The Virtuous Concubine

Malu didn't care too much about Lu Yuchan's pregnancy.

As for the matter between men and women, since Nalan couldn't help but fall in love with her at the beginning, he couldn't help but fall in love with others either.

Whether he was trying to give an explanation or was really attracted to Lu Yuchan, Malu didn't care.

Wiping away the tears that had appeared on her face, she read the letter again.

Whether the Fourth Prince is willing to protect Mingzhu and whether Mingzhu is willing to completely switch to the Fourth Prince are her current focus.

Fourteen was running in the courtyard of Yonghe Palace at this time. Children of this age were too energetic and liked to run wild like a husky, so when he was not sent to practice martial arts, Malu would put him in the courtyard to let him release his excess energy.

Fourteen's cheerful laughter came from outside, but Malu found it a bit harsh and could not concentrate on thinking about Mingzhu's attitude.

She simply called Bai Xia over: "Go get me a basin of cold water, very cold, preferably with ice. I want to wash my face and wake myself up."

Bai Xia quickly fetched some cool water, and Malu dipped her hands into the water. The biting coolness instantly refreshed her. She scooped up the water and splashed it on her face, and all the chaotic thoughts and ideas in her mind disappeared instantly.

She packed herself up and told them under Bai Xia's worried eyes: "Find a reason to ask the Fourth Prince to come over later. I want to ask him about the Nalan family."

Bai Xia brought some snacks with her, secretly lamenting that the queen was now involved in so many disputes, and every step was so difficult. The fourth prince was thoughtful, and who knew what would happen during this meeting.

The Fourth Prince arrived soon. Ma Lu looked at the Fourth Prince's increasingly stern face and asked directly, "Do you know the current situation of the Nalan family? Are you willing to protect Mingzhu? He asked someone to send me a letter of surrender through Concubine Hui today."

The Fourth Prince frowned slightly, Concubine Hui?

Then this is not to protect Mingzhu, but to protect the eldest prince.

He hesitated for a while. "Mingzhu is very shrewd. It won't be easy for him to switch sides completely. After all, as long as he is here, the eldest prince can barely compete. And now the situation is unclear, so he may not bet easily."

Mingzhu has a complex network of influence in the court. If we cannot be sure that he is truly loyal, it would be extremely risky to protect him rashly.

After saying that, the Fourth Prince asked curiously, "Mother, can you tell me something?"

Malu had already prepared her answer, so she was not afraid of his questioning: "Just ask."

The Fourth Prince asked tactfully, "Why does Mingzhu trust you? A long time ago, it seems that you have possessed a part of the power of the Nalan family to work for Yonghe Palace, and Huifei has gradually followed your lead - although it can be seen that she is not willing to do so."

Ma Lu said calmly, "Mingzhu extended an olive branch to me before, and now she chooses to surrender to me, but she saw your potential and was afraid that the eldest prince would mess up, so she left a way out for herself. The Nalan family's power worked for Yonghe Palace because they assessed the situation. Although Huifei is unwilling, she is not as favored as me, so she has to listen to her family, right?"

The Fourth Prince believed his mother's explanation for the time being and stopped asking questions. Instead, he began to seriously consider the value of the pearl and the risks of protecting it.

Mingzhu fell into his current situation because, firstly, he was indeed not clean, and secondly, he touched the bottom line of Kangxi, the Crown Prince.

The position of the crown prince in Kangxi's heart is very important, and any behavior that is unfavorable to the crown prince may trigger Kangxi's wrath. In the struggle for power, Mingzhu may be too eager for quick success and ignore this point.

Otherwise, how could Soetu have hurt Nalan Mingzhu's bones without Kangxi's tacit consent?

He thought about it and asked Malu: "Mother, if something happens to the eldest prince, there will be no room for maneuver..."

When Malu heard Yinzhen's cold words, she closed her eyes and felt that she didn't want to look at her son anymore.

She calmed down and nodded, "Yes, you are worried that Mingzhu will use you and then destroy your bridges?"

"I do have this concern. If he only pretends to surrender for temporary benefits and then abandons us after the situation stabilizes, we will be in a passive position. Moreover, protecting the pearl is extremely risky. If it is not handled properly, it may cause dissatisfaction from the emperor. If he has no other options, then I am willing to give it a try."

Just this one sentence determined the eldest prince's fate.

After Malu learned of Yinzhen's attitude, he wrote directly to Nalan Mingzhu and asked him to choose.

If you want to save him from this disaster, you must completely sacrifice the eldest prince.

Almost on the same day, the Nalan Mansion responded with a reply.

The letter was sincere and Mingzhu expressed her willingness to follow the arrangements. From then on, she would follow the lead of Yonghe Palace and the entire Nalan family would be at his disposal. She even carefully asked Malu about her opinion on Lu Yuchan's pregnancy, implying that if Malu was not happy, the child should not be born.

Malu shook his head. Feeling pity for Lu Yuchan, his heart also turned colder.

The Nalan family was so decisive and cruel? Yinzhen's choice to cooperate with them was like courting death.

As he thought about it, Malu also laughed.

Isn't it the same for me? In order to get in touch with Mingzhu, I even sacrificed myself to feed the tiger. Not to mention the Fourth Prince, who is not a good guy either, so who is afraid of whom?

Of course, Malu was not so cruel. She sternly rejected Mingxiang's proposal and asked him to take good care of Lu Yuchan.

The means were ruthless, but she couldn't lose her bottom line. She didn't want to be a person devoured by power and desire, not to mention that since Nalan had done such a thing, if she was really angry, she should be directed at Nalan, not Lu Yuchan.

No matter how the Nalan family handled the situation, Rong Ruo felt extremely uncomfortable facing Malu's indifference. From then on, the eldest prince completely lost his support in the game of succession.

I don't know how the Fourth Prince handled the situation, but in the end Mingzhu only injured some of the most aggressive followers, and then was severely scolded by Kangxi, and his power and position were retained.

The eldest prince bore most of Kangxi's wrath and was confined to Yangfeng Alley, where he was not allowed to leave without the emperor's order.

No one expected this result, especially Concubine Hui. She even ran to the gate of the Qianqing Palace and knelt to beg Kangxi to reduce the punishment. Unfortunately, she knelt for a whole day and was laughed at by the ministers and servants who came and went, but she didn't even see Kangxi.

This punishment was beyond Concubine Hui's understanding. First, the eldest prince had never been punished so severely before, with the guarantee and advice of the prime minister. Second, in Concubine Hui's eyes, such conflicts and frictions had happened before, so why was it so serious this time?

Moreover, Ming Xiang no longer responded to any of her requests for help! The people of the Nalan family no longer listened to Hui Fei's instructions in private. After encountering setbacks day after day, Hui Fei realized that she and her son had been abandoned by the family?!