The Virtuous Concubine

After more than a month of carefree days, Malu was almost forgetting her status as a concubine.

There is no other reason, it’s just that Kangxi was away and the country was too carefree.

The most important thing for her every day was to eat and drink. She didn't need to worry about how to please him, nor did she need to rack her brains to choose jewelry and clothes. She just wandered back and forth in Yonghe Palace and Shanglin Garden in her half-new and half-worn homely clothes all day long, and occasionally went to check in at little Niuhulu's place.

Even when Concubine Yi saw her, she would smile and say that she was a first-class free and easy person. Originally, Concubine Yi and Concubine Xiao Niuhulu were pregnant, and they should have been relieved of their palace duties in order to take care of the fetus. But how could they be willing to spit out the meat in their mouths?

The two men only sent someone to explain to Imperial Concubine Tong that their fetus was stable and they could still help relieve her worries. This made the Imperial Concubine so angry that she called the imperial physician twice more.

Malu was happy and relaxed, and became a hands-off manager. Her child, Xiao Si'er, was smart and ambitious, and she never needed to worry too much. Her twins were still young, and they were carefully taken care of by their own wet nurses and palace maids Jingyi and Dachun. As for the affairs entrusted by Kangxi, she handed them over to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to handle, and she only provided advice and guidance on the side.

During the process, Nalan Rongruo did pass on some information through the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department's Craftsmen Division, but Malu ignored it and said, "In the future, if Guard Nalan has any ideas or questions, you can just reply to him directly. As the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, can't you even handle this?"

The head of the Imperial Household Department's Artisan Department was so miserable that he almost cried when he followed a group of maids out of Yonghe Palace.

Since he met the Empress Defei, he was promoted and became rich, but later on, his whole family was somehow controlled by the Nalan family! The official positions and children of his other brothers were also related to the Nalan family. It was a relationship that was difficult to explain. At first, he thought that the Nalan guards were afraid of the Empress Defei and were ready to harm her.

The supervisor even considered hanging himself to save his family.

Unexpectedly, the Nalan family seemed to have no such intention at all. The most excessive thing they did was to inquire about the news of Concubine De and Yonghe Palace.

Who wouldn't gossip about this? Moreover, Empress Defei has always been a bright and open person. She is very open and never hides anything. Even if the Nalan family doesn't ask him, they will ask others the same. So he also picked up some truths that he could tell.

Now the purpose of the Nalan family has been exposed. The chief steward thinks that the Nalan family just wants to connect with the Empress Defei! Then let the several princes of the Empress Defei help the eldest prince fight the crown prince.

Otherwise, why did they repeatedly test whether Concubine De was willing to accept the help of the Nalan family? Otherwise, why did the Nalan family rush to pay for it?

The chief steward of the Imperial Household Department's Craftsmen Division, whose mind was full of power and official positions, had never thought that there was a disease in the world called love-brain.

As the eldest son of Nalan Mingzhu Mingxiang, he was gifted, proficient in classics and history, good at calligraphy, painting, riding and shooting, and a man of both civil and military talents. If this was a character setting, packaged by Mingxiang, then his achievements of passing the imperial examination the year after he entered the Imperial College and then passing the imperial examination made these things impeccable.

But he is love-minded.

He secretly ordered people to grasp the lifelines of several people in the Craftsmen's Department of the Imperial Household Department, and intentionally or unintentionally mentioned naval affairs and the Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains in front of Kangxi, and finally he was able to make this chess game come alive.

These things naturally could not be hidden from the eyes of Ming Xiang. Ming Xiang, an old fox with both power and scheming, had a mind full of power and scheming, and he didn't know that his son had met De Fei several times in private. When he saw his son's actions, he had other thoughts in his mind. He thought that his eldest son finally got the hang of it and began to understand how to lay out in the harem and pave the way for the eldest prince raised by the Nalan family.

But Ming was not completely satisfied with this. In his opinion, a man should have ambitions and should look to the wider court, rather than confining himself to the harem.

He believed that Nalan should make full use of his role as the emperor's personal guard and try to understand the emperor's thoughts in order to consolidate the family's status and influence. Whenever he saw his subordinates reporting how the eldest son asked the stewards of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to establish contact with Concubine De, he felt more strongly about this.

Moreover, he was somewhat uneasy. How could he explain clearly that he was in a melon field and a plum field? It would be more appropriate to marry Nalan as early as possible to rectify the family reputation. Moreover, Concubine De did not seem to be ready to join the eldest prince's boat. There had been no reply.

So, on a moonlit night, Ming Xiang called his son and said earnestly, "You are this old now. If you were a normal kid, you would be able to run and jump and call me grandfather! What do you think about your marriage?"

When Nalan heard this, he blurted out almost subconsciously: "Father! I don't want to get engaged."

When Ming Xiang heard this, he felt something was wrong: "Whose sons and daughters are not chosen early? Explain to me why."

Nalan didn't dare to tell the truth! He could only talk about the principle of building a career first and then starting a family, trying to convince Ming Xiang that he was ready to make achievements in the court first. Ming Xiang didn't buy it at all: "Tell the truth."

Nalan's heart tightened. How could he dare to tell the real reason - his infatuation with Concubine De and her indifference to him. He could only stammer and repeat the same old story again: "Father, I think a man should establish a career first, and then consider starting a family after he has achieved something. After starting a family, many things will distract him..."

Ming Xiang almost laughed out loud: "Don't come on! Don't you have enough things to distract you? How many poetry gatherings have you attended? Every day you are locked up in the house writing those obscene poems and songs, riding horses, shooting arrows, painting and writing. These things have distracted you, why don't you change?"

Nalan was speechless after hearing his father's words. He knew that his behavior seemed a bit unprofessional in his father's eyes. He lowered his head and said in a lower voice: "Father, you are right. I will pay attention to it in the future."

Seeing his son's sincere attitude, Ming Xiang stopped criticizing him. He continued earnestly, "Xingde, your father understands you and knows that you have ambitions and aspirations. But a man should not only have the heart to make achievements in the world, but also understand the ways of the world. Getting married is also an important part of career advancement."

Nalan couldn't help but look at his father and his mother... Ming Xiang's wife was from the Jueluo clan, the granddaughter of Nurhaci, the founder of the Qing Dynasty, the daughter of Ajige, the Prince of Heshuoying, and also the cousin of Emperor Kangxi.

Although it is said that a son should not blame his mother, Gioro was notoriously arrogant, fierce, jealous, and cruel. Once, Ming Xiang inadvertently praised a maid's beautiful eyes in the study, which was overheard by Gioro. As a result, the maid received a gift from the lady that night - her eyes were gouged out.

Ming Xiang knew exactly what his son meant by teasing him. He raised his foot and kicked him: "You little bastard!"

Nalan dodged nimbly and just laughed, thinking that the matter had been evaded. Unexpectedly, Ming Xiang had no intention of letting him go: "Tell me the truth, why don't you want to get married?"

Nalan struggled in his heart. He knew he could no longer avoid it, so he mustered up the courage to say, "Father, I already have someone in my heart."

Ming Xiang's eyes flashed with surprise when he heard this, but he soon regained his composure: "Oh? Which girl is this that could make you so persistent?"

Nalan was silent for a moment before he said, "Beauty is like a flower in the clouds, father, there is no need to mention it again."

There was endless bitterness in his words.

When Ming Xiang heard him say this, he thought the person was dead. It was probably another prostitute who was too low-status to enter the house, and finally died! Of course, Ming Xiang was also relieved. It was good that she was dead, and there would be no more trouble if she died.

Ming Xiang shook his head: "That's not a reason for you not to get married. Lu Xingzu, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, has a daughter named Yuchan. Your mother has seen her. She is born gentle and has a dignified personality. Whether in terms of family background or character, she is a good match."