The Virtuous Concubine

The prince had thought about finding an opportunity to visit Malu these days, and the two of them met at the funeral. However, the little prince, whose heart was with Malu, soon discovered that Malu was even colder to him than before!

Could it be that this woman is trying to avoid suspicion?

Or do you dislike yourself?

The prince was extremely upset, but he did not find a suitable opportunity to talk to Malu, so he could only lose his temper in the Qianqing Palace: "Father, I have to observe mourning for Consort Wenxi, how can I let Empress De force another person on me? The marriage has to be postponed according to the law, and I don't want to hear about someone bringing their daughter or niece into the palace again!"

Yinreng was now afraid that something would make Malu unhappy, so he strongly refused to let her choose someone and look at the noble lady.

Kangxi was also a little worried after hearing this. Could it be that his son was frightened by Wenxi's death and was resistant to marriage?

That won’t do. He wants to have many children for the Qing Dynasty in the future!

Kangxi didn't believe that the prince had to observe mourning. He ate meat as usual. So many concubines had died in the past, and Kangxi didn't want him to suffer, so he didn't really observe mourning for any of the concubines.

Why do you have to observe mourning for the more emotional Concubine Wenxi?

Kangxi didn't believe him at all!

He quickly summoned his most trusted imperial physician, Rong Ji, and said, "Let me check your pulse. The weather has been dry lately, and I'm worried that you might get angry."

In fact, Kangxi wanted to ask the maid who was trying out the marriage to come and report to him what happened that day, whether the prince was frightened. But he immediately remembered that he had ordered Liang Jiugong to deal with the maid a few days ago, so he had to give up.

After Rong Ji carefully diagnosed the prince, he reported back that the prince was in good health. Kangxi was relieved and waved his hand: "In this case, I will not ask any more questions. You are still young, so you are stubborn. You will know in the future."

Seeing the prince bow his head and keep silent, Kangxi became even more angry: "Go away, go away, don't get in my way. Go study quickly, I will test you later. If you lose to Yinzuo again, it will be a disgrace to you."

The prince was so impatient that he swung his clothes and ran out like a fly. Kangxi was so angry that he laughed: "He used to be such an obedient child, how come he is getting more and more stubborn now!"

Kangxi looked in the direction where the prince left, slightly absent-minded, and the image of the prince as a child emerged in his mind.

When he was a child, Yinreng always had a pair of big watery eyes, full of respect and dependence on him. No matter what he said, he would do it obediently. As he grew older, the prince's mind became more complicated!

Wenxi's death did not bring any sadness to Kangxi. Not to mention the suspension of court, he did not even posthumously confer a title on him. He only showed up on the seventh day after his death, and his posthumous title was directly continued to be the title of Wenxi.

Such behavior was so indifferent that it was chilling, and it also sent a signal within the harem.

The tenth prince could not accept it and wanted to go to the Qianqing Palace to ask the emperor for an explanation, but he was forcibly persuaded by the eighth and ninth princes.

It is still unknown what impact such a signal had on the concubines, but Wang Pin became a secret concubine in an atmosphere of mourning.

Incense smoke was curling, white flags were fluttering, everyone was dressed in plain clothes, and low sobs and wails were intertwined, which was extremely depressing.

The nurse holding the Sixteenth Prince was also crying, and it took a while before she realized that the Sixteenth Prince in her arms had not moved, and there was something wrong. She subconsciously looked down and found that the Sixteenth Prince's lips had turned purple.

Nanny's heart suddenly tightened, and her crying stopped abruptly, replaced by a face full of fear. With trembling hands, she tried to wake up the Sixteenth Prince in her arms, and kept shouting, "Little Prince, Little Prince, what's wrong with you?"

The people around heard the nanny's panicked cries and looked over.

When the concubine Wang, who was not far away, heard the noise, she no longer cared about the rules and ran towards the Sixteenth Prince.

When she found out that the Sixteenth Prince had stopped breathing, she could no longer hold on, and she passed out as her eyes went dark.

After an unknown amount of time, Wangpin slowly woke up from the chaos. Her consciousness had not yet fully recovered, and she only felt a splitting headache.

As she gradually came to consciousness, she subconsciously looked around for the Sixteenth Prince, calling out her son's name.

However, the sad and pitying eyes of the palace maids and eunuchs around her made her understand something instantly. The imperial physician beside her brought another piece of news - she was pregnant.

She had just lost a son and then found out she was pregnant. She fainted again from the mixed feelings of sadness and joy.

Seeing that she fainted several times, Malu sighed, had the princess sent back, and let everyone return to their respective positions.

Wangpin's condition was not suitable for mourning. In fact, the Sixteenth Prince's health had always been poor, but Wangpin did not mention the possibility of exempting him from mourning, so she arranged it according to the usual practice.

Now that such a change has happened, although Malu feels only regret, he does not blame himself.

Xiao Shiliu’s biological mother didn’t ask for exemption, so when I asked her, she said it was okay. So what else could I do?

But you still have to maintain your attitude.

Ma Lu, who was apologizing in the Qianqing Palace, wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, and wiped them red: "It's all my fault for not paying more attention, otherwise Xiao Shiliu——"

Kangxi was sitting at the top, feeling depressed. However, Xiao Shiliu's health had always been poor, so he was mentally prepared.

So he could still comfort Malu: "You don't have to blame yourself. No one could have predicted this. Maybe this is fate."

The death of his son was a heart-wrenching pain, and Wangpin was pregnant. After pondering for a moment, Kangxi promoted Wangpin to a concubine in order to comfort her, and gave her the title of secret concubine.

Naturally, Malu would not have any objection, and since she was now nominally in charge of the harem, she needed to personally fetch the golden seal and stamp the golden book of consorthood.

The two talked a little more about the matter of the concubine and the sixteenth prince, and then Malu took his leave. On the way back to the palace, Bai Xia pursed her lips with a look of grievance and muttered softly: "My queen, what does this have to do with us? Why did you go to the Qianqing Palace to apologize, kneeling and crying, and you must be exhausted. You have been feeling a little unwell recently, and it hurts me to see you going through this. Otherwise, let's ask the imperial physician to come and take a good look at you?"

Malu smiled and said, "Although it has nothing to do with me, if someone brings it up and says that I am not considerate enough, it is understandable. Your Majesty is heartbroken after losing his son. If I don't show any concern, wouldn't it seem cold and heartless?"

Bai Xia nodded helplessly: "Then we have to ask Doctor Gu to come and take a look at you."

How could Malu dare to say that she had been too entangled with the prince a few days ago? Moreover, she had not slept with the prince for a while, and the imperial physician found that she had been having sex when he felt her pulse, which was a big problem.