The Virtuous Concubine

This caught Malu off guard, but it made sense after thinking about it: "The flood issue is in your hands?"

Yinzhen smiled self-deprecatingly: "It's not that I was given the job of flood control, but that the Emperor couldn't bear to let the prince go to Jiangnan, saying it was too dangerous, so he assigned this job to me."

Malu almost laughed out loud when he heard this. This was something Kangxi could really do.

He has always been partial to one son, and when he is partial, he doesn't care about the lives of his other sons. But she was keenly aware that Yinzhen was not very happy at the moment, and it was not good to really add insult to injury, so she held back her laughter.

Why hasn’t the fourth brother gotten used to it yet?

She could only comfort her eldest son: "This result should be exactly what you want, why are you still not happy?"

Yinzhen said in a muffled voice: "It's not that my son doesn't want to control the floods, but this assignment came at this time, and I can't help but feel that the emperor is partial to one and not the other."

In this life, Malu did not become estranged from him because of Fourteen, so he gradually became willing to tell Malu some of his true feelings.

Ouch, this is sour.

Malu smiled and shook his head: "Your father has always favored the crown prince. The crown prince was raised by him, so naturally he loves him more. Let's talk about you, you are also the child I spend the most time and effort on, so don't I favor you a little more?"

Malu handed him another fruit and asked him to eat it. "I don't want you to go either, but the imperial decree has been issued. Now that you have received this mission, you should do your best to do it."

Yinzhen took the fruit and ate half of it before looking up and asking Malu, "My son is now a prince, and there is no date for his wedding yet. There is no more title for him to be given."

"This time when I come back from Jiangnan, I will definitely..."

Ma Lu interrupted him: "I thought Wen Xian had already told you what I meant. I have no desire to be the queen. I just hope that you can be safe and sound."

Seeing that he was still trying to persuade her, Malu smiled and pointed outside: "Except for your unmarried wife, how come you have no other title to offer? You have six brothers and sisters. You have come back from Jiangnan this time, and you still need five more great merits to benefit your family."

Yinzhen felt very relieved, his mother had included Thirteenth as well. Thinking of this, he felt a little itchy - Thirteenth and Fourteenth were the closest in this life!

Ma Lu saw what Yinzhen was thinking and couldn't help but remind him: "It's normal for brothers to have some bumps and bruises. But you have to believe that blood is thicker than water, and they will stand by you at the critical moment."

Yinzhen nodded: "Yes, so my son is considering whether to take Yinzuo with him this time."

Take Yinzuo with you? Malu thought: "What does the emperor say?"

"I have not yet mentioned this to the Emperor. Besides, I am a little undecided, so I will definitely ask you first."

Ma Lu thought to herself that you are a good person. Yinzhen asked me first. If I agreed, Yinzuo would go even if he didn't want to.

Malu narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Yinzhen. Her expression was very similar to Kangxi's when he was testing her: "What exactly are you planning? Bringing Yinzuo along has both advantages and disadvantages. Have you carefully weighed the pros and cons?"

Yinzhen looked solemn and replied, "Of course, my son has considered this, and I am confident that I can guarantee Yinzuo's safety. I feel more at ease if I leave some things to him."

Ma Lu knew that Yinzhen always kept his word, so it didn't matter to her. If Yinzuo could share some of the responsibilities and take some of the credit, Yonghe Palace would be more stable.

"After all, this matter cannot be decided on a whim. Think about it carefully and talk to Yinzuo first. Don't force him."

Yinzhen smiled bitterly: "My son asked, Yinzuo doesn't care, but Wenxian insisted on going."

Malu suddenly realized. No wonder the Fourth Prince came to ask her today, and no wonder he didn't go directly to Kangxi. After all, if Yinzuo wanted to go, he could just mention it to Kangxi.

However, Malu secretly gave his daughter a thumbs up in his heart.

But she couldn't just support Wen Xian directly, she had to act! Otherwise, Yinzhen would definitely be suspicious, and her image as a loving mother would also collapse.

So Malu frowned and objected directly: "Wen Xian is a girl, why would she go to Jiangnan? The flood is not over yet, and there are many dangers. It's worrying for boys to go, let alone a delicate and weak girl."

Yinzhen had anticipated that his mother would object, but when he heard the reasons why Malu objected, he was speechless.

Some people in this palace may say that the prince is delicate, but no one would say that Wen Xian is delicate!

She is good because she doesn't eat people, and she is also delicate. My mother was really deceived by Wen Xian.

Yinzhen shook his head helplessly: "In terms of ability, Wen Xian can go to Jiangnan without any worries on his own, but the princess is really not suitable to go. But she insisted on going, saying that she wanted to do her part for the people."

Malu thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you ask her to ask the emperor? If the emperor doesn't agree, there's nothing she can do."

Yinzhen's eyes lit up and he said, "That's a solution. But if Wen Xian really asks the emperor for help, what if the emperor agrees?"

Malu rolled her eyes at him and said, "If the emperor agrees, then you should send more people to protect her."

However, Yinzhen always likes to think about everything: "What if the emperor doesn't allow it, but Wen Xian insists on going?"

He understands his sister! Now that she holds the power in the palace, if she really wants to go, it won't be difficult to do things like sneaking into Chencang.

Ma Lu's heart skipped a beat, and she suppressed her inner thoughts and asked Yinzhen to go to Kangxi first: "No matter how stubborn she is, she can't defeat your father."

After that, he discussed with the Fourth Prince what to bring and which officials to take with him. Since Malu got involved with the Nalan family and had a "deep" relationship with the prince, he had a little understanding of the affairs of the previous dynasty.

Jin Fu and Chen Huang, capable ministers of flood control in the previous dynasty, had already rushed to Jiangsu. When Ma Lu saw that he regretted that Yu Chenglong could not go and only brought a few people he had never heard of, he reminded the Fourth Prince that he could bring Zhang Boxing with him if he had the chance.

The Fourth Prince was used to it. His mother always had some strange sources of information and knew what talented people were lurking in which corners.

He asked many times and tried many times, but unfortunately he couldn't find out why.

The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "I have never heard of Zhang Boxing, but since my mother recommended him, I will go and ask him."

Malu was very satisfied with his tact and nodded: "Your trip to Jiangnan this time has a heavy responsibility, and it is always good to have an extra capable person. Okay, I won't keep you any longer, get busy!"

After seeing off the Fourth Prince who had gained a lot, she asked someone to call Wen Xian over to talk.

She supported Wen Xian's decision to go to Jiangnan, but she couldn't let Wen Xian just slip away quietly. If she did, the trouble he would cause would be more than the achievements he would make!

The little palace maid who came back said embarrassedly that she didn't find Princess Wenxian. The people at the princess's office said that the princess went to the Qianqing Palace to meet the emperor today and had not returned yet.