There is a rule in the palace that children do not celebrate their birthdays when they are young.
Therefore, Hongxi had no concept of birthdays. On his birthday, he was simply fed a noodle.
Hongyu and Wenxi made a special trip back from the palace school to dine with Hongxi.
Yin Tao also came, bringing a small wooden car he made himself as a gift, which made Hongxi extremely happy.
[My father had a car like this in my past life, and now I have one too. I'm so happy.]
As Yinreng stepped into the main courtyard, he glanced at the crudely made carriage and couldn't help but purse his lips.
How could someone this age have such a small car? Maybe this child has a confused memory.
"Second Brother." Yin Tao greeted Yin Reng politely.
Before, he only dared to call the Crown Prince Second Brother when they met, but after returning from the imperial palace, he only called him Second Brother.
Yinreng ruffled his hair. "Little Twelfth, did you also come back from the palace academy?"
Yin Tao nodded. "After returning, I went to my mother's palace, so I'm late."
Yinreng laughed and said, "It's not too late, it's not too late. You all have a good time together."
Just then, Yinzhen's voice came from outside, "Hongxi, look what your Ninth Uncle brought you."
Hongxi, with his short legs, was about to run outside when Yin Tao caught him in his arms, saying, "It's windy outside."
Yinzhen strode in, and seeing Yintao there, he laughed and said, "You came quickly, no wonder I didn't see you."
As soon as he finished speaking, two children emerged from behind him: the eleventh prince, Yinzhi, and the thirteenth prince, Yinxiang.
They were all brought here by Lao Jiu, who wanted the brothers to play together often and get along harmoniously.
Eleventh is the ninth brother's own brother, so there's no doubt about that.
Thirteen was also well-behaved and sensible. He usually played well with Eleven at the palace school, so he was naturally brought along as well.
Hongxi's eyes lit up when he saw Yinxiang.
[The Thirteenth Prince, a Manchu nobleman.]
Yinreng was taken aback. A prince with an iron cap?
He turned and glanced at Yinxiang, who was still a young boy. He was struck by his upright demeanor and showed no sign of restraint when greeting others.
“Hongxi, I am your thirteenth uncle. This is a gift for you.”
Yinxiang prepared a small cloth doll, which he had made by a palace maid. It was the perfect size to hold in his arms while sleeping at night.
Hongxi clapped his hands happily, picked up the little doll, and handed it to Xiuhe.
Xiuhe immediately smiled and explained, "The young prince likes dolls, so he entrusted them to me for safekeeping, afraid that he might lose them."
Yinxiang laughed heartily, squatted down to be at eye level with Hongxi, and said, "Hongxi likes dolls so much, your thirteenth uncle can give you some often in the future."
Eleven also smiled and presented her own prepared gift, a luminous pearl the size of a bun that she had taken from her mother, the Imperial Concubine. It was a gift from Emperor Kangxi to Consort Yi, which Eleven had used to present to the Emperor.
When Yinzhen saw the luminous pearl, his eyes widened. "I liked this luminous pearl back then, but Mother wouldn't give it to me no matter what. Now she's given it to you."
Eleven laughed happily and innocently, "Mother only brought it for my little brother because she heard it was going to be given to Hongxi as a gift."
Yinzhen naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against his own younger brother. He just pursed his lips and raised his hand, and Sixi immediately led people to carry in a large box from outside.
Wow, Uncle Nine is going to give me so many gifts? I'm so happy!
Yinreng pursed his lips, guessing that Yintang wouldn't be so "understanding".
Sure enough, upon opening the box, Hongxi saw something that almost blinded him... silver ingots.
A whole box of silver.
Yinreng was also taken aback by Yintang's extravagant gift, "Ninth Prince, are you crazy to send something like this to a child?"
With a wave of his hand, Yinzhen ordered Sixi to immediately close the box.
"This is the betrothal gift I've saved for Hongxi, you're not allowed to spend it secretly."
Yinreng was so angry at the last sentence that he almost fell backward.
He's a perfectly good Crown Prince; if he's short of money, why would he ask his father for it instead of using his son's private savings?
Hongxi didn't care about his father and ninth uncle; he happily played with Hongyu and his uncles.
Wenxi and Ruizhu were taking care of everyone on the side, just like a pair of young ladies from a wealthy family, which made the head maid cover her mouth and chuckle.
“Princess, today is the young prince’s birthday, you don’t need to be so formal.”
Wenxi felt bitter inside.
She naturally wanted to have a good time, but with so many uncles suddenly appearing, how could she not keep a proper demeanor?
"It's alright."
As Wenxi said this, she took Ruizhu's hand and sat down to eat some snacks, while watching Hongxi play with his uncles.
Hongyu glanced at the snow outside, which had stopped, and said, "Let's go outside and build a snowman."
These words were like stirring up a hornet's nest. The children in the room cheered immediately and then ordered the palace servants around them to put on their cloaks again.
When the Ninth Prince saw that Yinzhi was also putting on his cloak, he immediately pulled him in front of him and said, "Don't you know your own body? Stay in the room and watch over things. Don't go out."
Hongxi was also brought to Yinreng's side, "You can only wait in the room."
So, Hongyu, Yintao, and Yinxiang happily ran out to build a snowman, and Wenxi and Ruizhu, after a moment of restraint, also ran out.
Hongxi and Yinzhi could only watch from the window as the people outside had a great time.
[Sigh, I wonder whose birthday it is today, they actually locked the birthday person inside.]
Yinreng, who was discussing court affairs with Yintang, glanced at his son and pretended not to hear.
In the evening, Yinreng arranged for everyone to have hot pot in his study.
So everyone had their own little pot, and the meal was very lively.
Just as they were having a good time eating, drinking and playing, He Yuzhu ran in and said with a smile, "Master, Su Peisheng, who serves Prince Yong, has arrived."
Yinreng waved his hand, "Come in quickly."
Before long, Su Peisheng came in carrying a brocade box. As soon as he entered the room, he smiled at Hongxi and said, "This is a birthday gift from our master to the young prince."
He then looked at Yinreng and explained, "Today, one of the concubines in the manor is having a difficult childbirth. Fourth Prince was afraid that something might go wrong, so he stayed in the manor to oversee things. That's why he couldn't come to congratulate the young prince. I hope His Highness the Crown Prince and the young prince will understand."
"Children don't usually have birthday banquets. What about your family?"
Su Peisheng laughed, "My concubine, Lady Li, gave birth to a little prince, named Hongshi."
Don't get too excited. This kid is brainless and likes to cause trouble, and later his fourth uncle really disliked him.
Yinreng swallowed back the congratulations he was about to utter.
But he knew that the fourth brother cared about this child, so naturally he wouldn't neglect him.
"He Yuzhu, go to my private treasury and take out the set of writing implements that Father Emperor previously bestowed upon me, and give it to Hongshi as a congratulatory gift from my second uncle."
Su Peisheng was overjoyed and kept thanking him.
The Ninth Prince looked at Su Peisheng and said, "Tell Fourth Brother that I will go to offer my congratulations when the child has his wedding banquet."
Yinzhi and the others echoed the same sentiment, and Su Peisheng naturally thanked them one by one. After receiving the set of writing implements, he left.
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