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

Chapter 36 My First Friend: Meng Yanran

Everyone chimed in with their own words, and no one wanted to offend Madam Ning at this moment.

"Madam Ning should be happy on this wonderful day. Since Miss Gu is here, let her younger sister take her to play in the garden. It's rather boring for her to stay with us."

“Yes, sister, let’s go out together. Let me introduce you properly.” Gu Hanjiao smiled and took Gu Qingwan’s hand.

The Prime Minister's wife, Wang Ruyan, had also recovered by this time. It was worth noting that she had put in a lot of effort to become the Prime Minister's wife; without certain abilities, she certainly wouldn't have gained the Prime Minister's approval.

"Qingwan, you go with Jiao'er. Jiao'er knows most of the young ladies outside, so you can look out for each other if you're together," Wang Ruyan said.

When Gu Qingwan saw her aunt nod, she knew that her aunt also wanted her to go out for a walk, so she did not refuse, got up to take her leave and went out with Siqi.

Once outside, Gu Hanjiao still held her hand affectionately. Gu Qingwan stopped when she saw that they had walked far enough. Gu Hanjiao was walking along when she was suddenly pulled, and she almost stumbled and was dragged down.

"What are you doing! My young lady kindly led you around, how can you be so ungrateful!" Chunlu yelled at Gu Qingwan. "Miss, are you alright?"

"It's alright, it was probably just an accident."

A mere maid dares to yell at her mistress like that; this is the incompetence of her personal guards. She's going to go up and give this Chunlu a good slap across the face first.

"A mere servant dares to yell at the eldest daughter of the main wife! The Prime Minister's family is truly well-mannered!" A sharp shout came from behind them, and Gu Hanjiao's expression hardened.

A young lady dressed in a purple short-sleeved dress, with her hair styled in a double bun adorned with a few scattered pearl flowers, strode over, looking at what was happening ahead with a rather angry expression.

"Hmph, I had no idea that the eldest daughter's position in the manor was so high that even a lowly maid could bully her? If this were in our Marquis's manor, I would definitely have my father beat her to death."

Chunlu lowered her head and dared not speak, standing behind Gu Hanjiao. Gu Hanjiao looked at her maid being scolded like this; the other party was practically pointing at her face and cursing her.

"Sister Meng, you've probably misunderstood. My little maid was just worried about me. You almost pulled me down just now, but perhaps you didn't mean it. Luckily, I caught you in time. I've already reprimanded her, so please don't trouble yourself anymore."

Gu Hanjiao meant that even if the servants of our Prime Minister's Mansion made mistakes, it was because they were eager to protect their master. They had both faults and merits. Even if they were to be reprimanded, it was up to her to do it herself. Even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner.

"you!"

At this moment, Gu Qingwan grabbed her hand. "It's my fault. I've never seen such a big scene before and I was a little nervous. Sister, you go ahead. I'll stay here for a while."

"How can I leave my older sister here alone? I'd better go with my younger sister."

"Go by yourself, Miss Gu. I'll accompany you, so don't let me hinder your display of talent, Miss Gu!"

When Gu Hanjiao saw Gu Qingwan holding her hand and the maidservants beside her laughing, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. She thought that it was Gu Qingwan's own unwillingness to go, and it had nothing to do with her. It was better that Gu Qingwan didn't go. If she went, people would only call her Second Miss, constantly reminding her that she had gone from being an illegitimate child to a legitimate one.

Having figured it out, I stopped arguing with them, since the Third Prince should have arrived by now.

Today, the Second Prince's residence is hosting a banquet. There was no mention of separate seats for male guests, but some precautions were taken to protect the reputation of the women. The venue was set up by the lake in the residence, with male guests on one side and female guests on the other. The lake is not very large, so you can just see the other side.

After Gu Hanjiao left, Gu Qingwan turned around and said to the young lady in front of her, "Thank you, Miss Meng."

"It's nothing, I just can't stand those people who abuse their power." Miss Meng scratched her head a little embarrassedly.

Gu Qingwan recognized the young lady in front of her. She was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi. The old lady who had spoken for her in the room was her grandmother. Her grandmother was a lively person who would attend any banquet, big or small. Her granddaughter, Meng Yanran, was also cheerful and outgoing.

In her past life, this woman married the second prince as a concubine. She was unhappy her whole life, and in the end, this sunny woman also perished in the royal harem. It's such a pity.

If Gu Qingwan remembered correctly, it was after this flower-viewing banquet that Meng Yanran inexplicably became the Second Prince's concubine. Gu Qingwan narrowed her eyes, thinking that this was probably orchestrated.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Is my makeup ruined?"

"No, I'm just very grateful to you. You came at just the right time."

“I saw you inside just now. My grandmother told me to come out and keep you company. She was right. Your sister… hmph, she still left you behind. I just don’t like her. What a hypocrite!” Meng Yanran made a face.

"Yeah, I'm also alone. If you're free, how about we keep each other company?"

“Okay, I don’t like those people up ahead either. They’re all so aloof and pretentious. You’re much more to my liking.” Meng Yanran took Gu Qingwan’s hand. “However, you should still come with me. I’ll lead you to a quiet spot up ahead to watch the show. Let Gu Hanjiao know that she shouldn’t use the name of the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister’s mansion anymore.”

Although Meng Yanran has a gentle name, she has a fiery personality. As she spoke, she pulled Gu Qingwan towards the lake.

The lakeside was indeed very lively. It was filled with all kinds of potted flowers and plants, and tea, snacks and fruits were placed in the pavilions for the ladies to enjoy. The ladies gathered in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing.

People saw Meng Yanran leading a stranger over and, out of curiosity, gathered around.

"Yanran, who are you with? Are they relatives?"

"No, that's not true. My family doesn't have such a beautiful relative. This is my good friend Gu Qingwan, the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family."

"The eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family?"

"Isn't it Gu Hanjiao?"

"Yes, yes."

The people started talking again. Gu Qingwan stepped forward and said, "Hello everyone, my name is Gu Qingwan. My father is Prime Minister Gu, and my mother is from the Ningguo Duke's family."

"Oh, it's you! What brings you here?"

At this moment, a pair of sisters walked out from the crowd. These were the Li sisters whom they had met in the Treasure Pavilion. The one speaking was Li Jingge.

"She's the eldest daughter of the Gu family, why can't she come!" Meng Yanran stood protectively in front of Gu Qingwan like a mother hen.

"What does this have to do with you, Meng Yanran? Why are you everywhere? What Gu family, what young lady? I've never seen such a person in the capital. Meng Yanran, don't be fooled by some country bumpkin." Li Jingge crossed her arms. "Last time, my sister and I went to Caiyi Pavilion and we ran into her. At that time, she couldn't even afford the clothes at Caiyi Pavilion."

If we're talking about Li Jingge's arch-enemy, Meng Yanran is definitely number one. The two either don't meet at all, or they start fighting the moment they do. When they were little, they would fight, but now that they're older and know that girls shouldn't fight, they just argue verbally.

"Huh? No way?" Everyone turned their skeptical gazes to Gu Qingwan.

Gu Qingwan smiled and said to Yanran, "Thank you for speaking up for me, Yanran. As for my identity, I think Miss Gu the Second can attest to it, can't you, my dear sister?"