"Yunyun knows that Auntie is doing this all for Yunyun's own good," Lu Ruoyun said, pulling on Empress Lu's hand and shaking it playfully. "From now on, Yunyun will take good care of Auntie!"
"Alright, alright, stop shaking me, you're making me dizzy." Empress Lu's tone softened considerably, her eyes filled with helplessness and doting affection for Lu Ruoyun.
"Then your daughter-in-law will give you a massage."
Lu Ruoyun managed to appease Empress Lu, who then ceased her reprimanding of the Second Prince.
After leaving the palace, the Second Prince, deeply moved, held Lu Ruoyun's hand. "This is the first time Mother has been so amiable in a long time."
"Cousin, you are Auntie's only son. Whatever Auntie does, she does for your own good. Therefore, Cousin, you should also try to understand Auntie more often," Lu Ruoyun said. "In this world, what mother would bear to treat her own child badly?"
The Second Prince grunted in agreement.
Qingyue had never managed to make their mother so happy.
In the beginning, Mother had also been very good to Qingyue, providing for her every need, and never forgetting Qingyue when she had anything good.
Later, because they had been unable to have children, Mother had become anxious, and her urgings had sometimes become excessive. Qingyue, unwilling to listen, had gradually drifted apart from her.
Thinking back now, it wasn't entirely Mother's fault.
When Qingyue returned, he would have a good talk with her, telling her to learn from Yunyun.
Keeping Mother happy would also make her own life easier.
Seeing the Second Prince lost in thought, Lu Ruoyun did not disturb him, but sat obediently by his side, gazing at him with affectionate admiration.
When the Second Prince snapped back to attention, Lu Ruoyun immediately turned her head away in a flustered manner, feigning the shyness and unease of being caught stealing a glance.
Previously, the Second Prince had only regarded Lu Ruoyun as a sister. He had thought her a model of a proper young lady from a noble family. Now, however, he found her charming and demure, far more vibrant than those demure ladies.
And she was clearly devoted to him.
After all, if she didn't admire him, she wouldn't have agreed to marry him.
"Yunyun, I'll take you to the Duke's mansion," the Second Prince said.
Lu Ruoyun looked slightly puzzled.
"We'll go find Gu Sinian, and by the way, ask him to send a message to Qingyue," the Second Prince said.
Lu Ruoyun was inwardly shocked, but her face displayed a perfectly timed surprise. "Cousin means, we've found Cousin's wife?"
Gu Sinian had said that it was the Emperor's people who had found her, but fortunately, the Second Prince had not been foolish enough to tell Lu Ruoyun that it was Emperor Chongwen's people who had found her.
"It was Gu Sinian who found her, but your cousin's wife is unwilling to see me right now. So..." The Second Prince sighed helplessly. "She is pregnant, and prone to overthinking, so I cannot force her. I've only told her that we will wait for her to return home."
The Empress and the Lu family had turned the capital upside down, but they hadn't found her. To think that Gu Sinian had already found her!
"Why don't I go and see Cousin's wife and try to persuade her? We are both women, and sometimes communication is easier. Cousin's wife is pregnant and wandering outside, I'm worried," Lu Ruoyun said.
"I'll have Gu Sinian ask. If your cousin's wife is willing to see you, then you can go and persuade her," the Second Prince considered.
When the Second Prince and his consort arrived, Gu Sinian had no choice but to entertain them with Qi Zhenzhen by his side.
Qi Zhenzhen was now close to giving birth, and Gu Sinian was unwilling to let her exert herself in the slightest. He handled anything he could himself. However, the Second Prince was a prince, and with Lu Ruoyun in tow, he could only trouble Zhenzhen.
"You want to see the former imperial consort?!" Even Gu Sinian, who was usually stoic, couldn't help but raise his voice when he heard the Second Prince's request.