The news that the Fourth Prince had been granted the title of Prince of the Second Rank was received by the Fujin shortly after Lady Liu came to the main courtyard to report the news.
It was Yu Ru who came in to give the reply. Originally, after Liu Shi came in, the Fujin (principal wife) ordered all the maids and servants who were serving her to leave. This was directed at the maids around Liu Shi. However, Yu Ru went down to prepare and almost left as well.
Just then, when Yu Ru came in, the Fujin was in the middle of a conversation with Liu Shi. Seeing Yu Ru rush in, she felt embarrassed and thought that the maid in the main courtyard was unruly.
The princess consort immediately raised her eyebrows and glared coldly: "What's all the fuss about? Didn't I tell you not to come in and disturb us?"
She was currently preoccupied with figuring out how to arrange for Liu to attend to her illness in the front courtyard.
Madam Liu interjected, speaking up for Yu Ru: "Princess, please don't be angry. If it weren't for something important, Miss Yu Ru wouldn't have come in to disturb us. Why don't you listen to what Miss Yu Ru has to say first?"
Yu Ru had already knelt down to beg for forgiveness.
Yu Ru was a confidante of the Fujin (principal wife). Naturally, the Fujin wouldn't punish her too harshly, and now that Liu Shi had spoken up, she naturally softened her expression.
At this moment, the Fujin (wife of the emperor) couldn't even imagine what Yu Ru was going to report to her. She was still sitting upright, but there was a hint of impatience in her eyes.
"Just now, Wang Jinzhong came to say that the chief eunuch from His Majesty's side in the palace has come to visit and conveyed His Majesty's decree, saying..."
Although the Princess Consort didn't know what Yu Ru was trying to say, her breath hitched involuntarily, and her heart pounded faster. She quickly asked, "What decree has His Majesty issued?"
Now that the Fourth Prince is injured, and a few days ago he accompanied His Majesty on an inspection tour of the Yongding River, his hard work and dedication are undeniable.
The one who came this time was Liang Jiugong, the chief eunuch by His Majesty's side. The Princess Consort had already guessed that His Majesty had sent Liang Jiugong to visit and give him some gifts along the way.
No matter how valuable the item is, it's still an honor, isn't it?
Liu, who was sitting to the side, twitched her eyelids. In a flash, words of flattery for the Fujin came to her lips.
Yu Ru dared not delay and finished speaking in one breath: "Yes. By His Majesty's decree, Your Highness is now a Prince! His Majesty has bestowed upon you the title of Yong. The Third Prince has also been restored to the title of Prince Cheng. Congratulations, Consort! You are now the Princess Consort of a Prince!"
After Yu Ru finished speaking, she raised her head, her face flushed, but she was genuinely happy for her husband.
Upon hearing this, the princess nearly dropped the string of eighteen Buddhist prayer beads she was holding.
She was momentarily speechless.
Although Liu was equally surprised and delighted, she reacted much faster. The compliments she had prepared earlier seemed to flow freely from her mouth, full of auspicious and beautiful words.
The princess consort didn't hear much of what she was saying, but she did come to her senses a bit, and she couldn't stop smiling: "Good, good, reward them, reward them all. This is indeed a joyous occasion."
After regaining her senses, the Fujin gestured for Liu to sit down, temporarily setting aside the matter of attending to the sick woman.
With the Fourth Prince being granted the title of Prince Yong, his wife naturally had many questions to ask and many things to arrange and instruct. Some of these things were beyond Liu's knowledge and understanding.
"It's getting late. You should also pay more attention to the care for the sick in the front yard. Whenever you have free time, go there more often... You can't always need someone to remind you of everything..."
Liu understood the Fujin's warning, but the Fujin was in a relatively good mood at the moment, and her words were at least not as harsh and sarcastic as before.
She forced a faint smile: "Yes, this servant understands. I dare not disturb you, Madam. I will come to the main courtyard to pay my respects to you another day."
She performed all the proper courtesies and waited for the Princess Consort to nod before rising and leaving.
After Liu Shi withdrew, the Fujin hurriedly beckoned Yu Ru to come closer: "Did Wang Jinzhong say anything else? This time, His Majesty only bestowed the title of Prince upon our master? What about the Fifth Prince?"
Yu Ru had already asked all these questions outside before coming in, and now she answered the Fujin's questions fluently.
"Yes, apart from Third Master being reinstated as Prince Cheng, the only other person to be granted the title of Prince this time is our Master. Consort, this is a great joy! Although our Master doesn't form cliques like other masters, he has done a lot of proper work. Now you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel."
Yu Ru's smile never faded.
The Fujin was naturally very pleased to hear this. There was a time when she had envied the First Fujin for wearing the auspicious robes of a Prince's wife, since at that time, among all the princes, there was only one Prince Zhi.
Even though the Tenth Prince was later granted the title of Prince Dun, he still hadn't gotten married yet. That Mongolian ghost girl was still waiting to be married, with the wedding date set for this autumn. For the Princess Consort, it wasn't really a big deal.
But now that the Fourth Prince has become a Prince of the Second Rank, the next rank above him is a Prince of the First Rank...
The princess's heart was pounding. She clutched her chest, seemingly immersed in the joy of the fourth prince being granted the title of prince. However, after a moment, the princess's gaze toward Yu Ru became hesitant.
"But... Fourth Master is still angry with me..."
After hearing the joy of the Fourth Prince being granted the title of Prince, the Fujin naturally felt a faint sense of apprehension and fear.
Her relationship with the Fourth Prince had already reached a freezing point these past few days, and the scene of being harassed by the Fourteenth Prince in the front yard today was still fresh in her mind.
The princess bit her lip, her face showing hesitation.
This matter is indeed difficult to handle, and Yu Ru couldn't think of a solution for the time being. She comforted the princess, "Now that you are the princess of the Prince's household, the Imperial Household Department will send someone to make your auspicious wedding dress in a few days. Don't worry about it. Now that you are the princess of the Prince's household, it's just a matter of being humble to the Fourth Prince. Since the master doesn't want you to go to the front courtyard to serve him, you might as well go along with his wishes. Besides Liu Gege, you might as well arrange for the other ladies in the mansion to come to the front courtyard to serve him. If the master is still not happy about this, since you have made the arrangements, the people in the back courtyard will remember your kindness, and you can let go of the rest."
Yu Ru's words were clearly not something she had been holding back for just a day or two.
It was good that the Fujin wanted to help Liu Gege compete for the emperor's favor and fight against the concubine, but Yu Ru had been watching coldly for half a year and, apart from Liu Gege's first time receiving the emperor's favor, nothing had been stirred up since.
Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket, it's better to try multiple approaches simultaneously.
Furthermore, Yu Ru had another thought in her heart that she hadn't said, but those words were too hurtful to the Fujin's feelings, so Yu Ru only dared to keep them to herself.
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