The Virtuous Concubine

The prince heard the voice and turned around quickly.

I saw a woman in a grass-green palace maid's outfit, with a look of concern and curiosity in her eyes. She seemed to have mustered up all her courage to ask this question, and her body was trembling slightly.

The prince said in a deep voice: "Who are you? How dare you talk to me casually?"

The woman knelt down quickly and said softly, "Your Highness, please calm down. I am a maid who takes care of the flowers and plants in the Qianqing Palace. I came to help with the banquet today. I saw Your Highness here alone and looking worried. I was curious and asked you."

When the prince heard that it was someone from the Palace of Heavenly Purity, his tone softened: "Forget it, you can leave now."

The woman did not leave immediately, but said softly again: "Your Highness, although I am of low status, I can see that you are troubled. If you don't mind, I am willing to share your worries."

The prince raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh? I wonder if you have what it takes to help me. Then come here."

The woman was overjoyed and took small steps forward.

The prince pinched her chin and looked at her face carefully: "You are born with a good figure, delicate skin and tender flesh. It would be a pity to keep you tending to the flowers and plants."

The woman felt extremely shy when she heard the prince say this. Just as she was about to speak, the prince was quick-witted and powerful, and chopped her unconscious with a knife.

The woman fell down limply. According to the distance between them, she would have fallen into the prince's arms, but the prince took a step back and kicked her again.

This kick was much more powerful than the one she gave the Fourth Prince. The palace maid crashed into the rockery, rolled a few times, and fell into the pool next to the rockery.

He was kicked while unconscious, hit the mountain and fell into the water. He must have survived.

The prince, who showed no mercy to women, snorted coldly: "How dare anybody try to get close to me?"

After saying that, he strode away.

The emperor is old, and there are people like this in the Qianqing Palace. Or maybe they are not from the Qianqing Palace? She may not be telling the truth.

The prince walked and thought about this, and he walked further and further away, until he arrived at the East Six Palaces.

At this moment, Wei Zhu also delivered the dishes to Yonghe Palace. Yin Zuo smiled and thanked her, and then chatted with Wei Zhu.

"Today's palace banquet must be very lively. I am really touched that the Emperor still remembers me." However, there was only a faint smile on Yinzuo's face, which did not match the emotion in his words.

Wei Zhu was used to this master's calmness, and they were old acquaintances, so why should he pretend? He bowed slightly and said with a smile: "Seventh Prince, you are deeply loved by the emperor, so the emperor is naturally thinking about you all the time."

Yin Zuo nodded and told the servants to serve Wei Zhu another set of bowls and chopsticks and share some dishes: "Little Wei, you have worked hard today. Why don't you take a break from my busy schedule and eat something before leaving."

How could Wei Zhu dare to refuse? He was able to gain a foothold in front of the emperor thanks to the help of Concubine De Zhao and the Fourth Prince, so he was very helpful to Yonghe Palace in private.

But the reason why he could now compete with Liang Jiugong in front of the emperor was because of the guidance of the unobtrusive Seventh Prince Yinzuo. So even if his butt was on fire, he would sit down and eat the meal given by the Seventh Prince.

If the Fourth Prince could understand the Emperor's intentions by 50% or 60%, then the Seventh Prince knew it all. It was also because of the Seventh Prince's reminder that he studied architecture and manufacturing, starting with gourds for Kangxi, which attracted the Emperor's attention. He was very pleased with several of the errands he performed.

He also loved punishment. Although Kangxi had said this several times, Yinzuo told him that the emperor needed such people to help him do things, so he never concealed it.

Sure enough, Liang Jiugong used this matter to attack him several times, but the emperor did not really punish him. If it were any other time, he would definitely be trembling with fear and restraint.

In this way, without her own unique use, there is no possibility for her to be valued by the emperor.

Wei Zhu sat on a small table specially placed for him next to the table. After he had taken two bites, Yin Zuo asked him, "Was there anything special and exciting at the palace banquet today? You are so bored being locked up here all day, tell me about it."

Wei Zhu knew that this was why the Seventh Prince had kept her, so she told him everything about the dispute between the two concubines and the last dance performed by the three princes.

Yinzuo shook his head: "It seems that the Eighth Prince is about to rise to power."

Wei Zhu looked at Yin Zuo's thoughtful expression and asked cautiously, "Seventh Prince, I can totally..."

As a close confidant of Emperor Kangxi, he could have easily nipped the Eighth Prince in the bud.

Yinzuo just gestured for him to continue eating: "I've told you so many times, don't let your mind wander. I don't need you to do those unnecessary actions."

Wei Zhu nodded quickly.

Seeing that he was quite sensible, Yinzuo made a decision quickly: "Go find Li Guangdi as soon as possible and talk to him, and quickly recommend a close person who can write very well and is eager to learn to join the Southern Study."

Although Wei Zhu had some doubts in his heart, he did not dare to ask more questions and just replied: "I obey your command and will do it right away."

Having said that, he left in a hurry.

If the handwriting is good, then it should be good. But this "dedicated to learning"... Wei Zhu chewed on these four words over and over again, hoping to understand what Yin Zuo meant.

Do we really have to find a great scholar for the Eighth Prince?

He pondered over this until the banquet was over and Wei Zhu was off duty. The eunuch who served him was washing his feet when Wei Zhu suddenly asked, "Can you read? Do you understand the meaning of 'devoting one's heart to learning'?"

The young eunuch smiled innocently: "How can I be literate? My family is poor and I can only write my own name. But from what I hear, I think you only have knowledge in your heart and only understand the meaning of knowledge!"

Wei Zhu suddenly understood and laughed out loud, stamping her feet in excitement, splashing the water in the basin all over the young eunuch's face.

Wei Zhu knew what Yin Zuo meant. If a person is truly devoted to learning, he will not participate in the fight, but will only hinder others.

Yinzuo would go to the study room on weekdays, so he had naturally seen the Eighth Prince's handwriting. He could guess most of what his mentality and plans were, so why was he pretending?

Originally Yinzuo didn't want to get involved, and felt there was no need to. After all, the Eighth Prince was not loved by his father and his mother. Only the Ninth and Tenth Princes were stupid enough to let such a person control their small group invisibly and be happy every day.

In his mind, the political talents of the Ninth and Tenth Princes were really limited. The only one who was somewhat scheming, the Eighth Prince, was good at maneuvering, but his family background was too weak.

The Emperor also doesn't like such a slick and thoughtful character. He prefers people with distinct personalities and some flaws and weaknesses, so that they are easier to control.

Yinzuo believed that the only threat to the fourth brother was the crown prince, and the only threat to Yonghe Palace was the fourth brother. On weekdays, the fourth brother often disliked and suppressed the eighth prince, but Yinzuo felt that it was unnecessary.

But after listening to Wei Zhu's description today, this Eighth Prince actually gained the approval of Concubine Wenxi and Concubine Yi?