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

Even though she was restless, Wang Ruyan had to pull herself together and prepare for the palace banquet.

As always, whenever there's a banquet, Duobaoge and Caiyige will release limited-edition items, and they'll even raise the prices, practically blatantly trying to squeeze money out of people's pockets. But the things they make just happen seem so worthwhile.

Take, for example, the signature piece that Caiyige has launched this time. It was made by five or six embroiderers working tirelessly with gold and silver threads. It is said that if they rest, the patterns and stories on the clothes will not be as coherent, and they will lose their value as a signature piece. Moreover, the patterns on the clothes offer a different visual experience from any angle. Not only are there patterns on the outside, but there are also different scenes on the inside. It is double-sided embroidery, and just looking at the patterns is enough to attract people.

It's said to have another function that can only be seen when worn, which is enough to pique people's curiosity. However, the price is indeed prohibitive, and everyone is wondering who will actually buy such a garment.

Since Wang Ruyan would be bringing her daughter to the palace banquet this time, in order not to be looked down upon, she also got herself two sets of clothes and two pieces of jewelry. However, she didn't get anything limited edition, not cheap but not very expensive either. Wang Ruyan thought that even if there was a chance of wearing the same clothes as someone else, it wouldn't be such a coincidence.

"Mother, aren't these things you chose a bit too extravagant? This gold headdress is so big, it's almost as big as a bride's phoenix crown, and this hairpin is inlaid with such a big ruby. Are you sure this looks good?"

"What do you know, you're just a child? This is the style only a principal wife should have. When you become a prince's consort, you'll have the same red dress and jewelry."

Gu Hanjiao, needless to say, felt that although the palace banquet was to welcome the Northern Rong delegation, she was the real protagonist. So she insisted on getting three sets of limited edition jewelry and clothes, which made Wang Ruyan break three fingernails in pain.

“Jiao’er, there’s really no need for such extravagance. We just bought two sets of limited-edition clothes and jewelry for the last flower viewing banquet. It hasn’t been that long. We can just buy some similar ones. I think these styles are all very nice.” As she spoke, she picked them up and held them up to Gu Hanjiao’s head.

Gu Hanjiao pushed Wang Ruyan's hand away. She had always felt that her mother was petty and narrow-minded. Even as the principal wife, she still seemed a bit uncouth. On such a crucial occasion, she was still considering how much money it would cost. If she hadn't really considered the family's finances, she might have opted for the most beautiful and expensive set. Only then did Gu Hanjiao realize that the Prime Minister's residence was poor and had no money.

Hmph, once she becomes a prince's consort, she'll definitely make the Third Prince buy her the most beautiful and expensive outfit in the Caiyi Pavilion.

“Mother, this time we are going to meet the Emperor. It’s a palace banquet, and the Empress and Consort Yu will be there too. If it’s too shabby, Consort Yu will think that I’m embarrassing her. Besides, Father said that the Emperor will issue a decree to grant the marriage at the palace banquet. I can’t let the Third Prince down!”

“But… but Jiao’er, the ones we bought last time were all quite expensive, and there’s one set that you’ve never even worn. If you ask me, it would be good to keep that set as a spare. We can just make a new one.” Wang Ruyan couldn’t understand why she was being so extravagant.

Gu Hanjiao continued, "Mother! I've had enough bad luck these past few days. Please have some pity on me. I must redeem myself at the palace banquet. This time, I've chosen elegant and dignified jewelry and clothing. I need to let the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine know that I am the most suitable person to be the Third Prince's principal wife."

What her daughter said wasn't unreasonable, but was it really necessary to get three limited edition sets? Before she could even finish feeling sorry for herself, Gu Hanjiao continued.

"The jewelry I bought last time was taken by the Second Princess, so it's no longer a complete set and I can't wear it anymore. Besides, the effect of wearing this limited edition last time was really good. Which noble lady didn't envy me and look at me with admiration? So this time, Mother... what do you think of this set? Does it look good?"

When Wang Ruyan saw the set that Gu Hanjiao pointed out to her, it was indeed elegant and sophisticated, with a novel design. Even the patterns on it were ones she had never seen before. She nodded and said, "It's beautiful."

"My daughter has decided to buy out this entire set! This set will be the main one."

"What! A buyout! How much money would that cost?!" Wang Ruyan jumped up immediately.

"Mother, once I become the Third Prince's wife, these things will only be a drop in the ocean of the royal betrothal gifts. Besides, the Third Prince's family are wealthy merchants. Will you still lack money then?"

Even so, Wang Ruyan was still somewhat reluctant. These past few days, she had already been troubled by preparing her dowry. Logically speaking, there was a portion prepared by her, a portion given by the public according to the allowance, a portion taken out of Gu Ziming's own pocket out of love for his daughter, and two extra shops allocated by the public for Gu Hanjiao. This was already quite enough, but Gu Hanjiao still felt it was not enough.

Seeing her mother's troubled expression, Gu Hanjiao could only sigh. She had intended to take out the money she had gotten from her grandmother from her purse and give it to her mother, but she withdrew it as soon as her fingers touched the purse.

Gu Hanjiao thought to herself that her mother must be rich and must have left a lot of money for her good-for-nothing brother. She should save this money carefully, because there would be many places where she would need money when she went to the prince's mansion. She should keep all the money she got from that old woman. As for her mother, she should figure out a way to save it.

"I don't care, Mother, please figure something out. What kind of family does Consort Yu come from? She's been used to gold, silver, and jade since she was a child. If it's too shabby, it will be a loss of face for the Third Prince... I don't need to say anything more about the rest. I'll take my leave now. I still need to see the wedding dress design when I get back."

"Oh, oh, oh, my darling!"

Gu Hanjiao left without waiting for Wang Ruyan to say anything. These days, besides visiting her grandmother, she spent her time in her own courtyard looking at wedding dress patterns. When the imperial decree came down, although she wouldn't have to embroider the wedding dress herself, the Ministry of Rites would send over the clothes that a prince's consort should wear. However, there were still some customs, such as the bride having to embroider the pillowcases and quilt covers herself, and also having to make a set of clothes for her husband to show that she was virtuous and good at managing the household.

Gu Hanjiao disliked embroidery the most. She really didn't know why people in ancient times liked these things so much. Not only was it hard on the eyes, but it was also prickly to the hands. So, from a young age, Chunlu did all her embroidery work for her. Even when Wang Ruyan hired a teacher to teach her, Chunlu would cheat and submit the assignments for her. Gu Hanjiao only learned to dance, and she really couldn't do anything else well.

Therefore, she needs to choose someone to do the embroidery and clothing making work well in advance.

In the end, Wang Ruyan did not give in to Gu Hanjiao's wishes. Of all the clothes she had ordered, she only kept two sets that Gu Hanjiao liked the most. Moreover, she did not buy out all the clothes and jewelry, but she did not tell Gu Hanjiao. Gu Hanjiao only knew that her mother had bought her one less set, and she was already unhappy. If she found out that the things that were supposed to be bought out were not bought out, she would probably be even angrier.

Before they knew it, it was May 15th. On this day, many young ladies from noble families did not get up early to dress up, because the palace banquet was held in the evening. So they could go to the palace in the evening. Those who had official titles had to go earlier because they had to pay their respects to the Empress and the most prominent concubines in the palace. This process took a lot of time.

Gu Qingwan didn't prepare much, but Caiyige and Duobaoge promptly sent her several sets of clothes and jewelry from their stores. These were items that had never been displayed in the stores before, but the styles and colors were very understated. At first glance, they didn't seem particularly special, appearing to be just ordinary clothes. However, upon closer inspection, Gu Qingwan's clothes and jewelry were indeed unlike anything she had ever seen elsewhere.

Both bosses knew that their master was an extremely low-key person who didn't like to be noticed. Since their master always thought of them, they naturally reciprocated by making their master even more pleasing to them.

Gu Qingwan was quite surprised to see a flowing sand ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) among the delivered clothes. Palace dresses and ruqun were always styles that Gu Qingwan liked very much, but this material was not available in their Caiyi Pavilion. This material was called iridescent flowing sand, and under the sunlight, it would flow slowly over the body like colorful sand, which was very lively. That's why she asked about it.

"How did these clothes end up here? Wouldn't they make a fortune selling them in a store?"

Baoqin covered her mouth and chuckled, "Miss, you're practically obsessed with money, just like Shishu."

"What do you know? This is called 'like master, like servant.' Speaking of which, you've been with me for so long, how come you don't seem to have developed a bit of a money-grubbing attitude?" Gu Qingwan teased.

"Please forgive me, Miss. I'll just take good care of you. As for making money, that's Shishu's job."

"Ha ha ha ha"

"Replying to Miss, the shopkeeper said that this fabric was sent by the King of Chu to make a dress for you, which you can wear anytime, as long as you like it," Shishu explained.

"Was it sent by the King of Chu?"

"Yes, Miss. The shopkeeper knows your preferences, so the design and cut are all based on your tastes. The shopkeeper said to just have the maid deliver it, and I'm sure you'll like it."

Gu Qingwan touched the fabric in her hand. She really liked it. This iridescent sand was probably specially found for her by Xiao Jingchen. Such fabrics were not yet popular in the capital because the raw materials were hard to find and the craftsmanship was very demanding. Gu Qingwan had already sent people to the south to negotiate prices. Although she had brought back samples and used them in the production of the store's prized possession, it was still not ready for widespread adoption.

As for sending it to Caiyi Pavilion, Gu Qingwan figured he probably knew it was her property, and how could she possibly disappoint the Prince of Chu? However…

"Shishu, have you asked if anyone has bought our store's prized possession?"

"Miss, you are absolutely right! It's amazing that someone would buy such expensive clothes." Shi Shu was full of admiration for her young mistress.

"Who would buy something so expensive? They're just being a sucker," Siqi muttered.

"You're asking for it!" Gu Qingwan warned, narrowing her eyes.

“Last night someone came to Caiyi Pavilion and said they wanted to buy this outfit. They gave me the size and asked Caiyi Pavilion to make alterations overnight. The shopkeeper packed it up and sent it away before dawn.”

Gu Qingwan nodded, touching the fabric in her hand, and said, "That's good. All our publicity efforts over the past few months have paid off. However, I'm afraid we can't wear the clothes that the Prince sent today."

"Then Miss, please wear this palace dress. It's made of Shu brocade, sent by the Prince. It's quite elegant." Ru Hua unfolded another set of clothes for Gu Qingwan to see.

Gu Qingwan nodded and said, "Let's go with this set then. By the way, I think it matches that jade hairpin very well. Let's keep it simple."

Gu Qingwan couldn't bear to disappoint Xiao Jingchen's feelings, so she wanted to let him know that she wasn't ungrateful and found a suitable time to explain things to him.

Baoqin hurriedly went to prepare. Although the young lady's words were simple, Baoqin dared not relax in the slightest. She quickly went to find suitable jewelry, earrings, jade bracelets, and this jade hairpin to match the clothes. More importantly, she had to imagine in her mind what kind of hairstyle she should give the young lady.

"Ruhua, make something delicious. Your young lady needs to eat her fill. Also, make me something easy to carry. I need to take it with me tonight."

"Oh? Didn't Madam say not to eat too much?"

Indeed, there is such a rule in the palace: when entering the palace, everyone should drink as little water and eat as little as possible, because the clothes are very elaborate. If you suddenly feel unwell or need to go to the toilet, it will be inconvenient and also impolite. Everything in the palace is good, except that the toilet is extremely hidden. In order to reduce unnecessary trouble, the women of each family are very careful.

"Then let's make less. It's still early before evening, and your young lady is very hungry."

"Alright! Don't worry, Miss, I'll go get you some food right away!" Ru Hua raised her cute little wine cup, answered loudly, and nimbly ran towards the small kitchen.