Chapter Ninety-Seven

Dressed in dashing riding attire, the carriage slowly drove towards the suburban village. Jialuo looked at the bustling streets of the capital and suddenly felt like going for a stroll.

Living in the palace is quite different from living outside. If I had my own princely residence, as a princess consort, I suppose I could go out whenever I wanted, right?

Suddenly, Jialuo began to dislike being trapped in one place. As the Crown Princess, she lived in the palace and needed permission to leave.

Jialuo knew that she had been greedy. To be able to have a happy life without worrying about food and drink and being waited on was a life of luxury that she, a corporate slave, could never achieve in her entire life.

Now, they're complaining about not having enough freedom.

She mentally berated herself, then turned to look at the man who had captivated her, letting out a soft, coquettish hum. "You have no idea how much I've sacrificed for you."

However, as she silently hummed in her heart, she found it somewhat amusing, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips.

Yinreng overheard all her thoughts and gently patted Jialuo's head with a smile.

I know all of this.

"There's a river on the estate, but it can't accommodate large ships. If you want to come out, I'll take you out every day from now on, okay?" Seeing Jia Luo's longing for the lively world outside, he felt pity for her and made the promise directly.

His crown princess is so beautiful and delicate. What if she gets bullied if she goes out alone?

“Every day? Your Highness doesn’t need to do errands anymore?” Jialuo was surprised. She remembered that Yinreng had been very busy recently and she had hardly seen him at all.

It is said that the princes are the same, and they are busy until very late every day. Jialuo does not believe that Yinreng really has that much free time.

"Of course, I've already finished my duties." As for those... Yinreng felt that the fourth and eighth princes were both good candidates. As the crown prince who was in charge of the country, he didn't have to do everything himself. It was enough for him to know how to delegate things to capable people.

Jialuo, of course, had no idea what Yinreng was thinking. She simply assumed that he had been in a hurry to deal with something before and was now in a stable period. "Really? I hope it won't bother you?"

We need to confirm this, lest she become a scourge to the country and its people... Hmm, with her abilities, she doesn't seem qualified to do something so powerful.

However, if things are delayed, I will definitely be scolded by my father when I get back.

"Of course not." The little girl who was worried about him was also adorable; how could Yinreng not like her? Besides, what was that little head of hers thinking?

It must be because he's read too many storybooks.

Zhuangzi, Part 1.

Upon entering, Jialuo discovered that this manor... was indeed different from other manors; apart from a few houses, it was just a vast grassland.

The key point is... there are also yurts?

"Come on, I'll take you to choose a horse." Yinreng remembered that when he took the Crown Princess to Mongolia before, she quite liked it.

Holding his Crown Princess's hand, he didn't specifically refer to himself as "I" when they were outside. As for the "horse riding" that the Crown Princess mentioned, let it go; there were quite a few other people on the estate besides the two of them.

However, galloping on horseback is still possible.

Jialuo, of course, had no idea what lewd thoughts were going through Yinreng's mind. She quite enjoyed horseback riding and had a great time last time.

However, she was hesitant to go alone.

Her beautiful, sparkling eyes looked softly at Yinreng, "Baocheng, will you take me with you?"

While Jialuo and Yinreng were having their sweet 'date,' Yinzhen was feeling a chill in the Yongjun Prince's mansion.

He coldly watched as three or four little ones had gathered together and were playing in the water... He brought out water specifically for them to wash up. At first, when Yinzhen heard Hongyang and the others say that they wanted to wash themselves, he was quite surprised.

At the time, I was thinking, "No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince raised such a child. He's so sensible, well-behaved, and independent. No wonder people entrusted their children to him..."

Before he could even finish saying the words of praise in his mind, he saw Hongyang slap the water with his little hand, and the splash immediately soaked his clothes.

Yinzhen: ...

What are you doing?

Then, as Hongyang played like this, the two chubby babies, Hongxuan and Hongtun, also put their hands into the basin of water. Back in Yuqing Palace, their mother wouldn't let them play like that.

Honghui was overjoyed that his three older brothers suddenly came to visit him; he was so excited last night that he almost couldn't sleep.

They got up early this morning to wash up. Seeing how much fun they were having, Honghui rushed over and, before Yinzhen could react, stretched out his little hands to splash the water.

Prince Yong, Yinzhen, immediately darkened his face. "Insolence!"

And what are these lackeys standing there for? Why aren't they dragging the young princes away?

For some reason, the day had barely begun when Yinzhen felt that it was unlikely to go very smoothly.

After finally getting the little ones washed and dressed, they began serving the meal.

Besides the three chubby boys, there were also the two sons of Prince Yong. The younger one was a bit weak and needed to be fed.

The three chubby little ones were already using their chubby little hands to grab spoons and were eating with gusto, while Honghui and Hongfen still needed to be fed by their nanny.

While eating, she looked at her two younger brothers and realized, "So, Honghui, the younger brother, needs to be fed."

“Yes, our Hongxuan and Hongtun are the best, they can eat by themselves now.” Hongyang nodded and also praised himself, “And me too.”

Hearing this, Honghui looked up and then looked at his father with some helplessness, afraid that his father also thought he was not as good as his brother Hongyang and the others.

Yinzhen didn't say a word about this. As for eating, whether someone eats alone or is fed, it's no problem. He himself wasn't fed when he was a child... Ugh!

Yinzhen didn't speak, and Honghui thought he was dissatisfied with him. When the wet nurse was feeding him, he moved his hand away and said, "I want to eat by myself too."

He really likes Gege and wants to eat by himself like his older brothers. He's really great.

The wet nurse hesitated about his request and looked at Yinzhen to ask for his opinion.

"Let him eat however he wants." Could Yinzhen possibly approve of his eldest son's 'independence and self-reliance'? He could only let him be.

Then... he saw his son covered in food while eating, and Yinzhen really had no idea how he ate.

Hongfen didn't insist on eating, but seeing his older brothers eating so heartily, he also ate his fill.

After breakfast, the three chubby boys grabbed their fourth uncle's clothes, saying, "Fourth Uncle, we want to go out and play."

"Yes, Fourth Uncle, Father said you'll take us to play." The soft, sweet voice and bright, sparkling eyes were full of expectation and pleading.

This made it even harder for Yinzhen's already cold heart, especially when the chubby little boy hugged his leg and acted cute, Yinzhen became even more soft-hearted.

Although Honghui and Hongfen were highly favored and pampered by Yinzhen, his stern face made him seem distant in front of his sons.

So, there was no acting cute or anything like that.

Sure enough, unable to resist the three chubby princes' coaxing, they nodded in agreement.

What Yinzhen didn't know was that what the child promised to do before leaving the house was completely different from what he did after leaving.

For example, when three chubby kids went out for the first time on their own, they didn't know where to look. Wow, this is so much fun! Then, they couldn't control their little legs and ran over there.

Yinzhen was raising five children alone... Even with servants and guards with him, he was still worried.

"Keep up with them." Yinzhen regretted letting the three chubby kids out, while his own two children were being held by two guards and a servant respectively.

"Hongyang, let's go to... the restaurant your Ninth Uncle owns." Seeing them running so wildly, Yinzhen frowned and followed, but he didn't want to scold them for fear of scaring the three children to tears.

They were barely allowed to stay in a private room on the second floor of a restaurant, looking down, and they didn't even dare to open the window too wide...

It can be said that while Yinreng and Jialuo were enjoying a romantic date, Yinzhen was truly exhausted by the three chubby children and hurriedly sent them back to Yuqing Palace!

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess had returned to the palace but had not come to his Yongjun Prince's residence to look for the three children, Yinzhen couldn't wait to carry the three chubby children, get into the carriage, and head to the palace.

After experiencing this day, Yinzhen finally understood that no matter how much he envied others, they were not his own, nor were they necessarily suitable for him. For example, he now felt that his two sons were actually quite good as well.

"Your father and mother said they missed you." When he was leading them back to the palace, Yinzhen saw that they were still excited and didn't want to leave, so he said this casually.

As soon as these words were spoken, the three chubby boys stopped making a fuss and obediently followed their fourth uncle back to the palace.

They actually missed their father and mother a little.

Not long after returning to Yuqing Palace, Yinreng and Jialuo saw the fourth prince eagerly sending the three children back. They couldn't help but smile at each other, "It seems the fourth prince has been tormented quite a bit."

"Don't say that, the child is just a little fussy." Jialuo thought Yinreng really didn't know how to talk. What did he mean by "tortured enough"? Her child was very well-behaved and obedient, just a tiny bit naughty.

But lively children are healthy.

Yinreng chuckled but remained silent. Those three little ones were all spoiled, as was their father, the Emperor. Back then, Hongyao was not even five years old when he was already being taught.

Where are these three chubby ones?

They eat, drink, and play everywhere. Just look at their chubby figures, and you can tell how carefree and comfortable their lives are.

However, the two of them still waited in the front courtyard reception room. When Yinzhen walked in, the three chubby little ones ran over and called out softly, "Father" and "Mother." Jialuo, however, expressed her gratitude to Yinzhen first, "Fourth brother, thank you so much for your help today."

Yinzhen's expression remained calm and indifferent. "No."

[It's actually quite troublesome. He's nothing like Hongyao. Once he goes out, he's like a kite with its string cut off. You can't stop him no matter what you do. He also refuses to sleep at night and loves to play in the water, whether he's washing up or taking a bath. I didn't know he was like this back in Yuqing Palace. It seems the Crown Princess has a really tough time. Luckily, Honghui and Hongfen aren't like this...]

Yinreng slightly raised his eyelids. The fourth prince, with his expressionless and indifferent demeanor, was actually quite talkative inside.

"Did you have fun with your fourth uncle today?" Yinreng asked gently, stroking Hongyang's head.

"Happy." The little voice was overjoyed. It would be great if she could go out to play every day.

"Do you want to play with your fourth uncle tomorrow?" Yinreng asked with a smile. Before the three chubby boys could even speak, Yinzhen immediately retorted.

"I'm sorry, Second Brother, I'm very busy tomorrow and won't have time." Yinzhen didn't want to take care of the Crown Prince's children anymore; his own children were so easy to manage, yet he didn't have time for them.

"Second Brother, I have other important matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer." He would rather go and wrestle with those old fogies in the Ministry of Revenue than take care of such a lively child.

The key point is that they're not your own children, so you can't hit or scold them.

Yinreng raised an eyebrow. No beatings or scoldings? That shouldn't be the case. The fourth prince is very strict with the fourteenth prince's teaching. How come he couldn't bring himself to be harsh with the three chubby kids?

"Fourth Uncle, goodbye, I'll miss you."

"Fourth Uncle, let's play together again next time."

"Goodbye, Fourth Uncle."

The three chubby babies said goodbye to Yinzhen in their soft, sweet voices, acting all cute and affectionate. No wonder the fourth prince couldn't bring himself to hit him hard. If the fourteenth prince had been just as sweet-talking back then, how could the fourth prince have been willing to slap the fourteenth prince's palm?

Looking at the three chubby boys who were reluctant to part with him, Yinzhen paused for a second, then slowly nodded, "Mm."

(End of this chapter)