Chapter 398 Yin Zhi
Yinzhi disliked Yinzhen.
On the one hand, it was because his younger brother, who was a year younger than him, spoke so fluently that his stuttering became even more noticeable;
On the other hand, because of Yinzhen's appearance, most of the attention of the second elder brother, the Crown Prince, was drawn to him, and he became less important.
Well, for this reason, Yinzhi also didn't like Yinsi very much.
It's because even though Xiao Ba is young, he plays with Xiao Si, whom he dislikes, and even steals the attention of his second brother.
...
"To benefit the people by doing what is beneficial to them, is that not a good and costless act? Choose what is laborious and then put it to work..."
In the Imperial Garden in spring, flowers bloomed in profusion, and a gentle breeze rustled the branches. Seven-year-old Yinzhi, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, stood alone amidst the vibrant blossoms, muttering to himself.
His brows were furrowed, his expression focused, as he diligently recited chapters from the Analects, but his childish voice was always halting and stuttering.
Each word he uttered seemed to require immense effort. To avoid stuttering, his face turned bright red, and his lips moved constantly, until his mouth ached unbearably.
However, the longer sentences, when they came out of his mouth, were like scrambled beads, impossible to string together.
The more anxious he became, the more he stuttered, until eventually he couldn't even speak clearly. A look of disappointment gradually appeared in Yin Zhi's eyes, and a sense of defeat overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
Just then, a colorful little ball rolled to his feet with a "glug glug" sound.
Before Yinzhi could react, a delicately sculpted face appeared before him; it was Yinsi.
Yinzhi first glanced at the ball at his feet, then looked up at Yinsi. Instantly, his face turned as red as a ripe tomato, and he stammered, "You...you've been...here all this time?"
Yinzhi nodded obediently, his dark eyes shining like stars in the night sky.
Yin Zhi's heart sank, and he pressed on, "You...you heard everything?"
Yinzhi nodded again, his movements gentle yet firm.
Yin Zhi felt a mixture of shame and indignation. He bit his lower lip and said with a hint of defiance, "If you want to laugh... then laugh."
It's okay. So what if someone I dislike sees me? He's used to it. At worst, I'll just dislike him even more in the future.
Yinzhi slowly picked up the ball from the ground, his expression a mixture of confusion and sincerity, "Third Brother is very amazing."
The voice was so soft that it melted Yin Zhi's tense heart.
Just then, the anxious voices of palace maids calling for Yinzhi came from outside the bushes.
Yinzhi took the ball, turned around and was about to leave, but before he did, he turned back and smiled slightly at Yinzhi, obediently saying, "Third Brother, I'm leaving."
Watching his skipping figure disappear into the distance, and recalling his perfectly normal expression just now, Yin Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, "Little Eight...not bad..."
Better than Yinzhen, he decided to dislike Xiao Ba less in the future.
Since that chance encounter, Yinzhi and Yinsi have kept meeting here, even though they hadn't made any prior arrangement.
Yinzhi still didn't give up any rest time to secretly practice his speech, while Yinsi would often take advantage of the good weather to play outside with his little toys, with a clump of grass separating the two.
One is inside, and the other is outside; most of the time, they will not intersect.
But Yinzhi knew that his eighth brother would not look at him with any disdain or pity, and would listen to him read obediently.
Whenever he got impatient during practice, Yinzhi's toys would "accidentally" roll in, revealing a delicate and adorable little face.
Yinzhi simply smiled, and Yinzhi unconsciously relaxed as well.
Their exchanges rarely exceeded three sentences. But each time, Yinzhi was happy; he thought Xiao Ba was different from Yinzhen. Yinzhen was annoying, Xiao Ba was good—
After learning that Yinzhi had been moved to Yanxi Palace, Yinzhi visited their "secret base" for several days in a row.
He thought to himself, "Yinzhen is really useless." He wondered how he should comfort Xiao Ba.
But Xiao Ba never came.
Perhaps Yanxi Palace wouldn't let him out... Yin Zhi was a little disappointed. Maybe he should go to Yanxi Palace to take a look?
Before Yinzhi could even prepare himself, he discovered that his elder brother had also joined the scramble for Xiao Ba.
Looking at his elder brother in the study, who was talking eloquently and showing off his younger brother, Yinzhi pursed his lips. What Prince of Yanxi Palace? Little Eight should be his.
Yin Zhi opened his notebook. Starting today, Big Brother hates points +1, no, +100!
...
The afterglow of spring spilled among the flowers in the Imperial Garden. Yin Zhi stood alone among them, his brows furrowed, gazing at the withered and dying blossoms. His heart full of anticipation seemed to have been doused with cold water, and his face involuntarily fell.
The flowers are almost withered, and Eighth Brother still hasn't arrived... Well, how could someone like him, who stutters and can't speak properly, compare to Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Fourth Brother...
As he was immersed in his deep sadness, a familiar little ball rolled to his feet. Yin Zhi's eyes lit up instantly, and he looked up in surprise.
Yinzhi emerged from the bushes with a smile as warm as the spring sun on his face, and asked in a clear voice, "Third Brother, why aren't you studying today?"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Yin Zhi stammered, "I...I thought...you weren't coming."
Yinzhi shook his head gently, his tone tinged with apology: "How could that be? It's just that we've only recently moved to the palace, and there are many rules that prevent me from going out. I'm sorry to have worried you, Third Brother."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhi's expression changed drastically, and he inwardly cried out in alarm, fearing that mentioning this matter would reopen Yinsi's sore spot.
He was already bad with words, and now he was so anxious that he scratched his head and cheeks, full of anxiety but not knowing where to start. He was torn between his inner thoughts and struggled for a long time before finally stammering, "I...I'll...read to you."
Yinzhi's lips curled up, his smile widening, and he readily agreed, "Yes, I love listening to Third Brother read aloud."
A moment later, the sound of Yin Zhi's stuttering reading aloud rang out from the flower bushes.
This time, however, he felt neither nervous nor embarrassed. He was focused on comforting his younger brother, and even his stuttering voice seemed to gain strength. He knew his brother wouldn't mind his stutter, and he could speak loudly without restraint.
Spring flowers will eventually fade, but the confident flower that blooms in one's heart because of Yinzhi will never fade, continuously providing Yinzhi with strength.
Yinzhi thought he wouldn't hate Yinzhen anymore... well, he would still hate him for competing with him for his younger brother. But he wouldn't hate Yinzhen for his talkativeness.
In this palace, there can be a chatterbox and there can be a stutterer; they are not so different.
He was no longer insecure, and naturally, he no longer disliked others.
...
Success makes one king, failure makes one a bandit; these losers could not escape the fate of being imprisoned and dying.
When Yin Zhi faced death at the age of 60, he was already quite at peace. Throughout his life, he seemed to have both fought and dodged.
He always seems to do things out of step with the times and have untimely ambitions, but in the beginning, he just wanted to prove that stuttering didn't affect his abilities.
He studied literature diligently and practiced martial arts diligently, becoming proficient in both, yet he confined himself to a shell of caution. He listened to his father, the Crown Prince, the deposed Crown Prince, and reported his elder brother... going with the flow as if he had no independent thought whatsoever.
But only Yin Zhi himself knew that he had always trapped himself in the body of the stuttering child he had been in, constantly fearing the pity and contempt that others might show.
Finally, Yin Zhi realized that although the palace looked very large, it couldn't possibly accommodate a little stutterer.
...
"You took Yinzhen with you, fine, but what's the meaning of taking Yinsi with you too?"
"Is there a problem with me taking him to Yuqing Palace for a short stay?"
"Xiao Ba was living comfortably in Yanxi Palace, why did he want to go to Yuqing Palace with you? Why didn't he come back to the Prince's Residence with me?"
“Xiao Ba has her own room in Yuqing Palace.”
"What a prince can have..."
Summer sunlight streamed through the carved window lattices, casting warm yellow hues on the floor tiles inside Yanxi Palace.
Inside the room, Yinzhi and Yinreng were arguing and neither would give in. Yinzhen, standing to the side, was looking left and right with Yinsi in his hand, but his position was clearly more in favor of Yinreng.
Yin Zhi opened his eyes groggily, shook his head slightly, and didn't understand why he was here. Wasn't he dead?
Looking at the young eldest brother, second brother, fourth brother... and eighth brother in front of him?
Yin Zhi was in a daze, as if he were in a dream. In his mind, the dark memories of his past life and the vivid scenes before him intertwined wildly, and his expression changed unpredictably in a short moment.
From confusion to amazement, from bewilderment to clarity, it all happened in just a few moments.
At this moment, everyone's attention was completely drawn to the argument between Yinzhi and Yinreng, and no one noticed the strangeness on Yinzhi's side.
Because of the memories of this life, his heart shed its bitterness and decay, and small flowers bloomed to cleanse his soul and body. He was still the same Yin Zhi, only his back was straighter and his eyes were more determined.
"I won't agree! Hachi can't go with you!"
"Why do I need you to promise? Father has already promised."
"You...you just use Father Emperor to pressure me!"
"That's right, so what?"
Yinzhi and Yinreng were still arguing fiercely when Yinzhi suddenly stepped forward and scooped up the little Yinsi.
"younger brother!"
"Third brother!"
As Yinzhi ran towards the palace gate, he shouted, "Since my eldest and second brothers can't tell who's superior, then I, the eighth brother, will stay with me!"
The three were so stunned that they forgot to chase after them.
Yinzhen was the first to react, and angrily chased after him, shouting, "Third brother, give me back my brother!"
Yinzhi murmured in surprise, "Has the third prince's stuttering been cured?"
Yinreng rolled his eyes at him, then turned to look in the direction Yinzhi had left, his brows furrowing slightly: "Third brother, you're back."
"The third brother has already run far away, where would he come back? Second brother, are your eyesight not good enough?"
Yinreng glanced at Yinzhi speechlessly, sighed, and said, "Eat more walnuts." With that, he turned and chased after him.
"I don't like eating walnuts either..." Suddenly realizing what he'd just said, Yinzhi jumped up and chased after him, "Second Prince, who are you calling brainless!"
Yinzhi ran away like the wind, carefully protecting Yinsi in his arms. Yinsi didn't seem frightened at all and asked curiously, "Third brother, where are we going?"
Yin Zhi looked down at him and pulled him closer to his chest. "Let's go to this palace, a place that can accommodate a little stutterer."
"Third brother, the palace is very large and can accommodate many little stutterers."
“You’re right,” Yin Zhi smiled with relief, meeting the bright sunlight. “The palace is vast; when you meet the right person, there’s room for a little stutterer anywhere…”
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