The Virtuous Concubine

After coming out, Bai Fu and Jing Yi looked at each other, knowing that this was not the place to talk. Their eyes were full of complexity and worry, and they both understood the seriousness of the matter.

Everyone knew that if the master hadn't responded tactfully today, both Bai Xia and Jing Yi would have been in trouble. Bai Xia had already received twenty strokes of the cane and found a place to kneel. As long as the emperor didn't think about it again, the matter would be over.

But Jingyi's fate is still undecided. No one knows whether the emperor really mentioned it casually or if he really likes her. The master fooled her at the time, so if the emperor didn't take the initiative to mention it, can we just pretend that this incident never happened?

Bai Fu really didn't expect that with the brilliant master, how could the emperor still notice a maid dressed in a very inconspicuous way? Bai Fu couldn't help but wonder, how could such a small character attract the emperor's attention? Could it be that the emperor's vision was so unique that he could find a pearl in the dust?

Bai Fu was really nervous, so she whispered to Jingyi, "You go and rest first, I'll take care of things here." Although her voice was soft, it revealed a firmness and protectiveness.

Jingyi nodded, with tears in her eyes, and returned to her room.

Malu was naturally very unhappy. She endured this unhappiness for a while. When she saw Kangxi fell into a deep sleep, she quietly got up from the bed and signaled the palace maids outside that she wanted to take a bath. The palace maids immediately responded quietly and quickly prepared. In the steamy bathroom, petals were sprinkled all over the water, and the fragrance was overflowing.

Bai Fu greeted Malu at the door and walked into the bathroom. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let the warm water surround her body, trying to evaporate the anxiety and unhappiness in her heart along with the water vapor. Bai Fu looked at her master's heavy expression and regretted that she had "invited a wolf into the house" today and made her master unhappy.

Malu felt really weird at this moment. She didn't love Kangxi, and she wouldn't care no matter how many people Kangxi had. But Kangxi obviously had a crush on Jingyi today. If she was a sensible concubine, she might have left Jingyi behind and "knowingly" went out to bathe. After that, Jingyi would have been made a court lady or promised to live in Yonghe Palace and become her vassal.

But Jingyi was more like a friend to her. It was as if her sponsor or boss had taken a fancy to her best friend, which made Malu feel nauseous and disgusted. And Jingyi had a crush on someone...

I definitely won't personally send Jingyi to Kangxi, but if Kangxi gives the order and I sit back and do nothing, Jingyi won't be able to resist. If I help Jingyi, it might anger Kangxi, but without Jingyi's Thirteenth Prince, wouldn't the Fourth Prince lose a huge helper in the future?

When Malu thought of this, he felt overwhelmed. He couldn't figure out whether he should wear the green hat that Kangxi had worn on his own initiative.

After taking a bath, Malu put on a soft nightgown and returned to her room. Looking at Kangxi who was still sleeping, she felt mixed emotions.

She didn't want to go back to bed and lie down with Kangxi, so she sat in front of the dressing table. She looked a little tired in the mirror. She gently stroked her cheek, silently digesting the emotions of the day, and sat there until dawn.

Kangxi had a big court meeting today, so he woke up early. When he opened his eyes, he found that there was no one around him. Not far away, Malu was sitting in front of a mirror, combing her long, smooth hair with a jade comb. The morning light seemed to have coated Malu's body with a layer of gold, and the lilac silk dress she was wearing also reflected a soft halo.

He admired it for a while, then said with a smile: "Today is unusual, usually you sleep so soundly that you don't even know I left you."

Malu smiled back at him and did not answer him directly: "Your Majesty is awake. I will call someone in right away."

Kangxi nodded, and the people outside the door heard the noise and filed in, carrying court robes, basins and other items. Malu did not participate in these, but only watched Kangxi put on the complicated court robes one by one with admiration and respect. The gold and silver threads of the court robes sparkled, showing the majesty and dignity of the emperor.

Kangxi felt Malu's gaze and felt quite pleased with himself. He also doted on her a little more. After getting dressed, he walked to Malu and gently stroked her hair: "I'm going to court now. You can rest for a while."

Ma Lu nodded, but still insisted on seeing Kangxi off to the gate of Yonghe Palace. She did not put on any makeup, nor did she change into her going-out clothes. She was only wrapped tightly in a green feather gauze cloak with a swastika pattern, and followed Kangxi to the gate of Yonghe Palace.

The outside of this cloak is quite low-key, but it has an extremely warm white fox fur lining. There is a circle of long snow-white fur on the collar, cuffs and hood, which dances in the breeze on such a spring morning, making Malu look even more charming and lovely.

Kangxi glanced back and praised, "You are very suitable for wearing such clothes. When I go hunting later, I will give you a few more skins to keep for winter clothes. I will send them here!"

Malu nodded. The spring sunshine shone on Malu's face, giving her face a faint golden glow. As she moved, the wind hair also moved with her, making her look even more elegant and fairy-like. She smiled slightly and said softly, "Your Majesty, take care. I am waiting for your return here."

A hint of tenderness flashed in Kangxi's eyes. He waved his hand gently, and the imperial sedan chair set off to the Qianqing Gate. Malu stood quietly at the gate of Yonghe Palace, watching Kangxi's figure gradually go away until he disappeared at the end of the long palace corridor.

Seeing that Kangxi had gone far away, she pursed her lips gently, turned around and returned to her bedroom, sat in front of the window, picked up an unfinished book in her hand, but her eyes drifted out of the window from time to time, and no one knew what she was thinking about.

Seeing that there were not many people around, Bai Fu led Bai Xia and Jing Yi over. As soon as they entered the room, they knelt down and kowtowed to beg for mercy. Seeing this, Ma Lu gently scolded, "What did you do to deserve this? Get up quickly."

Bai Xia and Jing Yi did not dare to stand up after hearing this, their faces still showed strong tension and anxiety. Seeing them like this, Ma Lu could not help but feel a little pity in her heart. She gently waved her hand, motioning them to stand up, and said softly: "What are you afraid of? I know everything about yesterday. It's not your problem."

After hearing what Malu said, Bai Xia and Jingyi felt a little relieved and they slowly stood up, but still did not dare to look Malu in the eye.

Malu laughed at the two of them: "How dare you come here without being summoned? And you come here without saying anything?"

Bai Xia, who had been with Malu for a longer time, was bolder, so she spoke of her own problem first, but her voice was still trembling slightly: "Master, I was indeed careless that day. I thought... I really thought I could go in, but I didn't expect to spoil the emperor's interest and make him unhappy... I deserve to die."

As he said this, he was about to kneel down again, but was held back by Bai Fu.

Malu sighed softly. She knew that it was not easy for these maids to live in the palace. There were many rules and regulations, and they could be punished if they were not careful. She said softly, "You made an unintentional mistake. I don't think the emperor blamed you afterward. Before doing anything in the future, ask more questions and observe more, and there will be no such misunderstandings. I believe that after this, you will not dare to act rashly like before. I will give you three days off, so you can take good care of your injuries!"

Bai Xia finally couldn't hold back her tears and almost burst into tears. Malu also found this funny and waved her hand, asking Bai Fu to take Bai Xia back to the room. At this moment, Jingyi and Malu were the only ones left in the room.