The next morning, the Fourth Prince and Lanqin got up early again. Fortunately, they didn't have to take the children to the palace again; only the adults went in. Lanqin yawned as the maids helped her change her clothes, and then she went to the palace with the Fourth Prince, his wife, and Lady Nian. The children were left at the mansion in the care of their respective wet nurses.

"Master, are we really going to bring the Sixth Prince back tomorrow?" Cui Niang asked, noticing that Lanqin had kept her eyes closed the whole time.

"Yes, His Majesty has agreed. He already spoke to you last night." Lanqin tried to close her eyes and rest as much as possible to replenish her energy.

“My lady, you are truly amazing. You actually persuaded the Emperor to return the Sixth Prince to you,” said Cui Niang.

“If Your Majesty reasons with the Emperor and appeals to his emotions, you will surely persuade him,” Nianxue said with a smile.

“Why bother with all this talk of reason and sentiment? Don’t utter a single word about it to outsiders. Let everyone think that the Emperor himself wanted to send Hongli back.” Lanqin opened her eyes and said, “After Hongli returns, Lady Nian and the Fujin will still keep their eyes on the South Courtyard. You will have to be even more careful in the future.”

Cui Niang and Nian Xue exchanged a glance, then said in unison to Lan Qin, "Master, we will definitely be more careful than before. The Sixth Prince and the Seventh Prince will be our top priorities for protection from now on."

“Once Hongli returns to the South Courtyard, Hongzhou should go to Sister Geng’s place,” Lanqin said.

"Master, what are you saying?" Cui Niang asked in surprise.

"Yes, Your Highness, are you planning to send the Seventh Prince to Lady Geng's place?" Nianxue asked in surprise.

“Do you remember what was said during the funeral?” Lanqin said, “Hongzhou’s fate is incompatible with mine, so he must be sent to be raised by someone whose fate is compatible with his. I have already calculated for Sister Geng, and she is the most suitable person to raise Hongzhou. After Hongli returns, he must not be allowed to meet Hongzhou easily.”

The two maids were even more confused by Lanqin's words, and both looked at Lanqin with expressions of disbelief and incomprehension.

"Just do as I say, and don't ask any other questions." Lanqin couldn't speak to her two most trusted maids, so she could only give them this firm order.

Lanqin and her maid followed behind the Fourth Princess Consort, while Lady Nian, supported by her maid, followed behind. They headed towards Yonghe Palace.

After entering Yonghe Palace, they greeted Consort De and then took their seats.

The Fourth Prince's wife hadn't entered the palace to pay her respects to Consort De for two years. Consort De looked at her, and the meaning in her eyes was obviously different.

"Xiayu, as the principal wife of the fourth prince, you should be broad-minded and treat his other children as your own. Raise and educate them well, and they will respect you as their legal mother in the future," Consort De said with a stern face.

"Yes, Mother is right. I was so ignorant before. After this incident, I realize how much I have done wrong and how much I have failed to live up to Mother's teachings. Ever since Honghui left, I have been unable to let go of my resentment, which is why I have not fulfilled my duties as a stepmother. Please forgive me, Mother." The Fourth Princess Consort stood up and said to the Consort De.

Lanqin looked at Ulanara's expression and tone as she spoke these words with such sincerity, as if all her past actions were out of necessity. A mocking smile appeared on Nian's lips. Consort De, seated at the head of the table, looked at the Fourth Prince's wife for a moment and said, "Now that you know you were wrong, correct it! The Fourth Prince is now Prince Yong; you must be a good helpmate to him!"

The Fourth Prince's wife quickly lowered her head and said obediently, "Mother is right to reprimand me. It's all because I'm not virtuous enough. I will repent and correct my mistakes in the future, and I will not cause you any trouble."

Consort De nodded in satisfaction and said, "Alright, please sit down. By the way, how is Wanru doing at home?"

When Lanqin and Lady Nian heard Consort De mention a concubine at this time, their hearts skipped a beat. But the Fourth Princess Consort said, "Lady Wuya is quite good. Mother, I get along very well with her. She is clever and gentle, truly a good person. It's just that her status is too low to enter the palace to pay her respects to Mother. I think it would be better to elevate her status to Gege."

Lanqin sneered inwardly: The Fourth Princess Consort really knows how to flatter! If she elevates that Uya clan's status, she'll only cause more trouble in the future!

"What do you two mean?" Consort De asked when she saw that neither Lanqin nor Lady Nian spoke.

"Mother, I don't know anything about raising one's status. If you think it's feasible, I have no objection," Lady Nian said with a charming smile.

"Well, no objections," Lanqin thought to herself with a cold laugh. "This is probably because Nian doesn't want to offend Consort De, after all, Wuyawan is Consort De's own niece."

"Niohuru, why aren't you saying anything?" Consort De asked, somewhat displeased that Lanqin remained silent. She had already received a letter from Uya Wanru through her brother and was already harboring some resentment towards Lanqin.

That's just how people are. They can be very tolerant when their own interests aren't involved. But everyone has selfish desires, and they'll always tend to favor their relatives. Consort De is human too; she couldn't possibly not favor Uya, especially since she already felt somewhat indebted to Uya Wanru.

"Your Majesty, I think it depends on what Your Majesty thinks. The people and servants that Lady Wuya lives and serves in the mansion are no different from those of the Princess," Lanqin said.

"Oh? So that means the Fourth Prince actually wanted to elevate Wanru's status," Consort De said, looking at Lanqin. "But he hasn't done so yet for fear of upsetting her?"

Lanqin clearly sensed that Consort De was referring to her as "someone," so she quickly said, "I really don't know what Your Highness is thinking."

After glancing at Lanqin a few more times, Consort De said, "Since none of you have any objections, then I will make the decision."

Fourth Princess Consort hurriedly said, "Madam Wuya is Mother's own niece. She should be allowed to come and see Mother, but because her status is not high enough, how about letting her disguise herself as my maid and be brought in to meet Mother tomorrow?"

Consort De greatly appreciated the Fujin's suggestion and said, "Very well, I haven't seen Wanru for a long time either. Bring her in."

Lanqin suddenly had a bad feeling. Why did Consort De's attitude towards her change so drastically? Was it related to Wuya Wanru? But how did she know about the rift between Wuya Wanru and herself in the mansion? Was someone connecting them?

Lanqin had been thinking about this problem all day. Now that the Fourth Prince's Consort was taking the lead, she and Lady Nian had only gone to visit the various palaces briefly. Although Lady Nian had flattered Consort De, she didn't actually want Lady Uya to rise up and share the Emperor's favor with her, so she was also dissatisfied with Consort De's serious approach to elevating her status this time. However, General Nian had recently committed a crime, so she dared not show her face.