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

The arrival of the Crown Princess and the Second Prince's wife brought the atmosphere in the living room to another climax.

Madam Ning got along quite well with the wives of several generals, and Madam Meng was also very talkative. The ladies chatted happily.

"Madam Ning, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince both look very respectable. I wonder if they are engaged yet?" the Second Prince's wife suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, everyone listened intently, clearly showing that they were all very concerned about this issue.

"Your Highness, our two sons have been living with their father outside and haven't been betrothed yet. However, I can't say for sure about their marriages. I suppose their father and mother have their own plans." Madam Ning's words disappointed everyone. If even Madam Ning couldn't make the decision, then the other ladies had no way to exert their influence.

“You can’t say that. After all, you are the mistress of the Ningguo Duke’s Mansion, and the children’s marriages still need your approval,” said the Second Prince’s wife.

Madam Ning smiled but remained silent.

"Sister-in-law may not know, but the sons of the Duke's mansion tend to marry relatively late. Even if Madam Ning agrees and the old lady and the old Duke agree, it still has to be reported to His Majesty," the Crown Princess explained.

"Oh dear, I really didn't know that," the Second Prince's wife said awkwardly. Originally, she had planned to introduce her niece from her maternal family to the Ningguo Duke's mansion. Even if she couldn't become the heir's wife, the Second Prince's principal wife would be suitable. However, upon hearing that His Majesty would have to take a look, the Second Prince's wife hesitated a bit.

Madam Li's plan was to have Li Qianyu make a greater presence in front of Madam Ning and leave a good impression on her. However, it seems that Madam Ning did not have that intention, so Madam Li changed her mind.

"Miss Gu is getting on in years, and Miss Gu is about to get married. Miss Gu can't be left behind."

"Qingwan? I think she's still too young. It would be better if she stayed by our side for another two years," said Madam Ning with a smile.

"Hey, madam, the child is grown up and can't be kept anymore. Keeping him around will only breed resentment!"

“To be honest, Qingwan is indeed not young anymore. If we don’t find her a good match soon, she might not be able to find a good family. My husband has mentioned it to me many times, but unfortunately, she is not at home most of the year, and I, as her stepmother, can’t do anything about it. As long as the old lady is willing to agree, I will do everything I can to find Qingwan a good marriage,” Wang Ruyan said.

"Stepmother? Although my aunt passed away early, she was still Prime Minister Gu's first wife. How can you say that she is a stepmother?" Madam Ning asked with some disdain.

"You!" Wang Ruyan saw that many ladies around her were covering their mouths with handkerchiefs and laughing, and she was instantly embarrassed and angry.

"Hmph, so that's why Qingwan never knows how to greet her elders properly."

"Madam Prime Minister, our Qingwan is the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's wife. Apart from her father and mother, there is really no one in the Prime Minister's residence who can command her respect. To put it bluntly, those people are nothing more than concubines and servants, not worthy of being addressed. Madam Prime Minister, you don't need to worry about those servants. If you are unaware of this, it wouldn't hurt for us to remind you." Madam Ning was insulting her as a concubine and mocking her ignorance of etiquette.

"You!" Wang Ruyan was somewhat annoyed: "Is this how you treat your guests, Madam? I was just showing concern for Qingwan, and this is how Madam Ning treats me?"

"No need for the Prime Minister's wife to trouble herself. Even if Qingwan is not young, it doesn't matter. With the Ning family here, she can simply stay in the Ning family." As soon as Old Madam Ning said this, everyone was speculating whether the old lady was planning to marry her granddaughter to her grandson. If so, they should stop trying to get Gu Qingwan.

"Qingwan is a beautiful and charming girl. Even the Empress Dowager often mentions her in the palace, always saying she wants Qingwan to come and have a chat with her." The Crown Princess smoothed things over, and Wang Ruyan, hearing the Crown Princess bring up the Empress, didn't say anything more.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingwan, the person directly involved in the incident, remained calm and composed, chatting with Meng Yanran about embroidery, seemingly unaffected. Gu Hanjiao, unable to bear Gu Qingwan's behavior, stepped forward to speak with her.

"Sister is so carefree."

Meng Yanran pouted, clearly not wanting to talk to Gu Hanjiao.

"My sister has been very busy lately."

"Sigh, isn't that right? Royal etiquette is quite elaborate, and the rules are strict. The wedding ceremony is also very complicated and tiring." Gu Hanjiao covered her mouth with a handkerchief. "Hey, why am I telling my sister all this?"

"It's alright. When will the Ministry of Rites send the betrothal gifts?"

Gu Hanjiao thought that Gu Qingwan had finally started to feel jealous of her, which was why she asked the question. In the past, Gu Qingwan would never have paid any attention to it.

"It's settled. They said they'd come to present the betrothal gifts the day after tomorrow. I told them the time was tight, but the Third Prince said he thought it was too slow, so he urged the Ministry of Rites to find the nearest auspicious day."

"It was a bit rushed."

"Don't worry, sister. Fortunately, Father and the Third Prince have handled everything very well. Sister, you haven't been home for a long time. You must come and support me the day after tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingwan smiled sincerely and said, "I will definitely be there, and I will go very early."

Gu Hanjiao felt uncomfortable all over because of Gu Qingwan's smile. She felt that Gu Qingwan had some bad intentions that she didn't know about, but she couldn't come up with any evidence.

Gu Qingwan was secretly delighted. After waiting for so long, she had finally gotten such a good opportunity. The prince had even said he would support her. How could Gu Qingwan easily miss out on something that could embarrass Gu Hanjiao?

Watching Gu Hanjiao turn and leave, Meng Yanran said, "I don't know what she's so smug about. It's just..."

"Sister, be careful what you say, the Crown Princess and the others are all here."

“Mother, the preparations at the front are almost complete. Shall we go over for our meal?” Madam Ning suggested, and the group went off in small groups.

After lunch, it was time for the gift-giving ceremony. Old Madam Ning and the old Duke sat together at the head of the table, waiting to receive the gifts.

The Duke of Ningguo and his wife presented him with a mink cloak.

Madam Ning said, "This sable was hunted by the Duke himself, and the fox on the collar was also hunted by the Duke. My skills are not very good, Mother, please don't mind."

"Haha, perfect, perfect. It's warmer for the two of us to sit together and chat in winter."

Everyone envies Madam Ning. Everyone in the capital knows that Madam Ning and Old Madam Ning have a good relationship and there are no conflicts between them.

Ning Chenglin presented a potted evergreen pine, Ning Chengze presented a painting of longevity, and Ning Chenghao, being young, didn't have anything particularly impressive to offer, so he performed a martial arts routine in front of everyone, which drew cheers from the audience.

Gu Qingwan presented a double-sided embroidered screen with a hundred longevity patterns, the craftsmanship of which amazed all the ladies present, who praised it repeatedly.

Next up are the gifts for the guests.

The King of Chu, being the highest-ranking, had Xiao Yi deliver a wooden box. Upon opening it, he found a piece of soft armor made of gold thread inside.

"This..." Everyone was puzzled. The old lady didn't practice martial arts or fight with others, so why would the Prince of Chu send her this?

"Please accept this gift, Madam. It is called 'Peace of Mind'."

Madam Ning felt a warmth in her heart. How could she not understand if others didn't? Her sons were on the battlefield and she was worried every day. She only had one son, and wearing this invulnerable garment would at least protect his life.

Madam Ning rose and thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness. The gold-threaded soft armor is a rare treasure. I am grateful that Your Highness is willing to part with it."

Later, the Empress had the Crown Prince send over a century-old ginseng root, the Crown Prince and his wife presented a set of jade, and the Second Prince and his wife presented a bonsai. Consort Yu, keeping her promise from last time, presented a rare coral, which greatly impressed everyone. The Third Prince was even more extravagant, presenting a longevity peach made of gold.

Gu Hanjiao enjoyed the compliments around her, while Wang Ruyan fantasized that when she celebrated her birthday, the Third Prince would surely give her a golden longevity peach that big too.

The gifts kept coming in one after another, leaving everyone present dazzled. When the Prime Minister's residence delivered the gifts, everyone paid extra attention, wanting to see what kind of surprises the former son-in-law would come up with.

As expected, the Prime Minister and his wife presented a jade Guanyin statue, pure white and flawless, with a kind face and smooth lines, clearly a top-quality item.

"We present the old lady with a jade Guanyin statue, wishing her a long and blessed life."

Everyone clapped and cheered, but Madam Ning's face darkened and she looked very unhappy. The crowd gradually fell silent, not understanding what had happened.

Gu Qingwan stepped forward and said, "Father, this is probably a congratulatory gift that my mother sent to my maternal grandmother. Father is very thoughtful. I'm sure you have other gifts to give to my maternal grandmother as well."

The gift was sent on behalf of the former wife, so Lord Gu can be considered to have some sentiment involved.

But Gu Ziming didn't understand why Gu Qingwan said that: "You child, this...this is naturally a gift from your father to your maternal grandmother."

“Father, this…” Gu Qingwan looked at Gu Ziming with some difficulty.

Unable to bear it any longer, Gu Hanjiao stepped forward and said, "Sister, do you perhaps feel that the gifts from the Prime Minister's residence are too meager?"

Everyone thought, "This is a valuable gift, and the present must be quite substantial. Is Miss Gu trying to embarrass the Prime Minister in public?"

"Sister, you've misunderstood. This jade Guanyin statue was actually part of my mother's dowry," Gu Qingwan explained with a hint of helplessness.

"what?"

"The late Madam's dowry?"

"Is the Gu family poor? How come they're using a woman's dowry, especially the late Madam's..."

Hearing the surrounding discussions, Prime Minister Gu's face turned very ugly. Wang Ruyan felt a little flustered. Her master asked her to prepare a gift, but she didn't want to spend money. She thought that no one might recognize her, so she took this jade Guanyin from the storeroom. She had been heartbroken for a long time. How could Gu Qingwan recognize her?

"Don't talk nonsense! How could it be your mother's dowry? This belongs to my Prime Minister's residence!" Wang Ruyan shouted guiltily.

Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Gu Qingwan realized that everyone had finally started discussing her mother's dowry, and the conversation had finally gotten to the point.

"Madam, please don't worry. My mother showed me this jade Guanyin statue. She even moved it to the main courtyard to be enshrined in the hope of conceiving a younger brother."

"Perhaps it's not this one. You were young then and you might have misremembered."

"What you say makes sense, Madam." Old Madam Ning said, "You came here to give this old woman face, so we can't let the Prime Minister's mansion be disgraced. Shulan, go and see if there is a Ning character under the jade Guanyin. All the things in my family have a mark, and I'm sure everyone else does too, right?"

Indeed, some households will leave marks on their property to prevent thieves or other unscrupulous individuals from taking their valuables.

Wang Ruyan was somewhat flustered. She knew whether this thing was real or not, and she was thinking about what to do. However, Gu Ziming and Gu Hanjiao were unaware of this. How could Gu Hanjiao know that she was about to become the mother-in-law of the Third Prince and still be so short-sighted?

Wang Ruyan stepped forward and gently touched the jade Guanyin, intending to break it. Once broken, the mark would be invisible. The Crown Prince stepped forward to help her up, saying, "Madam, please be careful."

"Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Your Highness." Wang Ruyan was covered in sweat, and her already heavy makeup was slowly smudged.

Gu Hanjiao knew something was wrong as soon as she saw her mother's expression. Just as she was about to make a move, she heard Madam Ning say, "Mother, it is indeed something from my Ning family."