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

Chapter 286 The Dispute in Front of the Marquis of Yongyi's Residence

People around were initially focused on the Princess Consort of Chu, since the Chu Prince's residence was a very attractive prospect. If they could catch the Princess Consort's eye, it would be beneficial to their families in the future.

"Is that so? You're not a concubine, then what are you in the Yongyi Marquis's mansion? How come you can represent the master of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion to greet us at the gate?"

Shen Xiaoru felt a little nervous when she saw everyone staring at her. However, the question asked by the Princess of Chu hit the nail on the head. She was just worried about how to introduce herself to others. The way the ladies and young ladies who came earlier looked at her with such wariness made her feel extremely annoyed.

"Your Highness, I am..."

"How dare you! How dare you refer to yourselves as 'I' in front of the Princess!" Siqi scolded from the side.

Shen Xiaoru pursed her lips and changed her form of address: "Please forgive me, Your Highness, this humble servant..."

"Whose concubine are you? How dare a concubine speak to the Princess Consort like that? You have quite the nerve!" Shi Shu retorted easily.

……

Everyone could see that this woman, no matter who she was from the Marquis of Yongyi's household, had offended the Princess Consort of Chu. Offending the Princess Consort of Chu meant offending the Chu royal family, and it was best not to associate with such people, regardless of their background.

Once they realized this, those who had been standing close to Shen Xiaoru quickly took two steps back, making Shen Xiaoru lose face.

"Why must you be so aggressive, sister? You've completely lost the magnanimity and tolerance that the prince is supposed to be."

Gu Qingwan didn't turn around, but she recognized the voice as that of her dear second sister, Gu Hanjiao.

Gu Hanjiao, heavily pregnant, was carefully supported by Qiu Shuang as she walked over step by step, as if her feet were floating on lotus flowers.

Li Qianyu, who was walking inside with the Second Prince's wife, also heard a familiar voice. When she looked, it really was her troublesome concubine. Her brows furrowed immediately. Why did she come here?

Yesterday, she begged the Third Prince to bring her over, but he refused. After all, who goes out without their principal wife but with a concubine? Wouldn't that be a laughingstock for no reason? Last night, the Third Prince was supposed to stay at her place, but because she kept making a fuss, he got angry and came to the main courtyard instead.

Why did she come by herself today? It seems I underestimated Gu Hanjiao.

"What, are all concubines this arrogant now? Do they all want to ride roughshod over me?" Gu Qingwan didn't even glance at her, her attitude truly arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

This infuriated Gu Hanjiao. Ever since Huaiyu, her temper had become increasingly worse. It was common for her to lose her temper and yell or hit people in her own courtyard. Even the Third Prince had recently become somewhat unable to tolerate her temper.

But now that they're outside, if she loses her temper, let alone whether the Third Prince can protect her, Gu Qingwan's status as the Princess Consort of Chu alone would be enough to skin her alive. But Gu Hanjiao still can't swallow this anger.

"Doesn't your conscience hurt when your sister talks about her own younger sister like this in public?"

Siqi walked up to Gu Hanjiao with a blank expression. Gu Hanjiao was intimidated as soon as she saw Siqi. This girl knew martial arts. Was she going to hit her if she got close?

As expected, Siqi lived up to Gu Hanjiao's expectations and slapped her twice as soon as she got there.

"How dare you call our Princess Consort your sister? Consort Gu, please know your place!"

"You lowly servant! How dare you hit me!" Gu Hanjiao finally lost her temper, covering her swollen face as she said, "She's surnamed Gu, and so am I. We have the same father, so why can't I call her 'sister'!"

Lady Jiang, the wife of the Duke of Wen, arrived with Wenrou. She scoffed and said, "That's right. You can't even write the word 'Gu' in Chinese. It's not nice for the Princess Consort to act like she doesn't recognize her family after getting married. If you ask me, we're all sisters. We should at least show some respect to each other outside. Besides, this person is a concubine of the Third Prince. She should at least give the Third Prince some face."

Wenrou whispered from the side, "Mother, you'd better say less, in case the Princess gets angry..."

"Angry? Probably not. After all, I am the Princess's elder. How can a junior hold a grudge against an elder?"

Lady Jiang, the wife of the Duke of Wen, hated Gu Qingwan for being a stuntman who stole her daughter's good marriage. If it weren't for her, her daughter Wenrou would be the Princess Consort of Chu now.

And the last time she reminded the Empress Dowager in the palace to copy the "Admonitions for Women," Wenrou told her everything when she came back. How could she not hold a grudge!

Gu Qingwan thought it was quite a coincidence that all sorts of strange and wonderful things had come together. She turned around and glanced at Shen Xiaoru, who was pretending to be pitiful. Shen Xiaoru was so frightened that she almost shrank her head into her clothes.

Gu Qingwan said, "What the Duchess of Wen said is true. Logically speaking, I should indeed address the Duchess of Wen as my aunt, just like the Prince. She is indeed an elder, but..."

Gu Qingwan deliberately dragged out her words, then turned her gaze to Gu Hanjiao and continued, "Logically speaking, since the Third Prince calls Your Highness 'Royal Uncle,' then I am surely the Third Prince's elder. So, isn't it a bit inappropriate for Consort Gu to call me 'sister'?"

"Hehe, Princess Consort of Chu is indeed eloquent. I have always wondered why the King of Chu insisted on marrying you, but now I understand after witnessing your eloquence."

Lady Jiang, the wife of the Duke of Wen, was subtly mocking Gu Qingwan for her sweet talk and pillow talk, which had completely fooled the Prince of Chu.

At this moment, the Third Prince's wife quickly came out from inside and apologized to the Princess Consort of Chu: "I am so sorry, Your Majesty. I failed to properly manage the concubines in the mansion and caused you trouble."

“I know you’re a good person. What does this have to do with you? Don’t take it to heart.”

Li Qianyu was grateful that Gu Qingwan hadn't gotten caught in the crossfire, but she was also annoyed by her.

At this moment, Madam Meng, who had heard the commotion outside, along with the Prince of Chu, the Third Prince, the Second Prince, and others who had already gone inside, also came out.

When Xiao Yuheng saw the person standing there dressed in white, with a large pregnant belly, covering her cheeks, and with red eyes, it was none other than Gu Hanjiao.

He quickly stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing here?"

As soon as Gu Hanjiao saw Xiao Yuheng arrive, she said, "Brother Heng, I've come to give you something. I also made a gift for the young master of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion for you. You left in a hurry yesterday and forgot to give it to you."

As soon as she finished speaking, she asked someone to bring over the thing she had carefully prepared. It was a baby stroller, a baby stroller that was absolutely impossible to find in ancient times. It would definitely help the Third Prince win over the Marquis of Yongyi's family.

But before she could even begin to plan, Xiao Yuheng said in a low voice, "The princess consort has already prepared the gifts. What are you doing, running away with your big belly! Go back right now!"

Xiao Jingchen walked over to Gu Qingwan and asked her how she was feeling.

Gu Qingwan shook her head. Xiao Jingchen was a doting husband. Without his princess saying anything, how could he possibly give up such a good opportunity to show his abilities?

"Mistress, if you can't manage your own household affairs, you should stay home and straighten things out before coming to court!"

"Uncle, Jiao'er meant well. I forgot to bring a gift. Jiao'er just brought it over and didn't mean anything by it. I apologize for offending you, Aunt. I will bring you a gift later to soothe your nerves."

"Consort Gu, is that right?" Xiao Jingchen suddenly shifted his gaze to Gu Hanjiao. Gu Hanjiao trembled in fright and moved even closer to Xiao Yuheng.

"Ha! If I ever hear you calling the Princess Consort your sister again, I'll rip out your tongue! Trying to take advantage of the Chu Prince's residence? You don't even know your place!"

Xiao Yuheng gave Li Qianyu a look. Li Qianyu was also helpless. This Consort Gu sometimes seemed to be extremely intelligent, and sometimes she seemed extremely stupid. This Duchess of Wen was obviously using her as a raft, and her purpose was to cause trouble for the Princess of Chu. But she just had to run into her hands.

Li Qianyu had her maids and servants help Gu Hanjiao up, and bowed to Madam Meng, saying, "Madam, I'm so sorry. I caught a chill last night and was feeling alright this morning, but now I have a cough. I'm afraid it might be bad for the young masters, so I'll head back now. Please don't be angry with me."

Madam Meng could easily see what was going on at the door. The Third Prince's wife's words were nothing more than giving each other a way out. Madam Meng quickly said, "What are you saying? If the Prince's wife is not feeling well, she should go back and rest. Today is just our family's third-day celebration. The Third Prince's wife will have to do us the honor of coming again when the baby is full-month old."

"That's natural." After explaining, the Third Prince's wife said to the Prince of Chu and his wife, "Uncle and Aunt, I'll take my leave now."

Gu Hanjiao was about to say something. She had finally managed to get out, and it had cost her a lot of money to get the guards at the gate to relax their guards and give her the chance. Now that she hadn't even shown off her masterpiece, what kind of person would she be if she just went back like this?

"No! I still need to give the young master a gift. You'll all be incredibly shocked when you see it!"

"What are you all standing there for! Is this how you serve Consort Gu when she's pregnant? Hurry up and go back, or you'll be in big trouble if anything happens to Consort Gu!" Li Qianyu whispered to the maids and servants beside her.

The maids and servants quickly helped Gu Hanjiao up and left. Just as Gu Hanjiao was about to say something, one of the servants took a handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth when no one was looking. The taste of it almost made Gu Hanjiao vomit.

The farce at the door temporarily ended with Consort Gu's departure. When no one was paying attention, Shen Xiaoru whispered something in Old Madam Meng's ear, and Old Madam Meng looked at Gu Qingwan with some displeasure.

Gu Qingwan could tell that the old lady was probably annoyed with her.

Just as the old lady was about to speak, the King of Chu said, "Does Marquis Yongyi not welcome me?"

"What makes you say that, Your Highness?" Old Madam Meng asked in surprise.

"Who are you trying to disgust by putting this thing at the entrance?"

"Your Highness, please forgive me. This is my sister's daughter. There are many guests at home today, so I asked this child to help at the door. I didn't expect the Princess to misunderstand. It is truly my fault."

"Your Highness, please don't take it too seriously. Old Madam Meng didn't mean it. Today is a joyous occasion for the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion, so please don't cause any trouble for the mansion," said Madam Wen, Jiang, as she walked inside.

“What you say is true, Madam. I was making a mountain out of a molehill.” Gu Qingwan said, about to lift her skirt and climb the steps, when she suddenly remembered something and said to Madam Jiang, the wife of the Duke of Wen, who had walked up beside her, “Madam, perhaps I was mistaken. I actually saw the Duke of Wen in an alley in Daonan Lane a while ago.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang paused. Daonanli? What was the Duke of Wen doing in Daonanli? There was indeed a residence there that was part of her dowry, but the location wasn't very good. What was he doing there? Could it be that that old scoundrel was keeping a woman in her dowry residence?

In just a moment, Gu Qingwan and Xiao Jingchen went inside. Gently and carefully supporting Madam Jiang, she quietly asked, "What did the Princess Consort of Chu say to you just now?"

Jiang came to her senses and felt it was best not to let her daughter know about this. "It's nothing, just some random talk to tell me to mind my own business. Let's go in and take a look."

After everyone went inside, the old lady looked at her niece, whose eyes were red, and couldn't help but sigh: "I used to think she was a good person, and she was a kind and innocent girl when she was with Yanran. How did she become so arrogant after climbing up the social ladder?"

"Grandmother, please be careful with your words." Meng Jiyue gently interrupted her grandmother, saying, "The Princess Consort of Chu has done nothing wrong in this matter."