Hongzhou was speechless. He had indeed forgotten. How could he have forgotten that his mother had served his grandfather, the Emperor?

"Heh...hehe."

"Qianxue, go cook."

Geng Youran didn't expose her son's embarrassment and sent Qianxue and the other servants away.

"Alright, you don't need to get involved in your third brother's affairs. Now tell me, has he caused any trouble in the palace lately?"

"No. Mother, why can't you think the best of things? Your son has been studying very hard lately, okay?"

"It's good that you know how to work hard. No matter what, you are a prince, and you will be helping your father and the people of our Great Qing Dynasty in the future."

"I know, Mother. You always say the same things when your son comes home. Can't you say something else?"

Geng Youran said with a mischievous smile:

"What, do you think your mother is nagging?"

"How could my son dare?"

“It’s not that I’m nagging you. You’ve enjoyed the treatment of a prince, so you have to make the same sacrifices. You should at least be aware of that.”

Hongzhou knew that his mother was thinking of him, so he did not argue.

After having eaten at his mother's house, Hongzhou took the snacks back to the prince's residence.

"Fourth Brother, are you still awake?"

"Hmm. There are still some calligraphy practice sheets left to finish. I'll go to sleep after I finish them."

“Perfect timing, I brought some snacks from my mother, let’s eat together.”

"Okay, sit down and have a cup of tea. I'll come over as soon as I finish writing these words."

Hongzhou took the food box from the servant and, without letting the servant do anything, placed the plates of snacks on the table himself.

Hongli walked over and saw the pastries on the table, feeling both amused and exasperated:

"There are only two of us, and it's getting late, so we can't possibly eat this much."

"Put them all out and try them all. If you like any of them, let me know and I'll ask my mom to make some more next time."

Hongli looked at Hongzhou, who was only a few months younger than him:

“You should learn to be more mature, so that your godmother won’t worry about you all the time.”

Looking at his fourth brother, who had always been more mature than him since childhood, Hongzhou asked:

"Fourth brother, have you ever disliked your younger brother?"

Hongli was taken aback:

Why would you ask that?

"Fourth Brother, answer me first."

Hongli put down the pastries in his hand and looked at Hongzhou intently:

"Brother, I can tell you the truth, not even once."

Hongzhou laughed heartily:

"I knew Fourth Brother was good to me."

"It's your turn. Why are you asking me this question?"

“It’s Third Brother. Although we all have the same father, we’re different. We’re only a few months apart in age, and our mothers are the closest to us. But Third Brother seems to care a lot about his status and doesn’t like to be with us.”

"You still have something to say? Last time, I tried so hard to stop you, but I couldn't. You need to work on your temper."

Hongzhou stood up, walked to the door, and looked up at the sky:

“When I went home today, my mother talked to me a lot. I always felt that she was different from other mothers.”

Upon hearing this, Hongli also stood up and walked over to Hongzhou.

"You're lucky to have a mother who truly cares about you."

Hongzhou turned his head to look at his fourth brother, only then realizing that he seemed to have touched on his fourth brother's secret.

"Fourth Brother, sometimes you shouldn't push yourself too hard."

Royal children are known for their early maturity, and they are now quite familiar with the situation both inside and outside the palace.

Both of them were well aware that what they would be facing in the future was likely the entire Qing Dynasty.

"Alright, Fourth Brother, let's stop here for today. I won't bother you any longer."

"Okay, you should get some rest too."

The two brothers only separated at night; they went to class together during the day.

In March, Kangxi felt that his health was not good, and Wang Yan, seeing this, once again submitted a memorial requesting that Kangxi reinstate Yinreng as the crown prince.

"Wang Yan, I have already said that this matter should not be mentioned again. Are you challenging me?"

"Your Majesty, since ancient times, the matter of the crown prince has been related to the entire country, and we must not be hasty in choosing him."

In an effort to persuade the emperor, Wang Yan even joined forces with thirteen others, including the censor Tao Yi, to submit a joint memorial requesting that Kangxi determine the heir apparent as soon as possible to reassure the people.

"Wang Yan, I think you've gone mad! Guards!"

Emperor Kangxi was furious at Wang Yan's actions. He not only sternly rejected their request, but also punished Wang Yan, Tao Yi, and others, and sent them to serve in the army.

In mid-to-late March, with everything going smoothly in the war in Tibet, Kangxi's mood improved considerably after a long time. One day, he was in high spirits and went to Yinzhen's residence.

"Fourth brother, I didn't expect you to have such a hobby of growing flowers."

Arriving at Yinzhen's back garden, the apricot and peach blossoms in the garden had already begun to bloom.

“Father is joking. Buddhist scriptures say, ‘The verdant bamboo is full of profound truths, and the lush yellow flowers are nothing but Prajna.’ When I am troubled, I sit here in quiet contemplation, and my worries will lessen considerably.”

Emperor Kangxi knew that his son liked Buddhism, but he did not expect him to be so deeply engrossed in it.

Just then, a voice came from not far away:

"Princess, didn't you say you were going to rest for a few days? Why are you picking flowers again?"

"The peach blossoms in the garden are in full bloom right now; it would be a waste not to make some desserts."

“But you just started brewing peach blossom wine a few days ago.”

"I asked you to come out and pick flowers with me, not to spoil the fun."

Just as Qianxue was about to speak, the two of them heard a voice coming from behind them:

"She's a mother herself, yet she's still so mischievous, just like a child."

Geng Youran was taken aback; the voice sounded so familiar.

"This servant greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

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