Chapter 9 Consort Hua's Gifts
"Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother..."
Hongzhou's shouting voice came again, but the servants of Yixianzhai were already used to the Fifth Prince's energetic manner, so they did what they were supposed to do without any panic.
"What's wrong?"
Hongli looked up at the chubby boy who rushed in in a hurry.
"Greetings, Fifth Prince."
"No need for such formalities, Granny Qin."
When Qin Mama, who was bowing, was called to the table, Hongzhou noticed a large pile of things on the table. "Sure enough, Consort Hua also sent something to Fourth Brother."
Hongzhou darted to Hongli's side, feigning seriousness, "Fourth Brother, what do you think Consort Hua is doing? Why is she being so overly attentive for no reason..."
"Smack!"
Before Hongzhou could finish speaking, Hongli slapped him on the head, saying, "You dare to say anything."
"Hehe... I just blurted it out... Fourth Brother, I was wrong—"
Upon seeing Hongli's cold face, Hongzhou immediately begged for forgiveness and admitted his mistake faster than anyone else.
"Granny, these things are for you to organize. Hongzhou, come in with me."
"Yes, Your Highness, don't worry." Granny Qin bowed with a smile, ignoring the Fifth Prince's pleading look, and turned around to diligently organize the things that Consort Hua had sent.
Oh no, oh no, Fourth Brother is angry when he calls him by his full name. Hongzhou hesitated and refused to go in, but Hongli gave him a look, and Hongzhou immediately ran inside without daring to linger.
"Fourth Brother, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong—"
Hongzhou tugged at Hongli's hand and acted coquettishly, trying to get his good fourth brother to let him go.
“This isn’t the first time,” Hongli ignored him and continued with his work. “You made faces when you went to pay your respects to the Empress, and I already let you off once. Don’t you know any better…”
Hongli turned around, pressed Hongzhou down to sit at the desk, put a brush in his hand, and tapped the books on the table. "Copy them. It seems there are more people in the garden lately, and your mind is not at peace. If your mind is not at peace, copy more books. It's a good way to practice your calligraphy. It kills two birds with one stone."
"Are you really going to copy it?" Hongzhou looked at Hongli pitifully, on the verge of tears.
Hongli nodded, signaling him with his eyes to begin.
Seeing his fourth brother's "heart of stone," Hongzhou sighed and could only spread out the paper to begin his punishment of copying and practicing calligraphy.
"Hey, is the sun rising in the west? Is our Fifth Prince practicing calligraphy?"
A familiar voice came from behind him, and Hongzhou looked up to see his seventeenth uncle, Yunli, leaning against the door.
This time, he really didn't go through the window, but as always, he was still unlikable. Hongzhou grinned at him, then his eyes lit up, and he suddenly had a good idea. Looking at Yunli again, he was able to suppress his annoyance and force a smile at him.
As Yunli walked in, he saw the smiling face, paused, and couldn't help but touch his arm. "Little Hongzhou, stop smiling. Your smile is giving me goosebumps."
Hongzhou rolled his eyes at him, annoyed, but Yunli clapped his hands and laughed: "That's right, that's right, that's the normal expression."
"Seventeenth Uncle," Hongli called out softly, afraid of upsetting Hongzhou.
"I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore," Yunli pleaded, then approached and asked, "I heard that Consort Hua sent you some things?"
Before Hongli could answer, Hongzhou stood up and blurted out, "That's right, I suspect Consort Hua might have some ulterior motives. But I don't understand, Seventeenth Uncle, you and Fourth Brother can discuss it, I'll go back first."
Hongzhou swiftly grabbed the books from the table and tucked them into his arms, giving Hongli no chance to refuse. He quickly said, "Fourth Brother, don't worry, I'll copy them when I get back. Three days... two days... okay, tomorrow, I'll finish copying them and hand them to you tomorrow. I promise I won't slack off, I swear—"
Having already sworn an oath, what could Hongli say? He waved his hand helplessly, "Go, go—"
“Alright!” Hongzhou’s face lit up instantly. “I’m leaving now. Seventeenth Uncle, you and Fourth Brother can chat for a while—” He hoped that Fourth Brother would forget about the punishment of copying.
Watching Hongzhou carrying his books and leaving impatiently, Yunli chuckled, "He's being punished to copy books again. What trouble has little Hongzhou gotten into this time?"
"You've been so outspoken in the past, but now there are so many people in the garden..."
Hongli shook his head, a hint of worry in his eyes. Seeing this, Yunli patted his shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry, Hongzhou is only a little more casual in front of you. He'll know his limits once he's outside. At worst, you can make him copy the book a few more times. After copying it many times, he should remember it."
Hearing the obvious encouragement in Yunli's words, Hongli looked at him helplessly. Why was he arguing with a child?
"Seventeenth Uncle".
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more," Yunli's expression turned serious in an instant. "What's wrong with Consort Hua?"
Yunli already knew that Hongli would bring Hongzhou to pay their respects to the Emperor and Empress today. Because he was worried that the two of them would be wronged, Yunli had been keeping a close eye on what was happening in the garden.
Upon hearing that Consort Hua had inexplicably given the two gifts, Yunli was naturally worried and rushed over to find out what was going on.
"Seventeenth Uncle, don't worry, it's nothing serious." Hongli's expression remained unchanged, his first reaction was still to soothe Yunli's emotions. How could Yunli not be moved by such an instinctive reaction?
"The palace maid who came to deliver the reward emphasized that Consort Hua now holds power in the palace, which is probably just Consort Hua and the Empress vying for supremacy."
Seeing Hongli's composure and clear thinking, and how he succinctly clarified the situation, Yunli was gratified but also regretful that such an outstanding person as Hongli was not favored by the emperor.
The Emperor is truly terrible; his judgment remains as poor as ever. He can't stand women, and he can't stand his sons either.
The uncle and nephew chatted idly, while Hongzhou, carrying books, returned to Zhuxiangzhai and happily went back to his study to begin copying.
It's the same thing—copying books. But since he's not under his fourth brother's nose, he could easily dawdle and take his time. How convenient!
Consort Geng was surprised to find that her son's first reaction upon returning home was to go to the study to copy books. She glanced at the sky outside in astonishment, wondering if the sun had risen in the west.
Curious, she strolled into the study and saw Hongzhou sitting obediently at the table writing. Although he was a little slow, he was definitely not using copying books as an excuse to read storybooks, which puzzled Consort Geng.
"Why did you suddenly decide to practice calligraphy today?" Consort Geng asked quietly, her mind racing. "Did the Fourth Prince punish you by making you copy books again? What trouble have you gotten into this time?"
Can Hongzhou admit this? Absolutely not.
"Mother, what are you saying? I'm such a good boy, what trouble could I possibly cause? It's just that my fourth brother saw that my handwriting wasn't good and wanted me to practice."
"Is that so?" Consort Geng indicated no, but couldn't help but feel resentful. "Hongzhou, you're the Fourth Prince's younger brother, aren't you?"
“Mother,” Hongzhou looked at Consort Geng in surprise, “Of course I am Fourth Brother’s own brother, and Fourth Brother’s only good brother!”
Looking at Hongzhou, who was speaking with great conviction, Consort Geng couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "You always think about your fourth brother. I've never asked you to practice calligraphy, but you listen to me like this when the fourth prince talks to you. Didn't you say you didn't like studying?"
"How can that be the same?" Hongzhou bluntly pierced his mother's heart, speaking with righteous indignation, "I don't like studying, but I can't bear to make my handsome fourth brother angry. What if he gets angry and stops being my number one friend?"
Consort Geng remained silent.
Hongzhou continued, "Mother, look at Fourth Brother's face. Would you want him to be unhappy?"
"That's true." Consort Geng nodded in deep agreement, genuinely reluctant to part with him. After all, they were mother and son, both obsessed with good looks.
Having convinced herself, Consort Geng patted Hongzhou's head and said, "Then you should practice your calligraphy well and don't make your fourth brother angry. I'll keep an eye on you for him."
"ah?"
Hongzhou, who had spoken carelessly and attracted a "supervisor," had no time to regret it. Under the watchful eye of his mother, he could only write furiously, with no chance to slack off.
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