The Virtuous Concubine

Originally Liang Jiugong wanted to find an opportunity to speak to the emperor quietly, but the matter was urgent and Kangxi was in a good mood today, so he asked him to speak frankly.

Liang Jiugong got the emperor's permission, and then he said directly: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived at Yonghe Palace and is now seeking an audience outside the palace."

When Kangxi heard this, the smile on his face froze slightly, as if he was surprised and a little dissatisfied. But he still said, "Let him in."

The Fourth Prince was fine. He had always been in front of Kangxi, playing a relatively gentle role. There was no change in his facial expression. He just lowered his eyes slightly, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Yinzuo drank water strategically to cover up his inner curiosity. The prince didn't seem to be such a tactless person. He had a good relationship with his mother on weekdays. What was the meaning of coming here to disturb their family reunion dinner?

Wen Xian's face suddenly turned bad. The prince came over. To put it mildly, this was a spoiler. To put it bluntly, he was probably afraid of the Yonghe Palace after his fourth brother and Yinzuo joined forces!

In any case, I'm afraid this reunion dinner will not be peaceful.

Malu was on pins and needles, and her anxiety was even greater than her children's. Compared to her children's current thoughts, she actually knew the prince's intentions today best.

He must be jealous, afraid that Kangxi would stay in Yonghe Palace today and cause trouble!

Soon, the prince strode into the Yonghe Palace with his head held high and saluted Kangxi and Malu. His eyes lingered on Malu for only a moment before he looked at Kangxi again, but this brief moment made Malu's heart feel like a cat scratching.

Hey, what is he doing here!

Now that Kangxi is coming, even if he stays overnight, he may not necessarily do anything.

Kangxi still gave the prince face and said with a smile: "Add a seat for the prince."

The prince was not polite either, but he did not sit next to Kangxi as the rules required. Instead, he just gave a look and asked the palace servants to put the chair between Malu and the Fourth Prince, and then he sat on it easily, as naturally as could be.

As the eldest prince, it makes sense for the Crown Prince to sit in front of the Fourth Prince.

Malu knew what he meant, and forced himself to remain calm, and glanced at the prince calmly with a warning in mind.

The other princes and princesses also felt this unusual atmosphere. For a moment, the originally relaxed atmosphere at the dinner table became a little solemn.

Everyone ate in silence, and only when their eyes occasionally met could they see the complex emotions in each other's eyes.

Rather than being surprised at the prince's sudden arrival, they were more surprised by the unfamiliarity between the emperor and the prince.

After a while, Kangxi put down his chopsticks and broke the silence: "Prince, did you come here today just to have dinner with me? Or do you have something else?"

The prince chuckled. His smile seemed hearty but it felt a little deliberate: "Father, I came here to see my fourth and seventh brothers. The two younger brothers just came back from Jiangnan. As their elder brother, I am very happy and came to see them." As he spoke, he looked at the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince.

Kangxi nodded approvingly when he heard him say this: "You are thoughtful. Brothers should care for each other in this way. However, the affairs of the court are heavy, and as the crown prince, you must not sacrifice public affairs for personal reasons."

The prince quickly bowed and responded: "Your Majesty is right."

Malu really couldn't bear to listen any longer. Seeing the father and son exchanging witticisms in front of her made her feel extremely uncomfortable, as if she was being stabbed in the back.

She had originally thought that if Kangxi stayed overnight in Yonghe Palace today, she would just hold her nose and bear it, since it would only take a while. The emperor's favor was still necessary for the concubines.

But now, she just wanted to send everyone away quickly and be alone.

So she personally took the serving chopsticks and picked up a piece of food for Kangxi and the crown prince respectively: "Today is a family dinner to welcome the guests. What's the point of talking about public and private matters? Let's just eat and drink."

Her eyes wandered and her smile was wide.

Kangxi looked at Malu and laughed: "My beloved concubine is right. It is my fault. Today we will only talk about family matters, not state affairs."

The prince nodded in agreement but did not say anything. He just picked up the food that Malu gave him, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

The fourth prince Yinzhen also smiled and said, "Compared with the dishes in the imperial kitchen, the dishes in my mother's palace are indeed different in flavor. I have been in Jiangnan for a long time and I still miss them a little."

Wen Xian was about to nod in agreement when Yinzuo kicked him under the table. He then realized that he should be bored with eating in Yonghe Palace, so why was he nodding?

With Malu's interruption, the atmosphere at the dinner table seemed to have regained some of its relaxed tone.

Everyone started talking and laughing, discussing some light-hearted topics, such as the customs and practices of Jiangnan and interesting things in the palace.

Yinzhen shared his interesting stories and experiences in Jiangnan, and the other children listened with great interest, occasionally interjecting a few words, and laughter rose and fell in the palace.

Kangxi was also infected by this atmosphere. He always had a gentle smile on his face. He watched the children chatting, his eyes full of love.

The prince listened silently to his brothers' conversation and laughter, drinking one cup after another. Gradually, a blush appeared around his originally clear eyes, and his eye circles also turned red.

It was obvious that he had a lot on his mind, but he couldn't express it in words. He could only drown his sorrows in alcohol, just like a wounded little animal.

Kangxi was immediately distressed when he saw this. After all, he was his own son, so how could Kangxi not understand him? Yinreng was probably envious of Dezhao and the children for having so much fun together.

This scene probably reminded him of his mother, Empress Hesheli! Empress Hesheli passed away early, and Yinreng lost his mother at a young age. Although he was a prince, the loneliness in his heart was only understood by his father, Kangxi, who also lost his mother at a young age.

Malu also noticed it and sighed in her heart. She was different from Kangxi. She felt that the prince was too jealous. He was really out of control by losing his temper.

What bothered Malu even more was that the prince had his hand under the table and repeatedly tried to pull her hand.

Malu was shocked and frightened. How could she dare to be so bold in public, especially with Kangxi present?

She could only pretend to be calm, keeping her hands properly on the table, and either eating by herself or picking up chopsticks to pick up food for the person next to her, in order to avoid the prince's entanglement.

After a while, the prince became obedient, but he was still sad because he was pushed away by the person he liked, so he drank more frequently.

Kangxi's eyes were always on the prince, and he didn't notice the little episode on Malu's side. He looked at the prince's slightly lonely expression, and his heart was full of pity: "Seeing De Zhao taking care of you so well, serving you food and stopping you from drinking, you should be obedient and stop drinking. Drinking more will hurt your body."