"Yes, Your Highness," Cuiyun said. "Our lady thought that the Fourth Prince would need a hangover soup after returning from the palace banquet. So she and I prepared the soup early this morning. When she heard that the Fourth Prince was coming back, she and I personally delivered the soup to him."

Consort De frowned. She glanced at Wuya Wanru kneeling on the ground and understood that her niece was still not giving up on the fourth prince. Sigh!

"So what? It's just a hangover soup!" Consort De put aside her speculations and asked sternly.

"It's all Wanru's fault. Wanru shouldn't have been thinking about the Fourth Prince, and she shouldn't have sent that hangover soup! Please, Aunt, don't ask anymore. Just send Wanru out of the palace quickly and everything will be fine." Seeing that Consort De's tone was not good, Wuya Wanru knew that she suspected her motives for sending the hangover soup, so she immediately cried out.

"What happened? What's the use of just crying? Tell me now!" Consort De said.

"Wanru and the Fourth Prince were pouring hangover soup when the Fourth Prince suddenly grabbed Wanru's hand, called her name, and told her that he had never forgotten her. Wanru was confused for a moment and didn't push her cousin away," Wuya cried.

Everyone present was stunned. Even Consort De was taken aback by Uya's words. She had initially thought her niece was simply unwilling to give up and had gone to see the fourth prince again, but her words implied that they had already been intimate!

She remained calm for quite some time, and the only sound in the room was Uya's sobbing. No one else dared to disturb Consort De at this time.

"Did the fourth prince really harm you?" Consort De shouted. "Raise your head and look at me as you answer!"

Uya, who had been keeping her head down, became even more uneasy after being yelled at by Consort De. She felt a chill run down her spine, knowing that if she couldn't get past Consort De this time, she would never be able to return to the Fourth Prince's side.

Uya raised her head, her eyes filled with regret and confusion. Coupled with her naturally frail appearance and resemblance to Consort De, she evoked pity in those who saw her.

Consort De stared at her niece for a long time before sighing and saying, "You should stay here. I will persuade the Fourth Prince to accept you! But you must promise me one thing before I will let him accept you. How about it?"

After shedding two lines of tears, Wuya sobbed, "Wanru has been cared for by her aunt all her life. Now Wanru has no way out and will leave everything to her aunt's discretion!"

Consort De said, "You can only enter the Fourth Prince's residence as a concubine. You don't need to go through the Emperor. I can grant you entry into his residence. What do you say?"

When Consort De heard Consort De's words, Consort Wuya was horrified. She never imagined that despite all her scheming, she would only be a concubine in the end, not even a princess, but the lowest-ranking concubine without anyone to serve her.

"If you feel wronged, then I will send you out and guarantee you a life of comfort and security, but you will never see the Fourth Prince again!" Consort De said. She couldn't allow the Fourth Prince's reputation to be damaged at this time. So this niece would have to sacrifice herself, silently being assigned to the Fourth Prince's residence as a concubine, never to leave, and unnoticed by anyone.

Uya was torn by a fierce internal struggle. Looking at Consort De's dignified and irresistible face, she hardened her heart and said, "Wanru will leave everything to her aunt. As long as I can be by my cousin's side, Wanru doesn't care about status!"

Consort De was taken aback, her gaze softening as she looked at Lady Uya. Finally, she said, "Very well, as long as you can bear this grievance, I will speak to him. Your status is too awkward; I cannot allow you to enter the royal register. But if you serve the Fourth Prince well and bear him a son or daughter, you will still have a comfortable and peaceful life in the Fourth Prince's residence. You are my own niece; even if you are a concubine, they will not dare to look down on you."

At this moment, Consort Wuya hated Consort De to the core, hating that she always sacrificed her own happiness to protect Consort De's status. However, she could not show it on her face and gritted her teeth, saying, "Aunt is absolutely right! With Aunt's protection, Wanru will have no worries for the rest of her life!"

"Go back and rest. Tomorrow, I will speak with the Fourth Prince myself. Not a single word of this matter is to be leaked out. Anyone who dares to gossip outside will have their tongue twisted out!" Consort De said with rare authority. These words served as a warning to everyone present.

After Wu Yawan was helped up by Cuiyun to bow and leave, Consort De's dignified face immediately relaxed.

"Tell me, wasn't my niece all planning for this day from the very beginning?" Consort De asked, closing her eyes. She recalled Uya Wanru's arrival over the past few months and her time in the palace, and suddenly spoke.

"This old servant doesn't think Miss Biao is such a scheming person. She's truly very filial to Her Highness." Granny De knew that Consort De harbored suspicions about Lady Uya, which made her very uncomfortable. However, as a palace consort, Consort De was used to this way of thinking. She suspected everyone who approached her, questioning their motives.

“Sometimes what you see with your own eyes isn’t necessarily the truth!” Consort De said. “If she weren’t my niece, I wouldn’t have let her leave here alive.”

Meanwhile, Cuiyun helped Wuya back to their room, staggering all the way.

"Madam, what's wrong?" As soon as Wuya entered the room, she suddenly threw herself onto her bed.

"Why am I still just a concubine?" Uya suddenly raised her hand and frantically hit the quilt.

"Madam, please don't be disappointed. After all, you've entered the Fourth Prince's inner quarters," Cuiyun hurriedly advised.

“A concubine, do you even know what a concubine is? Cuiyun, perhaps even you won’t be able to accompany me inside. I will be a woman without anyone to serve me, living in obscurity in his inner quarters, confined to my little room all day, waiting for his favor,” said Wuya.

“Madam, you are different from the other concubines. You are the Fourth Prince’s cousin, and you have a past relationship with him. How can he bear to see you suffer? If you go and beg the Fourth Prince, perhaps I can go in with you,” Cuiyun said.

These words did have some effect. Wuya was just troubled by her status as a concubine, but upon careful consideration, Cuiyun's words were not wrong.

“Madam, please don’t think too much about it now. I’ll fetch some water for you to wash up. Get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, the Fourth Prince will come to welcome you,” Cuiyun said.

Uya nodded, quickly raised her hand to touch her face, and said happily, "You're right. As long as I still have this face, he will never forget that past affection."

Seeing that Lady Wuya had finally come to her senses, Cuiyun quickly nodded and said, "Madam will surely receive the favor of the Fourth Prince in the future."