The Virtuous Concubine

When the Fourth Prince heard what his mother said, his heart started beating like a drum: "How did mother know the name of the minister of the previous dynasty?"

He knew that his mother was asking about Dai Zi for no reason. Dai Zi, who had made great contributions in suppressing Geng Jingzhong's rebellion, was currently serving as a lecturer in the Imperial Academy at the Yangxin Palace and was highly appreciated by Emperor Kangxi. But the Fourth Prince knew better that his mother must have mentioned him because of firearms!

Ma Lu replied casually, "Although mother is in the harem and cannot be involved in government affairs, mother is doing this for you, isn't it? You will soon have your own teacher and study in the upper study room. How can you continue to follow the prince and the eldest prince, eat from the big pot and listen to the scraps? Anyway, a prince will have several teachers, mother has found a few for you."

The fourth prince was even more confused. When did my mother have such ability? He quickly shook his head: "Mother, let's talk about it when we get back."

Ma Lu saw the Fourth Prince's expression and knew what he was thinking. She nodded and said, "As long as you know that Mother is only concerned about your future and is thinking about you, that's enough."

After hearing what his mother said, the fourth prince's doubts gradually dissipated. He knew that no matter how his mother got this information, her starting point was for his future.

But now that they have returned, they can't talk about these things right away. They have to choose a gift for Kangxi first. However, Malu secretly decided to take the opportunity to let Xiao Si'er learn how to use the musket, and it would be best if he had one for self-defense. After the tiger incident was over, she couldn't bring it up.

Malu made a prompt decision and ordered Bai Xia to bring an exquisite flat silver wine pot inlaid with turquoise as a gift. She took the Fourth Prince's hand and walked towards Emperor Kangxi's tent together.

The place where the 12,000 people camped was simply a spectacular mobile city. The area where the emperor, concubines, royal relatives and their guards lived was called the palace city, and the emperor's tent was located in the heart of the palace city. It was built with yellow cloth and was extremely noble. It was called the tent palace.

Outside the palace are the guard tents that protect the emperor. They surround the palace from all directions, forming a circle and a net made of yellow ropes, called the net city. Together, they constitute the inner camp, also called the inner city. Outside the inner city, there is the outer city, where tents are even more densely packed.

The Fourth Prince led Malu through the layers of tents. He often went to and from Malu's tent and knew how to pass with the least amount of people and in the most proper way. Before arriving at the tent hall, the Fourth Prince personally stuffed a handful of gold melon seeds into the stunned Eunuch Wei Zhu's mouth and quietly asked Wei Zhu, "Eunuch Wei, is the Emperor here? I'm here to see the big tiger! To see the great hero!"

Xiao Si'er's voice was deliberately loud, with the excitement and pride that only a child can have. Kangxi heard these words in the tent and couldn't help but smile. Before Wei Zhu could figure out what to do, Liang Jiugong's voice came through the tent: "The emperor summons the fourth prince to the palace--"

Upon hearing the voice, the Fourth Prince and Malu smiled at each other, then opened the curtain and walked into the tent.

It was a different world inside! The tent was covered with gorgeous carpets, and many prey heads were hung on the wall. Kangxi was sitting on the chair in the middle, polishing his bow. He saw Malu behind Xiao Si'er and was slightly startled: "Why are you here?"

Defei rarely breaks the rules like this. Although concubines often come to ask for audiences and send gifts, Defei will not do so, or rather, Uya Malu will not do so. She never did so when she was a low-ranking concubine and needed favors very much. What's more, she was outside, and it was estimated that many people saw her along the way...

Malu knelt slightly and saluted and replied: "Your Majesty, I heard that Your Majesty hunted a tiger today, so I came to congratulate you and also brought Xiao Si'er to see your heroic figure."

It sounded like there was nothing wrong, but Malu looked helplessly at the Fourth Prince holding her hand. Kangxi immediately understood that the Fourth Prince was too excited and directly dragged his mother to the tent. Defei never spoiled the fun of children, so she followed reluctantly.

What do you mean by bringing Xiao Si'er here? It was obviously Xiao Si'er who brought her here to see my heroic spirit!

Kangxi immediately felt that the Fourth Prince had done a good job and should have brought her to see me, to see my talent in both civil and military affairs. He smiled and teased, "What do you mean by come to see me? Isn't it enough to see me every day? You should have come to see the big tiger."

The atmosphere in the tent suddenly became relaxed, and Malu couldn't help but smile. When the Fourth Prince heard what the Emperor said, he smiled a little embarrassedly, but then he regained his excitement: "Father, I also want to be a hero like you, hunt tigers, and defend the Qing Dynasty! Where are the tigers? Father, I want to see the big tigers."

Kangxi shook his head helplessly, and then ordered someone to fetch the hunted tiger so that Xiao Sier could watch it closely. Malu stood aside, pretending to be scared, and looked at the tiger from a distance.

The rest is up to the Fourth Prince to do! As expected, the Fourth Prince did not disappoint Malu. He used the wounds on the tiger to show his curiosity and interest in the damage caused by firearms.

Kangxi was a very curious person. He was well-versed in both Chinese and Western culture and was full of interest in new things. He naturally appreciated children with the same curiosity. So he began to explain to the fourth prince the development of firearms, from the early matchlock guns to the latest flintlock guns, and described the characteristics and uses of each type vividly and in detail.

In addition to explaining, Kangxi even took out the musket that he was most comfortable with and showed it to the fourth prince, so that he could intuitively feel the power of this weapon. However, for safety reasons, he did not load the gunpowder to prevent accidents caused by the child's ignorance.

The fourth prince said enviously: "Father, can you give me one..."

Malu quickly came out to play the villain: "Yinzhen!"

There was no need for Malu to say anything more. The Fourth Prince was startled by Malu's shout and immediately realized his gaffe. He hurriedly bowed to Kangxi in fear and said, "Father, I have spoken out of turn." Then he hid behind Kangxi, holding Kangxi's sleeve and not daring to look at his mother.

Seeing this, Kangxi waved his hand gently. He understood the Fourth Prince's desire, and he also felt that Concubine De was right. After all, the danger of a killing weapon like a firearm is self-evident. How could it be easily handed over to a young child?

However, he was very tolerant of his son, especially the son who was in his heart: "It's okay. It's a good thing for Yinzhen to be curious and eager to learn. But he does need to know when to use it. Firearms are dangerous. Let's talk about it when you grow up."

Malu also took advantage of the opportunity to persuade Xiao Sier: "Yes, this firearm, like horse archery, must also require a long time of learning and training to be able to hit the target every time, right? And you can't just know the result but not the reason. You still need to study more and learn from Huang Amadeo to understand the mechanism behind it."

What a person who knows the result but not the reason! Kangxi looked at Malu with approval. Among the women in the harem, only Concubine De had such a heart of seeking knowledge through investigation of things, which had never changed. Otherwise, she would not have created so many things.