"I will do as Your Highness wishes," Su Qingyue said softly, nestled in the Second Prince's embrace.
"From now on, our family will live together in harmony and happiness," the Second Prince said earnestly.
Afterward, the Second Prince ordered that all of Su Qingyue's usual belongings be moved to his courtyard. Fortunately, Su Qingyue only had two attendants by her side: Feng Yin and Xiang Zhu, who was assigned to Su Qingyue by Emperor Chongwen.
The primary purpose of these two women was to protect Su Qingyue and the child.
There weren't many belongings, and they were moved quickly.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Ruoyun would have been the first to know of any stir within the prince's mansion.
However, this time, the servants Lu Ruoyun brought from the Lu family were all in a state of panic.
The servants in the prince's mansion, having been disciplined previously, were now very obedient. They had all realized that although the former prince's consort's status had diminished, her position in the Second Prince's heart had not. Moreover, she was now carrying his child.
In the future, with the child, her status would surely rise.
As for the current prince's consort, even if the Lu family remained out of trouble, she might not have been able to compete with the former prince's consort.
Now that the Lu family was in trouble, her chances were even slimmer.
Therefore, no one was eager to curry favor with Lu Ruoyun.
As a result, Lu Ruoyun's access to information became suddenly limited.
By the time she learned that Su Qingyue had moved into the Second Prince's courtyard, it was already the next day.
After a night of calm reflection, Lu Ruoyun clearly understood that her reliance was no longer the Lu family, but this Second Prince whom she had always looked down upon.
With the Lu family in trouble, her aunt's situation was uncertain.
The Second Prince remained safe and sound, indicating that he had likely not been affected by the Lu family's affairs.
Alternatively, perhaps this man she thought was incapable had always had his own plans.
The Lu family intended to support him, but he had already pledged his allegiance to Emperor Chongwen long ago.
Why would Emperor Chongwen implicate a prince who did not covet the throne and was very obedient, because of the Lu family's troubles?
Furthermore, he was her aunt's only son. Now that the incident had occurred, her aunt would likely take all the blame upon herself to protect him.
Therefore, Lu Ruoyun personally brewed some porridge early in the morning and went to find the Second Prince with a food container.
However, the gatekeepers blocked her firmly, preventing her from entering.
They said the Second Prince had given orders that no one was allowed in without his permission.
Lu Ruoyun then requested to see the Second Prince, but was told that the Second Prince had already left the mansion.
After breakfast, Su Qingyue, accompanied by Feng Yin and Xiang Zhu, prepared to stroll in the courtyard.
The imperial physician had advised that moderate walking was beneficial for both her and the child.
Lu Ruoyun, with her sharp eyes, spotted Su Qingyue immediately.
She, the legitimate prince's consort, did not even reside in the Second Prince's main courtyard. How could this slut Su Qingyue?
Lu Ruoyun, already filled with anger, became even more furious.
"Make way!" Lu Ruoyun glared at the matrons with eyes about to burst, "I am still the mistress of this prince's mansion. In His Highness's absence, everything in this mansion is naturally decided by me!"
The matrons had been explicitly warned that if they allowed unauthorized people in, their lives would be forfeit.
"We are the Second Prince's people, and we naturally obey only the Second Prince," the matrons said, steeling themselves.
Su Qingyue stood in the courtyard, watching Lu Ruoyun's agitated state from a distance. A sense of unease within her actually lessened.
"I greet the Second Prince's consort. I should have respectfully welcomed Your Highness's arrival. However, this courtyard belongs to His Highness, and I cannot make the decisions. I hope the Prince's consort will not hold it against me. When His Highness returns, the attendants will surely report Your Highness's visit to him truthfully," Su Qingyue said calmly.