The Virtuous Concubine

"What? Imperial Concubine Wenxi is already critically ill?"

Malu showed an expression of disbelief, and confirmed the news by taking a look at the long-forgotten system item.

She really doesn't have much time left!

Bai Xia nodded and told Malu all the findings today. Malu secretly sighed in his heart that as long as he was willing, it didn't matter whether he had the golden finger or not.

Malu sighed: "A lot of people have been sent away from the palace."

They are all pretty girls, lively and bright, and then they are worn down little by little here to the point of losing their temper and withering away.

However, something might happen to Imperial Concubine Wenxi, which means that the Crown Prince's marriage needs to be arranged as soon as possible, and the Fourth Prince and Wen Xian's trip to the south of the Yangtze River must also be prepared early and then set off as soon as possible.

After all, Imperial Concubine Wenxi is the nominal mother of these children, and her status is so high that she will certainly have to observe mourning for several months, and at least she will not be able to hold any wedding ceremonies.

But was this act of hanging herself Concubine Wenxi's own idea, or was it the will of Emperor Kangxi?

Malu shook his head, threw this terrible guess out of his head, and started helping Wen Xian and the Fourth Prince pack up the things they would need for their trip to Jiangnan.

In a trance, Malu felt like he was racing against death.

She must send Wen Xian to Jiangnan before Concubine Wenxi's health deteriorates.

At this moment, the Guwaljia mansion was so quiet that it didn't seem like a prosperous home.

Guaerjia Wenying, the daughter of the third branch of the famous Manchu family Guaerjia and the future wife of the Fourth Prince, lived in a truly magnificent courtyard.

The courtyard has a tall red gate, flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted buildings. Walking into the courtyard, the blue brick floor is smooth and clean. The flower beds on both sides are full of various beautiful flowers.

Her personal maid also came over with nutritious meals to serve as a snack for her master.

The maids in front of the door bowed quietly and opened the curtain for her. Wenying's personal maid also did not say a word, but walked in quietly.

Guaerjia Wenying was copying scriptures and praying for blessings. The Fourth Prince was about to go to Jiangnan, and there were not many things she could do, copying scriptures was one of them.

Wenying had a pious expression on her face. She was wearing a simple moon-white dress with only a few silver ornaments on her head to fix her hair in place. Her hair was not a single strand out of place and was as neatly ironed as her clothes.

She wrote the scriptures carefully, stroke by stroke, without any distractions. She had sharp senses and knew someone was coming when her maid was at the door, but she didn't lose focus at all and kept writing until she finished what she had to write today.

The maid quickly brought her a bird's nest to moisten her throat, and said respectfully: "Miss, take a rest. This bird's nest is as you ordered. There is nothing in it. It is stewed in clear water, which is a good thing for health."

Guarjia Wenying nodded and ate the swiftlet silently, slowly and gracefully.

Why do they say there is nothing in the bird's nest? Wenying wanted to observe mourning, so she followed the example of the ancient filial women and abstained from eating salt or sugar during the three years of mourning to show her grief over the loss of her father.

Now, before the younger generation of the Guwalja clan had made a name for themselves in official circles, his father passed away on the way to Beijing to prepare for his marriage. His grandfather had experienced the pain of losing his son and was also deeply shocked. Only a few days were left for him to die.

The Guarjia family that she was so proud of, now had nothing left! So she could only use this method to spread her reputation and consolidate her and her family's status.

This trick was very effective. She strictly followed the rules of mourning, and the praise from the outside world for her increased day by day.

Many people say that the Guarjia family has good family education and outstanding daughters, so more and more people want to marry girls from the family.

However, Wenying was not very happy. Behind these praises were the heavy responsibilities of the family, her mother who cried all day, and her own endless loneliness. She spent every day in mourning, missing her father, worrying about her grandfather, and worrying about her future.

All those girlish thoughts disappeared in the endless days and nights. The only good news was that the Fourth Prince and Consort Dezhao of Yonghe Palace remained consistent in their attitude towards her, and even showed some care and concern because they loved her.

For example, the golden bird's nest in her hand was a reward from the Yonghe Palace. She was also specifically instructed to send it after some time so that she could eat it without worry. She only hoped that she could take good care of her health and not be overly sad.

She naturally dared not refuse the imperial concubine's gift, so she made an exception and used such luxurious things every day. But she became even more persistent and demanding in other aspects, almost self-destructive, and desperately established her reputation of being filial, also because she was afraid that others would say that she was unlucky for her father and husband and had a bad fate.

The Fourth Prince was satisfied with this. On the road to succession, reputation and character were crucial. Wenying's actions undoubtedly won her more praise and were also a glory for her husband.

Besides, only a woman who can be so cruel to him is worthy of him. As for the inconvenience of childbearing... The Fourth Prince thought that she only gave birth to a daughter in her previous life, and there was nothing she could do if she had no children in this life. When he first accepted the arranged marriage, he was mentally prepared.

A few days ago, after the Fourth Prince decided to go to Jiangnan, he sent her a gift and a letter, telling her that he was going to Jiangnan. The future Fourth Lady then began to kneel down and copy scriptures, praying for the Fourth Prince and the people of Jiangnan.

Only Mrs. Guaerjia was worried about her daughter every day, afraid that she would hurt her body and affect her fertility, so she kept adding more and more cushions to her futon until Wenying could hardly kneel steadily.

When the maid saw that her master had finished eating, she helped her rinse her mouth with tea before she told her the most important news of the day: "Madam said that the palace's spies sent news that Imperial Concubine Wenxi will not have much time left."

"Do you know the specific situation?" Wenying asked softly. The maid shook her head and said, "At present, we only know that the imperial concubine is in critical condition, but the specific situation is not clear. If the madam wants you to have anything or anything to say, please hurry up and send it to the fourth prince."

Wenying nodded: "Yes, mother is right, we know it, and Concubine Dezhao must have known it a long time ago, and the queen will also urge the fourth prince to leave as soon as possible."

After saying that, he stood up again and prepared to copy the scriptures. He only copied three volumes today, so he might as well copy one more!

The Fourth Prince is in a hurry, so her feelings should reach him as soon as possible.

As she was writing, the content of the Lotus Sutra became crooked, and the entire sheet of paper was wasted. Wenying looked at the wasted paper and sighed slightly. She calmed herself down, spread out a new sheet of paper, and continued to copy carefully.

Unfortunately, her good intentions were in vain. Because at midnight today, the Fourth Prince had packed his bags, and Yinzuo also pretended to accept Kangxi's urgent summons and went directly to Yonghe Palace to say goodbye to his mother. The two brothers were going to set off overnight and head straight to the worst-hit area in the south of the Yangtze River to take charge of the overall situation.