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

This month has been full of good news. After Madam Ning's birthday banquet, it's time for the Third Prince to present betrothal gifts to the Second Miss Gu. According to their Daqing custom, on this day, the joyous occasion is celebrated. After the groom presents the betrothal gifts, the bride's family will open the central gate so the groom can open the gift box. This is to show how much he values ​​his new bride and to demonstrate his family's wealth.

Of course, the bride's side was not to be outdone, and they also displayed part of their dowry on the day. This was partly to show the future son-in-law that the bride's family would support her, and partly to show off their family's wealth so that the groom would not look down on the bride.

Tomorrow is Gu Hanjiao's special day, and Gu Qingwan was summoned to her courtyard by the old lady for a talk.

"Qingwan, I heard from your aunt that you're planning to go and ask for your mother's dowry back tomorrow?"

“Yes, Grandmother, on that day, Wang Ruyan brought my mother’s jewelry and my mother’s dowry to celebrate your birthday. Qingwan couldn’t stand it anymore. If she didn’t ask for it back tomorrow, my mother’s dowry might be taken away by Gu Hanjiao.”

Madam Ning patted her hand: "I know how you feel. That shady thing is so arrogant. It should have been taken back long ago. I originally thought that since you were getting married and would be leaving from the Prime Minister's residence, it wouldn't matter where it was. But now, after the previous incident at the estate and this one, it seems that their appetite has indeed grown too big."

"Grandmother, Qingwan is just worried that people will say we are arrogant and domineering," Gu Qingwan murmured softly as she nestled close to the old lady.

Madam Ning patted her hand and said, "You have always made my life easier since you were little. I have worried about you, though. Your mother raised you to be too kind. Fortunately, you have your own ideas and have been more composed than your mother over the years. If your mother had half your determination, she wouldn't have ended up like this."

“Grandmother…” Gu Qingwan was startled. Could it be that her grandmother knew something? She had always suspected that her mother’s death was not due to a difficult childbirth as the doctor had said, and she had been investigating. Could it be that her grandmother had suspected it earlier than she had?

"Go ahead without worry. You're just retrieving your things. Besides, she hasn't married the Third Prince yet. But you still need to be careful not to cause trouble later," said Madam Ning. "Should we have your two older brothers go with you?"

"My eldest brother has to go out tomorrow. My aunt said she would take my second brother with me, but Qingwan thinks it's better if my aunt doesn't go and my second brother accompanies me instead. Also..."

"What else?"

"The King of Chu... The King of Chu said he would also come." Gu Qingwan's voice grew softer and softer.

"The Prince of Chu?" The old lady was somewhat surprised. Thinking that the Prince of Chu had appeared more frequently than usual recently, the old lady, being an experienced person, sat up straight and asked Gu Qingwan.

"You and the King of Chu?"

"Grandmother..." Gu Qingwan felt a little guilty. She had originally planned to tell her family later, but what should she do now?

The old lady didn't point it out, but said something else: "You and your two brothers grew up together and have a deep bond. With your aunt and me watching over you, we won't let you suffer. Lin'er also has feelings for you. Child, you should think it over carefully."

"Grandmother, Qingwan..."

"I'm not asking you to agree immediately, I'm just mentioning it to you. The King of Chu is a good man, but he's from the royal family..."

On her way back, Gu Qingwan kept thinking about what her grandmother had told her, as earnest as in her past life. But she really couldn't let go of the man who had brought the city to its knees for her.

The next day, Gu Qingwan and Ning Chengze went to the Prime Minister's residence.

The area in front of the Prime Minister's residence was packed with people, all coming to watch the excitement and hoping that the Prime Minister's residence would distribute some celebratory money.

When Wang Ruyan saw Gu Qingwan arrive, and there were so many people at the door, she quickly put on a loving mother's demeanor.

"Oh my, Miss, you're finally home! I've sent people to invite you again and again. I've been waiting and waiting, always afraid that you wouldn't come and that you'd miss your sister's special day."

"Not at all, Madam is too worried. It's just that Qingwan didn't see the people Madam sent."

Wang Ruyan was speechless. She was just being polite, how could she have taken it so seriously? Who would actually go to the Ning family to invite her?

"Hehehe, perhaps the servants were incompetent. I will definitely punish them properly later!"

"It seems too harsh for Madam to punish the servants for such a trivial matter."

"Hehehe, you should go in quickly. The imperial decree has been read out, and the celebration is about to begin. The Third Prince has sent a lot of good things, especially those two geese, which are really rare. Young Master Ning, you should go and take a look."

Wang Ruyan's words had a boastful tone, but she suddenly came to her senses after watching Gu Qingwan and the others go inside!

Oh no! The dowry is going to be displayed soon. That girl recognized me last time, and if she recognizes me again this time, I'm doomed. Thinking of this, Wang Ruyan quickly chased after her.

But just as she was about to go over, her sister-in-law from her maternal family blocked her way.

"My sister is overjoyed!"

"Why did you come over, sister-in-law?"

"Upon hearing of my niece's happy news, we naturally came to congratulate her. Your brother has already gone to see the Prime Minister, and I brought Zhao'er to find you."

"Greetings to Aunt."

"Alright, alright, you're here, so come in. I have something to do, sister-in-law..."

"No rush, no rush. You're about to become the Third Prince's mother-in-law. What things do you need to do personally? Let's talk for a while longer. Where's Feng-ge'er?"

Wang Ruyan was very attentive to her son. As soon as she heard the other party mention Gu Changfeng, she glanced at Zhao'er, who was with her sister-in-law, and immediately understood what her sister-in-law meant.

“Sister-in-law, Changfeng is naturally following his father. Zhao’er has grown into such a beautiful young lady after so long. It’s time for her to be betrothed.”

"That's right, so I brought it with me..."

“Sister-in-law, I understand what you mean, but you also know my situation. The master makes all the decisions about the children… Alright, I’d better not say anymore. I need to go in and see if I’m being impolite.”

Wang Ruyan's sister-in-law, seeing that no one was around, spat at Wang Ruyan's retreating figure.

As Gu Qingwan entered the courtyard, she saw several large chests placed in the middle of the courtyard. She counted them and found that they were all made to the specifications of a prince consort, with no more and no less. It seemed that Consort Yu still looked down on Gu Hanjiao. This setup was not as impressive as it had been in her previous life.

Looking again, Gu Qingwan realized that the person standing with the Third Prince of the Ministry of Rites and Prime Minister Gu was none other than the Prince of Chu. Gu Qingwan was still wondering how the Prince had agreed to come.

"Greetings to Your Highness, to the Third Prince, to my father, and to all the officials."

Ning Chengze also greeted Gu Qingwan.

"Haha, Qingwan and the Second Young Master are here too! Good, good, your sister was just talking about you, and it just so happens that you've arrived."

"I haven't congratulated the Prime Minister yet," Ning Chengze said.

"Of course, of course. Your presence here is an honor for me."

"My daughter is late. I didn't know Your Highness was here too?"

"The wedding of one's children is a major event. Since it is inconvenient for the Emperor and Empress to come, I, as the only elder, should be present."

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle." The Third Prince said. Xiao Yuheng saw Gu Qingwan again, and the feeling of wanting to possess her grew stronger, as if Gu Qingwan should be the protagonist of today, and the princess he should marry should be Gu Qingwan.

"Go and see your sister," Prime Minister Gu said. Gu Qingwan greeted him and left.

Gu Hanjiao saw Gu Qingwan arrive from afar and said happily, "Sister has finally come! I thought you weren't coming."

"It's my sister's big day, so as her older sister, I have to come and see."

"My sister is so kind." Gu Hanjiao said to the noble ladies around her, holding Gu Qingwan's arm, "Although my sister doesn't live in the mansion, we sisters have a very good relationship, right, sister?"

Gu Qingwan smiled but didn't say anything.

"My sister arrived just in time! She was just about to unpack the boxes and show off the good news. Let's go take a look together!"

Gu Qingwan smiled and nodded.

"Open it." At the King of Chu's command, the official in charge of ceremonies opened the box while reading out the gift list.

The pair of wild geese that the Third Prince personally hunted over here are calling out energetically, full of vitality. The geese's good spirits symbolize a good relationship between husband and wife.

"I heard that the Third Prince personally selected this pair of geese. Look at their quality; it's clear how much the Third Prince values ​​the Gu family."

"Didn't you say you came to hunt yourself?"

"Oh, almost there, hey hey hey, let's open the box, keep scrolling down."

The boxes were opened one by one, and inside were all high-grade items used by the princesses. There was nothing surprising about them. The boxes behind contained some jewelry and ornaments, all of which were of good quality. It seemed that they were prepared by the third prince.

These large antique items are just for show and not worth much, since they are imperial gifts that cannot be lost or sold and are of little use.

The jewelry displayed at the back was truly astonishing. At the very top was a luminous pearl, as large as a baby's fist. Nearby were several boxes of plump, uniformly sized pearls, all remarkably pink in color. There was also an exquisite box; when the palace servants opened it, the master of ceremonies explained that it contained a pair of gold bracelets bestowed upon the Empress by the Empress Dowager upon her when she married the Emperor. These bracelets were originally given to the Empress by the Empress Dowager, demonstrating the importance Consort Yu placed on this marriage.

When Gu Hanjiao saw the two boxes of jewelry, she was overjoyed. Standing there, she felt that her judgment was indeed excellent. With her talent and beauty, she was sure that the Third Prince would dote on her.

The long list of gifts, once read aloud by the master of ceremonies, already made those around them feel the extravagance of the royal family. However, thinking back to the previous display of the Crown Princess's wedding, they felt it was nothing special, only slightly better than the Second Prince's wife, but not as good as the Crown Princess's.

Finally, it was the woman's turn to share her joy. Wang Ruyan, who was standing to the side with a face beaming with smiles, suddenly froze. She had come in hoping to find an opportunity to get rid of Gu Qingwan, but as soon as she entered, the King of Chu said that he hadn't had time to make any moves yet and just hoped that the brat wouldn't cause her any trouble at this time.

Wang Ruyan frantically tried to signal to her daughter with her eyes, her eyes almost twitching, but Gu Hanjiao was too overjoyed to notice.

The dowry items at the beginning were all within the household's prescribed allowances and regulations, but look at the later ones—there were additions from the matriarch and Old Madam Gu.

Hearing this, Gu Qingwan was somewhat surprised. She remembered that her grandmother was the stingiest woman in the world, so why did she give so much to Gu Hanjiao? This was too strange, and seeing that she didn't see her grandmother around made Gu Qingwan even more suspicious.

Wang Ruyan was anxious to finish reading and put the things away as soon as possible. Finally, she finished reading and saw that Gu Qingwan did not speak. Just as Wang Ruyan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Ning Chengze ask a question in the crowd.

"Your Highness, Third Prince, Lord Gu, I apologize for my rudeness, but I see my aunt's dowry inside."

"What?" Ever since the incident at the last birthday banquet, Gu Ziming couldn't stand hearing the Ning family talk about the dowry.

"You child, I welcome your congratulations, but if you're here to cause trouble, you should consider the occasion. The King of Chu and the Third Prince are both here!"

Ning Chengze seemed unconcerned by Prime Minister Gu's threat, and said with a relaxed smile, "I saw my aunt's things inside. If you don't believe me, sir, just have someone check if there's the Ning family mark."

"you!"

"Someone, go and take a look."

"Your Highness!" Gu Ziming said nervously.

"The royal family cannot tolerate the slightest stain. What does Yuheng think?"

"I'll do whatever you say, Uncle." The Third Prince's fingernails were digging tightly into the flesh of his palm.

After the official in charge of ceremonies examined the document, he nodded to the King of Chu. The King of Chu's expression immediately darkened, and he looked at Gu Ziming: "Lord Gu, are you showing contempt for the royal family?"

"Your Highness must have misunderstood. In Daqing, we place the utmost importance on etiquette. My late wife's eldest daughter is not yet married. No matter how poor I am, I would never use my late wife's dowry to save face. There must be a misunderstanding. Madam, please explain!"

"I...I..." How could Wang Ruyan explain? She did it, and once the others left, the master would definitely skin her alive.

"Perhaps the servants made a mistake. The two storerooms are so close together that it's easy to take the wrong thing. We also have similar items at home."

"Madam Prime Minister, you should get rid of this servant as soon as possible. He made a mistake last time when he delivered a birthday gift to my grandmother, and now the Third Prince has made a mistake again..." Ning Chengze said, waving his fan.

"It is my fault. I have not managed my household properly. Your Highness, please forgive me. I will personally check it later. It is not easy to find my sister's dowry list right now. Your Highness and the Third Prince, please go and have a cup of tea first. I will definitely replace all the wrong things."

"What a coincidence, Qingwan, bring over your dowry list so we can check it right here. Let's save the Prime Minister's wife some trouble. Have your maid pick out all of Aunt Gu's things. These are old items from all these years. We don't want the royal family to think that the Prime Minister's residence is using inferior goods, which would implicate Prime Minister Gu."

"You!" Wang Ruyan almost fainted with anger. She never expected the two of them to have this trick up their sleeve!