The Virtuous Concubine

When Malu was still on the road, Chen Xin knew that Concubine Dezhao was coming, and he told the prince about it with a humble look, fearing that he would touch any sensitive nerve of the prince.

The prince was extremely conflicted, and finally sighed: "It's gone. Go find a reason for me to refuse."

Chen Xing was about to turn around and leave, but the prince stopped him again: "Forget it, I'm leaving first. You stay here, and when Imperial Concubine De Zhao comes, you can tell her that the timing is really unfortunate and I'm not here, do you hear me?"

"Ah?" Chen Xin was confused and was about to ask a few more questions, but the prince had already turned around in a hurry and walked out of another door of Yuqing Palace without taking anyone with him.

Chen Xin was stunned, full of doubts. Why did the prince avoid meeting Concubine Dezhao? The prince usually talked about Concubine Dezhao every day. Although they had not met for a while because of the Fourth Prince's matter, they often exchanged gifts during festivals. What happened today?

Chen Xin thought about it over and over but still couldn't figure it out. He could only follow the prince's instructions and wait for the imperial concubine to arrive.

Soon, Malu arrived. Chen Xin went forward to greet him and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Highness, be well. It's unfortunate that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had to go out for something just now."

Malu was also stunned. He hadn't even explained his purpose yet, but Chen Xin was already apologizing?

She could only nod gently and said, "If that's the case, then that's it. You take good care of the prince. It's been windy lately, so ask him to take care of his clothes."

After saying that, Malu turned around and was about to leave. But after a few steps, she stopped again, turned back to look at Chen Xin, and asked, "Where did the prince go? Did he say when he would be back?"

Chen Xin hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't know. Your Highness left in a hurry and didn't mention any details, so I didn't dare to ask more."

Malu felt more and more that something was wrong. Normally, Chen Xin always followed the prince closely, so why was he left alone in front of Yuqing Palace to deal with him today?

It seems that the prince has deceived me and just doesn't want to see him.

Seeing that Malu showed some displeasure, Chen Xin also panicked. If he was facing Concubine Ping of the Hesheli family, the prince's aunt, he would not have to be so nervous.

He knew the position of Concubine De Zhao in the heart of the prince. If he displeased her today, the prince would whip him forty times, which would be a light punishment! He quickly explained: "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is really not here. How dare I lie to you? Your Highness, please be magnanimous, please don't blame me. Maybe His Highness really has something urgent to do. Your Highness, please be at ease and go back first."

Seeing him so flustered, Ma Lu had an opinion in her mind: "Really? Then, Eunuch Chen Xin, do you mind if I go in and wait?"

Having said that, without waiting for Chen Xin to answer, she lifted her skirt and walked inside.

Chen Xin panicked and stepped forward to stop them. "Your Highness, you can't do that! Your Highness is not here, and the Yuqing Palace has not been cleaned up yet. I am afraid it will be disgraceful. Your Highness, please go back to your house. When Your Highness returns, I will report to you as soon as possible."

Ma Lu was unmoved and walked in. Although Yuqing Palace was magnificent, it was not very big. Ma Lu walked directly to the place where the prince usually practiced the piano.

She stood there quietly, looking at the piano that was exactly the same as the one in her own palace, and suddenly felt as if things were very different.

She understood why the prince was hiding from her, but she subconsciously didn't want to let the relationship between them break down like this. She slowly reached out her hand and gently stroked the piano cover, sensing something was wrong in the air.

"Come out! You are the crown prince of a country, are you going to hide in the dark? I know you are here. Aren't you ashamed of hiding from me today?"

Malu was keenly aware of the ambergris in the air.

Ambergris is an animal fragrance, formed when sperm whales eat cuttlefish and the undigested parts are wrapped in secretions in the intestines. The fragrance is very long-lasting. However, ambergris is very precious, and generally only Kangxi and the crown prince used it in the palace.

It can't be that Kangxi is hiding in this small piano room!

"If you have any dissatisfaction, you can just say it to my face. Why hide like this?" Malu's voice was clearly audible in the quiet room, but there was no response.

But she didn't intend to give up. She continued, "Your Highness, I came here today just to have a good talk with you. Any misunderstandings between us can be resolved. If you avoid me like this, it will only make things worse."

There was still silence.

As Malu spoke, he sniffed the air around him and finally locked onto the piano.

She couldn't help laughing and sat down to play the piano. Just after playing a few notes, the boy cried out "Ouch!" from inside the huge piano case.

It seemed that it was too noisy and loud inside and the prince finally couldn't stand it anymore.

Malu did not stop playing. With the corners of his mouth slightly raised, he quickly and hard tapped the middle range of the keyboard a few times.

The young man in the guitar case probably had a real headache, so he came out with a bit of embarrassment, a blush on his face.

Malu looked at the young man, and the anger in his heart dissipated a little. He did not move his hands at all, and only said casually, "Greetings, His Royal Highness."

The prince stood there, his eyes a little flustered and embarrassed. He coughed lightly, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere. "You...how did you know I was here?"

As he said this, he glared at Chen Xin who was behind Malu.

Chen Xin was also innocent. He thought the prince had left, and he tried his best to stop him. But who knew that Concubine De Zhao was so powerful that she knew where the prince was in an instant.

Malu smiled slightly, "Your Highness, the Yuqing Palace is so small, where can you hide? Besides, the ambergris on your body makes it impossible to pretend to be stupid."

The prince blushed even more: "I only used it these past two days. I never used spices before."

Malu looked at the prince's stuttering and thought that this brat's stubbornness was so adorable that her heart melted.

"Your Highness, don't be nervous. I'm not accusing you of being extravagant. Well, now that we've met, why don't you talk to me and have some tea?"

The prince calmed himself down slightly, looking at Malu's playful eyes, and couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in his heart.

She is still herself.

"Okay, then I'll do as you say." After that, the prince led Malu to the inner room, where Chen Xin had already ordered people to prepare tea and snacks. The two sat opposite each other, and for a moment, the atmosphere was a little subtle.

Malu did not break the silence, but waved away the palace maid who was ordering tea for the prince, and picked up the teapot and teacup himself, his movements smooth and flowing.

The prince nervously pinched the hem of his robe, wrinkled it, and then released it: "Why bother you to come here yourself? That palace maid is from Fujian, and she is quite good at making tea."