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

Under Gu Qingwan's reassurance, the two wolf cubs were taken away by the King of Chu's men. Gu Qingwan promised to pick them up. Originally, the two little creatures wanted to follow Gu Qingwan, but they were frightened by the King of Chu's coercion. After hearing Gu Qingwan's reassurance, they obediently let Xiao Yi take them away.

Gu Hanjiao knew this wasn't the time for idle chatter, but she had just finished a cup of sugar water and recovered when she saw everyone surrounding Gu Qingwan, which made her unhappy.

However, after being warned by the Third Prince, Gu Hanjiao restrained herself somewhat.

Gu Hanjiao was a little surprised. She had clearly brought over pastries with egg yolk filling. Wolves have the best sense of smell, so why weren't they tempted?

She originally wanted to curry favor with Consort Yu, but now... Gu Hanjiao glanced at Consort Yu's unhappy expression sitting there and thought to herself that she would have to find some time later to try to win over the Consort.

She and her mother arrived not too late today. After paying their respects to the Empress, they went to see the Imperial Concubine, but did not see her. She wondered if the Imperial Concubine was angry about what had happened to her recently and that was why she refused to see her.

However, after tonight the Emperor bestows the marriage upon her, all the noble ladies present will have to bow to her and fawn over her, including Gu Qingwan herself.

To be honest, she and Gu Qingwan didn't have any real conflict, but since she was little, she had been reminded that she was an illegitimate daughter, and she couldn't stand Gu Qingwan's aloof attitude.

Especially since Gu Qingwan has lost her mother, and no one knows why she's so aloof. Moreover, everyone is praising her. Why? Why can Gu Qingwan have everything so effortlessly?

"Oh, isn't this Miss Gu the Second?" Princess Nazha swayed her slender waist and crossed her arms. "But this fierce look is quite the opposite of her gentle appearance that day."

Gu Hanjiao snapped out of her daze and saw Princess Nazha, becoming even more displeased: "Your Highness, I was impolite that day."

"Aren't you usually so quick-witted? Why are you being so humble and subservient today?" Princess Nazha said with disdain.

Gu Hanjiao knew that Princess Nazha was deliberately trying to isolate herself and make things difficult for her. Princess Nazha had been pestering the Third Prince these days, and the Emperor might betroth her to the Third Prince. How could Gu Hanjiao tolerate anyone touching her man?

Seeing that everyone had returned to their seats, and the Emperor and Empress had also returned to their seats, Gu Hanjiao smiled slightly at Princess Nazha, which confused Princess Nazha. Suddenly, Gu Hanjiao approached Princess Nazha, who was startled and quickly pushed Gu Hanjiao away. Gu Hanjiao took the opportunity to fall to the side.

Qiu Shuang quickly stepped forward to support Gu Hanjiao, asking, "Miss, are you alright?"

Seeing that she had attracted attention, Gu Hanjiao said, "It's nothing, don't make a fuss. Help me up and let's go back quickly so as not to cause trouble for His Majesty and the Empress."

"You!" Princess Nazha realized that she had been tricked by Gu Hanjiao, this white lotus flower. Seeing the warning look in Prince Hulun's eyes, Princess Nazha angrily returned to her seat.

Seeing this, the Emperor realized that Gu Hanjiao was quite sensible. He suddenly remembered the promise he had made to Prime Minister Gu. He and the Empress had already discussed it, and the Empress knew what to do with just a glance.

"Your Majesty, I think Miss Gu and Princess Nazha get along very well. I heard that although there was some unpleasantness before, didn't the two girls quickly become as close as ever again?"

"Where do you see that we're okay?" Princess Nazha muttered to herself.

"If the Empress hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. I said I would act as a peacemaker for Princess Nazha and Miss Gu."

Gu Ziming stood up: "Your Majesty, we are terrified. It is only because my daughter is too unruly and has offended the Northern Rong princess. How could we ask Your Majesty to intervene and make peace?"

"My word is as good as gold. Besides, Miss Gu has indeed been wronged. How about this, Consort Yu once mentioned to me that she is very fond of Miss Gu." The Emperor looked at Consort Yu.

Gu Hanjiao was overjoyed. Was this finally the time to discuss her marriage to the Third Prince? This banquet was incredibly boring, and she had been waiting for this moment for ages.

Even though Consort Yu was unhappy, she still said to the Emperor, "Yes, Your Majesty, I get along very well with this child. Miss Gu is talented, beautiful and generous. It just so happens that the Third Prince does not have a trustworthy person to take care of him. I dare to ask Your Majesty to grant the two children their wish."

"Oh? What does the Queen think?"

"Your Majesty, it's a good thing to help others achieve their goals, but I wonder what the two children think?"

Li Qianyu gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly. Had His Majesty decided to bestow a marriage upon the Third Prince? What was she to do? For so many years, she had silently admired His Highness; she was unwilling to accept this.

Gu Hanjiao and the Third Prince knelt down together: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting our request."

"Then let the Ministry of Rites draft an edict to grant..."

At this moment, someone from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this is inappropriate."

Consort Yu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw someone step forward. Heng, with Gu Hanjiao's tarnished reputation, she still wants to become the Third Prince's consort? She'll have to ask her, as the mother-in-law, for permission first.

Consort Yu had long ago instructed her family to bribe many officials, especially those in the Ministry of Rites, which led to this incident.

"What do you think is wrong, my dear minister?"

"Your Majesty, this Miss Gu's reputation is tarnished. If she were to be included in the Imperial Archives, it would tarnish the ancestral legacy."

“Lord Song! How can you, as the person in charge of the Ministry of Rites, so weakly slander my daughter!” Gu Ziming stepped forward.

"Lord Gu, please don't be anxious. I'm just stating the facts."

"So this is your 'discussing the matter at hand'? Tell me, how exactly did you 'discuss the matter at hand'?"

"Your daughter was impolite at the flower viewing banquet, and I need not recount how she was impolite, right? Secondly, slapping the princess during the Dragon Boat Festival was simply stirring up trouble between the two countries and disrupting the peace between Daqing and Beirong."

"Lord Song!" Gu Ziming said, his face darkening. "Please, Lord Song, watch your words!"

"Lord Gu, I am a person who speaks my mind and doesn't understand those roundabout ways. Now that we are at this banquet, I know I should give you some face and that's why I haven't said anything too explicit. But I just want to ask, have all the matchmakers in the Prime Minister's household been dealt with?"

Lord Song is truly eloquent; even Gu Qingwan couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. This left the Prime Minister speechless. However, the Prime Minister is indeed the Prime Minister; he is clearly not someone to be trifled with.

"If a family has a daughter, a hundred families will seek her hand. What's wrong with that? His Majesty personally handled both of the matters you just mentioned, Lord Song. Are you suggesting that Lord Song is questioning His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, I dare not question you, but I urge you to reconsider."

Gu Hanjiao panicked. How could anyone bring this up? How could these people be so old-fashioned? And what did her affair with the Third Prince have to do with them? Mind your own business!

Many of those present were fortunate enough to witness the two incidents that Lord Song mentioned, and their eroticism was definitely even more intense than what Lord Song described.

With the Third Prince being so outstanding, how could the Yu family allow such a morally flawed woman to become his consort?

"What does the Empress think?"

"Well... after all, Consort Yu is the birth mother of the Third Prince."

"This concubine will leave the decision entirely to Your Majesty."

"Where is the Third Prince?"

"Your subject will obey Father." Xiao Yuheng didn't want Gu Hanjiao to be his primary consort, because he would be ridiculed by others. Lord Song had already said so much, so the Emperor probably wouldn't bestow her upon him again.

Gu Hanjiao felt a chill in her heart. She suddenly felt like a clown who had been dressed up and stripped bare for people to see. But she couldn't panic at this moment. She was the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, and her father would not ignore her.

Gu Hanjiao knelt there, but her back was very straight.

At this point, Princess Nazha couldn't sit still any longer: "Your Majesty, Nazha is here for a political marriage. Even if it's a marriage decree, shouldn't Nazha be granted the marriage decree first?"

The Emperor smiled: "Princess, please calm down. Didn't the Empress prepare the imperial edict? Fuming, please read it aloud."

"The Second Miss Gu Hanjiao of the Gu family is hereby granted the title of Princess Consort of the Third Prince. The Ministry of Rites shall select an auspicious date for the wedding."

"My dear ministers, I am not a good drinker and will go back to rest. You may keep the Northern Rong delegation company."

"Shall I accompany Your Majesty back?" the Empress said.

"Your Majesty and Your Highness are seeing each other off."

The third prince knelt stiffly, unable to comprehend how his father could bestow such a disgraced woman upon him as his principal wife. Wouldn't a principal wife with such a tarnished reputation cut off his path to the throne? Was his father so biased that he wouldn't give him a single chance?

Gu Hanjiao's heart was like a rollercoaster, going up and down. She thought she had lost her position as the princess consort, but the emperor bestowed a marriage upon her, which she couldn't process for a while.

Gu Qingwan breathed a sigh of relief; at least they were now tied together, making it easier to make her move.

After watching the emperor leave, the King of Chu also left. The Prince of Beirong, however, accompanied Princess Nazha as she went to the imperial study to meet the emperor.

Consort Yu stared at Gu Hanjiao with a grim expression, wishing she could bore holes through her. How could such a woman be worthy of her son?

"Third Prince, I am feeling unwell. Please escort me back."

After the Third Prince and Consort Yu left, everyone recovered and congratulated the Prime Minister. However, it was obvious to those with discerning eyes that Consort Yu and the Third Prince did not seem happy. The young ladies from prominent families also came to curry favor with Gu Hanjiao. Gu Hanjiao suddenly became a prospective imperial consort, and she did not know how to describe the feeling in her heart.

Li Qianyu had already crumpled the handkerchief in her hand to pieces. Li Jingge pouted and said, "This kind of person is an insult to His Highness."

"Stop talking, I'm not feeling well, I'm going back now."

After the main characters left, the people in the hall began to take their leave one after another, except for those who were flattering the prime minister, who were still there saying hypocritical things.