The Virtuous Concubine

Ma Lu, who was waiting at Yonghe Palace, was also overjoyed when he saw his daughter. He held her hand and looked her up and down several times: "You have lost weight, a lot."

Wen Xian missed her too, and leaned in her arms lovingly: "My daughter is fine, she was just traveling a lot, she will recover in a few days. Is mother doing well in the palace? Do you miss me?"

Ma Lu gently stroked Wen Xian's hair and said with a smile: "Everything is fine in the palace, but I am worried about you day and night. Since you left, I have no energy to do anything. Now that you are back, I feel relieved."

As he spoke, Malu pulled his daughter to sit down beside the couch and ordered the maid to bring his daughter's favorite snacks and tea.

"Mother, my fourth brother and I brought back a lot of interesting local rituals from Jiangnan this time. It's just that it's inconvenient to bring them back to the palace today, so my fourth brother will bring them all tomorrow. Then, mother, you can take a look and see if there's anything you like. After you've picked them out, I'll send the rest to the Queen Mother and the Emperor in Yinzuo's name so they can take a look."

Malu looked at Wen Xian lovingly, lowered his head and gently rubbed her nose: "Okay, mother will watch it tomorrow. Tell me quickly, what happened along the way?"

Wen Xian excitedly shared his experiences in Jiangnan, and Malu listened with great interest.

It was not until Bai Fu smiled and reminded them that it would be dawn if they continued talking that the mother and daughter came to their senses, smiled at each other, and then got up hand in hand to rest.

The Fourth Prince entered the palace early the next morning, but he did not return to Yonghe Palace or the Prince's Residence first. Instead, he went to the Qianqing Palace.

Wen Xian reunited with her mother last night after a long separation. The mother and daughter talked until very late, but she was still in high spirits and received the imperial edict to lift the house arrest early, and ran to the Qianqing Palace to thank Emperor Kangxi. In this way, the brother and sister happened to meet and could report to Emperor Kangxi together.

"Your son (disciple) pays homage to His Majesty. May His Majesty be in good health." The two said in unison, and then bowed respectfully.

It can be said that among all the children, the ones Kangxi favors the most are the two before him, apart from the crown prince.

Kangxi couldn't help but admire and praise the couple kneeling down to pay their respects. But when Wen Xian stood up, Kangxi couldn't help but laugh: "How come it's so dark? Two people who look like coals are standing here. I want to light a lamp so early in the morning."

Regardless of whether the joke was funny or not, the palace people around laughed. The Fourth Prince did not dare to be rude in front of Kangxi, let alone show a cold face. He smiled and followed Kangxi's words and said, "Father, it's okay for you to tease your son, but my sister is a girl and has always cherished her appearance. She can't stand hearing this."

When Wen Xian heard this, he pretended to be angry, stamped his feet, and said coquettishly: "Father Huang, Fourth Brother, you just like to tease me. I am not a delicate girl."

Kangxi laughed when he saw this: "My Wenxian has really grown up. It's good that he's a little darker. He's healthier and stronger."

As for the princess's appearance, no matter whether it is pretty or not, no one would dare to criticize it, let alone someone of Wen Xian's status.

The Fourth Prince also smiled and nodded: "Yes, my sister has suffered a lot and seen a lot along the way. She is different from before. This time in Jiangnan, my sister helped me a lot. If it weren't for her, I really don't know what I would do."

As he spoke, his expression became stern, he lifted up his skirt, and knelt down respectfully again, his tone sincere and respectful: "I would like to thank you, Father. Without you making an exception and covering up for us, this trip to Jiangnan would not have been so smooth."

The intelligence, responsibility and humility in his words and actions, as well as his friendship for his sister and his admiration and respect for Kangxi, really amazed Liang Jiugong and his admiration for the Fourth Prince increased even more.

It turned out that those who are favored are fearless. He has followed the emperor for so many years and has never seen the prince like this.

Similarly, among the princes who were ignored by Kangxi, none of them could praise the emperor as appropriately as the Fourth Prince.

Wen Xian hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

The three of them talked until the afternoon sun was setting. Kangxi was in high spirits, but he also realized that it was getting late, so he smiled and said to the Fourth Prince and Wen Xian: "It's getting late. You have been traveling all the way and talked to me for so long today. You must be tired. Go back and rest first. I will go to Yonghe Palace for dinner tonight. You can come with me so that we can have a good family reunion."

The Fourth Prince and Wen Xian smiled at each other and replied in unison, "Yes, Father Royal, I will take my leave."

After saying this, the two of them bowed respectfully and slowly left the Qianqing Palace.

On the way back to the princess' residence and the prince's residence, Yinzhen told Wen Xian that he wanted Yinzuo to go to Jiangnan to clean up the mess and further consolidate his power.

Wen Xian didn't even pause when he heard this. He looked very natural, as if he had just been released from confinement and everything seemed new and easy to him. "I'm afraid Yin Zuo has been locked up in the palace for too long and is itching to go out for a walk, so he asked Fourth Brother for help, right?"

Yinzhen smiled helplessly, but he felt more relieved. He had originally felt that Yinzuo's idea was not just to go out for a walk, but Wenxian and he were twins, and they had always been in tune with each other and had a deep affection for each other.

But Wen Xian's first reaction was this. It seemed that his brother had been suffocated in the palace for a long time and was eager to go out for some fresh air. He could completely understand this.

So he shook his head gently: "No matter what he thinks, he did make this request to me, saying that he wanted to go out for a walk and didn't want to deal with the affairs of the capital and the court in the short term. So I agreed to it."

The Fourth Prince paused, and seeing that everyone around him was his own people, he continued in a low voice: "I have thought carefully about wanting Yinzuo to go to Jiangnan this time. Although we have made a good start in Jiangnan, the subsequent finishing work cannot be underestimated. Yinzuo is thoughtful and thorough, and if we can let him go this time, we can feel more at ease. But..."

Wen Xian nodded in understanding, with a smile on his face: "But this matter still depends on the two of us cooperating well with Yin Zuo tonight, so that he can make the trip smoothly, right?"

Yinzhen nodded slightly, with a glimmer of approval in his eyes: "Sister is indeed smart. The emperor is having dinner in Yonghe Palace tonight, which is a great opportunity. We should take this opportunity to try to get him to agree."

In fact, when Wen Xian heard the Fourth Prince say that Yinzuo wanted to go, so he helped, his first reaction was "hehe".

Why is Fourth Brother here again? She felt that Fourth Brother had become a different person since he returned to the capital. It was you who wanted Yinzuo to go, how come Yinzuo was begging you?

But she didn't want to contradict her fourth brother, so she pretended not to notice it.