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

Chapter 237 The Divine Calculator

Li Qianyu nervously rubbed the handkerchief in her hand, seemingly pondering whether to speak or not, and how to begin.

Gu Qingwan thought for a while and then understood why she was like that.

"Miss Li, there's no need to be nervous or troubled. I don't think Miss Li and I have any connection. Even if we did, it was just an unpleasant encounter here on our first meeting, but that happened a long time ago and is not worth mentioning. After thinking it over, there's only one possibility left: could it be related to Gu Hanjiao?"

A hint of shock flashed in Li Qianyu's eyes; she hadn't expected Gu Qingwan to be so perceptive.

“Since Miss Gu has already figured it out, then I won’t hide it anymore. My reason for looking for you is indeed related to Gu Hanjiao, since we will be living under the same roof in the future.”

“Even if we live under the same roof, Miss Li, you don’t need to worry. In terms of status, you are the principal wife, while Gu Hanjiao is just a concubine. In terms of position, who is Miss Li’s father, and what is Gu Hanjiao’s father like now? There is no comparison at all, so Miss Li is overthinking it.”

“Miss Gu is right, but she has the Third Prince’s favor, which Miss Gu should know. Even if I were the principal wife, she would still be the biggest threat to me. These days, it’s not uncommon for concubines to be favored over wives. Besides… although Gu Hanjiao’s father and family are no longer in power, she still has you as her older sister, doesn’t she?”

Hearing Li Qianyu's slightly probing tone when she asked her, Gu Qingwan naturally understood what she wanted to express.

"Miss Li is worried that if I become the Princess Consort of Chu in the future, I will support Gu Hanjiao, right? So you stopped me to test my attitude."

Having her thoughts exposed, Li Qianyu felt a little uncomfortable. This was not something a young lady from a prominent family like her should do; it made her seem rather petty.

But she had run into Gu Qingwan by chance today, and she couldn't sleep well if she didn't understand Gu Qingwan's attitude.

If the Third Prince doesn't like her, and if Princess Chu is backing Gu Hanjiao up, then she'll have to carefully consider her future.

“Miss Li, please don’t be shy. It’s normal to have such thoughts. However, your worries are unnecessary. Miss Li also knows that I have already severed ties with the Gu family. Now, apart from my surname being Gu, I have no connection with the Gu family whatsoever. As for backing you up? If it really comes to that, I will most likely back you up.”

Hearing Gu Qingwan's seemingly joking words, Li Qianyu felt relieved and stood up to give Gu Qingwan a bow.

"I am very grateful for Your Highness's generosity and understanding. If Your Highness ever needs my help in the future, please do not hesitate to ask."

Gu Qingwan not only made her stance clear, but also implied that if she really had a conflict with Gu Hanjiao, she could ask her for help. Even if she didn't help, Gu Qingwan wouldn't help Gu Hanjiao either, and that would be enough.

"Now, Miss Li, are you at ease?"

Li Qianyu nodded shyly.

At this moment, Princess Qinghe and Meng Yanran came up, bickering noisily.

"The red one looks better."

"You're talking nonsense. That style looks better with lighter colors."

"Oh, what do you know?"

“I know far more than you do. Your taste has never been very good. If you don’t believe me, let’s ask Qingwan.”

The two pushed open the door and came in just as Li Qianyu was about to leave.

"Greetings to the Princess, Miss Meng, what a coincidence."

Princess Qinghe nodded, without asking why she was in this place, and pulled Meng Yanran inside on her own.

Li Qianyu didn't feel too embarrassed. She saw the three figures inside the door and couldn't help but feel a little envious, but only for a moment. She composed herself and left.

Gu Qingwan watched Li Qianyu's departing figure intently through the crack in the closing door.

Heaven has been kind to Xiao Yuheng. I wonder what virtue or ability Xiao Yuheng has that has earned him such protection from Heaven.

Although she had been reborn and had changed some of her original trajectory, she never expected that God would still arrange for such a perceptive girl to be his principal wife.

It's hard to know what to say. Is Xiao Yuheng just lucky, or is Li Qianyu just unlucky? Is it really because Gu Hanjiao is the chosen one with good fortune that Xiao Yuheng's luck has also improved?

Thinking of his past life, he realized that although she had interfered in his life, it only made Xiao Yuheng's luck less smooth, without harming him in the slightest.

So, if we really want to prevent Xiao Yuheng from standing up, we need to work on Gu Hanjiao. Only when Gu Hanjiao is too busy to take care of herself can we prevent her from transferring her luck to Xiao Yuheng.

As for Li Qianyu... although she willingly married Xiao Yuheng, I did contribute to the marriage. If she doesn't do anything outrageous, I'm willing to help her in the future.

That evening, Xiao Jingchen came to the brothel as usual. He stood on the top floor of the brothel and looked down at the people below.

This location is quite high; from up there you can see below, but those below cannot see clearly what's above.

"what happened?"

"Master, Gu Hanjiao came by this morning and said she wanted to do business with the brothel."

"what business?"

Yin Ping must be good at business. She took out some papers from her sleeve, which were the same ones that Gu Hanjiao had shown her that morning.

"Heh, you do have some brains." Xiao Jingchen noticed Yin Ping frowning and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

“Master…” Yin Ping hesitated for a moment before saying, “Master should still be careful of Gu Hanjiao. She… is not simple.”

"How is it not simple?"

Xiao Jingchen was somewhat surprised that a character could be someone Yin Ping worried about.

Yin Ping didn't know how to tell Xiao Jingchen. She had suspected Gu Hanjiao was a time traveler based on the poems she wrote before, but now that she saw the things Gu Hanjiao gave her, which were clearly from the modern era, she was certain that Gu Hanjiao was a time traveler just like her.

Normally, people from the same village would be moved to tears upon seeing each other, but Yin Ping was an extremely cautious and prudent person.

If two time travelers appear in the same space-time at the same time, there must be something wrong with them. If the other person is a good person, the two can keep each other company. But if the other person is very wary of them, they might bring about their own death.

Furthermore, she still doesn't know what Gu Hanjiao's identity was before she transmigrated, but judging from her current behavior, she is nothing more than a brainless woman who is aware of being protected by the protagonist's halo. However, it cannot be ruled out that she is pretending to be weak while actually being strong.

Seeing the hesitant expression on Yin Ping's face, Xiao Jingchen remained silent for a while. Yin Ping was a smart person, and there must be a reason why she had concerns that she couldn't express. He was unwilling to pry into other people's secrets, and he wouldn't do that even if it was his subordinate.

"Did you find any clues about why Xiao Yuheng insisted on marrying Gu Hanjiao last time?"

Yin Ping then gathered her thoughts, considered the information she had obtained, and organized it.

“Our people found out that three years ago, the Third Prince used the excuse of searching for treasures for the Imperial Concubine to recruit talented people. By chance, the Third Prince met a fortune teller, and it was from then on that the Third Prince began to try to get close to Gu Hanjiao.”

"A fortune teller?"

"Yes, I heard that the calculations are quite accurate."

"Have you found the person?"

“We found him, and our people brought him back. But he’s just a fortune teller with no background whatsoever. Why does Master insist on having him? Would Master like to meet him?”

"Let's make some arrangements."

The next day, Gu Qingwan went out and saw a carriage parked at the side gate. The driver was Xiao Yi.

"Hello Miss."

Gu Qingwan nodded and got into the carriage, where Xiao Jingchen was resting with his eyes closed.

Siqi, seeing Xiao Yi outside, was furious. She snorted and got into the carriage to sit with Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi smiled and started driving the carriage.

"Why are you suddenly waiting for me here today?"

Gu Qingwan had planned to rest at home today, but suddenly someone came to the door saying that someone was looking for her. Gu Qingwan asked Siqi to go and see. Siqi knew Xiao Yi and knew that it was Xiao Jingchen who had come to see her.

Gu Qingwan didn't hesitate, knowing that Xiao Jingchen must have something to do, so she took Siqi with her and went out.

"Take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"You mentioned the fortune teller in Fengzhou before, and we've found him."

Gu Qingwan was taken aback. "Found it?"

"Ah."

When Xiao Jingchen sent someone to Fengzhou on business, Gu Qingwan subconsciously mentioned that he asked Xiao Jingchen's people to keep an eye out for a fortune teller. He didn't ask why and just agreed. Unexpectedly, he actually found one.

Gu Qingwan thought for a moment and decided to be honest: "I'm suspicious of why Xiao Yuheng is so insistent on marrying my second sister. Even now that the Gu family has fallen on hard times, he's still so persistent. I find it a bit strange. Do you think...?"

"I believe you, and according to our scouts, he seems to be around in Xishan."

"Indeed, since they've already discovered it in Xishan, wouldn't it be a one-time solution to send troops to encircle and annihilate them?"

"It was a solution that would solve the problem once and for all, but shortly after we left, when our men went to explore again, all that was left were the mine shafts and some collapsed mountainside."

Gu Qingwan was shocked, "Just like that, you give up? This is..."

"It's just a way to survive by cutting off the tail, but since it's a tail, it will bleed, and there will be traces even if it runs away."

"What if it really is him?"

Gu Qingwan frowned. In her previous life, Xiao Yuheng had a smooth life and did not directly stage a coup. Now it seemed that he was just profiting from the national crisis, especially considering his later actions such as ceding territory to sue for peace.

Without a doubt, Xishan was the one who did it. However, Gu Qingwan couldn't tell Xiao Jingchen about these things directly, otherwise Xiao Jingchen would probably treat her as an outcast and burn her alive.

"No matter who it is, I will not let them go!"

A deep, dark current flickered in Xiao Jingchen's eyes, as if a million icicles mixed with a biting wind were slicing through them.

The carriage stopped at a house in a deserted area; no one would have imagined that someone could be hiding there.

"Help!" The person inside cried out weakly, sounding less like a cry for help and more like someone trying to pass the time.

"Just tell me what you want. I'm just a fortune teller, trying to make a living by telling fortunes. What exactly do you want?"

There were two guards in the courtyard, but they didn't move at all when they heard him speak, as if they couldn't hear him. The only response was the fallen leaves in the courtyard being blown by the autumn wind.

"Help! Someone please talk to me, I'll tell you anything, I'll tell you the truth, I'm going crazy if this keeps up..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of the door opening was heard.

"Someone's really here? Oh my god, could I be hearing things?"

"Oh, sir, is the food here not good enough? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Since neither of his masters intended to speak, it was Xiao Yi who, with a grin, began to inquire.

"Sir, young master, I beg you, please give me a quick death."

This person is the fortune teller. He was doing a good job telling fortunes that day when someone knocked him unconscious, stuffed him into a sack, and took him away. When he woke up, he was on a carriage. He was in a daze the whole way, and when he finally came to his senses, he arrived at this place.

At first he was very cautious, but no one came to him from beginning to end. On the contrary, they were treated to good food and drink.

At first, he didn't dare to eat it, fearing it might be poisonous, but later he couldn't resist his hunger and the food was really delicious.

He ate it and found nothing wrong. No one bothered him afterward, and he felt quite at ease, no longer having to worry about food and drink. But later, things took a turn for the worse. He couldn't go out, and no one talked to him. He had no idea what day it was and was on the verge of going crazy.

"What would I do with your life? But then again..."

"But what? Just tell me, and I'll do my best to do anything I can!"

"Well, there is something I need to trouble you with, sir. I've heard that everyone calls you the fortune teller, so my master would like to ask you about something."

Upon hearing the other party mention their master, the fortune teller noticed a man and a woman standing in the shadows by the door. When he saw them clearly, he was startled and stood there for a moment.

"If you remember, we'll let you leave; if you don't, you'll have to stay here for a while longer."

When the fortune teller heard that he was going to be left behind, he was so frightened that he didn't even care who was standing at the door.

"Tell me, tell me, I have a very good memory, I'm sure I can remember."

At this point, Gu Qingwan's expression turned serious. She thought for a moment and then asked.

"Three years ago, on the streets of Fengzhou, did you tell the fortune of a handsome, well-dressed young man?"

"Three years ago? A young master?" The fortune teller looked at the girl in front of him. Could it be that she was looking for a heartless man?

"I've done many fortune telling, and I don't know which one the young lady asked about right now. You know, I just set up a stall on the street, and the people who come to have their fortunes told are all passersby. It's not necessarily that I can remember them all..."

"The one that left the deepest impression on you, it's okay, I'm not in a hurry. If you can't remember, you can take your time to think about it." As she spoke, Gu Qingwan seemed genuinely unhurried and prepared to leave.

Seeing that this young lady was about to leave, he was no longer willing to live that kind of helpless life where he could only cry out to heaven and earth.

"Hey, wait a minute, you have to let me think about it."