Although the princes' residence was not as luxurious as the palaces of the concubines, it was actually quite spacious. The six princes slept in their own small courtyards every day. Each courtyard also had a study, a washroom, and servants' quarters, so the courtyards were quite far apart and had never been in contact with each other before.
Today is the first day of carrying out Song Xia's orders. The palace servants are all very uneasy. If something happens to the prince they serve, won't they be held accountable?
Even if there were half the servants, it would be fine if they took care of things themselves. But the Empress ordered that they were not allowed to do anything except clean the courtyard and blow out the lamps.
But the six princes were clearly not as anxious as they were; they were all incredibly excited. From today onwards, no one would stop them from doing this or that, and no one would nag them all the time.
The eldest and second princes were alright; after dinner, they knew to read in the study and review their lessons from the day.
Meanwhile, the third and fourth princes began to tentatively climb trees and rooftops, which terrified the palace servants. However, the two princes laughed loudly and took pleasure in teasing the palace servants.
Finally, the fifth prince finished his meal and lay in a corner of the yard watching the ants, while the sixth prince didn't even eat. He took off his shoes and started stomping on the mud on the ground. When he found the mud wasn't wet enough, he even poured water on it, getting himself covered in mud.
The palace servants in both courtyards watched with bated breath, wishing they could step forward and stop it immediately, but remembering the punishment the Empress had mentioned, they managed to hold back.
They could only keep comforting themselves that it wasn't quite autumn yet and the weather was still warm, so they shouldn't catch a cold.
As night fell, Jiang Jin found it hard to continue reading. Remembering his aunt's instructions from earlier in the day, he decided to visit his younger brothers' courtyards.
"Your Highness!" The palace servants in the Second Prince's courtyard were clearly surprised to see him return, and after a moment of astonishment, they bowed.
"Rise. I just came to check if my second brother is settling in. Is your master asleep yet?"
"His Highness is still reading."
Just then, the Second Prince, who had heard the commotion, came out and looked at the First Prince with an unfriendly expression: "Brother, what brings you here?"
Jiang Jin said gently, "I've come to see you and see if you're used to not having palace servants to take care of you."
The second prince scoffed, "I'm only a year younger than you, my elder brother. If you can do it, why can't I?"
Jiang Jin smiled slightly and said, "You'll get used to it. I'll go visit the other imperial brothers."
Jiang Ming seemed somewhat displeased with his reaction and said urgently, "Wait a minute, I'll go too, lest someone say that I have no benevolence towards my younger brother."
Jiang Jin had never realized that his second brother was so adorable, like a girl with a little quirkiness. However, he didn't say it out loud, for fear of upsetting his second brother.
"Then let's go together. The younger brothers will be very happy to see the second prince later."
"That's natural."
Jiang Ming first gave a light hum, then frowned and wondered if his elder brother meant that he was also very happy just now? He wanted to say no, but he felt that saying it now would only make him sound like he was making excuses, so he quickly rushed ahead.
Jiang Jin grinned. It seemed that the second prince wasn't as annoying as before. Besides, the second prince was still a child at heart, completely lacking the maturity and arrogance he displayed in front of their father.
Thinking about this, the two quickly arrived at Jiang Zhen's courtyard. Jiang Zhen had just climbed a tree and was extremely hungry, so he ate a lot of food before taking a bath. However, because Song Xia had previously instructed that no palace servants should help him, he was irritably drying his hair by himself.
"Can't you even dry my hair for me?"
The palace servant regretfully declined: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress has instructed us not to interfere. The drying rack is already prepared; you can do it as usual."
"Then I won't bake it."
The palace maid said with a mix of heartache and helplessness, "Third Prince, if you don't dry yourself, you'll catch a cold and get a headache, and then you won't be able to attend the Empress's lessons."
"Why is this so annoying?"
"Your Majesty, let me help you." Because the palace servants were all busy coaxing the Third Prince, no one noticed that Jiang Jin and Jiang Ming had entered, so they quickly bowed.
Jiang Jin waved his hand, looking helplessly at Jiang Zhen's wet hair. In fact, he didn't want to do it either, but as soon as he thought about how his third brother would fall ill because of it and how his aunt would be blamed, he couldn't help but speak up.
He stood on the drying drum and waved to Jiang Zhen: "Hurry up and come over here."
The Third Prince Jiang Zhen was dumbfounded and a little awkward, so his eldest brother helped him dry his hair.
"Come here, aren't you uncomfortable being wet?" Jiang Jin called out again, and Jiang Zhen slowly strolled over.
Jiang Ming stood aside with his arms crossed, watching coldly, thinking to himself, "Let's see how long my eldest brother can keep up this act."
At first, Jiang Jin, being skilled, did pull Jiang Zhen's hair painfully. Jiang Zhen endured it without saying anything. After noticing, the force of the pull gradually lessened. As time passed, seeing that his hair was about 80% dry, and thinking of his other brothers, he told Jiang Zhen to get up.
Jiang Zhen chased after them, asking, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Ming answered first this time: "Go and see the fourth, fifth, and sixth brothers."
Jiang Zhen, with his hair disheveled, chased after them, saying, "I want to come too."
The palace servants looked at each other, seeing that the Third Prince's hair was dry. They felt a sense of gratitude towards the First Prince. No matter what the Empress had ordered, if the Third Prince fell ill, it would be because they had not taken good care of him, and Consort Li would definitely not forgive them. They never expected the First Prince to be so kind.
The three of them arrived at the courtyard of the Fourth Prince, Jiang Jun. Jiang Jun was born to Consort Xian. Consort Xian usually felt that she had read the most books, so she had the most rules to set. She was especially meticulous about her son, the Fourth Prince Jiang Jun, and he had to grow up according to her requirements without making a single mistake.
Such a strict teaching method shows how much Jiang Jun is suppressed on a daily basis. So on the first day, after enduring it for a while, he couldn't help but want to climb onto the roof and look into the distance.
When Jiang Jin and the others came in, Jiang Jun was just about to come down when the three of them caught him red-handed, and his back immediately stiffened.
He pretended to be nonchalant as he came down: "Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, what brings you here?"
Jiang Jin suppressed a laugh: "I came to see you."
The three of them were genuinely surprised that Jiang Jun, who was usually so serious, would actually climb rooftops.
Jiang Zhen asked with a mischievous grin, "How did it feel to climb the roof?"
Jiang Jun blushed and remained silent, feeling extremely ashamed and indignant, as if his deepest secret had been revealed. He stammered and couldn't make sense of it.
"Don't be nervous. Your third brother has no bad intentions. We just came to see you and see if you're used to not having palace servants to serve you."
Jiang Jun was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. His brothers were actually taking such good care of him.
Seeing his dazed and foolish appearance, the Second Prince and the Third Prince also felt uneasy. They were just there to watch the show, they had no real feelings for him. Fourth Prince, don't be so presumptuous.
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