The Virtuous Concubine

If I had known, I would not have come out! Malu looked at the former Crown Princess Guaerjia and the former legitimate wife of the Fourth Prince. Not only did they exchange identities and sit together, but she was also sandwiched between them...

Thinking of the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, Malu tried hard to suppress the urge to sigh.

Malu raised his eyes slightly, glanced at Ulanara in front of him calmly, but the smile disappeared from his face. He said softly: "Get up, no need to be polite. I didn't expect you to stop here too."

Ulanara stood up slowly, smiling: "That's right, I just wanted to go out for a walk, but I didn't expect the spring sun to be so strong, so I thought of hiding in this pavilion. I didn't expect to offend the Imperial Concubine, I hope the Imperial Concubine will forgive me."

Malu shook his head slightly and said, "How can it be a collision? This is fate. This is the Fourth Prince's wife, Guaerjia. I guess you haven't met her yet." As he spoke, he pulled the Fourth Prince's wife in front of him and introduced her.

When the Fourth Lady listened, she felt that the word "fate" sounded a bit bitter.

Ulanara's eyes fell on the Fourth Lady, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a smile that seemed friendly but elusive: "So it's Lady Guarjia. I've heard of your great name for a long time. Seeing you today, you are indeed a pretty person."

Why did she say she had heard of his name for a long time? Ulanara's mother was a member of the royal family and had many contacts with the royal family, so she was well-informed about the news in the royal family.

All the ladies of the royal family said that Guaerjia was blessed. She married the Fourth Prince, who was a clean and promising man. Her mother-in-law was also one of the kindest people in the palace. She was truly blessed!

The Fourth Lady bowed slightly, saluted, and said softly, "Sister Ulanara, you are too kind. I am so humbled."

Seeing this, Malu smiled and said, "Well, in that case, let's all sit down and take a break. We are all family, so there is no need to be too restrained."

Everyone entered the pavilion and sat down one by one. For a moment, the atmosphere in the pavilion seemed a little subtle. This ordinary resting place suddenly gave rise to an indescribable feeling of tension.

Malu sat there, calm and collected, drinking tea quietly.

She was the absolute superior here, she had the privilege of silence, and it was okay for her to choose not to speak. Guarjia followed Malu obediently and sat down beside him.

She is the legitimate wife of the Fourth Prince. Although this Ulanara is the prince's person, she is only a concubine after all. It is neither moral nor reasonable for her to behave too fawningly.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Ulanara twisted her handkerchief constantly, and the tension in her heart became stronger. She quickly winked at the maid beside her, asking her to bring tea, fruit and snacks, and began to talk non-stop about the novelties inside.

Many of them were collected by officials outside and presented to Kangxi, who then gave them to the crown prince as rewards, and the crown prince threw them into the backyard.

On the exquisite plate on the stone table, there was a plate of plump yellow mangoes, with a rich fruity aroma wafting away. Seeing that Guarjia was about to reach out to take it, Malu was quick to stop her:

"You have to be careful with this fruit. Many people in this palace will experience some abnormalities in their bodies after eating it. Most people who eat it will...well, get rashes, itchy all over, or develop coughs and asthma, but the severity of each person's symptoms is different. If you want to eat it, use less and pay attention to how your body reacts."

After hearing what Malu said, Ulanara's face turned pale as paper in an instant. In panic, her legs softened and she fell to the ground with a plop. Her knees hit the ground heavily, but she didn't care about the pain and just kowtowed and apologized:

Please forgive me, my lady. I didn't know this fruit was poisonous! I didn't do it on purpose. I just thought it was a rare gift from the Emperor to the Crown Prince, and I wanted you and your wife to have a taste of it, so I served it to the table. I deserve to die!"

A look of surprise and worry appeared on Guarjia's face, and her hand stopped in mid-air, but she had no intention of pleading for Ulanara.

Malu just smiled faintly and had Ulanara helped up: "It's okay, you mean well. And this fruit is indeed rare, it's normal that you don't know about it. But it's better to be cautious about what you eat in the palace, otherwise if you have any reaction after eating this fruit, I'm sure the prince will be sad."

After saying that, she picked up the teacup again and took a sip gently, as if everything that had just happened was just an insignificant episode.

Bai Qian, who was following nearby, silently lit a candle for the prince in her heart and said, "Your Highness, I am incompetent and cannot stop the queen from being jealous."

Guaerjia watched this scene quietly from the side, secretly thanking herself for the reminder from the imperial concubine today. Otherwise, if she really ate the mango and developed some discomfort, who knows how much trouble would arise in the palace.

After this incident, Ulanara could no longer sit still and said goodbye. Malu nodded and allowed her to leave. After Ulanara disappeared from sight, Malu continued to chat with Guarjia.

Seeing that her people were all around her, Guaerjia couldn't help but move closer to Malu and lowered her voice: "Why did your Majesty just tell Concubine Ulanara that there was something wrong with eating this fruit?"

Seeing Malu looking at her in surprise, she quickly explained: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I never... never had such a vicious intention to let Concubine Ulanala eat the fruit. I just felt that this fruit was a gift from the emperor after all, and then the prince gave it to her. Now that Your Majesty has said that there is something wrong with this fruit, it is inevitable that the emperor or the prince will be unhappy. I am also worried about Your Majesty."

Malu smiled and said, "I said it when I thought of it. I didn't think too much about it. You are still thoughtful."

Guaerjia was stunned for a moment and shocked by this answer.

Just thought of it and said it out so easily?

However, Guaerjia soon came to her senses, and then she trusted and relied on Malu even more. She bit her lower lip and said softly, "Even if the queen had thought of this interest in advance, given the queen's personality and temperament, she would still speak frankly, right? The queen has always been sincere to others. I feel that it is a great blessing for me to marry the Fourth Prince and meet the queen."

After saying this, tears glistened in her eyes.

As the two were talking, a young eunuch suddenly came hurriedly and respectfully reported to Malu that the Fourth Prince had come to Yonghe Palace to pay his respects to the Empress and to take Guaerjia back home.

When Malu and Guaerjia heard this, their faces changed instantly at the same time.

Neither of them really wanted to see the Fourth Prince, especially Malu.

She hasn't figured out how to face the Fourth Prince yet, especially in front of the Fourth Lady!