The Virtuous Concubine

Kangxi was in a good mood today, so he did not feel that Bai Xia was offended. Instead, he felt that Bai Xia was very good and loyal to his master. Seeing that everyone around Malu served him well, he simply rewarded them with three months' salary.

It was at this time that Liang Jiugong discovered that there was not a single eunuch around the noble lady Wu Ya! And there were two palace maids missing. According to the rules, the noble lady was accompanied by four palace maids and four eunuchs. Since the noble lady Wu Ya was pregnant and needed help, it would be fine to add one or two more, but why was there not even one?

He took advantage of the fact that Kangxi and Malu had fallen asleep together and quietly called Bai Fu to ask her what was going on. He secretly wondered whether Concubine Wuya was treated harshly or whether Concubine Wuya had other arrangements of her own.

Neither of these is good news for him. The only people who can treat Concubine Wuya harshly are the future Queen Concubine Niuhulu and Concubine Tong, both of whom are not easy to mess with. If Concubine Wuya doesn't like eunuchs, then she won't like him in the future.

Fortunately, Bai Fu explained quickly, and she made things clear in a few words: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs has brought people here for the noble master to choose, but the noble master just moved to Yonghe Palace today, and before he had time to rest for a while, the ladies in the harem came, and then they were preparing to receive the emperor, so he really didn't have time. I asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to come again tomorrow."

Liang Jiugong felt relieved after listening to Bai Fu's explanation, but he still didn't dare to be careless. He pondered for a moment and said to Bai Fu: "If that's the case, you must remind the noble master tomorrow to fill in the manpower as soon as possible. Otherwise, are you going to let you girls do all the rough and heavy work? Not only is it inappropriate, but it's also easy to cause trouble."

Bai Fu nodded respectfully: "Don't worry, Manager Liang, we dare not neglect matters related to the noble."

Seeing Bai Fu's sincere attitude, Liang Jiugong stopped paying attention to her and dozed off by the door. Bai Fu originally wanted to take this opportunity to get close to her and ask Liang Jiugong to help her choose, but seeing that Liang Jiugong was only willing to give her a reminder and then pretend to be dead, she decisively turned around and left.

The next morning, Malu woke up early. This was the first time she had slept with Kangxi all night. Not only was she not used to it, but she was also afraid that she would kick him or something, so she slept very uneasy. She simply didn't sleep much in the second half of the night, so when she heard the noise outside, she got up quietly and walked out of the bedroom.

Bai Xia had been waiting for her outside. After washing up and putting on light makeup to cover her haggard look, Malu went back to take the court dress from Liang Jiugong's hand, and stood outside the door, leading a large group of people waiting for Kangxi to get up.

Seeing that Concubine Wuya was so favored and not ostentatious, Liang Jiugong could not help but think more highly of her. It was really the noble ladies in the harem. They were fine at the beginning. But as time went by, their true nature gradually revealed. There were too many who flattered the powerful or were self-righteous.

Before Eunuch Liang had time to name someone in his mind, the time really couldn't be postponed any longer, so he stepped forward and knocked on the door three times, calling out to the emperor in a low voice: "The time has come, Your Majesty, please get up."

Kangxi got up before he could call him a second time, and Malu led a group of servants in.

The palace servants who helped Kangxi wash, tidied his clothes, and served him meals were all very quick, but Kangxi only had a bowl of clear soup and a golden bird's nest cup before leaving in a hurry. He didn't have time to let Malu perform the classic scene of buttoning and smoothing his court robes - he was busy flirting with Malu yesterday and had some undecided matters.

Kangxi left feeling refreshed, and when he left he gave Malu a lot of things, including books and copybooks for learning poetry and practicing calligraphy, as well as some writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones that were tributed from Huizhou.

Bai Xia was delighted and said with a smile: "The Emperor really wants to train our queen to be a top female scholar!"

Malu shook his head: "I still prefer gold, silver and jewelry. Can't we get these things from the Ministry of Internal Affairs? Silver is the real thing. These poems and essays are beautiful, but they can't fill my stomach. Just give me some decorations."

Bai Fu was very surprised. She thought that since Consort Wu Ya could sing with the emperor in poetry, calligraphy and painting, she would prefer such a personal reward to her, rather than the same old jewelry and hairpins. These are all the emperor's thoughts, and their value is immeasurable!

The brain waves of the master and servant are totally incompatible. Malu and Bai Fu have the opposite idea. She thinks that Kangxi gave her these things so that she can learn more and then he can talk to her.

The fundamental reason is to have the experience of entering the harem, how can it be considered a favor? Although it is also a good intention, she likes the vulgar one, the kind of 600 yuan per gram.

The ceremony of crowning the queen had not yet taken place, so Malu did not need to greet anyone. While Malu was washing her face and preparing to take a nap, Bai Fu quickly mentioned that the palace was still short of two maids and four eunuchs.

"Master, the noble position is based on the rules of four palace maids and four eunuchs. Do you think it's time to choose someone to fill the vacancies?"

Upon hearing this, Malu felt deeply sorry for Bai Fu and Bai Xia: "Oh! I really didn't think about this. Are you too busy? After all, we are short of six people. I am really sorry for you two."

How could Bai Fu and Bai Xia dare to accept such courtesy? They knelt down quickly, saying they dared not. If some of them were dissatisfied in the past, now they gradually understood in their daily interactions that it was their luck to follow a master who was so considerate of his servants.

"Master, please don't say that. It is our honor to serve you." Bai Xia had tears in her eyes, and Bai Fu was also a little moved.

They knew that Noble Lady Wuya was always easy-going and never criticized her servants. She would give out red envelopes during every festival, saying that it was a "good thing" and that everything would go smoothly with the red envelopes.

In terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation, Wu Ya Guiren always tried her best to give them the best treatment within the scope allowed by the palace rules. She always discussed things with a pleasant face and never got angry even if they disagreed. If someone was sick, she would give extra silver to see a doctor and take medicine. Such a master was rare in the harem.

Malu didn't think so much about it. She just treated them according to the modern way of getting along with colleagues and provided them with the necessary benefits and guarantees.

It’s just eighteen salaries, Kangxi can afford it!

Malu stepped forward and helped Bai Fu and Bai Xia up: "Okay, get up quickly. There is no need for us to be so polite. But we really need to carefully screen the candidates. If someone with ulterior motives sneaks into Yonghe Palace to work, then your kneeling will be useless. Let's do this, Bai Fu, you find a chance to privately sound out Aunt Shu Yu. Every three days, Aunt Shu Yu goes to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to collect tea, so go and see her at this time. Bai Xia, when you serve the meal, please tell Aunt Liu that we need to select someone. I will discuss the specific arrangements after their reply."

Bai Fu and Bai Xia agreed not to mention it, but Malu had his own thoughts. There were still two palace maids missing, so he had to choose his own people first, such as his good friends Zhang Jia Jingyi and Dachun. He knew both of them well, and Dachun was not valued by Concubine An anyway, so he might as well see if he could dig her up.

Zhang Jiajingyi... If she was going to become a concubine and live in the same palace with me sooner or later, why didn't I be the one to discover and recommend her? But how to transfer her specifically still needed to be carefully considered.

The system was surprised to know her thoughts: "Aren't you jealous?"

Malu smiled lightly, her smile full of ridicule and disdain: "Jealous? Jealous of whom? What right do I have to be jealous?"

Don't think she didn't know that Kangxi actually summoned Concubine Zhang yesterday and planned to see her before going to bed. What's more, Jingyi becoming a concubine is an extra guarantee for Yonghe Palace.