The Virtuous Concubine

Malu returned to the tent and looked at his son, not knowing what to say. The Fourth Prince saw that his mother was hesitant to speak, so how could he not understand? He quickly explained in a flattering manner: "Mother, this is really an accident..."

However, the Fourth Prince also added half a sentence in his heart, at least in the second half, the Crown Prince rubbing salt into the eldest prince's wound was really an accident, and he did not do it on purpose.

Malu looked at the Fourth Prince deeply. She knew that her son was not only smart but also ruthless, but she didn't know that he was so good at conspiracy. He was like this at such a young age. I don't know whether it will be a blessing or a curse in the future.

She felt both proud and worried, fearing that he was too arrogant and might easily fail.

Malu sighed softly and said, "Little Si'er, mother knows you are smart, but you'd better not get involved in their fight. It's best to stay away from them."

The Fourth Prince was somewhat amused and confused. How could he hide from this? As the best among the princes, he was born to face these power struggles. To put it bluntly, he was not afraid of trouble. He would pick a fight even when there was nothing to do!

Mother is just too soft-hearted, what is this? If it weren't for the limited manpower and strength now, he would have wanted to keep the prince in Mulan Paddock.

Seeing that the Fourth Prince didn't seem to be listening, Malu frowned, and his worry was evident in his words: "You have so many younger brothers behind you, and there will be more disputes. Moreover, if there are too many people, they will stick together, and your Royal Father doesn't like people to form cliques..."

Malu almost said it clearly. Her eyes were full of expectations and admonitions for her son: "Little Fourth, mother hopes you can understand that even if you win a fight, there are still others to come. The most important thing is your father's opinion."

While Malu was teaching his son earnestly, Kangxi, after dealing with the affairs of the eldest prince and the crown prince, began to think about today's events. He certainly didn't want to doubt the fourth prince, especially compared with the two unfilial sons, the fourth prince's sense of propriety and brotherly love were even more precious.

But he couldn't help but suspect the Fourth Prince. He even began to suspect that this was all a trap set by Malu. After all, the cause was the Fourth Prince's praise of the Crown Prince.

Although what the Fourth Prince said later made sense, it is not difficult to guess what Yinzhen would think after he said this. The salt that caused the prince to be injured later was also found in the camping bag prepared by Malu.

Fortunately, Liang Jiugong was quite capable and he quickly found out the whole process of what happened, even the specific conversations, from the accompanying guards.

Liang Jiugong also checked the bag afterwards. This bag was taken from the Fourth Prince by the First Prince. The reason and time of misplacing the items in it are unclear, but it is likely that someone around the First Prince misplaced the items, because many items in the bag were misplaced.

The Empress Defei would never treat her own son like this. If the eldest prince had not excitedly taken the fourth prince's bag, the Empress Defei would have asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send him one as well, and he would not have suffered this hardship.

The prince did not use the golden medicine in his bag to avoid suspicion, but deliberately used the medicine in the eldest prince's bag, which was indeed taken out from the interlayer of the medicine. . . . It can be said that Concubine De and the Fourth Prince were innocent in the eyes of Liang Jiugong and Kangxi after their investigation.

If Liang Jiugong really wanted to say, the emperor's suspicion of Concubine De was a little... a little unkind. Concubine De never made mistakes in handling palace affairs.

What is even more commendable is that she is more considerate than any other noble lady. Since she took over the kitchen, she has not added any extra expenses to do favors, but she has been able to quietly improve the diet of the masters and servants in the palace. It can be said that she is very thoughtful. This is a real skill!

She was even more kind-hearted towards her children. When the things she had carefully prepared for the Fourth Prince were snatched away by someone, she not only did not blame them, but generously gave them everything she could from everyone in the palace.

It was normal that the eldest prince was not supplied later. Even a clay man would have a temper. Didn't the eldest prince deserve it? Moreover, his son was well educated. The guards at the scene said that the fourth prince was very polite and spoke in a clear and reasonable manner.

Eunuch Liang didn't think that his heart was biased, he was just speaking the truth. Concubine De and the Fourth Prince were beyond reproach!

Kangxi was both satisfied and dissatisfied with the result. He was satisfied that the performance of the Fourth Prince was indeed impressive, and that his performance was the demeanor that a royal child should have. He was dissatisfied that the Crown Prince and the eldest son, who he had put the most thought into and placed the highest hopes on, were actually outdone.

"Shame on you!" Kangxi sighed inwardly, his face showing disappointment and grief. He felt that he had lost to Concubine De in terms of education, but he also felt that Concubine De was really good, and that he could let the prince have more contact with the Fourth Prince, or even her, in the future.

Although Concubine Hui's recklessness today put her in a dangerous position, it did serve as a reminder to Kangxi that Yinreng would suffer some losses without his mother's protection.

If Concubine De could take care of him and take care of him carefully, perhaps Yinreng would not have made the mistake he made today. This thought lingered in Kangxi's mind, and he could not help but grab the prince and give him a lecture, and then taught him: "Fourth Prince advised you, why didn't you listen?"

The prince stood in front of Emperor Kangxi, looking ashamed, but in his heart he had already whipped Yinzhen ten thousand times! He responded in a low voice, with indignation that was hard to conceal: "Father, I know I was wrong. It was really the eldest prince... He was so irritating! I gave in step by step, but he was aggressive and demanded more... I really couldn't stand it anymore."

Emperor Kangxi listened to the prince's explanation and his expression eased a little: "I know you feel wronged, but as a prince, you must learn to control your emotions. He is aggressive, and you have no other way to deal with it? If you are wronged in the future, don't you come to me? If it is not easy for me to interfere, you can go to your mother or your fourth brother."

The prince was also a little surprised when he heard this: "Why..." After all, Defei's position and qualifications were not as good as those of Xiao Niuhulu or Huifei and Rongfei, and he also had his aunt Xiao Hesheli in the palace. Why did the emperor let him get close to Defei?

Seeing the prince's doubts, Emperor Kangxi further explained: "Defei has a gentle temperament and is fair in her dealings. She can give you more neutral advice. Moreover, she has many ways to deal with things. Sometimes you don't have to go back and forth with the other party openly. In the palace, listen more, watch more, and be less impulsive. It will do you good and no harm."

The prince suddenly realized that his father was helping him: "Your Majesty is wise, I have learned a lot. In the future, I will listen to good advice and act prudently."

Seeing his son being taught in this way, Kangxi felt softened: "Conflicts like this are also part of growing up." He gently patted the prince's shoulder. Although the action was small, it was the greatest comfort and trust to the prince.

The prince also nodded: "Then I will go to visit the Virtuous Mother another day!"

Kangxi couldn't help laughing: "Don't scare her, she has always been cautious. Not to mention you, the crown prince, even I have been rejected by her many times. You should get along well with Xiao Si'er first, she will take care of you naturally because she loves you."

Kangxi could have told Malu about it, or issued an edict, and Malu would not have dared to disobey. But there is a difference between a person's willingness to do something from the bottom of his heart and doing it as a task. Moreover, the prince should also learn how to win people's hearts, so let's use Concubine De to practice for the prince!