The Virtuous Concubine

Wen Xian wrinkled his nose and said, "If my mother had only given birth to me, would she have only loved me?"

After saying this, she was moved: "Is this the way the world is? Does that mean I will have to have many children and be blessed in the future?"

Malu patted Wen Xian on the back and said, "No. Wen Xian, as long as you study horse riding and archery and classics with your brothers, you can do as you wish."

Wen Xian was not easy to fool now. She muttered, "But there are many words in the classics that restrict women. How can I gain my own freedom by learning these?"

Seeing that Wen Xian had already realized this, Ma Lu praised him, "Our Wen Xian is really smart. Mother has heard of a principle before, which is to learn from the barbarians in order to defeat them. If you can understand why what these people say can be regarded as a criterion, you will know how to break it."

Wen Xian nodded firmly, but also felt a little regretful: "If I had known, I would have been born earlier, grown up earlier and changed the world, so that my mother wouldn't have to be helpless——"

Malu quickly covered Wen Xian's mouth: "How dare you say that! If you were born earlier and could change the world, wouldn't you be my mother?"

Wen Xian's groundbreaking idea made Malu so anxious that he even blurted out the modern name.

Wen Xian chuckled: "That's fine too, let me protect you instead."

Malu felt that Wen Xian was such a thoughtful person. The two of them cuddled together for a while, and Malu reminded her again: "We should just talk about these things together. Don't tell your brothers or sisters. They won't understand you."

Wen Xian nodded in agreement, and then asked: "Then mother, besides this world of having many children and being blessed, what other 'world' is there for women?"

Malu tilted her head and thought for a while, then said, "Maybe it's just being a good wife and mother!"

Wen Xian wrote it down: "Yes, I heard Ke Jing say that his nanny was gossiping behind her back, saying that Ke Jing's biological mother, Lady Guo Luoluo, was not a faithful wife. Now that I think about it, it's really boring."

Malu was shocked: "What? Who is so bold?"

Wen Xian handed the tea to his mother, and then continued, "This servant was so audacious that he has been dealt with by Ke Jing. I came here to tell this joke to my mother. He said that a good woman should never marry again, which made Ke Jing very angry."

After Wen Xian finished speaking, he couldn't help but laugh: "Why aren't there any good men who are not two-color?"

Malu smiled and tapped Wen Xian's nose: "You. If you really get married in the future, most people won't be able to stand you with this kind of temper."

Wen Xian was a little unconvinced: "Mother! Don't tell me that I don't want to get married. If I really have to get married, how dare he not stand it? If he can't stand me, I will divorce him!"

Malu smiled helplessly, "Child, how can a woman divorce her husband so easily?"

Wen Xian raised his chin, his eyes sparkled, and his whole body was like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath. "Other women may not be able to do this, but I, Wen Xian, can. Other families may not be able to do this, but my Aisin-Gioro family can!"

Ma Lu was both happy and worried when he heard her lofty ambitions: "Then let me ask you, mother, what are you relying on to risk the world's disapproval? You have always been proud of your position as a Gulun Princess and the Aixinjueluo family name. If the emperor asks you to marry and does not allow you to divorce, what will you do?"

This question stumped Wen Xian. She had never thought about this question before. She was born a princess, and for a long time, she relied on her status to do whatever she wanted, but she never thought about how she would break free if this status became a shackle that bound her one day.

The last time she was in Jiangnan, she encountered such a thing. However, she was not with her mother at that time, so no one said these words to her to wake her up.

After a long while, Wen Xian murmured, "Mother, I don't know."

Malu touched her head and whispered, "Then think about it. If you can really find a way to survive without relying on others, mother will be relieved."

Wen Xian left in a daze. She wanted to think carefully. Seeing that her daughter had her own things to do, Ma Lu also lay down.

As long as Wen Xian can understand, she can control her own life. Ma Lu believes that with Wen Xian's ability, she can protect herself no matter whether the crown prince or the fourth prince takes the throne.

After finishing her calculations, Malu touched her belly worriedly. There were still two babies in her belly, so she still had to worry about it.

She would rather both girls were as noisy as Wen Xian than have them just accept things passively.

Wen Xian was walking aimlessly in the palace when he saw from afar the prince's procession coming out of Shoukang Palace. They must have just paid their respects to the empress dowager.

Wen Xian didn't know why, but he suddenly hid behind a large flower pot, but his eyes were looking at the prince in the distance through the gaps between the branches.

The prince traveled light today, not in a sedan chair, but in a light sedan chair.

On weekdays, Kangxi traveled in a jade sedan chair carried by 36 people, while the prince's golden sedan chair required 28 people to carry, with a cover, eaves, and curtains, showing its luxury. This light sedan chair had no cover or curtains, only a seat, and also required 16 people to carry.

This was when the Crown Prince once came to Yonghe Palace. My mother jokingly reminded him that it took 28 people to carry him each time, and Yonghe Palace could not accommodate so many people.

But even so, Wen Xian felt that these 16 people were too many.

There are also those embroidered banners, flags, fans, umbrellas and covers, which are gorgeous and dazzling.

Wen Xian felt an inexplicable melancholy in her heart, and she seemed to have found her answer.

But there was little she could do now, so she had to turn around and go back to the princess' residence.

The prince, who was sitting on a sedan chair in the distance, suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction of Wen Xian.

But the distance was too far, so he couldn't see clearly. The prince wondered, "Who is sneaking around in the distance? Judging from the outline of her clothes, it looks like a princess."

Chen Xin beside him hurriedly replied respectfully: "I will send someone to check it out right away."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young eunuch in the team ran out and then ran back. The young eunuch knelt down and reported: "Your Highness, it looks like Princess Wenxian of the Yonghe Palace's De Guifei."

The prince hesitated for a moment and said, "Forget it, since she is a princess, there is no need to disturb her. Just keep going."

The team slowly moved forward, and Chen Xin beside him sighed, "Your Highness, why don't you take the sedan chair? This light sedan chair is not as convenient as a sedan chair after all."

He was not speaking nonsense. On ordinary days, the prince's ceremonial procession required many instruments and a large number of people to do miscellaneous tasks.

For example, today, he almost couldn't spare any manpower to see who was in front.

The prince naturally knew what Chen Xin meant. He shook his head and said, "I don't want to be too ostentatious. Besides, this light carriage is more comfortable."

After hearing what the prince said, Chen Xin said no more and just followed the prince silently.