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

Chapter 395 Palace Change

"Your Highness, I'm sorry," he said with difficulty, his eyes conveying a profound meaning that only Your Highness could understand.

The Crown Princess nodded with tears in her eyes, "What are you saying, Your Highness? We are husband and wife, and death is just another matter. I will accompany you wherever you go."

Consort Xi watched all this with cold eyes, unaware of the subtle movement. At this moment, she was filled with the joy of her plan succeeding—with the Crown Prince dead, her adopted son, the Third Prince, would be the sole heir.

"Return to the palace," she ordered lazily, glancing one last time at Xiao Jingyan, who was collapsed on the ground vomiting blood, before turning away, a cruel smile curving her lips.

After Consort Xi and her entourage left, the Crown Prince, already delirious, still mustered his last strength to whisper two words in her ear: "Royal...Uncle..."

He then completely lost consciousness.

The Crown Princess wept uncontrollably, yet dared not cry aloud. At this moment, the officials' wives around were so frightened they didn't know where to hide, and no one dared to approach the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. The old lady of the Marquis of Yongyi wanted to go forward to see what was happening, but Madam Shen held her hand tightly.

"Is Aunt trying to kill us? The Crown Prince has already lost power; we'd better just wait and see!"

Spring breezes still blow, peach blossoms flutter down, but a few scarlet spots have appeared on the pure white petals, resembling cinnabar moles on a beautiful woman's face, gorgeous yet deadly.

"Where is Princess Chu?"

The palace servants dared not speak, after all, they had just witnessed Consort Xi forcing the Crown Prince to drink poison in front of so many people. However, one of the bolder servants, Lai Xi, stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort of Chu has not yet arrived."

"Oh, then go again. Just say it's an invitation from the Empress Dowager. If you don't come, it's unfilial."

"Yes, this servant will go right now." Lai Xi happily accepted the task and swaggered through the officials' families with her entourage.

What should we do with Her Majesty and the others?

Consort Xi rubbed her temples as if she had a headache and said, "Since they've all entered the palace, it wouldn't be right not to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Let's send them all to the Empress Dowager's side. Oh, and by the way, send someone to serve them well, so that these ladies can have a proper talk with the Empress Dowager and the Empress."

Prince Chu's Mansion.

"Your Highness, someone from the palace has come to invite you to a banquet." A young maidservant ran up and whispered to the princess. She was the youngest, but she didn't serve in the princess's courtyard. She had finally found a chance to show her face, so she rushed over to report to the princess. She was also pretty, and if the princess saw her, she might just let her serve in the main courtyard.

Gu Qingwan glanced at the young girl in front of her and asked, "Which family are you from?"

"Replying to Your Highness, this servant is from the Du family, and my name is Xiao Hong. A noble lady from the palace came to our residence earlier, saying that Your Highness has not yet arrived at the palace. The lady of the palace sent someone to ask Your Highness if there is anything that has delayed you. This servant has already invited the noble lady to the flower hall and is waiting for Your Highness to go there."

Xiao Hong believed that her words were watertight and without any unnecessary embellishment, and that she was on par with Sister Shi Shu.

Gu Qingwan slowly drank another large bowl of plum juice, wiped her mouth, and then said, "Didn't I say I refused? What happened?"

Shi Shu is now in charge of managing the Prince's mansion. She knows that the little girl in front of her is the daughter of Du Er, the gatekeeper. This little girl takes advantage of her good looks and flirts all day long, which is very annoying to look at. Originally, Shi Shu arranged for her to serve in the front hall, but she still found an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

"Your Highness, it was my fault for not handling things properly. I will go and deal with it right away." As she spoke, Shishu was about to pull the little maid on the ground and walk outside.

"Your Highness, Your Highness! Your Highness, this servant knows she was wrong, Your Highness, this servant knows she was wrong! Please, please give this servant another chance! I... I just thought it was just a simple message, I didn't expect... Your Highness! I..."

Shi Shu slapped him across the face.

"How dare you refer to yourself as 'you' and 'me' in front of your master? You have no respect for your elders! How did your mother raise you like this!"

"Your Highness, I know I was wrong, sob sob sob."

"Never mind, they're just kids after all."

"Your Highness, I will take care of it right away."

"Okay, go ahead. When you see anyone from the palace, ask how many people came. Once you know, knock them out and lock them up. Don't bother with the rest."

Today's spring banquet is clearly a trap; she dares to say that even if she doesn't go, someone will come looking for trouble.

Shi Shu carried Du Xiaohong to the flower hall, and before even entering, she started cursing, "You think you can just let any Tom, Dick, or Harry into the palace? What do you think the Prince's mansion is, a vegetable market?!"

This time, the person who came to the palace was none other than Eunuch Laixi, the adopted son of Eunuch Fuming. Most people would give Laixi some face out of respect for Fuming, but Laixi was an impatient and ambitious man. He believed that his abilities were no less than those of the old man Fuming, but he was suppressed by Fuming. So, he secretly pledged his allegiance to the Third Prince and worked with Consort Xi in the palace. When the Third Prince ascended the throne, Eunuch Laixi would be the chief eunuch in the palace!

Not only has the Chu Prince's mansion neglected him for a long time, but they've also sent a little maid to speak ill of him indirectly. Now, who in the palace doesn't know the status of Eunuch Lai Xi?

"Ahem, who's making such a racket outside!"

Shi Shu couldn't help but feel a pain in her teeth from listening to that hoarse voice. She made Xiao Hong kneel at the door, went in, and looked around.

"Xiao Hong, come in and see if these are the people who came from the palace."

Xiao Hong wiped away her tears, looked around the flower hall and saw three people. She nodded, confirming that these were indeed the three people who had come.

The attendant said, "Guards, arrest these people who are impersonating palace angels. When the prince returns, interrogate them thoroughly to find out what their motives are for sneaking into the palace!"

Lai Xi's expression changed drastically. He frowned and coldly rebuked, "How dare you! We are servants of Consort Xi, how dare you treat us with such disrespect!"

"Hmph, you dare to try and pin your finger on Consort Xi? You've really got some nerve. But even if you've managed to get close to Consort Xi, so what? This is the Chu Prince's residence, and the mistress of the house is the Chu Prince's wife. If you brought up the Empress, we might hesitate a bit, but she's just a concubine. Is that enough to justify your arrogance? Take her down!"

"You! How dare you say that Consort Xi is nothing more than a concubine! You! I must go back and tell the Empress and the Emperor that you just wait, it's nothing more than the Chu Prince's Mansion. After today, the Chu Prince's Mansion will probably be replaced. If you know what's good for you, you'd better go to the palace banquet. If the Empress Dowager finds out, you'll be in deep trouble!"

"How dare they curse the Chu Prince's Mansion and claim they're not fake! Guards, this is a tough nut to crack! Take them away and interrogate them properly!" Shi Shu wasn't so angry before, but now that she heard someone speak ill of the Chu Prince's Mansion like that, she was even more furious.

A group of people rushed in and surrounded the three of them. In just a few breaths, Shi Shu had already fed them pills.

Lai Xi clutched his neck and howled, "What is this! What did you feed me?!"

"These are just some things to make you behave, but if you don't, they'll probably be deadly poison."

That day, a scout reported that many officials' wives had entered the palace. She had previously instructed the Ning family not to attend any banquets when the men were not at home, so there was nothing to say about them not going this time. On the contrary, the Meng family, the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion, sent people, and it was the old lady who personally led her niece there.

"I really don't know what Madam Meng was thinking. How could she bring a niece from another family into the palace? Her status isn't even qualified," Ruhua muttered as she helped serve the dishes.

"Didn't the Princess specifically instruct the Marquis? How come... did the Marquis not understand? Should I go again, Princess?" Siqi had been by Gu Qingwan's side the longest, so she knew that the Princess was most worried about Miss Meng.

“No need. I think the Marquis has listened to what I said. That’s why you see that neither Madam Meng nor Yanran went, but the Old Madam did. That can only mean one thing: Old Madam Meng is stubborn and won’t listen to advice.” Gu Qingwan couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s just a pity for Marquis Yongyi. After all, she is his mother. He has done so much for his wife and children, which shows his responsibility. Otherwise, it would be heartbreaking. Since ancient times, blind filial piety has ruined a family without exception.”

"Today is destined to be anything but peaceful. Everyone, hurry up and have a good meal, then take turns resting. The daytime will be fine, but the night will be tough for everyone."

Gu Qingwan is the kind of person who will share anything she thinks is delicious with those around her. So tonight, the entire Chu Prince's mansion ate something incredibly spicy. Even though it was still spring, everyone was sweating profusely, and some who couldn't handle spicy food wished they could soak themselves in a well.

"I say, Lord Ning, does our Princess Consort have such heavy tastes? This... this is too enjoyable." In addition to those trained by Xiao Jia and Xiao Yi, many of these soldiers were veterans who had nowhere else to go and were willing to serve as soldiers in the Prince of Chu's residence. Each of them was highly skilled and could easily take on ten men.

"I think it's fine. You don't know that my family is from Sichuan. We can't live without spicy food. Sigh, since I came to the capital, my mouth has become so bland that I don't even taste bird's breath anymore. It's thanks to the Princess's consideration that we've never had oil-splashed noodles. If the Princess likes this, I can also make hot and sour noodles, which would be even more delicious!"

Upon hearing this, Ning put down the water ladle and said, "I'll go find Ruhua in a bit and have her ask you how that was made, and whether it's suitable for the Princess."

"No problem, no problem, leave this to me. I will definitely tell Ruhua everything I know."

Some were even more extreme, always feeling that they had countless primordial powers within them that they couldn't release, so they took turns patrolling, and those who weren't patrolling would go to the martial arts arena in the Prince's mansion to have a match.

The spring sun shone on the Prince's Palace's drill ground, making the blue brick paving shine. Banners fluttered all around, and swords and spears stood in a forest. The Prince's soldiers stood in formation, their iron armor gleaming coldly, and an atmosphere of grim determination permeated the air.

On the sidelines, the princess sat high on the viewing platform, holding a teacup, her gaze sharp. She had originally intended to rest after dinner, but hearing that everyone in the arena was eager to try their skills, and having nothing else to do, she figured she might as well go and see what tricks they could come up with.

"First round, mounted archery!" the messenger shouted, and two knights spurred their horses forward. One held a strong bow, the other a long arrow; their hooves thundered, raising clouds of dust. The arrow pierced the air, striking the bullseye a hundred paces away, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Next came the foot combat competition. Two burly soldiers, wielding long wooden swords, clashed in the arena. The swords flashed, the wooden blades clashed, producing dull thuds. One of them suddenly changed his move, slashing diagonally with his sword. His opponent staggered back, but he gritted his teeth and steadied himself, then swung his sword back, forcing his opponent to parry repeatedly.

The most intense fighting was the close-quarters combat. A lithe young soldier, unarmed, defeated several men in succession, finally facing off against the veteran instructor of the Prince's mansion. The two fought with lightning speed and ruthless moves, drawing the attention of everyone. Suddenly, the young soldier used a grappling move, twisting the instructor's wrist and using the momentum to throw him to the ground.

"Excellent!" Gu Qingwan slammed her hand on the table and stood up, declaring loudly, "This young man is brave and should be the commander of the personal guards!"

Amidst cheers from the crowd, the young soldier knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in gratitude. On the martial arts field, the victors were full of pride, while the losers were completely convinced of their defeat, ready to fight again next year.

As the sun set and night quietly enveloped the earth, it couldn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm. Just as everyone was ready to fight, their lips burning red and steam rising from their heads, a lookout came to report that countless people were heading towards the Prince's mansion, preparing to surround it.

"Damn it, I was just looking for a place to vent my anger, and now this guy's come looking for trouble. Brothers, we don't need to use our own brothers as practice. Someone's brought over their necks, and if we don't snap them one by one, that's just not manly!"

"Let's go! Let's beat that bear up!"

Gu Qingwan looked up at the sky. It was a bright and sunny day, but somehow, layers of dark clouds had appeared in the sky. Gu Qingwan reached out and caught the raindrops that were quietly falling from the sky.

Baoqin helped Gu Qingwan up, saying, "Your Highness, it seems the weather is about to change."

"Yes, spring has arrived, and all things are reviving. A few spring thunderclaps would be good to deter the bugs hiding in the corners. We should also send someone to keep an eye on Grandma's side; nothing can happen there."

"Yes, I will go and give the order right away."

The rain was heavy, and the people outside seemed to be only monitoring the Chu King's residence and did not take any further action.

Gu Qingwan leaned against the window, her slender fingers gently stroking her swollen belly, feeling the movement of the little life inside. Outside the window, raindrops pattered on the bluestone slabs, making a crackling sound like countless tiny drumbeats.

"Your Highness, it's late, you should rest." Your personal maid, Baoqin, gently reminded you, holding a bowl of warm medicine to help with pregnancy.

Gu Qingwan took the medicine bowl, but her brows furrowed slightly. Born into a military family, she had been exposed to danger from a young age and had an almost instinctive intuition for it.

"Is there anything unusual in the manor tonight?" she suddenly asked, her voice soft yet sharp.

Baoqin was taken aback, then shook her head: "Your Highness, everything is as usual. It's just..." She hesitated, "Half an hour ago, the guard at the back gate said he saw several dark figures loitering outside the mansion, but the rain was too heavy to see clearly."