Chapter 25

The eldest prince was stunned for a long time before he reacted and took Yinzuo's hand away, but he didn't know what to say at this time.

Yinzuo went one step further and emphasized: "Don't say bad things about your brother."

The eldest prince was so angry that he stretched out his finger and poked Yinzuo on the forehead. He was also unhappy that Yinzuo defended the prince like this!

Then the two of them started a cold war. Although Yinzuo was still held in the eldest prince's arms, the eldest prince did not put him down, and Yinzuo did not want to get down either.

But it didn't fly, it didn't toss it left and right and then catch it. The eldest prince just stared straight ahead with a blank expression.

Yinzuo was no longer babbling or laughing, and his little face was just as stern.

After returning to the prince's place and dropping the man off, the two of them had not yet reconciled.

Yinzuo should drink water, and the eldest prince should do his homework. The atmosphere of the cold war is weird.

The eldest prince secretly glanced at Yinzuo several times while doing his homework, and felt bad in his heart, and this time he really felt sour.

The eldest prince was still waiting for Yinzuo to come closer to him with a smile, but this time he didn't take the initiative at all. The little boy who seemed to have an extremely good temper and was as soft as a ball didn't have any intention of coming over to act like a spoiled child this time, and he was surprisingly persistent.

The eldest prince was really capable. He could actually have a cold war with a child? Not only that, he was waiting for others to coax him first!

Compared to the eldest brother's entanglement, Yinzuo was much simpler. He was unhappy that his eldest brother said bad things about the crown prince, so he stopped him. He just told his eldest brother not to say anything in the future.

As for not talking to big brother now and sitting quietly aside, it is because big brother is busy with important things and big brother cannot be disturbed.

But when the eldest prince put down his pen, Yinzuo started again: "Don't speak ill of your brother?"

The eldest brother: “…”

How long will this kid keep nagging?

The eldest prince finally witnessed Yinzuo's stubborn side and was worried that the little brat would not give up until he could get an answer.

The eldest prince compromised, thinking that he did this in order to prevent the child from making people think that he was saying bad things about the prince everywhere. As a grown man, he would not argue with a child.

The eldest prince said impatiently, "I didn't say anything bad, I didn't say anything bad, I won't even say anything bad about him, is that ok?"

Don't talk too much, it's such a small thing but it can be very troublesome.

Yinzuo nodded and gave him a smile: "Okay."

The eldest prince actually still felt embarrassed and did not take Yinzuo to shoot arrows today. But Yinzuo was okay as he successfully made his eldest brother admit his mistake and promise not to speak ill of the crown prince. This made Yinzuo quite satisfied. When he walked out of the residence where the eldest prince lived with small steps, he was in a good mood.

The eldest prince was still jealous after Yinzuo left. He was jealous for a long time, wondering if this brat would also defend him if the second prince said something bad about him.

It should be possible... right? After all, this guy seemed to like him quite a lot.

Thinking of this, the eldest prince finally felt a little better.

If the eldest prince had followed his usual behavior and Yinzuo had gone to the prince's residence, he would definitely have inadvertently revealed to the prince how much fun Yinzuo had with him when he met him the next day, but this time the eldest prince kept silent.

The eldest prince still felt embarrassed by what happened yesterday, and when he saw the crown prince, his smile was fake and he even rolled his eyes slightly.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter, Yinzuo couldn't stand it anymore, his palms were always sweating, and he didn't even enjoy eating as much as before. Before, he thought that he knew roughly how to get to the Crown Prince's place and wanted to go play with him, and he also wanted to go to his eldest brother's place, and he could help pick the red flowers that his fourth sister liked, and they could try climbing trees that his third brother wanted to...

But none of these could make Yinzuo, who was like a cabbage that had lost water, move.

It’s so hot.

They also felt better after using the ice basin. Yinzuo finally didn't feel so hot anymore, but he started sneezing again, and then they didn't dare to use the ice basin for him anymore.

Concubine Jiang De was so distressed that she fanned him with a fan, but little Yinzuo still got prickly heat and sneezed.

This time Yinzuo was sick.

She had been well taken care of before, and Depin thought that the imperial physician had exaggerated the fact that the strong medicine would destroy her foundation. However, it was evident when the weather changed. She was still weaker than others.

Although the weather was a little hot, the Fifth Prince and the Seventh Prince were fine this time.

However, the imperial physician also comforted Concubine Kuande: "It's better than I thought. Your Majesty has taken good care of the little prince, and he is still young. He can still make up for it while he is young."

After taking the medicine for two days, the symptoms of sneezing and runny nose improved. He also applied medicine on the areas where he had prickly heat. Yinzuo finally felt a little better.

But I still felt hot and uncomfortable all over. I had to keep fanning myself but I still felt uncomfortable.

But if the ice basin is placed too far away, it has no effect. If it is placed too close, I will sneeze again soon. It is difficult to deal with both cold and hot, and when I am sick, I feel both cold and hot.

Kangxi knew that Yinzuo was sick, so he came to take a look and saw a child lying on a bamboo mat like a pancake.

The blanket that was used to play with toys on the floor has now become a bamboo mat, but no one dared to put it directly on the floor and let Yinzuo roll around on it. It would have been cool, but they were worried that Yinzuo would get sick again, so they stacked three bamboo mats and placed two layers of cotton cloth on top of them.

There was only a little bit of coolness left from the floor and bamboo mat, but it was better than nothing, so in order to get that little bit of coolness, Yinzuo just lay there with his limbs spread out, and almost became a dog with its tongue hanging out and breathing hot air.

It's very pitiful.

Moreover, when Kangxi came in, he saw Yinzuo wearing only a small bellyband and a pair of half-length underpants that did not even reach his knees. They could only wear them in their own territory and could not wear them outside to meet other people, not even if he was a child.

Kangxi saw Yinzuo's pitiful appearance and said, "Why is it so hot?"

Yinzuo turned his head and saw his father coming over. He still had his pancake-shaped shape untouched. He said to his father pitifully, "It's hot."

When Kangxi also sat down on the mat, Yinzo moved closer to Kangxi. It was not because of the touching father-son love, because Yinzo did not like to sit close to others in the hot summer, but because the folding fan in Kangxi's hand was fanning him with cool breeze.

Kangxi glanced at Yinzuo's arms and legs, frowned and said, "You've lost weight, haven't you?"

Depin was also worried: "It's too hot to eat."

Kangxi could only say: "I'll take you outside soon. It's cooler there."

Speaking of going outside, Yinzuo finally had something to say: "Soon?"

"Yes." Kangxi said, "I'll go in a few days."

Kangxi also felt that the weather was scorching and the Forbidden City was stuffy, but it was bearable except at noon. Look, wasn't he, the emperor, still dressed neatly?

Kangxi looked at Yinzuo's red face due to the heat and frowned, thinking that the boy was being too delicate. He fanned himself with the fan in his hand, but all the fan was directed towards Yinzuo.

The flesh on the child's face has only grown for a few days, and it has already fallen off again. Children still need more flesh on their bodies to be strong and not get sick easily. Kangxi said: "You have to eat well and eat more, so that you can take less medicine in the future."

Yinzuo hummed in a less energetic manner.

After Yinzuo had spread his face upwards for a while, he turned over and continued to make the pancake on the other side. That was Yinzuo, who did not take the emperor seriously in front of Kangxi and was not afraid of him at all.

However, although he turned over, Yinzuo still turned his little head and looked at his father. Even though he looked listless, his eyes were full of admiration and love when he looked at his father.

The little guy's voice was soft: "Father has been busy for many days." Yinzuo missed his father when he was sick, and he hadn't seen his father for many days.

Kangxi was looked at by the little guy's soft eyes, and his heart was suddenly as if a feather was gently brushing against it. He touched the child's head and said, "Father, try to spend more time with Yinzuo in the future."

Seeing the prickly heat on the little guy's back again, he frowned slightly. He touched the red patch on the little guy's back and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Yinzuo nodded pitifully: "Yeah."

Kangxi's brows were slightly furrowed when he left, and shortly after Kangxi left, Yinzuo received something brought by the eunuchs from the Qianqing Palace.

It was a kind of cloth-like and gauze-like material called Bingjiaosha. It felt cool and smooth to the touch, and was thin and soft. The eunuch who brought the things over said, "It is a tribute from the Yi people in the southwest. It is breathable and cool to wear. The emperor asked to make two sets of clothes for the sixth prince."

At that time, the emperor said that the child should not be allowed to go out in the summer and wear a bellyband every day. The emperor also said that the Sixth Prince was spoiled. Other princes, including princesses, were not as spoiled as this child.

But no matter what they said, those who served the emperor felt that the emperor really doted on the Sixth Prince.

Even the emperor himself didn't use the fabric. He only gave it to the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager's palace. The remaining part was with the Sixth Prince.

Therefore, the eunuchs around Kangxi who came over were even more respectful in their attitude than before.

The day to leave the palace finally arrived. On this day, Yinzuo finally regained his former spirit and spirit. From the moment he sat on the sedan chair, he couldn't take it all in. The wide palace gate, the high palace walls, the moat, the many ministers, the numerous guards, the imperial sedan chair and every scene made him unable to close his mouth.

The garden outside the palace was indeed much cooler than the palace, but some people felt that it was not as spacious and luxurious as the palace. There were quite a few people who came out with Kangxi this time. Except for the imperial concubine and the queen mother who stayed in the palace to guard the harem, all the others who raised princes and princesses came out.

And Yinzuo finally met up with his brothers, sisters and brothers again on this day. Well, that's not right, the Fourth Prince who came with the Imperial Concubine and the Fifth Prince who came with the Empress Dowager were missing. But except for these two, everyone else came.

Yinzuo was happily shouting this and that, and walking from here to there. The prince saw it all and always felt that his sixth brother was silly.

But this was the idea of the reserved prince. When these people, who were brothers and sisters but not close enough to each other, gathered together, having such a cheerful child could help to lighten the atmosphere.

The eldest princess, Chunxi, breathed a sigh of relief. As the eldest sister, she should be the one to liven up the atmosphere, but she was not familiar with these younger brothers. Moreover, although she was given special favor by the emperor's father and ranked higher among the royal princesses, she was not his biological daughter after all. As an adopted daughter, although the emperor's father showed great favor to her, she was not so confident when facing these younger brothers and sisters.

The eldest princess smiled and said, "Sixth brother, take a break and don't get tired."

Then she said to the Third Prince, "You all got up early today. If you feel sleepy, you can go and take a rest first. I'll send someone to call you later." As she spoke, she looked at the palace maid beside her. The palace maid bowed and said, "The rooms in Ansongju have been tidied up. The princes and princesses can take a rest in Ansongju first."

The Ansongju that the palace maid mentioned is just nearby and can be reached in just a few steps.

The eldest princess said to the other princesses, "Those who want to rest for a while, follow them. Someone will call you for dinner later."

The second princess, the third princess, the fourth princess, and the third prince and the seventh prince all went to rest.

The only younger one who was still alive was Yinzuo. When the eldest princess saw that the little fellow had bright eyes and didn't look tired at all, she thought that the child was adorable and couldn't help but smile and asked someone to bring some food.

The prince said, "Big sister, you don't have to take care of us alone. I and big brother are both good at riding and shooting, so we are not afraid of this little bit of fatigue. We can take care of the sixth brother as well. Big sister, go and have a rest first."

The eldest princess said, "I'm not tired. Let's have something to eat first."

The princesses of the royal family are no longer like the Manchu and Mongolian daughters of earlier generations who can ride horses and draw bows. They are weak from being kept in captivity in the harem. After being busy from early in the morning, the eldest princess Chunxi is actually a little tired. But the seemingly gentle eldest princess is also very strong in her bones. She is the eldest sister and the eldest princess, and is not willing to rest at this time.

Yinzuo was still looking at her while eating, and the eldest princess laughed and asked, "Sixth brother, why do you always look at me?"

Because I haven't seen my elder sister for a long time, I finally saw her today.

Yin Zuo smiled like a pool of honey, and said sweetly: "Big sister is pretty."

After hearing what Yinzuo said, the eldest princess smiled as gently as a beautiful rose, and thought her sixth brother was so cute. The eldest princess even took a grape and wanted to make grape flesh for her sixth brother.

The eldest prince felt a lump in his throat, and he felt that the words sounded familiar. Did this brat say the same thing to him?

The Crown Prince also glanced at Yin Zuo. This brat always likes to stare at people. He doesn't show his good looks like this. Where is the royal etiquette? Moreover, this brat used to stick to the side every time he saw someone, but now he only likes the eldest princess.

At this time, Yinzuo did put his brothers aside for a while and wanted to talk to his eldest sister.

"No sister."

"Sister busy?"

The eldest princess even carefully picked out the grape seeds from the grape flesh before giving it to Yinzuo. She asked, "Could it be that Yinzuo wants to play with his sister?"

As time went by, the eldest princess also heard that the Sixth Prince loved to find someone to play with, and that he was not shy at all but rather very friendly.

Yinzuo had no other answer to this. He ate the sweet grapes peeled by his gentle sister, his eyes narrowed with joy. He shook his head happily and said, "I want to find my sister."

The eldest princess smiled and said, "Isn't that what I saw? I have seen him more often in this garden."

In fact, these princesses are not busy. There is no rigid academic requirement for them to study, and they embroider to kill time. It's just that the princesses are taught to be quiet and not to wander around and play.

The princesses would find each other to play with, but not with the princes. However, if they had the same mother, they would be much closer.

A trace of melancholy flashed across the eldest princess's eyes. Although the Emperor, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother were all kind to her, the princes and princesses in the palace were not actually her brothers and sisters, and she sometimes felt lonely.

Especially during family dinners, the feeling in the eldest princess' heart became clearer.

During the family dinner, Yinzuo did not sit next to the eldest princess, nor did he notice the eldest princess's depression which was already well hidden. It was his first time to have a meal with so many brothers and sisters!

Sitting next to Yinzuo was the Seventh Prince. Yinzuo was also very fond of his younger brother, whom he had only met a few times!

Now I see that Yinzuo is just as enthusiastic towards his younger brother, calling him "brother, brother" non-stop. Yinzuo no longer needs to be fed, but eats by himself with a spoon. Yinzuo and the Seventh Prince are still young, so there is special food prepared for them on their tables.

Yinzuo took a sip of the meat soup and immediately turned around and said, "Brother, this is delicious!"

After taking a bite of the tofu, he turned around and said, "Brother, this is delicious!"

After taking another bite of the shrimp paste, he said, "Brother, this is good!"

There weren't so many rules for family dinners, but the little guy's babyish voice was particularly special among the many whispers, especially the ending tone of surprise which also attracted some attention. Kangxi, who was sitting at the top of the table, looked towards the small table where Yinzuo was.

I was relieved to see that the child, who was listless the last time I saw him, had bright eyes again and looked very energetic.

But why did the little guy get up and sit at his seventh brother's table, doing the work of a palace servant, feeding his seventh brother with a small spoon?

Both children were very hungry, but Yinzuo took a spoon and scooped a spoonful of tofu crumbs and put it to the Seventh Prince's mouth. The Seventh Prince actually opened his mouth and ate it smoothly.

The Seventh Prince had been looking at his little brother who was chattering all the time, with curiosity in his eyes, but not rejection.

The Seventh Prince felt the closeness of this young brother to him.

And he also...

When Yinzuo stood up and returned to his table, the Seventh Prince also looked over.

Yinzuo went back to have a bite of the delicious tofu crumbs. He fed his younger brother so much that he became greedy. However, he did not snatch his brother's food. After feeding himself a bite, Yinzuo went back to feed his younger brother!

(End of this chapter)