Chapter 222 The New Memorial to the Throne

For the past month, Yinzhen has completely disregarded any taboos. He uses the phrases "After I'm gone" and "After you ascend the throne" without any burden. It's just that Hongzhao, who listens from the sidelines every time, suffers because his heart skips a beat whenever he hears these words.

"Father, don't say such things. Your son is waiting for you to name his son. It's bad luck to say such things." He stepped forward to stop him, but even as he said this, he knew better than anyone how much time was left, and there was still some worry between his brows.

Yinzhen smiled, feigning magnanimity. Firstly, he knew his own body best. Secondly, he always felt a certain force pushing him forward. He knew he would regret it if he didn't finish what he was doing.

In truth, who wouldn't be afraid of death? As an emperor, he possessed the wealth of the entire realm and had been diligent and caring for his people throughout his life, never indulging in extravagance. No one would be willing to accept his impending demise in less than thirteen years. However, in front of his son, his vanity got the better of him, and he had to put on a calm and composed facade.

"Of course I won't leave you out of your name. When your youngest son is born, I will personally issue an imperial edict and have Su Peisheng read it aloud at the morning court. I will definitely bestow a great favor upon him!"

After a few laughs, Yinzhen steered the conversation back on track—"These are the only two uncles you can rely on now, and the next generation after them are yours."

Yinzhen almost counted on his fingers: "Hongshi is slow-witted and not very smart. He is easily swayed by others. This is both a disadvantage and a advantage. Fortunately, he is honest, loyal and filial, and he has always been close to you, so your father can be more at ease."

Yinzhen spoke frankly and earnestly, wishing he could have Hongzhao take notes so that even if he didn't understand something, he could think about it carefully when he got back.

Now, this situation suddenly made Hongzhao understand how Liu Shan felt when he saw the teacher's example.

“Your third brother is already this old, with children running all over the place, yet he’s still just a prince. Do you know why?” Meeting Hongzhao’s clear gaze, he felt that even if he didn’t say it, the child would understand.

"I didn't do this, but you must remember to do it. Hongshi is simple-minded and will be grateful for your kindness."

He had very few children, only a handful that could be counted on one hand. After talking about Hongshi, he then talked about Hongzhou and Hongyan.

“You, as his older brother, know that Hongzhou is mischievous. When he was little, he often cried and once he started, he wouldn’t stop. Even I didn’t dare to go to your mother when he was crying. Now it seems that this restless nature of his was set from that time.”

Yinzhen shook his head helplessly when he thought of Hongzhou. Both Hongzhao and his sixth brother's names meant "daytime." Logically, they should be similar, but their personalities were worlds apart. Despite being less than four years apart, one was mature beyond his years, while the other... was incredibly lively.

The word "mischievous" circled on his lips, but he ultimately swallowed it back. His child was grown up and needed to save face, so he used a different word.

"As for Hongyan, he has been smart since he was a child and did well in his studies. Although he is still far behind you at that age, he is more than enough compared to his sixth and third brothers. After all, he is still young and his temperament is not yet settled, so we can't tell anything about him now."

Hongzhao thought of his two younger brothers, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly. It was as if he remembered the time when Hongzhou climbed over the wall with one arm in a sling, while Hongyan kept watch on the side. The two were close in age, one was a troublemaker and the other was smart, which gave their mother a lot of headaches.

After laying the groundwork for a long time, Yinzhen looked up and met Hongzhao's completely reassured gaze. For the first time, he truly understood the feeling of disappointment and frustration with Hongzhao. He realized he had too few sons; he hadn't been able to teach him the treacherous nature of brotherhood. Even brothers from the same mother shouldn't be allowed to let their guard down easily.

That annoying fourteenth prince is a perfect example!

Seeing that this approach wasn't working, he even started using himself as an example—"Hongzhao, do you know how much your maternal grandmother favored your fourteenth uncle when she was alive, and how much she favored Hongkai afterward? What I fear most is that you will follow in my footsteps. That's why I've kept you by my side and taken care of you personally since before Hongzhou was even born."

He looked Hongzhao up and down, a handsome young man, and knew how deep the boy's love for his father and mother was. This only made him more worried.

"While I am still here, everything is fine. But in the future... when you sit in this position, Hongzhou and Hongyan will need your favor to establish their own residences, get married, and take concubines. No one can predict what will happen in the future."

He felt that people's hearts were fickle. Hadn't his mother ever missed him or shed tears for him even once? Yinzhen didn't believe it, but that didn't stop his mother from being biased.

Now that Hongzhao is enjoying great favor, everything is fine. But in the future, when the Empress faces her eldest son, who has become the Emperor, and her two younger sons who need more care and attention, whether she will favor one over the other as she gets older and her mind becomes unclear is something no one can say for sure.

Having never personally experienced such a struggle, it was clear from Hongzhao's eyes that he had indeed taken it to heart and was trying his best to accept the cramming-style education he had been receiving. However, perhaps because the two children, though mischievous, were very obedient to their older brother and followed him around calling him "Crown Prince Brother" all day long, he lacked a sense of empathy.

It's not that he doesn't value it, it's just that he genuinely lacks experience.

"Never mind." Yinzhen sighed. This matter couldn't be understood overnight. Even he and the Eighth Prince didn't suddenly become irreconcilable enemies.

He should be allowed to explore the road ahead on his own. Besides, he always felt that Hongzhao was much luckier than him, and perhaps he was just worrying unnecessarily.

He waved his hand to interrupt the topic again—"You don't have many siblings. Besides your two younger brothers, there's Wenyi."

"As you can see, I intend to bestow a marriage between Wenyi and the Empress's nephew. However, Wenyi is still too young, even younger than Hongzhou. I am worried that she might be bullied at such a young age, so I am not afraid to keep her for a few more years. Therefore, I will entrust this matter to you, her elder brother."

Hongzhao naturally responded without hesitation. The atmosphere was far too heavy, so he deliberately puffed out his chest and patted his chest in a show of force. "Father, rest assured, your son knows what to do. I will definitely not let our royal princess suffer any injustice."

His playful antics successfully amused Yinzhen and broke the tension that had been building up inside him. Yinzhen then raised his hand as if to tap him on the head, half-standing up and laughing as he said, "You little rascal, you're always acting silly and cute. Outsiders should really see what the Crown Prince, whom they praise as so virtuous and upright, is really like in private."

The father and son chatted and laughed for a while longer. Seeing that the emperor didn't have much energy left and soon showed signs of fatigue, Hongzhao took the cloak from Su Peisheng before taking his leave.

As he watched the person walk out of the hall, Yinzhen pointed to the side.

"Su Peisheng, go and take that calligraphy down for me. I want to take another look. I'm really getting old now; I can't even see it clearly from a distance."

"Yes, it's the one that Hongzhao wrote when he was young."