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

"Grandfather, Grandfather, you're finally back! Hao'er missed you so much!" Ning Chenghao nestled in the Duke of Ning's arms and refused to get down.

"Grandpa misses you very much. Have you been behaving well at home?"

"Be good, be good, Hao'er is the most obedient child!"

Speaking of Ning Chenghao, although he is a boy, he loves to act cute. Sometimes, his cuteness makes up for Madam Ning's regret of not having a daughter. She feels that although Ning Chenghao is naughty, he is also as considerate as a little cotton-padded jacket.

"What kind of behavior is this! A grown man acting like a little girl, get down right now and stand properly!"

Seeing his father's stern expression, Ning Chenghao quickly scrambled down from his grandfather's arms, stood there looking down at his toes, and dared not utter a word.

"You! You come back and start yelling. What, you haven't had enough of yelling at your soldiers in the army, so you come home and yell at us, mother and son!" Although Madam Ning would punish Ning Chenghao sometimes, she couldn't stand anyone yelling at her child, especially Ning Chenghao, whom she had raised herself. He had been with her through countless days and nights.

"You...yes, madam, I was wrong."

"Humph!"

The laughter erupted. The couple hadn't seen each other for many years, but everyone outside knew that Prince Ning was a henpecked prince. He was very arrogant outside, but once he was at home, his wife was always right. If his wife told him to go east, he would never go west.

"Madam, please at least give me some face," Prince Ning pleaded quietly.

This made Madam Ning blush.

The two brothers, Ning Chenglin and Ning Chengze, knelt down and kowtowed to Madam Ning: "Grandchildren kowtow to their grandmother."

"Get up quickly, why are you kneeling? It's best that you've come back safely." Old Madam Ning smiled broadly. "You're all grown up now. This time you're back, let your mother arrange a marriage for you. I hope I can hold my great-grandson."

“Grandmother…” The two brothers were rather helpless.

Ning Chengze said, "My older brother is older than me, so Mother should worry about him first. I'm not in a hurry."

"Why aren't you in a hurry anymore? Do you think you're still a child?" Madam Ning tapped Ning Chengze's forehead.

The Ning family had never been so happy, not even during the New Year. The whole family was gathered together. Gu Qingwan felt inexplicably about to cry. So many years, so many days and nights, during those long years in the palace, such a scene seemed to only be seen in her dreams. Now, her maternal grandfather and uncle were alive and well, her brothers had all returned home healthy, her maternal grandmother and aunt were both safe and sound, and her lovely Hao'er had not died at the executioner's hands. This was all thanks to God's mercy.

The Duke of Ningguo was deeply moved when he saw Gu Qingwan standing alone at the door.

"Qingwan, come here."

"Grandfather, Uncle." Gu Qingwan stepped forward gracefully. She hadn't wanted to disturb this rare reunion, so she had stood far away. Gu Qingwan always blamed herself for ruining the entire Ning family in her previous life because of her selfishness.

"It's been a long time. How are you? Are you settling in comfortably in the capital?" the Duke of Ningguo asked.

“I think Qingwan is fairer and plumper than before,” said Prince Ning.

"Grandfather, don't worry about Qingwan. Everything went smoothly and she's fine since she came back. My aunt keeps bringing me all sorts of good food. She's doing great. Uncle, how can you praise someone like that? Qingwan isn't fat at all!"

When the Duke of Ningguo saw that his wife shared the same sentiment, he nodded in relief. He had been worried about Qingwan returning to the capital alone, but in her letter, his wife had said that the child was growing up and, being a girl, it was time for her to reach the age where she could be married. This time, they had to be careful and find a good family for their only daughter, so that there would be no more regrets.

"Qingwan only started to look like a girl when she was with me and her mother. I don't know how you took care of her at the border. When Qingwan came back, her little face was all dark and dirty, just like a fire-starting girl. Now look how pretty she is." Madam Ning pulled Qingwan's hand and sat down with her.

"Under the madam's meticulous care, even the most unrefined person can be reborn."

"Stop coming!"

"Alright, alright, if you two want to argue, go back to your own yard and argue. Don't try to be cheeky in front of this old woman."

Only after the old lady spoke did the two of them sit down obediently. Gu Qingwan liked this uncle very much. He wasn't so old-fashioned and was quite humorous. If it weren't for having three children, he would sometimes feel like he was still a child himself. Of course, that was not in front of the children. For example, Ning Chenghao was most afraid of this father and always felt that his father was very strict with him.

To be honest, the young master was also quite aggrieved. Ning Chenghao was the boy who loved to cling to his mother the most, which was why he never had a good look on his face.

Madam Fang came in and said, "Master and Madam, lunch is ready. When shall we eat?"

"Have the vendors outside bought everything they prepared?"

"Don't worry, everything has been taken care of."

"That's good. Go and prepare. We'll have dinner soon," Madam Ning instructed.

When Fang Mama went down to give instructions about the meal, the Duke of Ningguo said, "I'd like to take this opportunity to say something to everyone."

Everyone was about to get up, but when they heard that something important was going to be said, they sat back down.

"That's right. I have already submitted a memorial to the Emperor, proposing to step down and let Xiu Lan inherit the title, and let Lin'er inherit the position of heir."

No one seemed surprised by what they heard, and they continued to listen without saying anything.

"Has His Majesty agreed?" asked Madam Ning.

The old Duke of Ningguo nodded and said, "His Majesty is a benevolent ruler and has not made things difficult for my father and me. If we submit a memorial, he will agree to let me stay in the capital."

"What?" Old Madam Ning stood up, hardly believing her ears. "Are you serious? You're not going back this time?"

"Don't worry, it's true. Your son Xiulan is listening in here too."

Upon hearing this, Young Master Ning Xiulan nodded in affirmation of his father's statement.

"This time I'm going to enjoy my retirement at home, but it will be hard on Xiulan and the two children."

"Grandfather, I'm not tired. Grandfather, please rest well at home."

Madam Ning was somewhat moved. Seeing that the old Duke had worked hard all his life and was finally able to enjoy a life of luxury at home thanks to the Emperor's favor, she had something to look forward to. When the children were all grown up and the two of them were old, they could spend every day together like a mother-in-law, taking care of their grandchildren and looking at the flowers.

"This is wonderful! Let's have a couple of drinks at the dinner table!" Madam Ning suggested.

With the major matters discussed, the Ning family has welcomed a new generation of leaders. The old lady and the old duke no longer concern themselves with outside affairs, and the new duke, Ning Xiulan, will continue to protect the country with his son, Ning Chenglin.

The family enjoyed a harmonious meal together.

"By the way, Grandmother, your birthday is coming up soon. What kind of gift would you like?" Gu Qingwan brought up an even more delightful topic.

“Yes, Mother, we must hold a proper birthday banquet. After all, Father and Xiulan only came back this time under the pretext of your birthday, and they are benefiting from your presence,” said Madam Ning.

"Hey, there's no need to make a big fuss. At our age, a big celebration would just make us a laughingstock."

“Grandmother, that’s not right. Who would dare to laugh at our family? I’ll be the first to object,” Ning Chengze said.

Speaking of the three brothers Ning Chenglin, Ning Chengze, and Ning Chenghao, although they are brothers, their personalities are quite different. Ning Chenglin is steady and has the demeanor of the old Duke, and he looks like someone who can shoulder heavy responsibilities. Ning Chengze has the grace of Madam Ning and is very humble and humorous. If he were in the capital, he would be a handsome young gentleman. Ning Chenghao is a mischievous boy. According to the old lady, he looks more like Ning Xiulan when he was a child and is very lovable. I wonder what he will be like when he grows up.

“Mother is right. This time, Grandmother’s birthday celebration cannot be held at our home as usual. We must be grateful for His Majesty’s good intentions,” Ning Chenglin said.

"Qingwan, what do you think?" the old Duke asked, putting down his chopsticks.

Gu Qingwan thought for a moment and said, "Just like what my brother said, we can't just stay in the courtyard and hold it by ourselves, but we can't make a big fuss either. If someone with ulterior motives sees it, they'll definitely say we're frivolous. Even if no one says anything, people who see it will be jealous. If nothing happens in the future, it'll be fine, but if something happens, those petty people will inevitably use this to kick us while we're down."

The old Duke nodded in agreement.

"Then what should we do?" asked the Duke of Ningguo.

“Uncle, we’ll keep it simple. We’ll treat it as a family reunion. We’ll open the doors and let Auntie hire a troupe to perform. We’ll find an open space and set up a stage. We don’t need to send invitations to anyone. Anyone who wants to come is welcome.”

"This is good. It avoids offending one family by inviting another. It lets everyone decide whether to come or not. It prevents my Ning family from being caught in a dilemma," Ning Chenglin said.

“Yes, brother, that makes sense.” Gu Qingwan replied with a smile.

Seeing the two children chatting and laughing together so well, Madam Ning felt even more that they were a good match. So, the idea of ​​bringing them together resurfaced. If it weren't for the fact that the current occasion was a bit inappropriate, Madam Ning probably would have taken action.

"Then let's do as Qingwan said. Shulan, you'll have to work hard again recently," the old Duke said to his daughter-in-law.

"Father, don't worry, your daughter-in-law understands what I mean. This is a good thing. Your trust in me makes me very happy."

"Don't try to act innocent after getting the benefit. You're the only one by my side. If I don't trust you, who else can I trust?" Old Madam Ning scolded with a smile.

"Yes, yes, I must find the best opera house in Beijing to perform at home so that I can live up to my mother's trust."

"I think you're just envious and want to watch the show."

"Oh dear, Mother found out."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Ning Chenghao joined in with a loud laugh, which made everyone laugh even more.

"Aunt, it doesn't really need to be very big or that famous. Something decent is fine," Gu Qingwan reminded her.

"Why?" Madam Ning was somewhat puzzled. Wouldn't it be more convenient to place it in the mansion?

“But our family is large and small. It might not be appropriate to bring outsiders in rashly. Besides, my grandfather and father are both at home. If someone with ulterior motives wants to send us information, we might not notice it while we are busy at the front.” Ning Chenglin expressed his concerns.

"What my brother says is true. There will definitely be people coming to offer their birthday wishes. If we make a mistake, it will be troublesome."

"If we set up the tent outside... do we expect our distinguished guests to squeeze in with the common people to watch it?" Madam Ning was somewhat troubled, as such a suggestion could easily offend people.

“Son has an idea,” Ning Chengze said. “There’s a corner tower in the southeast corner of our courtyard. It’s a bright and open spot with a wide view, and there’s also an open space outside. We can build a stage there, and then we can arrange for the dignitaries to sit in that corner tower. The people up there can see the scenery below, but the people down there can’t see the view outside.”

"It's good, but..." Madam Ning still felt something was amiss.