The Virtuous Concubine

Jingpin finally recovered from the strong spicy taste. She picked up the teacup, took another sip, and finally calmed down.

Her eyes were as cold as a knife, slowly sweeping over the kneeling Wei Zhu and the two eunuchs behind him, with an undisguised anger in her tone: "How dare the slave spirit in front of the emperor be so careless? Why didn't you find that the taste of this dish was not right when you tested the poison? There is poison in it temporarily, can you bear it?"

Wei Zhu and the two young eunuchs felt Jingpin's anger and began to tremble involuntarily. They kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads hitting the cold ground, making a dull sound.

No one dared to look directly into Jingpin's eyes, and there was only endless fear and uneasiness in their hearts. Wei Zhu knew that this was not the time to defend himself, so he could only kowtow fiercely and said in a deep voice: "Madam Jingpin, please calm down. I deserve to die for failing to fulfill my duties. Please punish me."

Jingpin could only look at them coldly, because they were servants in front of the emperor and she had no right to punish them. However, she waited for Kangxi to speak, but Kangxi remained silent for a long time.

Just when everyone thought that the three would not be able to escape death and that Depin would definitely be demoted and confined to her house, Kangxi suddenly said: "You dogs and slaves, although you have made mistakes, it cannot be blamed entirely on you. It is still Depin's fault. Get up. I will not investigate this matter further. If there is a similar thing in the future, I will never forgive it lightly."

After Kangxi finished speaking, the corners of his mouth raised and he smiled.

He thought Depin didn't care about him! Wasn't she jealous?! He made this dish to remind himself that he was such a jealous person.

Kangxi couldn't help but feel a little proud, thinking that although Depin's behavior was offensive and impulsive, it could not conceal her attention and care for him.

It is also possible that she was angry because I asked her to cook for Jingpin today. What a little woman! What's so good about this? How dare she play tricks on me like this? I still have to find a chance to have a good talk with Depin and resolve this little misunderstanding.

Thinking of this, Kangxi remembered that he originally wanted to go to Yonghe Palace, and he could not sit still any longer, so he spared Wei Zhu and others and prepared to go to Yonghe Palace. Wei Zhu and other servants were kneeling on the ground and did not see it, but Jingpin saw it. Did the emperor just smile?

How can this be funny? Didn't the emperor almost vomit just now? Shouldn't he chop off a few heads and reprimand Depin at this time?

Jingpin felt that it was becoming increasingly difficult to survive in this palace. At least, she really couldn't figure out the emperor's thoughts.

When Wei Zhu and the two young eunuchs heard the emperor's words, they were relieved. They thanked him and left in tears, feeling grateful for the emperor's generosity. At the same time, they also hated Jingpin who fanned the flames.

The Emperor and Concubine De's temper would never affect them. If the Emperor really punished them, Concubine De would plead for them and compensate them according to their character and the relationship they had with them. They didn't expect that the gentle and taciturn Concubine Jing was actually a treacherous person who almost killed them.

Jingpin was about to say something else, but Kangxi's mind had already drifted to Depin's Yonghe Palace, looking distracted. He snorted coldly, "I don't know you guys, you dare not say anything about Depin because I favor her! You are all turning your elbows outward."

Having said that, he walked out of the pavilion and headed for Yonghe Palace, ready to "scold" Concubine De for her bad habit of disrespecting the emperor.

Wei Zhu had just escaped a disaster, but he had calmed down and shouted: "Let's go - Yonghe Palace -"

The sound echoed in the air, like a loud slap on Jingpin's face.

Her face flushed red, she didn't know whether it was out of shame or anger. Jingpin stood there, feeling unprecedented embarrassment and anger. She didn't expect that her carefully planned plan would result in such a result.

Jingpin tightly grasped the handkerchief, her fingertips turning white from the force. Today, she even endured the humiliation in her heart and deliberately imitated Depin's behavior and dress, hoping to win the emperor's favor.

Everyone in the harem said that the emperor liked Depin's look, and many people followed suit, including her, hoping to get close to the emperor's heart in this way.

However, reality dealt her a heavy blow. Her efforts seemed to be in vain. Not only did she not receive the emperor's appreciation, but she also put herself in an even more embarrassing situation and even offended the servants in front of the emperor.

It is said that the King of Hell is easy to deal with, but the little ghosts are difficult to deal with. Jingpin's heart was filled with loss and fear. She began to doubt her judgment and choices, and felt that the road ahead would be even more difficult.

But Jingpin was not an ordinary person after all, and she quickly adjusted her mood. She knew that she had left a good impression on the emperor and her goal had been achieved, so she personally carried the zither back to the palace.

She silently comforted herself that there is no eternal failure, only temporary setbacks. Today, Depin is better, but in the harem, what matters is that there is still a long way to go!

Kangxi finally arrived at Yonghe Palace after rushing, but was told: "The Empress is not here", and his visit was in vain.

Kangxi frowned slightly, feeling lost and confused. He thought that Depin would be waiting for him in the palace, and then rush over to beg for mercy and act like a spoiled child, so that he could let her know his bottom line.

However, she just went out like that?

"Where did your queen go?" Kangxi asked in a deep voice. The maid bowed her head and replied, "Your Majesty, the queen said she was in a bad mood and went out for a walk. We don't know where she went."

"All of you, please leave." Kangxi waved his hand and asked the palace maids to leave. He stood alone in the main hall of Yonghe Palace, looking at the empty Yonghe Palace, ready to observe the traces of Malu's daily life.

A black, gold-inlaid landscape plate was placed on the main seat in the main hall, and the embroidery stand next to it was only outlined and put down without having time to be put away.

Seeing this, his anger because he didn't see Depin had mostly subsided. This inlaid gold landscape plate was given to Malu by herself after her first bedtime. It was fine for her to use it before, but now that she is a concubine, it would be beneath her status to use it again. But she still put it in such a conspicuous place and didn't replace it with a more gorgeous and valuable ornament.

Kangxi picked up the embroidery frame again and looked at it for a long time, but he couldn't figure out what Malu was going to embroider. When he was about to put it down, he found that there was a book underneath. This book didn't even have a cover, but it looked a little worn because it was often read. He gently flipped through the pages and found a few dried petals and leaves, as well as some poems written in beautiful handwriting. It was obviously the excerpts and inspirations that Malu recorded in her spare time.

There are delicate poems, insights into practicing calligraphy, interesting events in Xiao Si'er's daily life and some habits, and records of plant growth in the plantation. It contains all kinds of miscellaneous things.

Kangxi's eyes flashed with surprise and admiration. He didn't expect that Malu was not only adept at court life, but also had such profound literary attainments and artistic accomplishments. However, Kangxi was very dissatisfied with her way of recording. It was too messy! Couldn't she use one book for each item?

Kangxi decided to go back and teach her what neatness meant. He didn't know that Malu had a system, so he could just write it down, and the system would help her organize and classify it. He just thought that this woman was really careless.

But it was her unrestrained personality that made her full of strange ideas! Kangxi thought so and read the book carefully. He felt that this feeling was very novel and exciting. He never knew what Depin wrote on the next page, not to mention that he was reading it secretly.