The Virtuous Concubine

After hearing this, the prince suddenly became depressed, and his anger also subsided a little: "Madam De, please don't tease me. I am really upset now."

Malu handed the tea to the prince and said gently, "Your Highness, there are bound to be some rumors in this palace. But you are the prince, you must not lose your composure because of a few slanderous words from others."

After thinking for a while, Malu praised Kangxi: "Your Majesty is wise and intelligent, and he will definitely be able to distinguish right from wrong. If you continue to be angry like this, won't it play into the hands of those villains? They may just be hoping that you will lose your composure."

The prince was even sadder when he heard what Malu said: "But the emperor——"

Oh, this ancestor!!!

You can say it, you can say it in Yuqing Palace, you can even say it in front of Kangxi, but you can't say it in Yonghe Palace!

Malu quickly placed his hands on the piano keys and pressed out a series of notes with a strong rhythm and unusually loud sound, trying to use the sudden noise to cover up the words that the prince was about to say.

The sharp piano sound exploded in the air, breaking the tense and delicate atmosphere in the room.

The prince was startled by the sudden sound of the piano and swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Malu simply started playing according to the music score. While playing, he took the opportunity to get closer to the prince and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, there are some things that cannot be said casually."

The sound of the piano covered up their conversation. The melodious piano music seemed to form an invisible barrier, temporarily isolating them from the outside world.

The two looked very intimate at the moment.

The prince quickly adjusted his mindset and simply played the song "Butterfly Love" together with Malu in a four-hand duet.

"Butterfly Love", a lingering and lonely song, was played with melancholy by Malu, but the prince, being young and hot-tempered, had never been truly moved, and thus played the song in a soul-stirring way.

According to Malu, he can be so free and unrestrained because he has never experienced the pain of love.

When the song ended, the prince seemed to still be immersed in the melody, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and he had forgotten to be angry.

Malu looked at the prince with a smile and commented: "Your Highness played this piece with great vigor, but this "Butterfly Love" actually has more delicate emotions."

The prince raised his pointed chin slightly and said, "So I don't like this piece very much. I want to change it."

Malu laughed so hard that he almost lost his composure: "How do I change it? This song is about—"

She changed her words as she was about to say: "It's about a pair of lovers who are unable to be together, and in the end the girl turns into a butterfly and flies away. No matter how much I change it, it won't be as heart-wrenching as you want, Prince."

The prince heard Malu's words, but frowned disapprovingly: "So what? I'm going to try. In this world, there are only things I don't want to do. There is nothing I can't do."

Malu shook his head helplessly and said with a smile: "Well, since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has made this determination, I will wait and see."

The prince hummed and corrected Malu: "I should say, I'm all ears."

Malu discovered that the yandere Prince could be quite cute sometimes, although most of the time he was just a picky and annoying person.

She smiled and nodded: "Okay, okay, I'm all ears."

The prince was so impatient that he immediately found a pen and paper and began to circle and draw on the music score, thinking about how to make changes.

After a while, the prince seemed to have some inspiration. He moved his fingers on the keys a few times, trying to play a new melody.

Malu watched quietly from the side, feeling both surprised and curious.

As the prince continued to experiment and revise, a new melody gradually took shape. Although it was still a little immature, it did have a different style from the original.

Malu could not help but nod and praise: "Your Highness is indeed smart. This new melody is quite unique."

The prince smiled proudly and said, "It's not over yet. I still need to continue to improve it and make it a song that really suits my taste."

Then he sighed and said, "If one of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai had my wisdom and perseverance, their love would not have ended in tragedy."

What a stinky kid! Ma Lu saw that he had misunderstood and thought that this Butterfly Love was about Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, so she didn't explain.

Different dimensions, incompatible.

But he was so arrogant that Malu couldn't help but feel that Kangxi had really spoiled him.

Their love became a tragedy because of the feudal ethics that you have been trying so hard to uphold!

The prince is so confident because he is above feudal ethics.

Seeing that Malu didn't speak, the prince looked at her with some confusion.

Malu shook his head and patiently explained, "Your Highness, when you experience more in the future, you may feel differently when you play this piece again."

The prince frowned and said disapprovingly: "What's so great about love?"

Malu smiled and did not refute: "Indeed, there are many emotions in this world, and there are many more things that are as important as emotions, or even more important."

After hearing what Malu said, the prince fell into a brief contemplation, then raised his head and said, "Besides feelings, what else is more important?"

Malu smiled and replied, "For example, responsibility. Your Majesty shoulders the heavy responsibility of the country and the hearts of the people. This responsibility is more important than many emotions. And your personal ideal, Prince. If a person has a firm ideal and strives for it, it will also be of great significance."

The prince's eyes flashed with a thoughtful gleam, and he said, "What if these very important things conflict?"

Ma Lu reached out to turn the pages of the music sheet, and after finding the right position, he said, "So you have to make a choice. At this time, it depends on you, do you want to be the crown prince or Yinreng more?"

This answer was like a thunderclap to the prince, awakening his ears.

He, his royal father, and Prime Minister Suo have always held themselves to strict standards as crown princes.

He was used to showing the dignity and responsibility of a prince in front of everyone.

Every move and every word was carefully considered, for fear of losing the demeanor of a prince.

However, there are still people who are always dissatisfied and want to pull him down.

However, he really liked Empress De very much. She could always give him some unexpected inspiration in some unexpected situations.

The prince thought to himself, perhaps this is also the reason why the emperor likes her?

He suddenly realized that the emperor father seemed not to have set foot in Yonghe Palace for some time.

She still seemed to be enjoying herself, as if she didn't care about the favor. But the prince felt that this song betrayed her!

The prince was getting a little restless. He couldn't bear to see Empress De remain silent like this.

He wanted to help her gain favor, which could be considered as his way of repaying her!