The Virtuous Concubine

Malu threw the quilt on the bed directly over to cover Nalan who was stripping off his clothes with abandon.

"Don't be crazy!"

Nalan Rongruo was a little dazed for a moment after being covered like this. He pulled his head out of the quilt twice, and said with great grievance: "Your Majesty, I just... I just want you to stop being angry."

Malu looked at his aggrieved look, and her anger disappeared. She sighed and softened her tone a little: "Lord Nalan, I know what you mean, but you don't have to humiliate yourself like this. It's impossible for the two of us to be together. Put on your clothes quickly, get out of my Yonghe Palace, and don't look back."

Nalan Rongruo felt a little happy when he heard this. He knew that although Concubine De seemed angry on the surface, she still cared about him in her heart.

Otherwise, why would we let him put on clothes? Aren’t we afraid that he would catch a cold?

He nodded quickly and put on his clothes in a hurry: "Yes, Madam, I obey your command."

Seeing him panicking and making excuses, Malu suddenly found it a little funny. If Bai Xia and Bai Fu saw this at this time, they would definitely - forget it, they probably knew about what happened in the afternoon, so it wouldn't matter if she had one more misunderstanding.

Malu, who had given up hope, pulled the quilt back onto the bed and watched Nalan raise his feet.

He was very agile, and just as he was about to climb out of the window, Malu behind him suddenly said, "Wait!"

Nalan Rongruo's body froze, and he quickly stopped his movements and rode on the window frame. He turned around and asked Malu, with a hint of expectation and uneasiness in his eyes: "My queen, do you have any other instructions?"

Malu looked at him like this and smiled a little: "You said you would be my ox and horse and serve me till death, but is that true?"

"Your Majesty, every word I say comes from my heart. Everything I have belongs to you. It is my honor to serve you."

Malu smiled softly: "There is no evidence for this."

Nalan's eyes suddenly became complicated: "The certificate... has already been handed over to the queen. The flatfish pendant is the Nalan family's token. It can mobilize all the resources and connections of the Nalan family. As long as you carry it with you, it will be fine."

Seeing that Malu was extremely surprised and his eyes were full of disbelief, Nalan Rongruo showed a bitter smile on his face: "It's just that you... have never worn it, and you didn't let the twins wear it." There was a hint of regret in his tone, as if he was regretting that Malu had not realized the deep meaning behind the jade pendant.

Malu was stunned, her heart was filled with shock. She had always regarded the jade pendant as a token of Nalan Rongruo's love, just precious, but she had never thought that it had such a great meaning hidden in it.

She couldn't help but scold him, "Don't you have a mouth? Why didn't you tell me when you sent it to me? It was just on the window, who would know about this!"

Nalan Rongruo's face became even more bitter after being scolded by her. He lowered his head and said aggrievedly: "I was afraid that you would not want it after you knew it. After all, this is a token from the Nalan family to the next head of the family."

Malu had been pampered for so many years, and finally couldn't help rolling his eyes: "If you don't tell me, I will take it? You really are not afraid of killing me. If the emperor recognizes it, tell me, whose neck of the nine clans is harder than a knife?"

Nalan Rongruo lowered his head even more. He was also overwhelmed by the joy of the birth of twins. Now he realized that his inconsideration had brought potential danger to Malu. He felt extremely guilty: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong."

Seeing this, Malu's tone softened a little. After all, he would still need him in the future, and the civil officials of the previous dynasty still needed him to help Xiao Si'er make friends: "Don't do it again, understand? I'll find the jade pendant another day and return it to you."

Hearing this, Nalan shook his head quickly: "How can you take back something you gave away? What's more, I don't need it, so I can transfer it. You should keep it well. If anything happens, take it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs or just walk around the palace, and someone will help you. You need this more than I do."

Ma Lu shook his head: "What if Concubine Hui sees it? She must know the origin of this jade pendant."

Nalan grinned: "Then she has to listen to you too."

Malu was amused by his words and smiled slightly. Although she was still a little worried, she was also moved and believed in Nalan Rongruo's honesty and sincerity: "You have a mouth, really... I know."

Nalan was relieved to see that she finally didn't care about his rashness today, and he bravely asked her: "Can I come to see you in two days?"

Malu refused directly: "What are you looking at? I'm fine."

Nalan asked in a different way: "Would you like to see me in two days?"

Malu really felt that this person was like a sticky candy, and she couldn't get rid of him! She was a little annoyed: "You don't want your life, but I do!"

Nalan was relieved: "Don't be afraid, I am very familiar with the rotation of guards in the palace. I will be here in two days——"

Seeing that he was talking to himself, Malu turned his back and didn't look at him. Nalan muttered a few more words, saying that there was no need to worry, that he had already spoken well of her in front of the emperor and that he was not allowed to return the jade pendant to him, etc., until he heard Bai Xia's footsteps getting closer and closer, then he turned around and left.

When leaving, he did not forget to close the windows, for fear that the wind would blow against the people in the house.

Bai Xia was surprised when she came in: "I just heard the sound of the window closing, and the queen has already walked to the side of the screen."

Malu acted as if the scene just now had not happened, and said calmly: "Maybe it was the wind, it's okay. Let's go take a shower, Bai Xia will help me change the quilt and other things later."

Bai Xia said "yes" and followed Malu to the bathing place. Malu soaked in the warm water and thought about what happened today.

If she really wanted to say, she did like Rong Ji a little bit in her heart. As for Nalan, she mostly held back because he was useful.

It's not just the power of the Nalan family and his reputation among the civil officials, but more importantly, he has always been by Kangxi's side, and Kangxi would often ask him to accompany him.

It is said that pillow talk is powerful, so why doesn't she need someone to encourage Kangxi every day?

Rong Ji was her emotional comfort, while Rong Ruo was her political bargaining chip. She knew that if she could make good use of this relationship, she would undoubtedly be able to occupy a more advantageous position in the court and the harem.

But if he was determined to use Nalan, then after the eldest prince was rejected and imprisoned by Kangxi, he would have to find a way to make him show mercy when clearing out the ministers.

After all, if Ming Xiang fell, the power of the Nalan family would certainly suffer a heavy blow. Rong Ruo was actually a talented scholar whose mind was full of poetry, songs, and romance. Kangxi knew this very well, so he rarely entrusted him with important tasks.

If Ming Xiang falls, the value of the Yehenara family will naturally decrease greatly.

Malu knew very well that what she really needed was to cleverly guide the Yehenara family to join her after Ming Xiang gave up the eldest prince, through her eldest son and the fourth prince, instead of turning her attention to the eighth prince who had been cultivated by Hui Fei for a while.

None of them are princes of the Yehenara family. Whether choosing one who was raised by Concubine Hui or one who is supported by the future heir of the family, the Fourth Prince still has a greater chance of winning.

However, in this chess game, the role of the Fourth Prince is crucial. Ma Lu hesitated, and she weighed the pros and cons in her mind, should she tell the Fourth Prince about all these plans?