Tong Wanyan quietly kicked Yinreng, trying to make him tone down his expression.
Fortunately, Yinzhen and Yin'e buried themselves in their food, munching on green vegetable leaves, finding it much tastier than the roasted meat coated with various seasonings.
When poor people see meat, they can't bear to look away.
People like royalty, who are used to having meat at every meal, tend to prefer fresh vegetables and fruits.
"Second Brother, what kind of dish is this? It's still chilled, is it dessert?" Yin Tang looked at the chilled bitter melon on the table with interest in his eyes.
Yinreng said, "These fruits were sent from the estate in the suburbs of Beijing. They are perfect for summer and have a crisp and refreshing taste."
The kitchen prepared two servings of bitter melon, one chilled and one blanched.
Yinreng picked up a piece of blanched bitter melon with his chopsticks and ate it with relish.
The bitterness of this bitter melon has been largely removed, and with the addition of various seasonings and the broth, it tastes quite good.
Yin Tang had no suspicions. He stared at the chilled bitter melon with curiosity, picked up two pieces, and stuffed them into his mouth.
The moment he bit down, his face contorted in pain.
"Second Brother!" Yinzhen opened his mouth to curse.
Just then, Yin'e finished the food in his mouth and turned to ask Yin Tang, "Ninth Brother, was it delicious?"
Yinzhen's contorted face instantly transformed into one of blissful enjoyment: "It's really delicious. Yin'e, have a few more pieces. Only your second brother can get melons like this."
Yin'e had no doubts. With complete trust in Yin Tang, he also picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.
He gnawed on it with gusto, without even blinking.
After finishing one bite, picking up another piece feels really strange.
The three people at the table stared intently at Yin'e, who was happily eating.
"Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, Ninth Brother, why are you all staring at me? What's this dish called? It's refreshing and quite delicious. Plus, it's ice-cold, perfect for cooling down in the summer." Yin'e asked doubtfully, "Did I eat too much? Ninth Brother, you should eat some too."
After Yin'e finished speaking, he personally reached out to serve Yin'tang a bitter melon.
Yinzhen hurriedly waved his hand: "No need, no need, eat more if you like. Second brother and sister-in-law won't mind. But don't you find it bitter?"
Yin'e chewed on a crunchy slice of bitter melon: "Is it bitter? It's alright. Ninth Brother, you forgot that I have a strong palate and am not sensitive to taste."
Yinzhen patted his bald head; he had really forgotten about it.
Yinzhen still had the bitter melon in his mouth, not swallowed. Every time he spoke, the bitter juice flowed down his throat, making it even more bitter.
"Don't spit it out. What kind of man can't even endure this little bit of bitterness? Food is precious, and we can't waste it just because you and I are royalty. When the people suffer from famine, they even eat tree bark and grass roots. Although this bitter melon tastes bitter, it really can clear heat and is good for the blisters in your mouth," Yinreng said.
With a serious face, Yinreng and Yintang quickly chewed the bitter melon and swallowed it, feeling wronged.
"Second brother, you did this on purpose." Yinzhen drank several mouthfuls of soup before he felt the bitterness in his mouth subside.
Yinreng raised an eyebrow: "What did I lie to you about? Didn't I say it wasn't bitter?"
Yintang shook his head; Yinreng had indeed not said anything.
Everything was based on his own judgment and had no basis.
“Look how happy Xiao Shi is eating, which proves that I didn’t make a mistake in serving this dish,” Yinreng said, pointing at Yin’e.
Yin'e nodded in agreement, fully demonstrating the ruthlessness of having a terrible teammate who drags you down.
Unable to argue with Yinreng, Yintang turned to Tong Wanyan for help.
This person who only remembers the good and forgets the bad seems to have forgotten that the dishes served at dinner were chosen by Tong Wanyan.
She and Yinreng were of one mind, and they deliberately bullied their younger brother with malicious intent.
"Second Sister-in-law, Second Brother is cheating." Yin Tang's chubby, round face was very cute.
Tong Wanyan smiled and placed a real beet on his plate: "Try this, it's sweet. It's bitter before it's sweet, Ninth Brother will understand later."
Yinzhen's cheeks puffed out: "Second Sister-in-law always sides with Second Brother. I'm so good to Second Sister-in-law, but she doesn't care about me at all."
"Really? Oh dear, I was thinking of bringing you some melons to eat tonight when you get back. But it's not necessary now. After all, I don't really care about my younger brother," Tong Wanyan said, feigning sadness.
Having witnessed this kind of behavior many times with Consort Yi, even though he knew it was fake, he was still eager to explain.
Even if his sister-in-law was faking her tears, he still felt bad.
The beauty's tears evoke pity.
Even at a young age, Yinzhen understood the difference between beauty and ugliness, and he was very tolerant of beautiful women.
"Second Sister-in-law, please don't! You love your younger brothers the most. Second Brother, don't laugh at us, quickly comfort Second Sister-in-law. You have to be comforted by others for your own wife, Second Brother, how shameless!" Yin Tang's last words were something he had heard Consort Yi say to Emperor Kangxi when he was a child.
Tong Wanyan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You're making fun of your second brother. Alright, you've all eaten enough. Xia Zhu, have them bring out some dessert. Also, go to the small kitchen and get a few of the melons that arrived today. Later, have Su Jixiang, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince go back to the Princes' Residence and distribute the melons."
"Thank you, Second Sister-in-law," Yin'e said happily, his tone rising.
Yinzhen was utterly dumbfounded by his silly appearance. He reached out and pressed his head down, saying, "Just eat. Don't say you're hungry tonight and then go to my room for some snacks. I just got back to the palace today, and I haven't put any snacks in my room yet."
Upon hearing this, Yin'e had another bowl of rice served and began to eat it with great relish.
The bowls and plates used for meals in the palace were all small and exquisite. If Yin'e had an extra bowl of rice, he wouldn't be too full, so Tong Wanyan and Yinreng noticed but pretended not to know.
After finishing his meal, Yinzhen ate a piece of pastry and then stopped eating.
"Second brother, sister-in-law gave birth to another daughter this time. Now there are four princesses in the eldest brother's family, an all-female army." Yinzhen was well-informed and knew everything that was happening in the palace after visiting Consort Yi and Consort Gui.
Tong Wanyan was taken aback: "How did you know?"
“My sister-in-law gave birth to a legitimate daughter for my brother. There’s no need to hide it. Anyone can find out by asking,” Yin Tang said.
Yinreng and Tong Wanyan mentioned this again today, and they expressed their deep sympathy for Yinti.
Especially Yinreng, he decided not to provoke Yinti this time.
The First Consort gave birth every year, and every child was a daughter. Yinti insisted on his own opinion and was unwilling to let the eldest son born by a concubine be born first.
If Yinreng, who now has an eldest son, were to continue to talk nonsense in front of Yinti, Yinti might actually have fought with him back then.
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Yinti's current disappointment is unbearable.
“These next few days, be careful what you say and do when you run into your elder brother. However, since you’re in the Prince’s quarters, you don’t have to attend court, so you generally won’t run into him,” Yinreng advised Yintang.
He feared that Yinzhen's childish words might offend Yinti.
Yinzhen smiled affectionately and said, "Second brother, I'm not a child anymore, I understand."
Second Brother is a really good person. He used to think that Second Brother was an arrogant and unapproachable prince, but now that they get along well, he has discovered that Second Brother is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he takes great care of his younger brothers.
Being able to follow in his second brother's footsteps was a huge windfall for him and Yin'e.
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