was just making excuses to get him to go back. The so-called urgent matter turned out to be some trivial matter, which made Gu Ziming very impatient. He disliked Wang Ruyan more and more because of her behavior; there was no trace of her former gentleness and understanding.

Wang Ruyan was massaging Gu Ziming's shoulders from behind, so she couldn't see the changes in Gu Ziming's face. She boldly reached out to Gu Ziming's chest, but Gu Ziming grabbed her hand. Wang Ruyan was secretly pleased.

However, Gu Ziming was no longer as calm as before. He had just come from Rou Niang's place. Rou Niang's hands were as soft and smooth as tofu. Although the lady was well-maintained, she was still not as old as his cousin.

Back then, he was in his early twenties, and his cousin was just a young girl who hadn't even reached marriageable age yet. She secretly trusted him, and if it weren't for what happened later... he might have taken his little cousin with him long ago.

He shook off Wang Ruyan's hand and angrily rebuked her, "As the mistress of the house, you have no manners whatsoever!"

He had an argument with Wang Ruyan in the main courtyard and then left.

Aside from spending the first few days either in the study or at Consort Li's place, the Prime Minister hadn't returned to the mansion for the rest of the month. Wang Ruyan immediately felt a sense of crisis; if her husband had taken a mistress, that would be terrible! She immediately sent Xue Niang to find someone to investigate.

Wang Ruyan felt uneasy and wanted to talk to someone. Xue Niang had gone to take care of some business. She wanted to talk to her daughter but felt she couldn't tell her daughter about this. Moreover, Jiao'er had been going to that old woman's courtyard frequently lately, and she wondered how she was doing. This made Wang Ruyan restless, like an ant on a dry pan.