The Virtuous Concubine

The candidate for the Crown Princess will be decided soon, but it doesn’t matter who it is. For the people in the Ministry of Rites, there are always many things to prepare in advance.

Because Yinreng was his most beloved prince, Kangxi was determined to give him a grand wedding, but there had never been a prince before the Qing Dynasty, and there was no etiquette for the marriage of a princess, so both the former dynasty and the harem were arguing over this matter.

It makes sense that the prince went to Malu for this matter. Now that Malu is the de facto head of the harem, it is natural to ask her opinion.

When Malu heard that the prince wanted to see her, her first reaction was to refuse: "If I don't want to see you, just say I'm not here."

Unexpectedly, the prince went straight into the main hall of Yonghe Palace and said, "I heard you say from afar that you were gone."

Malu obviously didn't expect the prince to be so arrogant now, and he didn't even bother to avoid it even after he knew his thoughts.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across her face, and she calmed down before saying, "Your Highness, why are you so reckless? Do not listen to what is not proper. This behavior is not what a gentleman does."

The prince looked at Malu with an oppressive look in his eyes and stepped forward, forcing Malu to take two steps back: "I have something important to discuss with you."

Malu had no choice but to have tea served and asked the prince to sit down.

Before Malu could think of what to say, the prince suddenly spoke up: "Chen Xin didn't lie to you."

"Huh?" Malu looked up in a daze, his face blank, not knowing what the prince meant.

The prince said word by word with great solemnity: "I don't have any favorite little palace maid. From the beginning, I have never been fond of anyone."

If you don't like others, then you should like the person in front of you.

Moreover, he deliberately changed the name he had used since birth, "Gu", and only used "I" to talk to Malu and express his feelings.

Malu was shocked when he heard the prince's words. He forced a smile to smooth things over and said, "Do you servants want to hear what our prince is thinking? Hurry and get off."

Everyone smiled knowingly, thinking that the queen was trying to save face for the usually proud prince, and they all withdrew.

Originally, Chen Xin and Bai Fu were going to stay, but the prince gave them a look and they left. Forget it, Chen Xin thought, we are all outside, what can go wrong? Then he followed Bai Fu, who kept looking back, and left.

The hall suddenly became quiet. Malu and the prince looked at each other. The atmosphere was a little subtle and heated.

Seeing that the person had left, Ma Lu quickly explained, "I asked this because the emperor asked me to find four trial marriage maids for you, so..."

Malu's voice gradually faded away and she didn't know how to continue.

The prince looked at Malu, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, "Is it just because of the order of the Emperor?"

Malu looked at the prince's expectant eyes and felt a little flustered, not daring to face his true thoughts.

Finally, Malu lowered her head to look at her armor and said softly, "Your Highness, this is the Emperor's order. I dare not disobey."

The prince felt that mustering the courage to come here today was simply asking for humiliation.

But he still asked unwillingly: "Don't you have any other thoughts about me?"

Malu's heartbeat suddenly quickened and she bit her lips tightly.

Prince, this is too bold! Kangxi really spoiled him!

Malu's mind was in a mess, with only a trace of rationality remaining. The gap was too big, and... In short, there were too many impossibilities.

While she was still thinking, the prince stood up and walked to her side, holding her chin. It should have been a very rough and overbearing action, but he did it very gently and considerately: "Don't bite it, it's bleeding."

Malu's eyes widened in shock. She tried to break free from the prince's hand, but lost her strength in the gentle gaze.

The prince even took off the ring on his thumb for fear of hurting her, and gently stroked her pink lips.

"Your Highness, please respect yourself." Malu felt like she was losing control. But the prince did not let go, but moved closer to her, the two of them almost sticking together.

"You really don't have any feelings for me?"

Malu turned away and said with difficulty: "Your Highness, we can't."

The prince's eyes dimmed for a moment, but he still did not give up and tried to persuade Malu to accept his first heartbeat.

"Why not? I don't care about those rules and restrictions, I just know that I like you. I know I am sorry to my father, but I will govern the Qing Dynasty well to make it up to him."

Malu almost laughed out loud when she heard his innocent words.

What a filial son!

"Your Highness, you are the crown prince, the future emperor. Handling government and state affairs is your mission and responsibility, and it is what you should do. Having poor personal ethics is not what a gentleman does. Moreover, I am the emperor's woman, and there is no way to change that." Malu tried to persuade the crown prince, racking her brains to come up with a bunch of reasons.

But the prince seemed to have found a breakthrough. He smiled, and his brilliant smile brightened up the entire Yonghe Palace: "Father Huang is the Son of Heaven, and I will be the Son of Heaven in the future. You are the Son of Heaven's woman, and you will be my woman in the future."

Malu looked at the prince in astonishment. She never expected that the prince would say such a thing. Her face turned pale in an instant. "Your Highness, you cannot say such nonsense. This is extremely treasonous."

The prince disagreed. "Before the Qing Dynasty entered the Pass, the rule was that the son would inherit the throne after the father's death, and the younger brother would inherit the throne after the elder brother's death. After the Qing Dynasty entered the Pass, it continued for two generations."

Malu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Your Highness, things are no longer the same as they were then. Times have changed, and the rules are set. How can we talk about the old customs again?"

"Your Highness, you are responsible for the future of the Qing Dynasty. You must not ignore the world for your own selfishness. You should put the country and the welfare of the people first."

"How does our being together conflict with the country and the well-being of the people? I am willing to wait."

Malu looked at the prince and felt a little reluctant, but she knew that they couldn't make this wrong move.

"Your Highness, you still have a long way to go. You will meet many suitable women, but I am destined to be the Emperor's woman. Your... Please let go of this inappropriate feeling for the future of the Qing Dynasty and for yourself."

I don’t know what Malu said that irritated the prince, but the prince hugged Malu tightly, and his iron arms made Malu unable to move.

He wished he could rub Malu into his bones. He was much stronger than the petite and soft woman in front of him.

But at this moment, he could only beg her humbly, asking her to give a little of her love to this poor man: "I am willing to wait, I said I am willing to wait, please don't leave me, don't ignore me, don't push those women around me and push me away."

The prince put his lips to Malu's ear and whispered like a tempting devil.

"I don't want any trial marriage. If someone really needs to teach me, then you can teach me."