The Virtuous Concubine

A few days later, the Fourteenth Prince set out. One day, when Malu was still asleep, the Fourteenth Prince was urgently summoned by Emperor Kangxi to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, and was directly packed up and given to several generals, and set out for the northwest with them.

The incident happened suddenly. Not only was Malu unaware of it, but even the Fourth Prince and Wen Xian did not have time to see Fourteen off. The only prince who was there to see him off was the Crown Prince. He stood tall and watched Fourteen ask the Emperor if he could write a letter to his mother. Suddenly, he thought of his mother whom he had never met.

Whenever the Emperor mentioned her, he always said that she was the most gentle and virtuous wife in the world, and must also be the most loving mother in the world.

But he hadn't thought of her for a long time. Before he could feel guilty about this, the prince remembered Malu's rebuke that day.

I really didn't understand why Malu was angry at that time. Losing a child was indeed a pity, but wouldn't it be better to have another one, or more children?

Kangxi had lost many children before him, and it was only from the eldest that his children gradually became independent. The emperor might have been sad and shed tears, but now that he has so many sons, he is worried about them every day, and he probably doesn't even think about his first children.

But Malu said to herself that every child is different and unique to their mother. If Empress Xiaorencheng had been partial and only cared about her own safety and easily abandoned her child, how could he sit firmly on the throne of the crown prince today!

As the words were still ringing in his ears, Yinreng felt his head buzzing and his heart was filled with anxiety.

Her mother risked her life and sacrificed herself to save Yinreng's life, but Malu felt that she abandoned her child out of selfishness, so she felt heartbroken and full of regret, thinking that she had not fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother.

Kangxi saw that the prince looked gloomy, so he sent the servants away and patted him on the back: "What's wrong, Yinreng?"

The prince steadied himself, put away his sorrow and said gloomily, "My son also wants to go to the northwest."

Kangxi smiled cheerfully: "How dare you say that. Your recommendation of the Fourteenth Prince made Soetu's eyes pop out. If you plan to go into battle yourself, Soetu will probably hit his head against the imperial pillar."

It can be heard that Kangxi was very satisfied with the prince's unexpected decision.

For a long time, he was dissatisfied with the open and covert fighting between the Soetu and Mingzhu factions, which made the court chaotic. Now the prince is willing to consider the overall situation, jump out of the disputes, and learn to take care of his brothers, which makes Kangxi happy both publicly and privately.

This is the son he had high hopes for, and he has finally grown up.

When the prince heard Kangxi joking with him, he quickly smiled and said, "I was just saying that. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. I will not joke about my own safety. But I do envy my fourteenth brother, who can go outside the palace at such a young age and appreciate the mountains and rivers of the Qing Dynasty."

The crown prince was indeed the one who went out the least among the children. After the princes set up their own houses and got married, they all lived outside the palace. On weekdays, they could also accompany Kangxi on tours to all parts of the country. But the crown prince could only stay deep in the palace, and every time Kangxi went out, he would bring more people with him, and the crown prince had to stay in the capital to handle government affairs.

Kangxi thought it was nothing, and waved his hand: "When the fourth prince gets married, I will grant you a day off. Go out and have a look, then go to the fourth prince's mansion to have a drink in the evening, and come back before the palace gates are locked."

The prince was overjoyed. Although he didn't want to take advantage of the fourth brother, it was always a good thing to be able to go out for a walk.

But, can Malu go?

The prince thought for a moment and asked Kangxi with a smile, "When we worship heaven and earth, will the emperor and Concubine De Zhao go?"

Seeing his son was so interested, Kangxi thought for a moment and shook his head: "I won't go. It's customary for me to attend the weddings of the princes in person."

Kangxi would never go to great lengths for a son other than the crown prince. After all, the emperor's travels required countless manpower and resources, including ceremonial guards, security, and defense. He would not allow Concubine Dezhao to go either, because concubines could not leave the palace without special reasons.

In theory, the princes should get married in the prince's residence first, and then set up a mansion and government office. However, since the eldest prince was imprisoned at the time, he got married directly in Yangfeng Alley. In addition, Kangxi advocated frugality, so the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Rites discussed for a long time and set new rules. Later princes would build a mansion first, and then hold the wedding in the mansion. The wedding day was also the first day of setting up the mansion, which marked a double happiness.

It would only cause some hardship to the Ministry of Works, but the advantage is that by holding two happy events at the same time, we can save some money on the wedding banquet.

Some people may think that the royal family does not care about these things. It is because Kangxi has too many sons, nearly twenty princes. If each of them has a wedding banquet with fifty tables and a wedding banquet with sixty tables, the emperor will be bankrupt if he opens a palace again.

The prince remained silent, trying to find a way to get Kangxi to make an exception so that he could meet Malu outside the palace.

Instead, Kangxi was a little surprised: "You care about the fourth brother."

The prince thought who would care about this fool, but he still showed a little shame and said earnestly: "Before, my son was young and ignorant, and he had a dispute with the fourth brother. Now I think that I really shouldn't have done that. I feel that I owe the fourth brother a lot. Thanks to Concubine De Zhao for her generosity and tolerance, and for helping my son to plead with the emperor. My son will remember all these in his heart and will never forget them."

Kangxi suddenly realized, stroked his beard and smiled: "No wonder you help Fourteen so much, it turns out you are trying to compensate me."

The prince did not mind Kangxi's thoughts, and followed up with a sigh, "But my son has done something wrong. I think Concubine De Zhao would rather have her children stay with her. But if this happens, not only will the Fourteenth Prince have to leave her and go to the northwest, but he will also miss the Fourth Prince's wedding. I'm afraid she will feel bad about it."

Kangxi thought the prince was good in everything except that he was too cowardly sometimes! Whatever other people did was right, and he didn't need to worry so much. However, he still followed the prince's idea and prepared to let Malu take a carriage out of the palace to the Fourth Prince's residence to watch the wedding, but he had to rush back to the palace before the banquet was over.

The prince suppressed his excitement, fearing that Kangxi would become suspicious, so he just praised Kangxi for his consideration for his concubines and children, then changed the subject and started chatting with Kangxi about other things.

Kangxi was talking, and he also sighed: "Your brothers have all married, but you haven't even married a concubine. I really don't know what the Ministry of Rites is struggling with! They are a bunch of good-for-nothings, they only know how to talk about it all day, but they can't come up with a set of rules when it comes to doing things."

The prince's heart skipped a beat and he said, "I am not in a hurry."

The Crown Prince was not in a hurry, but Kangxi was. Moreover, the Fourth Prince's marriage meant that he would soon have the support of his wife's family, and his younger brother had gone to the northwest, so the Crown Prince seemed a little weak.