The Virtuous Concubine

This matter soon spread in the harem. After all, Wen Xian's title of Princess Gulun needed to be announced to the six palaces, and then announced to the world after Kangxi returned.

After the Empress Dowager learned about this, she became more determined to marry Wen Xian to Khorchin. In the eyes of the Empress Dowager, Wen Xian was now given the title of Princess Gulun due to a vision, and her status was even more respected. If she could marry into Khorchin, it would further consolidate the Manchu-Mongol alliance and add luster to Khorchin.

Su Malagu only felt that her master had fallen into obsession. Looking at the determined and joyful expression of the Empress Dowager, her heart was filled with worry.

It would be a good thing to marry a princess of Wenxian's status and character to Mongolia. But Concubine De was unwilling to do so. A forced melon is not sweet. Could Princess Wenxian still go against her mother's wishes and yearn to marry in Mongolia?

Su Malagu resisted the urge to sigh, and tried to persuade the Empress Dowager with her words. "The Empress Dowager De loves Princess Wenxian very much. If you force the princess to marry to Mongolia, it may cause trouble. And the princess has a strange phenomenon now, maybe..."

The Grand Empress Dowager was unmoved and said in a deep voice: "The marriage between Manchuria and Mongolia is an ancestral system that concerns the stability of the Qing Dynasty. How can the thoughts of Concubine De affect the overall situation?"

After saying this, the Empress Dowager ordered Su Malagu to continue delivering rewards to Yonghe Palace, hoping that Concubine De would "see the big picture."

The Empress Dowager's move was both a pressure and a comfort.

Naturally, Malu accepted all these rewards without refusing them.

She just thought that the Empress Dowager was giving her Yonghe Palace some money to support her family. Now that she had many children, if Wen Xian didn't marry in the future, she would definitely leave more money and property for her.

In this way, amid everyone's anticipation, Kangxi finally returned to the palace with the princes and the newly-conferred Princess Gulun Wenxian three days before the full-moon ceremony of the 13th and 14th princes.

The Forbidden City seemed to have found a backbone and welcomed the ruler of the world with a grand ceremony.

Although Malu was not yet out of her period, she still "struggled" to get up and went to the Qianqing Gate to welcome the emperor with other concubines.

The palace was completely new, with palace maids standing in an orderly manner on both sides, bowing their heads respectfully. The concubines had dressed up carefully early in the morning, wearing gorgeous silks and pearls, and the sound of their jewelry jingled as they walked, with the scent of perfume blowing in the air.

No matter what their true mood was at the moment, everyone looked happy and looked forward to it.

Suddenly, the sound of solemn music rose up. The eunuchs shouted in shrill voices: "The Emperor has arrived!"

When the concubines heard this, they knelt down and bowed like delicate flowers in the wind, shouting in unison: "Welcome the Emperor to the palace on his southern tour!"

The voices of the concubines were either crisp or gentle, interweaving together, which was quite spectacular.

Hearing such a greeting, Kangxi slowly got out of the car. Then Princess Wenxian also got out of the car!

Kangxi raised his hand to signal everyone to stand up, and Liang Jiugong quickly responded loudly: "All concubines and ladies, please stand up--".

The concubines slowly stood up as instructed and looked at Emperor Kangxi with anticipation in their eyes, only to see Wen Xian standing only half a step behind Kangxi on his left, while the crown prince stood behind Kangxi on his right.

Several princes, led by the eldest prince, were riding horses and were submerged in the crowd of guards, so they could not be seen clearly for a moment.

This... When the concubines saw this scene, they had different thoughts.

Wen Xian had returned with the emperor on his southern tour and was given the title of Princess Gulun. Her current position further demonstrates her special status in the emperor's heart.

The Qing Dynasty respected the left, so does the prince also want to give up his position to Wen Xian?

Moreover, it was all the concubines who were paying respects to each other. If we were to be serious, everyone was Wen Xian's stepmother. How could Wen Xian accept all the respects from everyone without any hesitation?

Regardless of whether they cared or not, those who noticed Wen Xian immediately looked at Concubine De.

Malu didn't want to pay attention to these things. She saw Wen Xian returned safely and in good spirits. Although he was a little thinner, he still looked healthy and even taller. She was very relieved.

All the worries and concerns during this period turned into joy when she saw Wen Xian. She couldn't wait to talk to Wen Xian, so she was naturally impatient to deal with these people.

Wen Xian stood there, looking calm. She was also looking for her mother, and when she saw Malu, she quickly gave him a flattering smile.

Wait a minute, mother, don’t lecture yourself!

Malu saw Wen Xian's flattering smile, and felt angry and amused. She knew that Wen Xian must have known that she had gotten into trouble outside, so he was trying to please her.

Malu shook her head slightly, indicating that it was not the right time for Wen Xian. While the mother and daughter were arguing over their eyebrows, Kangxi saw the familiar Forbidden City and was filled with emotion.

I went through a lot during this southern tour, and now that I'm finally back, I feel very relieved.

But he was also very busy. He only asked the imperial concubine about the situation in the palace during this period, and asked about the physical conditions of Malu and Jingyi, as well as the situations of Thirteen and Fourteen. Then he let everyone disperse and hurried to the Qianqing Palace.

After a short rest, he would go to the Cining Palace and Shoukang Palace to pay his respects. There were still a lot of affairs to be dealt with in the front court, and in the harem there were also Concubine Hui and Concubine Rong who needed to be reprimanded - Kangxi was really very busy.

When he was bathing and changing his clothes, he happened to call the advisor over and asked the chief steward of the Jingshifang to explain in detail the major events in the palace during this period.

Kangxi listened to the report from the consultant, and his face gradually became solemn. The safe birth of Thirteenth and Fourteenth was a happy event, but the actions of Huifei and Rongfei became more and more blatant, even affecting the stability of the harem.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager still insisted on her own opinion on Princess Wenxian's marriage, which gave Kangxi a headache.

Malu took Wen Xian and the Fourth and Seventh Princes away, and the group of people went to Yonghe Palace in a lively manner. After returning, everyone bathed and changed their clothes before going to see the Fourteenth and Thirteenth Princes.

Jingyi knew that the children were all back, so she asked Dachun to bring Thirteen over and put him together with Fourteen. Wen Xian and the others looked at the two new brothers, teased them for a while, and had dinner with their mother. They were even more nervous before their mother asked any questions.

Wen Xian's heart was in turmoil. She wanted to speak up and explain herself several times, but she didn't know where to start.

Malu looked at Wen Xian's uneasy look and smiled secretly. In the end, he sent the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince back to the Prince's residence and left Wen Xian behind.

As soon as Wen Xian's brothers left, he immediately threw himself into Malu's arms, "Mother!"

In just a moment, she even started to cry. Malu smiled and patted her on the back: "Okay, mother only knows a little bit, now you can tell me."

Wen Xian sobbed for a while, until he had cried out all the pressure and frustration in his heart. Then he took the ice handkerchief, applied it to his eyes and talked about what had happened during this period.

He told everything about how Kangxi's life was hanging by a thread, how three people in Yonghe Palace took care of him, how the imperial physician Rong brought medicine and brought him back to health and was highly valued, how his fourth brother accepted the surrender of the Cao and Li families, and gave Wang to the emperor.