The Virtuous Concubine

After saying this, Kangxi simply gave Malu another task: "I know you are kind and gentle, and there is one more thing."

Malu was already feeling a bit uneasy at this moment. She felt that she could explode at any time, so she didn't want to argue with Kangxi anymore. She smiled and refused, "Your Majesty - I am just a concubine. I have my own expertise, how can I compare with the ministers of the previous dynasty who have gathered their wisdom?"

Kangxi did not approve of her evasion. He knew very well that Concubine De's talent and ability were far more than that. She was just a person who did not like to stand out from the crowd. He said solemnly: "Concubine De, you do not need to be modest. I am not unaware of your ability. I believe you can handle the affairs I have entrusted to you."

Malu's heart tightened. She knew that the emperor just wanted to use her as a tool, but she also knew her limits. It has always been a taboo for concubines in the harem to be involved in politics. She didn't want to cross this line, at least not while the Empress Dowager was still alive and her son was still alive. She couldn't touch such things.

Therefore, she still refused to give in: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. Although I have some talent, the harem does not get involved in political affairs. This is the family law of our ancestors. I dare not forget it."

Kangxi nodded and said, "I understand your concerns, but what I am talking about is not strictly speaking a political matter."

Why not? Malu's heart moved, and he waited for the next step.

He pondered for a while before saying, "After Yaxsa, I plan to appoint a naval commander to attack Taiwan."

Malu was slightly startled. She didn't expect the emperor to mention this matter, but she quickly reacted: "Your Majesty, this matter concerns the fate of the country. I dare not speak rashly. But I believe that your wise decision will surely make the Qing Dynasty prosper."

Kangxi pretended not to hear and continued, "But the Eight Banners have always been good at fighting on horseback, and they are not good at sailing. I don't want to rely solely on the border people's navy, can you..."

Malu immediately understood what he meant. The method she had come up with before could overcome the severe cold, and now Kangxi hoped that she could come up with a way to overcome the problem of the Eight Banners' children being unable to swim! I really admire Kangxi for thinking of handing this matter over to me.

Malu was relieved after understanding it. Who hasn't seen Titanic? If it's just to achieve this effect, isn't it simple? Swimming rings, life jackets, lifeboats and other things, I'm afraid Kangxi's navy ship can't put them all!

But she still pretended to be embarrassed: "It's not just the Eight Banners who can't swim. There are also me, the concubine..."

Kangxi couldn't help laughing when she said that. However, he knew that Malu was a smart person and would not be easily stumped: "I know you are not good at water, but I believe in your wisdom and ability. The way you overcame the severe cold before has proved your intelligence. I hope you can use your wisdom to come up with some practical solutions for my navy."

Seeing that Kangxi still insisted, Malu had no choice but to agree: "Okay, but I know nothing about water and fire. I just hope that Xiao Sier can learn to swim."

Kangxi heard that her excuses were so clever, and he became more and more convinced that she could accomplish this. Now that the blame had been thrown out, and there was a possibility of solving the problem in his mind, he let Nalan leave, and now he should enjoy the time with the beauty of the red sleeves.

Nalan Rongruo stepped back obediently, walked out of the door from under Kangxi, with a distance of four or five people between him and Malu, but he was also very happy in his heart - did this count as the two of them passing by each other?

Malu didn't even look at him the whole time. When Malu came in, he didn't recognize him at all because he wasn't wearing a guard uniform today.

Seeing that the most tense time had passed, the system had time to tease: "This Nalan guard has a unique flavor in his official uniform~"

Malu spat in his heart: "You rascal, you only know how to cause trouble for others."

Seeing Malu holding the ink stick in silence, Kangxi thought that the task assigned to her was too important and she couldn't be happy, so he deliberately changed the subject: "There is another interesting thing ahead."

Malu raised her head. She knew that the emperor changed the subject to ease the atmosphere, so she followed his words and asked, "Oh? What's the interesting thing?"

Kangxi took her delicate hand and played with it: "Rongruo didn't come here today to discuss government affairs with me. He brought his latest collection of poems. As soon as he came in, he saw your painting "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains."

As he spoke, he pointed to the double-sided embroidery placed in the middle of the study, his face full of pride: "I am in a good mood today, so I briefly told him about the exquisiteness of your embroidery, which shows one scene at a time."

The system looked at Kangxi's behavior of cheating on itself and couldn't help but sigh that some things cannot be stopped by intervention.

Malu looked at Kangxi intently, as if Kangxi was the only person in her eyes. "Your Majesty, it's just a trifle. It's not worth mentioning."

Kangxi shook his head: "If this is just a trivial skill, then the embroiderers in the palace will die of shame. Nalan was very impressed, and -"

Kangxi dragged out his voice, wanting to keep the secret. Malu turned around angrily and said, "Your Majesty, it would be fine if you didn't say anything, but why tease me? I'd better roll up this embroidery and take it back to Yonghe Palace!"

Kangxi laughed loudly: "Really, you are so impatient. Who else but me can stand you? Okay, okay, I will tell you. Nalan even saw the little trick you left behind."

He simply stood up, pulled Malu to the side of the "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", pointed to a dark spot and said, "He actually spotted it at a glance. Is this woman you?"

The place Kangxi pointed to was exactly what Jingyi had proposed. A woman was embroidering while looking at the man on the top of the mountain. This part was not very obvious. The color of the woman seemed to blend into the whole picture. There was only a faint outline, but you could feel her friendship with the man on the top of the mountain.

What’s even more exaggerated is that if you look closely at the embroidery in the woman’s hand, the outline is exactly a small “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains”!

After watching it again, Kangxi was still shocked by the ingenuity. He turned to look at Malu, his eyes full of admiration: "Your embroidery skills and thoughts are really ingenious, there is no other like it in the world. Even I almost failed to recognize this subtle detail."

Malu smiled slightly. She was proud of her work and admired Nalan's insight: "Your Majesty has good eyesight. This is indeed my concubine. It is my concubine's honor to leave a little mark of myself in this masterpiece that will be passed down through the ages."

In fact, she felt a little disappointed. It had been a long time since Kangxi received this painting, and he even kept it in his southern study room looking at it every day, but it was Nalan Rongruo who first discovered this.

Of course, this was just a foreshadowing she had casually planted, and she didn't expect Kangxi to find out. But people are afraid of comparison.

Malu gently stroked the embroidery. The armor on her hand was carved with gold and jade, but it was extremely cold. She felt that her efforts were wasted. When Xiao Sier ascended the throne, she would definitely take back the "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains".