Yinzuo and his companions arrived in Suzhou on March 14th. March 18th was Kangxi's birthday. The officials in Suzhou made a lot of preparations for Kangxi's birthday. In addition to the grand banquet, they also built consecration venues in various temples in Wu County and Changshu County in Suzhou. There were innumerable songs and poems to celebrate the birthday from the people, which were divided into four volumes - Harmony between Heaven, Earth and Man, symbolizing eternal life.
However, it was obvious that Yinzuo and his men were destined to have no part in the bustling city-wide carnival. On the morning of the Wanshou Festival, after Kangxi met with the officials who came to congratulate him, he set out again with the empress dowager, his sons, the accompanying guards, and the palace people. Their destination was not far from here, that is, Hangzhou, which is like heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below.
"Khan Ama, can't we leave a day later? My son hasn't been out and about these past few days to avoid people. It's so busy outside today. I was planning to ask my eldest brother and the others to go out for a walk this afternoon."
Not to mention Yinzuo, even Yinzhi and Yinzhi felt that it was a pity that they could not go out and have a good look at the prosperous city of Suzhou. However, they were not Yinzuo after all, so they dared not say this in front of their Khan Ama.
It is said that biological sons are different. When his biological father saw Yinzuo's lost expression, he felt distressed again. He raised his hand and touched Yinzuo's forehead and comforted him.
"Okay, it's not like we're not coming back. Let's go to Hangzhou first. Didn't you always say you wanted to visit West Lake, see the Broken Bridge, and eat Dongpo Pork? Why are you so unhappy now that I'm really taking you there?"
In fact, Yinzuo was not unhappy. He just remembered an interview he saw on the Internet a long time ago. In the interview, the reporter asked a child if he had eaten anything delicious during his trip to Hangzhou. The child's silence was really deafening. When he thought about stepping into this food desert, Yinzuo became more reluctant to leave Suzhou.
Because of the difficult experience in Suzhou last time, Kangxi sent people to Hangzhou early to arrange all matters. So when their imperial boat docked at the imperial pier this time, apart from the officials who came to welcome him and the soldiers who were guarding his safety, there was no scene of empty streets and loud gongs and drums like last time.
The advantage of a small crowd was that after Kangxi disembarked, he boarded the imperial carriage and traveled smoothly all the way to the Hangzhou Palace. Yinzuo had adapted to life on the boat and didn't feel uncomfortable after a day on the boat. The evening welcome banquet was just as lively as the one in Suzhou. Yinzuo wasn't particularly interested in any of this. He only wanted this boring banquet to end quickly so he could go back to sleep and wake up the next morning to explore this ancient version of the West Lake.
But there is a saying that ideals are full of hope, but reality is often very skinny. Having been Yinzuo's father for so many years, how could Kangxi not know Yinzuo's little thoughts? In order to prevent him from running around, he sent Yinzhi to keep an eye on him early the next morning.
You asked why Yinzhi was called over instead of Yin'er and Yin'e. This question is easy to answer. You have seen the effect of putting Sun Wukong into the Peach Garden. If Yin'er and Yin'e were sent over to look after his sixth brother, it would be very likely that these two people were instigated by Yinzuo and then colluded with him. Kangxi could see this clearly and naturally would not let these three troublemakers get together.
"Brother, don't be so old-fashioned. Don't you want to go out and have a look? Broken Bridge, West Lake, Leifeng Pagoda, White Snake. Oh, let's go. No one will know. When we're done playing, we can sneak back. I promise you, no one will know."
It should be said that Yinzhi was indeed somewhat moved by Yinzuo's words. After all, who among the literati and scholars did not yearn for the south of the Yangtze River? However, he came here with a mission. If...
When Yinzuo saw his third brother hesitate, he knew that something was going to happen today, so he quickly stood up and walked up to Yinzhi to continue tempting him.
"Third brother, if you're worried that Khan Ama will find out, that's completely unnecessary. He's already busy meeting with officials who've come to see him, so he doesn't have the time to keep an eye on me. Otherwise, Khan Ama wouldn't have sent you here to keep an eye on me."
Sure enough, after hearing what Yinzuo said, Yinzhi became a little restless, but he came here with a mission after all. Even if he felt that what Yinzuo said made sense, he naturally did not dare to violate it knowingly, so he was wavering and hesitant for a while.
Of course, Yinzuo also knew Yinzhi's concerns. He understood that if he wanted to persuade him, he would have to give him a strong dose of medicine. So he stepped forward, grabbed Yinzhi's arm and walked out.
"Don't worry, Third Brother. If we are caught by Khan Ama, I will shoulder the responsibility. Let's go. Look at how beautiful the weather is outside. The wind is light, the clouds are clear, and the sun is shining. It's perfect weather for an outing."
Yinzhi really wanted to go out, but he didn't put it into action because he was afraid of being punished by Kangxi. So when Yinzuo dragged him out, he naturally didn't struggle too much.
"Finally we're out, Third Brother, let's go! West Lake, Broken Bridge, and White Snake are all waiting for us..."
Yinzhi couldn't bear to watch Yinzuo's impatience. "No, have you forgotten? We sneaked out. We're still at the gate of the palace. Can't you speak more quietly? Are you afraid that Khan Ama won't know we sneaked out?"
"Xiao Liu, let's keep a low profile. You might have forgotten that we ran away secretly. Do you know what it means to run away secretly? It means running away without Khan Ama's permission."
Yinzuo knew about it, but hadn't he just been too excited and lost control of himself? However, since they were already outside, there was no point in standing at the palace gate chatting. So he hurried forward and took Yinzhi's hand and continued walking forward. As for where to go, he hadn't decided yet, but there was no rush. It was always better to stay away from the palace.
Different from the modern scene of the West Lake being crowded with people every day, this Qing Dynasty version of the West Lake is quite quiet. Because Emperor Kangxi is here, the comings and goings of people around here have been sorted out countless times, so Yinzhi and Yinzuo can be said to have reserved the whole place today.
"Third brother, I told you it's right to listen to me. Although Khan Ama will definitely come here for a boat ride after he finishes his work in a few days, it will be crowded by then. It won't be as quiet as it is now. Let's go on a boat ride first. When we've had enough fun, we can go to the shore and walk around. When we're tired, find a place to sit nearby..."
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