"My aunt may hate her eldest illegitimate son, but he is still her second cousin's child," Lu Ruoyun stated incisively. "Moreover, when my second cousin learned of the imperial decree, he threw a furious tantrum in the manor, which shows how much Su Qingyue means to him. Given my cousin's temperament, he will surely feel he has wronged Su Qingyue. Because of his guilt, he will pay a lot of attention to Su Qingyue and the child. If Su Qingyue uses my cousin's guilt to tie him down, then..."
Lu Ruoyun's eyes welled up with tears, her expression one of deep worry.
Old Madam Lu and Madam Lu exchanged glances. If things truly turned out this way, Ruoyun's life would undoubtedly be difficult.
If Su Qingyue deliberately caused trouble, Ruoyun might not even be able to conceive a child.
In the long run, even the Empress might side with Su Qingyue.
"It is indeed rather troublesome that we cannot find her. But Ruoyun, rest assured, your grandfather and your father have not given up on searching for Su Qingyue's whereabouts. Unless she hides forever, there will come a day when she shows herself," Old Madam Lu comforted Lu Ruoyun. "When that day comes, Grandmother will surely see justice done for you."
A side consort without the backing of her maternal family, what kind of storm could she possibly stir up?
Even if she gave birth to a child, so what? Ruoyun was the Prince Consort, and would one day be the Empress. If she proposed to raise the illegitimate son, what could Su Qingyue do but gratefully hand the child over to Ruoyun's care? At that point, they wouldn't need to act themselves; they would simply need to spoil the child.
A daughter would be raised to be arrogant and overbearing.
A son would be raised to be dissolute and incompetent.
Then, what could Su Qingyue possibly do with the child?
Of course, there was one thing that must be done: ensure Su Qingyue could never bear children again.
What use would a beautiful woman who could not bear children be, even if the Second Prince cared for her deeply?
Old Madam Lu explained all of this in meticulous detail to Lu Ruoyun, who finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, she had been overly anxious after seeing her cousin's reaction.
She had never pursued love in the first place.
It didn't matter whether her cousin loved her or not.
As long as she could ascend to that position, everything else was secondary.
Lu Ruoyun leaned into Old Madam Lu's embrace, her face filled with filial affection. "Grandmother, you truly think things through. Ruoyun was mistaken earlier. In the future, if anything happens, I will still need Grandmother to guide me."
Old Madam Lu affectionately patted Lu Ruoyun's shoulder. "You are my most beloved granddaughter, and Grandmother wishes she could arrange everything perfectly for you. Rest assured, our family's honor and disgrace will be tied to yours from now on. Whatever happens, Grandmother and Grandfather will bear it for you."
"Grandmother!" Lu Ruoyun exclaimed with genuine emotion. "Ruoyun will certainly place our Lu family's honor and disgrace first from now on."
Old Madam Lu was very satisfied. Nothing could reassure her more than an obedient granddaughter.
Once her granddaughter gave birth to a son, their Lu family would help in his proper upbringing.
The legitimate son of the Empress would undoubtedly ascend to the throne. The Lu family, as the Emperor's maternal relatives and having guided the upbringing, would then truly enter their era of glory.
The Lu family would become the leader of the noble houses!
Second only to one, above ten thousand others.
Old Madam Lu smiled with immense joy, as if the glory of the Lu family was already imminent.
Half a month later, Lu Ruoyun was carried into the Second Prince's manor in an eight-bearer sedan chair. The procession of ten miles was so grand that the first sedan chair had already entered the Second Prince's manor while the last was still leaving the Lu family's residence. Not only that, but the palace also bestowed numerous gifts for the dowry, giving the onlookers from the capital a truly eye-opening experience.