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

Chapter 289 The Future Top Scholar

She looked at Xiao Jingchen with a tender and pitiful expression, but the latter didn't give her a single look of pity.

Xiao Jingchen remained silent throughout, yet his presence beside Gu Qingwan conveyed a sense of unspoken support.

Wenrou felt resentful. Why? Why couldn't this person see her? No matter what she said or did, he never spared her a glance. Even a single glance would have made her feel that her persistence was meaningful, but he was just so stingy and refused to give her anything.

Siqi pursed her lips. She really overestimated herself. She even called herself a young lady from a prestigious family. Look at how desperate she was to fawn over him. It was really unacceptable.

"Siqi, go and invite the manager of Duobaoge over so he can take a look at this kingfisher feather ornament and see who it belongs to."

"Don't worry, Madam, I'll go right away." Before leaving, Siqi glared at the vendor.

The vendor is now a little scared. He's done this many times before, but the other party usually follows the principle of "better to avoid trouble" and leaves after paying.

It seems we've really hit a brick wall today.

The vendor wiped the sweat from his brow. The surrounding chatter was growing louder. If things continued like this, and the lady in front of him found out, wouldn't he be in deep trouble?

Moreover, the man next to her was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

The vendor regretted his actions, wondering why he had provoked the woman in front of him. He had only noticed the woman's simple attire and easygoing manner, but hadn't seen the man beside her.

"Let's just say we've got this. It's nothing much, so let's just give it to Madam."

The vendor was packing up to leave.

Xiao Jingchen raised his chin, and Xiao Yi immediately understood and stood next to the vendor, carrying things in his hands but not hindering his movements at all.

"Hey, young boss, don't go! You've wronged my wife by accusing her of not paying and taking your things. We haven't even sorted things out yet, what kind of nonsense is this if you leave now?"

"I...I don't want it anymore, okay?" The vendor was sweating a little on his back, and he was becoming more and more certain that the other party was not an ordinary person.

"No, no, my young master can't bear to see his wife suffer such injustice. Besides, my young lady has already had a dispute with his wife because of you. If this isn't resolved, how will she explain it to her family when she goes back?"

Wenrou pursed her lips tightly. She glanced at the kingfisher feather ornament and could tell that although it looked ordinary, it was actually a good piece. At the very least, the craftsmanship was clearly that of an old artisan who had painstakingly crafted it. It was definitely not something that this small vendor could afford to sell.

Wenrou felt a little regretful. She shouldn't have acted so impulsively. Why couldn't she stay calm and composed every time she faced Gu Qingwan?

Her maid, Xiaoxin, couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to defend her mistress: "You! My mistress is just being kind-hearted. How could she have a dispute with your mistress? Is it wrong for her to say a few words of justice?"

"Miss, don't be afraid, Madam is nearby. Let's go find her..."

As they were talking, Siqi pulled the manager of Duobaoge over, panting.

"Miss Siqi, you're young and don't have any worries, but I'm already quite old. If I keep running like this, I'm afraid I'll suddenly die," Manager Wu said, panting heavily.

Damn it, he had just finished looking at the things the boss brought over with Manager Wang, and even discussed how to launch the new products more effectively, but before he could even start talking, Siqi had him half-supported by the arm and forced to run over.

"Oh, Manager Wu, it's not that Madam is in trouble and needs your help from so far away." Siqi was also a little embarrassed, forgetting that Manager Wu was also an old man.

"What! Madam is in trouble! Where is she? Where is she?" Manager Wu, without batting an eye, immediately became alert.

They must have a death wish! The boss is the Princess Consort of Chu, with a prince holding a knife standing behind her. Who would dare to mess with her? The prince would chop off their head in one go!

Gu Qingwan said with a smile, "Manager Wu, thank you for making this trip in person."

Gu Qingwan's voice is like a clear mountain spring, its melodious sound soothing and calming.

Manager Wu quickly calmed down. He knew that his boss didn't want others to know what businesses she owned, so he also put on a businesslike demeanor.

"No, no, I'm just a small business owner, so naturally I have to provide good service to my customers. I wonder if there's anything you can do for me, Madam?"

Wenrou immediately understood. It was obvious that the kingfisher feather ornament must have come from the Treasure Pavilion, which was why Gu Qingwan was able to confront her with such confidence.

After a moment's thought, she quickly said, "It's like this, this vendor is falsely accusing my cousin and his family of taking his things without paying. My cousin isn't good with words, and it's not a big deal, but I'd still trouble you to take a look at these two items."

Look how gentle and eloquent she is. Just now she was siding with the street vendor, trying to pin all the blame on Gu Qingwan. Now that she sees the situation is not going well, she quickly changed her tune. She can say both good and bad things all by herself.

Shopkeeper Wu looked closely and said, "What's so interesting about this? That kingfisher feather ornament does indeed belong to Madam, because she just took it from my Treasure Pavilion."

"Shopkeeper, look closely! Why is Duobao Pavilion selling such ordinary jewelry? Could it be that you recognized my identity and are lying?" Xiao Xin questioned from the side.

"Xiao Xin," Wenrou called out to her maid with a hint of disapproval.

Those around them immediately understood that the maid meant that the couple were important people with extraordinary status, so Manager Wu was protecting them.

But since he's a distinguished person, why would he care about a little bit of money? It's truly baffling.

"How can you speak like that, little girl? Do you know who the young master's wife is? How can you say such things? Besides, Duobao Pavilion has always conducted business with integrity and has never given anyone special treatment because of their status!"

As he spoke, Manager Wu snatched the kingfisher feather from the vendor's hand and said, "This kingfisher feather is from my Duobao Pavilion. Customers who have bought things from my Duobao Pavilion know that everything in my Duobao Pavilion has its own mark, but the location of the mark is not always clear."

As he spoke, Manager Wu turned the kingfisher feather ornament over, and sure enough, the Duobaoge logo was printed under the flower base.

Manager Wu even showed it to the surrounding people, and everyone craned their necks to see that it was indeed true. Moreover, it was personally confirmed by the manager himself, so there was no way it could be fake.

Everyone looked at the vendor with condemnation.

The street vendor's legs went weak; he had indeed run into a brick wall. What was he going to do?

Gu Qingwan said, "Thank you very much, Manager Wu."

"No problem, no problem. Since these are my family's belongings, we will naturally take full responsibility for them," said Manager Wu, who seemed very agreeable.

"Siqi, take Manager Wu back and prepare a thank-you gift."

"No need, no need, Madam, you're busy. It's not far from here to the Treasure Pavilion, I can walk back by myself."

On one hand, Manager Wu really didn't want to trouble his boss anymore, and on the other hand, he was also frightened by Siqi, the little girl. He didn't want to be carried around like that again. It was too exciting, and his heart was in his throat, as if he could throw up at any moment.

Shopkeeper Wu walked out of the crowd with a cheerful smile.

Wenrou, supported by Xiaoxin, didn't say anything more.

Gu Qingwan had no interest in wasting time here. She glanced at the vendor, who was so frightened that he almost knelt on the ground.

"Madam, I'm so sorry, I was blind and mistook it for something else, Madam..."

"Siqi, buy everything and take it home to play with." Gu Qingwan didn't want to get entangled; she was just a cunning person. She glanced at Wenrou but didn't say anything.

"Shall we go?" Xiao Jingchen asked.

"Mmm." She placed her hand in his large, warm palm and followed him without saying another word to Wenrou.

The street vendor found it somewhat unbelievable.

"That's...that's it?"

The other party just let me off the hook like that? And I even bought his stuff?

"Otherwise, my wife is kind-hearted. Although what you did was wrong, she's letting you off the hook because you're the breadwinner. Just don't do it again, or you might end up in the capital's magistrate's office."

Everything was packed up. Siqi took out a gold ingot from her purse. "Is this enough to buy everything here?"

The vendor turned around, his eyes fixed on the gold ingot: "That's enough...that's enough, no, no, no, you don't need this much, I...I'll give you change..."

"No need, you can keep it. Just don't do this again."

The vendor cried while clutching the gold ingot, "I'll never do it again! I was bewitched! I'll never do it again!"

Siqi packed up all the things in the bundle and threw them to Xiaoyi. Xiaoyi was speechless. It was so heavy!

But what could he do? He couldn't very well let Siqi get it, nor could he let his master get it. Oh well, he'd just have to suffer the consequences himself.

Wenrou watched the other person's departing figure, especially the beautiful figure beside him, which was particularly irritating. Last time, she sent someone to assassinate him but failed. She didn't expect Gu Qingwan to be so difficult to deal with.

But it's okay, there's still a long way to go, and there are still many methods we haven't tried yet. Gu Qingwan, I wonder if you can handle it?

"Miss, Miss, we've finally found you! Madam said the shopping is almost done and wants you to come back with her."

The maidservant beside Madam Jiang squeezed through the crowd, and after regaining her senses, she left with Xiao Xin. She glanced thoughtfully at the stall vendor, thinking that although she couldn't do anything to Gu Qingwan, it would be good to damage her reputation.

At the very least, let my cousin know that Gu Qingwan is good for nothing and can only cause him trouble.

The result... hehe

Those who had come to watch the spectacle realized there was nothing exciting to see and dispersed on their own.

Gu Qingwan and Xiao Jingchen continued their shopping hand in hand, clearly undeterred by the earlier incident.

At a relatively secluded corner, a small stall selling calligraphy and paintings caught Gu Qingwan's attention.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Jingchen asked.

"It's nothing. There's a calligraphy and painting shop over there. Let's go take a look."

Xiao Jingchen naturally had no objections. He glanced at Xiao Yi, who had followed with his large and small bundles, and felt that he had a bit of a hard time.

"Put your things back in the carriage before you come back."

“But Master…” Xiao Yi felt that it wouldn’t be good for Master to be alone.

"It's alright, we'll wait for you here. Go on, Siqi is here too." Gu Qingwan also felt that Xiao Yi had had a hard time.

Xiao Yi thought about it and figured it was broad daylight, so there was nothing wrong with it. Besides, there were the prince's guards around, so it shouldn't be a big deal in just a short while.

So Xiao Yi nodded and went.

When the man selling calligraphy and paintings looked up, Gu Qingwan's breath hitched; it was him.

Shao Yuanqing.

Shao Yuanqing was a very talented person. He would later become the top scholar in the imperial examination in Daqing. However, before that, he was taken back by Xiao Yuheng's men when he was down on his luck.

Shao Yuanqing was a grateful person. He received Xiao Yuheng's financial assistance and became the top scholar in the imperial examination. Naturally, Xiao Yuheng also offered him advice and strategies. However, Shao Yuanqing was an upright person, and Xiao Yuheng rarely involved him in his plans.

He was only asked to offer advice on state affairs, and each of his suggestions made the emperor look at Xiao Yuheng in a different light.

It was precisely because of this that, in order to keep Shao Yuanqing by his side for longer, he used his power to prevent Shao Yuanqing from participating in the scientific expedition twice, until the third time.

I heard that when she was deposed by Xiao Yuheng, he spoke up for her and impeached Xiao Yuheng and Gu Hanjiao in the court, especially criticizing Gu Hanjiao to the extreme.

Gu Hanjiao resented his ruthlessness towards her and whispered in Xiao Yuheng's ear as if she wanted to turn his pillow talk into a typhoon. Coincidentally, Xiao Yuheng also disliked Shao Yuanqing's accusations against him and demoted him again and again.

It's such a pity that such a talented person was wasted; he shouldn't have been driven by someone like Xiao Yuheng.

The fact that Shao Yuanqing is still selling paintings on the street means that Xiao Yuheng has not yet discovered him.

Shao Yuanqing had set up a stall here, but hadn't sold a single painting that day. Bored, he was reading a book when suddenly a shadow fell on the page he was looking at.

Shao Yuanqing looked up and saw that the person was as bright as the moon, which made him feel a little dazed. Could it be that a fairy from heaven had descended to earth?

Xiao Jingchen was somewhat displeased. He exuded a cold aura that made Shao Yuanqing shiver.

Gu Qingwan naturally knew that her master was unhappy. She affectionately took Xiao Jingchen's hand and said, "Husband, look how beautiful this painting is."

Xiao Jingchen naturally noticed this person's painting as well. Just as Wanwan said, this person's painting had a strong character and showed that he was ambitious.

"Madam, please take a look. If you like it, then..."

"How much does this painting cost?"

Shao Yuanqing frowned and thought for a moment: "You can decide how much to give."

Gu Qingwan took out a gold ingot and placed it on his table, startling Shao Yuanqing.

"No, no, no, madam, we don't need that much."

"Don't be nervous, your painting is worth it. Actually, what I gave you is not much. In the future, your paintings will definitely be priceless."

When Shao Yuanqing heard the lady in front of him praising him like this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Madam is too kind. I... I am just a poor scholar, currently on my way to the capital for the imperial examinations. I have no money left, so I am selling paintings here. I..."

Gu Qingwan seemed unconcerned. She picked through his painting basket and said, "You today don't define you in the future. There's a saying, 'Don't underestimate a young man's potential.' I trust my judgment. Alright, this is the painting I'll take. Siqi, let's go."

She was only after he had money; if she gave him money, he wouldn't be easily abducted by Xiao Yuheng.

Watching the lady's departing figure, he said loudly, "Madam, if I pass the imperial examination in the future, I will definitely repay you!"

Siqi smiled and asked, "Just because you know who my wife is, you're going to pay her back?"

"Then please tell her, young lady, that I will repay even the smallest kindness tenfold."

Siqi knew that since the princess hadn't introduced herself, she wouldn't reveal any information about her. Siqi put the painting away, placed a silver ingot inside, and then gave her a box containing loose silver coins.

"No, no, no."

"When you get to high school, you'll naturally find out who my wife is. Good luck."

Seeing that Siqi was about to leave, Shao Yuanqing quickly stuffed a few more paintings into Siqi's arms. He knew that this money was enough for him to prepare for the exam in the capital without worry, and he wouldn't have to set up a stall anymore.

The lady and her husband looked like people of high status. Perhaps he would only be qualified to meet her after he graduated from high school.

Xiao Jingchen was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Why are you treating him differently?"

Gu Qingwan hugged his arm and said, "Husband, just consider this a test of your wife's judgment. I think that person might become the top scholar in the imperial examination someday."

Xiao Jingchen suddenly remembered what Gu Qingwan had told him before, and understood. "Then why not just tell him about the Chu Prince's Mansion?"

"Scholars are naturally proud and aloof. As long as they can serve the common people and be good officials, what does it matter whether they know the Prince of Chu's mansion or not?"

Xiao Jingchen chuckled and patted her head.