Chapter 393 Lady Tongjia is Pregnant
When Emperor Kangxi arrived, he saw his beloved son playing with his two younger brothers in a nine-linked ring game.
To be precise, it was Bao Cheng and Yin Zhen who were competing, and Yin Si was... giving his comments?
"I'll untie one!"
Young Yinzhen turned to look at his younger brother excitedly, and Yinsi gave him a polite "Ah".
"My brother praised me—" Yinzhen was overjoyed.
Yinreng snorted, "So what if you untied one? I've already untied three! Besides, Xiao Ba just said 'ah,' how did that praise you?"
"That's a compliment, Second Brother Crown Prince, you don't understand, so don't talk nonsense!"
Yinzhen pouted and retorted. Lady Tongjia, watching from outside the window, was terrified. She was about to explain when Kangxi stopped her with a gesture. She could only swallow her worries and continue watching.
Yinreng quickly untied all nine rings and placed them on the bed. "Fourth Prince, you lost."
Yinzhen glanced at the unfinished nine-linked rings in his hand, then at Yinreng's work on the bed, pouted unhappily, tugged at the nine-linked rings in his hand, and muttered, "I can solve it."
As she spoke, she looked at Yinzhi with a pitiful expression, "Brother, believe me, I can untie it."
"Ah," Yinzhi called out again, giving him face.
Yinreng, who showed no sign of bullying the younger Yinsi, became displeased. He looked at the younger Yinsi and poked his cheek: "Little Eight, what's going on? You're only favoring Little Four, not me?"
Yinzhi shook his head, but he couldn't shake off Yinreng's mischievous hand, so he could only give a perfunctory "Ah".
Yinreng was still not satisfied, "Little Fourth, when you untie one, you say 'ah'; when I untie them all, will you say 'ah' too?"
Yinzhi pursed his lips, not wanting to pay him any attention. Yinzhen sat down next to him, pulled Yinzhi into his arms, and glared at Yinreng: "Second brother, Crown Prince, don't bully your younger brother."
"How did I bully him?" Yinreng asked with a half-smile, reaching out to pinch Yinzhen's cheek. "Then how about I bully you?"
"ah!"
Little Yinzhi waved his little hand and patted Yinreng's arm.
Yinreng released his grip and raised an eyebrow: "You're quite protective of him."
"Of course!" Yinzhen was instantly overjoyed, extremely proud. "My younger brother likes me the most—"
"Tsk, you guys are really good at this," Yinreng sighed, though only he knew the complexities of the situation. But then he casually added, "Poor me, you guys dragged me into this game, and when I finally solved the nine-linked rings puzzle, you didn't even offer a word of praise."
"No, not really..."
Startled, Yinzhen felt a little embarrassed. Meanwhile, little Yinsi, sitting in his lap, calmly patted his arm, then looked at Yinreng and opened his mouth: "Ahhh!"
"This is the first time I've heard my brother say 'ah' and 'hey' three times. He usually doesn't like to talk much." Yinzhen said with a look of surprise.
"Seriously? You don't think you can get rid of me with just three?"
Yinreng said this, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
The vibrant appearance of the animals caused Emperor Kangxi, who was standing outside the window, to lose his composure for a moment. He then quietly turned around and returned to the main hall with Tongjia and the others.
"Baocheng seems to like Xiao Si and Xiao Ba."
"His Highness the Crown Prince's care for his younger brother is a blessing for Yinzhen and Yinsi," Lady Tongjia praised Yinreng gently.
Kangxi just smiled and said, "Baocheng is lonely most of the time, so he should spend more time with his brothers."
Upon hearing this, Lady Tongjia's smile froze slightly. She knew that from now on, she could no longer prevent His Highness the Crown Prince from coming to Chengqian Palace, and she had to ensure that Yinzhen, Yinsi, and His Highness the Crown Prince got along amicably.
She suspected that her inability to become empress was related to the crown prince. Now that Chengqian Palace was to become the crown prince's playground, she had to carefully watch over it. Naturally, Lady Tongjia was not happy, but she could not stop it.
The only good thing was probably for Yinzhi. Ever since the Crown Prince inexplicably took notice of him, his treatment in Chengqian Palace gradually improved, but no one dared to show him any displeasure or gossip in front of him anymore.
...
As the days went by, under the strange gazes of everyone, the Crown Prince's fondness for the Fourth Prince and the Eighth Prince actually persisted, and a new room was added to Yuqing Palace for the two young princes.
In the blink of an eye, Yinzhi had grown to be over two years old and could run all over the palace, but he looked exceptionally thin, which made people worry. However, the imperial physician examined his pulse and found nothing wrong, only saying that his constitution was weak and prescribing some mild tonics.
Yinzhi didn't care, but Yinzhen was always very worried. His careful and cautious manner, as if afraid that Yinzhen would bump into something, made Yinreng feel annoyed.
Therefore, Yinreng specially found a nanny who knew how to make medicinal cuisine to prepare a nourishing and gentle medicinal diet for Yinsi.
However, as everyone knows, when the purpose of food is to nourish, and the diet emphasizes the word "medicine," then the taste cannot be considered delicious. Therefore, Yinzhi always tried to find ways to refuse.
Every time they coaxed him to eat, it was a fierce battle, yet both Yinzhen and Yinreng seemed to enjoy it immensely.
At first, only Yinzhen was coaxing him. Yinreng couldn't stand Yinzhen's "timid" appearance, and after being provoked by Yinzhen, he also joined the team to coax Yinsi to eat the medicinal food.
Then he discovered that Xiao Yinsi's mouth was either silent or, when he did speak, it was so melodious and captivating that he couldn't resist it!
This sparked a competitive spirit in Yinreng, and he and Yinzhen began to compete. If Yinreng succeeded in persuading Yinzhen, he would be proud for a whole day, and Yinzhen was not to be outdone.
On this day, Yinzhen brought Yinsi to Yuqing Palace. Without being greeted, they went directly into the inner hall and saw the medicinal food on the table.
Yinzhi stopped in his tracks instantly: "If I had known it was for this bowl of medicinal food, I wouldn't have come."
Yinzhen quickly grabbed his arm: "Don't worry, little brother, this time the medicinal cuisine has been improved, it really doesn't taste bad."
Outside the door, Yinreng strode in and casually patted Yinsi's head: "Yes, the kitchen has been renovated. I tasted it beforehand, and the taste is not bad."
Yinzhi was pulled to the table by the two men, and the little boy sighed deeply: "I know that my second brother and fourth brother are doing this for my own good, but I find this medicinal food disgusting. Besides, my health has always been like this, and if I eat more, I'm afraid I'll be letting down my brothers' good intentions."
"You're still young, and it's the time when you're growing. At this time, you should eat more warm and nourishing foods."
Yinreng gently advised, looking at Yinsi's current appearance, he couldn't help but feel distressed. It didn't make sense, how come the eighth prince he took care of in this life was even thinner and weaker than the eighth prince whom the eldest prince had let grow up freely in the previous life?
“Yes,” Yinzhen nodded in agreement. “Eighth brother, this medicinal diet was specially prepared for your health. Try a bite. If you don’t like it, I will not force you.”
Yinzhi reluctantly picked up the medicinal meal. "Alright, if I don't try it, I'll seem ungrateful."
Having said that, he picked up a soup spoon, scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth. Under the expectant gazes of Yinreng and Yinzhen, he chewed slowly and nodded gently: "I have not disappointed my second and fourth brothers' strong recommendation."
Upon hearing this, Yinreng and Yinzhen both breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that he had used quite a lot, they were even happier than if they had eaten something good themselves.
Yinzhen's good mood lasted until he returned to Chengqian Palace.
Yinzhen, holding Yinsi's hand, returned to Chengqian Palace, chatting and laughing. The usually quiet palace was filled with joy today, and the palace servants were busy with their smiles.
Filled with curiosity, Yinzhen stopped Tongjia, the old nanny who was passing by, and asked, "Nanny, what happy occasion is there in Chengqian Palace today that makes it so lively?"
The usually stern-faced Granny Tongjia smiled broadly and announced loudly, "Her Majesty is pregnant! This is a joyous occasion!"
"Really?" Upon hearing this, Yinzhen's eyes widened in surprise. He turned to look at Yinsi, "Little Eight, we're going to have a younger brother or sister! Come on, let's go see Mother."
As she spoke, she pulled Yinzhi along and quickly walked towards the inner palace.
But after taking only a few steps, Granny Tongjia stepped forward, stretched out her arm to stop them, and said with some difficulty, "Your Highnesses, Her Majesty's pregnancy is currently unstable. The imperial physician has instructed that it is not appropriate for her to receive guests at this time. To avoid any potential offense, please go back first. Moreover, it would be best if you two princes did not go out recently, lest you bring back something unclean that might offend Her Majesty and the little one in her womb."
Although Yinzhen was somewhat displeased, he nodded for the sake of his mother's safety and prepared to take Yinsi back to his own room.
But before they had taken more than a few steps, Granny Tongjia spoke up again: "Fourth Prince, Eighth Prince, I am truly sorry. For the sake of Her Majesty's safety, from today onwards, everyone entering and leaving Chengqian Palace will be checked. The two princes are very filial, and I'm sure they won't make things difficult for us servants."
Yinzhen sensed the wariness and subtle threat in Tongjia's words, and his face instantly darkened.
Yinzhi, who had been silent all along, raised his eyes, glanced at the wary and arrogant Tongjia nanny, snorted coldly, and said slowly and sarcastically, "Nanny, with your sharp eyes, what doesn't you see as dirty? That's right, the child in Mother's belly is naturally precious, and the two of us are probably not as precious as her."
Upon hearing this, Granny Tongjia's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and she hurriedly waved her hand to explain, "Eighth Prince, please don't misunderstand, this servant absolutely did not mean that."
As he spoke, he hurriedly checked the pendants worn by the two men, and then said in a low voice, "My apologies, gentlemen, please leave."
With a dark expression, Yinzhen pulled Yinsi away, whispering to comfort him, "Little Eight, don't be angry. When we see Mother, we'll tell her everything."
However, Yinzhen's plan to file a complaint was never realized, because he was unable to see Lady Tongjia during this period.
Remaining blocked outside the palace gates, Yinzhen's heart sank. He knew perfectly well that no one else could have stopped him again and again without his mother's permission.
And then I think about how lately people have been saying he's not their biological son...
Yinzhen, who was already in a bad mood, was soon hit with another heavy blow.
"What? My brother wants to move? Why?"
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