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

Chapter 294 The Aunt's Heart Has Grown Big

Aunt Li sighed, "Alas, all these years, my servant and I have lived cautiously, not even daring to speak, for fear that that bitch Wang would find something to use against us and ruin everything. It's truly a hardship for you."

Xiao Kui immediately knelt on the ground and said, "What are you saying, Aunt? What grievances or not? If anyone is wronged, it is you, Aunt, who is truly wronged."

Aunt Li bent down and pulled Xiao Kui up, saying, "Let's not talk about the past. Fortunately, the hard times are over and things are looking up. Qing'er is doing well now, and our lives will only get better and better in the future."

Xiao Kui moved her mouth, but decided to say something anyway.

“What you say is true, Aunt. Young Master Qing’s studies have always been the best. Now that a girl has been born in that courtyard, and our master only has Young Master Qing as his son, when he takes charge of the household, Aunt’s good days are just around the corner.”

Hearing this, Aunt Li felt much better.

"However, Aunt Xiaokui was somewhat indignant."

"Oh? What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine, what's there to be upset about?"

Xiao Kui hesitated for a moment and said, "Now the concubine is in charge of the Gu family's backyard, but the eldest young lady came today and did not take the concubine seriously at all. She even warned the concubine about the master's remarriage. It's just a matter of saying a word to make the concubine the official wife. Why does the master have to remarry?"

This matter was also a thorn in Aunt Li's side.

Given Gu Qingwan's current status, if she wanted to interfere with the master's remarriage, it would only be a matter of a single word.

Moreover, she had just hinted that she had such thoughts, but the girl not only pretended not to understand, but also ruined the implied warning. What angered her even more was that she brought up Qing'er's current status as the legitimate daughter. Was she threatening her?

In fact, she never dared to think about such a thing before; she only hoped that she and her son could live a good life.

But things are different now. She is now considered the mistress of the Gu family. Even that bitch Wang can be promoted to the position of official wife, so why can't she?

And then there's that little brat Gu Qingwan. She came to see Aunt Rou today, but she didn't give her any face at all. I thought she supported her becoming the legal wife, but it seems that's not the case today.

"I really don't know what the young lady is thinking. On the surface, she does seem to love Young Master Qing, but she is unwilling to let Young Master Qing's mother become the legal wife. I really don't know if the young lady truly loves Young Master Qing."

Aunt Li's face darkened further. Although Gu Qingwan was no longer a member of the Gu family, her status was still very noble. If the princess was unwilling, the master would not dare to anger Gu Qingwan for her sake, after all, Gu Qingwan was backed by the Chu Prince's Mansion.

"It's nothing. She's a princess, so she's naturally of high status. It's common for her not to take me seriously."

Xiao Kui didn't stop, and continued, "This servant thinks it's not quite like that."

Aunt Li seemed intrigued and looked at Xiao Kui, gesturing for her to continue.

"This servant thinks it's all just Miss's selfishness. What the Second Miss said outside the manor just now was also right. Miss must feel that her maternal family has no one, so she wants to support our Young Master Qing and even has him registered under the name of his stepmother."

Aunt Li nodded. "It seems so. Qing'er once told him that she would study hard and make something of herself in the future. Even if she couldn't be a support for the young lady, she would try not to hold her back and repay her kindness in helping her."

Xiao Kui pouted and said, "What are you saying, young master? If we're talking about repaying a debt of gratitude, it should be to repay the debt to your aunt. If it weren't for your aunt's scheming and forbearance over the years, how could you be where you are today? The eldest young lady just discovered the secret in advance and went with the flow. Even without the eldest young lady, the master would still value you now that he knows."

Aunt Li thought Xiao Kui was absolutely right. It was only a matter of time before Qing'er became a young master. According to her plan, the master would definitely find out sooner or later.

Aunt Li frowned and said, "But... without the eldest young lady, Qing'er wouldn't have been able to attend such a good academy."

“Aunt, you are mistaken. If it were not for the eldest young lady, how could the master have so easily lost his official position? Our master is the prime minister, who is second only to the emperor. With such a status, it would have been easy for our young master to get into that academy. Why would we have to wait for the eldest young lady to give him a handout?”

As expected, Aunt Li was furious when she heard this.

Yes, the Prime Minister's mansion was incredibly prestigious back then, and the residence itself was much better than it is now. Although we still live in the same courtyard as before, it's only about a third the size it used to be.

Furthermore, her family fortune is not as great as it used to be. If her husband were still the prime minister, she would be living a life of immense prestige. So what if she is a concubine? As long as she manages the household affairs, everyone outside would have to address her respectfully.

Where is life now? Not only do we have nothing at home, but we're also under immense pressure. Compared to my previous life, it's like heaven and earth.

“This servant truly feels sorry for you, Aunt. The eldest young lady left so easily, leaving you with such a mess. You finally made it to the point where the young master is successful, but the eldest young lady was so heartless as to give him to Madam Ning to be raised as her son. Now, when the young master sees you, he can't even call you ‘mother,’ he can only call you ‘Aunt.’ I feel so sorry for you, Aunt.”

Thinking of this, Aunt Li couldn't help but feel some resentment towards Gu Qingwan.

"Yes, she's doing well as a princess, but what about the Gu family? Why can't they help the master out? If the Gu family prospers, she'll have more face as a princess. Besides, although the second young lady has a bad temper, she's still a prince's consort. And now the third prince is so capable, who knows what might happen in the future..."

Before they could finish speaking, the door was pushed open, startling Aunt Li and Xiao Kui. Upon closer inspection, they saw that it was none other than Gu Hanqing, who had just been about to go back to change her clothes.

Gu Hanqing stood at the door with a livid face, her eyes filled with a cold light.

"Qing'er...when did you arrive?" Aunt Li was brought back to her senses by Xiao Kui's urging, and Xiao Kui dared not look directly at Gu Hanqing.

"I just arrived and overheard my aunt talking about why my eldest sister couldn't help the Gu family."

Aunt Li stood awkwardly in front of Xiao Kui and said, "Xiao Kui, hurry up and go to the kitchen to see if the food is ready."

Xiao Kui left the room trembling. Gu Hanqing's expression was still not good, and Aunt Li held his hand.

"I was just venting, I didn't mean anything by it."

Gu Hanqing sighed and said, "Auntie, please don't say such things again. Eldest sister's kindness to us mother and son is immense, and we cannot be ungrateful."

The repeated calls of "Auntie" made Aunt Li feel extremely uncomfortable, and finally she couldn't bear it anymore.