"Why did you stop talking? Did you forget?" Kangxi said, looking at the four people below. "Should I remind you?"
"No need, Father Emperor. I know what my third brother is talking about. He said you are a tortoise, a tortoise that lives for ten thousand years! He hopes you will live a long and healthy life!" The eldest prince said, thinking he was being kind.
Emperor Kangxi, the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince all stared wide-eyed at the First Prince.
The eldest prince felt uneasy under the gaze of those four pairs of eyes. Had he said something wrong?
The Crown Prince looked at the First Prince speechlessly, and to paraphrase He Xue, "Why does a perfectly normal person have to have a mouth?"
"It's truly admirable that you have such filial piety. Should I thank you?" Kangxi asked.
"Hehe! Father, no need!" the eldest prince said somewhat embarrassedly.
Emperor Kangxi was so angry with the eldest prince that he was speechless. "You four, as elder brothers, have failed to set a good example for your younger brothers. You deserve to be punished!"
Yinti, I hereby punish you by making you copy the Classic of Filial Piety twenty times!
Yinreng, deal with these memorials. If you don't handle them well, you'll be staying in the Hall of Mental Cultivation!
Yin Zhi mastered Tongbei Quan within three days.
"Yinzhen, I demand that you wear a smiling face to everyone for the next three days, not even for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"
When the four princes heard about Kangxi's punishment, they all looked dejected. How could their father have come up with such a way to punish them?
"Father, how about I switch with my third brother?" The eldest prince was a little envious of the third prince's punishment, and the third prince was just as envious of the eldest prince!
"Hehe!" Kangxi smiled as he looked at the eldest prince, then coldly uttered two words: "No way!"
When the eldest prince saw Kangxi smile, he thought he would agree. But he was greatly disappointed.
Seeing the four princes on the verge of tears, Kangxi felt much better. "You little brats, I can't handle you!"
As Xue was right, to punish someone, you have to strike where it hurts; that's the only way to achieve the purpose of punishment.
He Xue was completely unaware that because of her unintentional remark, the four princes were suffering the most painful punishment.
He Xue learned that after the greetings were over, Consort Hui and Consort Rong stayed in Chengqian Palace. They already knew about the First Prince and the Third Prince's drunkenness and were waiting for them.
When Consort Hui and Consort Rong learned that the First Prince and the Third Prince had been punished by Emperor Kangxi to kneel in the Fengxian Hall for drinking, they were furious.
"Baoqing is outrageous! He actually took his brothers out drinking! This time I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!" Consort Hui slammed her hand on the armrest of her chair.
Although Consort Rong was surprised that the Third Prince was drinking, she still smiled and said, "This time, we are very grateful to He Xue, otherwise they would probably have frozen to death!"
"Yes, thank goodness we have He Xue!" Consort Hui quickly replied.
“Baoqing and the others usually dote on Hexue, so it’s only right that Hexue does some things for these brothers!” said Consort Tongjia.
"Why haven't they arrived yet? Has the Emperor punished them too severely?" Consort Hui became anxious when she saw that the First Prince and the others had not yet arrived.
"Sister Huifei, you were just saying that you would let the First Prince try bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork, so why are you worried that the Emperor's punishment is too severe now?" Consort Rong teased.
"I was just worried that if His Majesty punished me too severely, I wouldn't be able to do it properly," Consort Hui said, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Let's wait patiently! His Majesty knows what he's doing!" Consort Tongjia, also worried about the Fourth Prince, reassured Consort Hui.
Seeing this, Consort Hui could only calm down and wait.
He Xue brought Nan Xing to the Imperial Garden. It was early spring, and the flowers in the Imperial Garden were already budding. She believed that it wouldn't be long before the Imperial Garden would be a scene of hundreds of flowers in full bloom.
"He Xue!" Consort Yi called out to He Xue when she saw her.
He Xue looked up and saw Consort Yi not far away, smiling radiantly, graceful and charming, truly worthy of being a favored concubine. "Greetings, Consort Yi!"
"Get up quickly, there's no need to be so polite with me!" Consort Yi looked at He Xue affectionately.
"Your Highness, what are you doing here?" He Xue asked.
"I just came from Chengqian Palace and am resting here for a bit!"
Looking at Consort Yi's still-flat belly, He Xue asked, "Consort Yi, is Little Eleven being a good boy?"
"Haha!" Consort Yi burst into laughter at He Xue's words. "He Xue, he's still young and very well-behaved! Besides, how do you know he's the eleventh child?"
Although she already has two sons, she still hopes this pregnancy will be another son, because more children bring more blessings! Besides, sons are the foundation and source of strength for a woman to establish herself in the harem.
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