Chapter 137 Where Does the Son Live?
"Insolence!" Yinzhen sat upright on the dragon throne, looking at his two sons standing below with their hands at their sides with a stern face.
"When the teacher arrived at the study, it was empty!" He slammed the folded document on the table, making a loud thud that made Hongshi shrink back. "Hongshi, as the older brother, you actually led your younger brother to skip school. This is utterly disgraceful!"
Hongshi's face flushed red, and his lips trembled as he whispered, "Your subject... Your subject knows his mistake, Your subject will never dare to do it again..."
He said the most pathetic things, but did the most courageous things. It was obvious to everyone that he didn't have the guts to skip school, but he still took the blame with trembling hands. His loyalty even impressed Hongzhao.
But despite the sidelong glances, they couldn't let their foolish third brother take the blame.
Hongzhao was much more relaxed than Hongshi at this moment. He quietly raised his head, raised his eyebrows and pretended to secretly look at his father, who was pretending to be serious, and pursed his lips to give a flattering smile. "Father knows how obedient Third Brother is usually. This is all my fault. I wanted to see my future Third Sister-in-law, so I dragged Third Brother along. Father, please don't be angry."
His words were soft, unlike Hongshi's cautious and rigid manner. Hongzhao seemed to be pleading for forgiveness from his good-natured father, but this forgiveness was surprisingly easy to obtain.
Seeing Hongzhao's pitiful state, Yinzhen's heart began to soften. He had high expectations of himself, working day and night to review memorials and meet with ministers, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Hongzhao from time to time. After all, he was still a child and was bound to be playful when things happened. There would be plenty of days in the future when he had to work hard day and night, so it wouldn't hurt to rest for a day.
Furthermore, he was extremely pleased with the way the two brothers were eager to admit their mistakes. He liked to see his sons united as one, which always brought back many memories for him.
Thinking this, his expression relaxed a bit. Hongzhao was always the best at reading his father's mood. Seeing this, he seized the opportunity and rather unruly crawled towards his father's side. As he took a step, he didn't forget to pull his third brother, who was keeping his head down, along with him.
Seeing this, Su Peisheng smiled knowingly and stepped back to make room for the two gentlemen.
Hongshi was pulled closer and closer to his father, the Emperor, by Hongzhao. Trusting his younger brother, he kept following him closely. However, out of his long-standing fear of his father, he stared wide-eyed at Hongzhao, not daring to look anywhere else. The conflict between his emotions and his body caused his lips to tremble uncontrollably.
As Yinzhen watched his young crown prince approach with a smile, effortlessly taking his hand and naturally placing the hand he was holding with Hongshi into his own palm, he couldn't help but chuckle.
She had never been this close to her other sons before, but Hongzhao had always been clingy since he was little. Now he even knew how to admit his mistakes and act cute, bringing his third brother along with him. He was truly spoiled rotten.
Although Yinzhen was thinking such a vicious thought, his gentle expression made even Su Peisheng grin.
Hongshi squinted and waited for a long time but didn't get a scolding from his father. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his younger brother, the crown prince, in disbelief... So amazing... He even dared to hold his father's hand directly. No wonder you can be the crown prince!
Yinzhen deliberately kept a straight face, picked up the memorial, and gently patted each of their two shiny foreheads, giving them an equal and impartial reprimand—"If there is a next time, I will make sure you get a good spanking."
"No, no, neither your son nor your third brother would dare to do it again." Hongzhao quickly shook his father's sleeve and replied crisply.
Yinzhen looked at Hongshi beside him. He knew that this son had always been afraid of him, and today he was unusually gentle in his tone. "You are already of marriageable age. After I return and discuss with the Empress, we will decide on a candidate and a date. You should also make some progress and set an example for your younger siblings."
Hongshi was thrilled by his father's teachings. In this respect, he really resembled his biological mother. He nodded emphatically and agreed.
"Alright, you can go now. I suppose the flower viewing party is over. If you're curious, go ask your mother and sneak around to see what it looks like."
As Hongshi walked briskly out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yinzhen pulled Hongzhao closer, stroking the back of his head with his large hand, showing no trace of the admonition he had just given him—"You seem so curious, did you see something? Which one does your Empress Mother favor?"
Hongzhao thought for a moment and then said truthfully, “I didn’t hear which son my mother had taken a liking to because I was too far away. But I saw clearly which son my grandmother had taken a liking to. They were the two daughters of the Uya family. My grandmother probably wanted to make the youngest legitimate daughter the wife of my cousin Hongkai, and the eldest illegitimate daughter the wife of my third brother.”
Yinzhen's eyes were cold. Hearing this, he couldn't help but grit his teeth. The daughter of the sixth-rank official Wuya was not only unacceptable to him as a prince's consort, but even as a concubine. Yinzhen would feel uncomfortable and would certainly not agree to it. Thinking of the princess from the Ulanara family who was placed next to Hongjin, he felt a wave of dizziness.
"Don't worry, I won't let anyone else handle You'er's marriage in the future. You don't need to listen to what others say." These words, almost a promise, came from the Emperor's mouth. Hongzhao looked at his father's serious expression and nodded firmly.
Others might think that the Emperor's promises could not be taken seriously. But in Hongzhao's view, from childhood to adulthood, his father had never broken a single promise he had made.
——
Morning meeting.
Perhaps because the turmoil of the past few days had finally come to an end, the peaceful days did not last long before some people started to stir up trouble again.
"Your Majesty, I believe it is inappropriate for the Crown Prince to be living in the Yangxin Hall every day. Since he has been appointed Crown Prince, he should move into the Yuqing Palace to be in accordance with his status and not overstep his bounds."
"Your Majesty, I second your opinion. Although the Crown Prince is called the heir apparent, he is still a heir apparent and not a true ruler. If he stays in the Emperor's residence every day from now on, it may disrupt the order of things. The Crown Prince is young and his mind is not yet settled. It is hard to guarantee that he will not develop disloyal thoughts like the deposed Crown Prince in the past."
The two men seemed to have planned it beforehand, and they took turns presenting their memorials. The first man spoke with some restraint, while the second man was practically testing the limits of Yinzhen's anger.
These words made Yinzhen's forehead twitch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his son standing there with an unchanging expression, even when he heard such words. When he saw Yinzhen's gaze, Yinzhen even gave him a wry smile. Yinzhen felt even more indignant for his son.
He receives a salary from the imperial court, yet he cowers like a coward when it comes to important matters. He knows exactly where my son lives, though! Such a well-behaved child, even when he sleeps in the same bed as me, he leaves half a blanket for me!
He stood up and silently looked at the two people who had stepped forward, especially the latter, who remained silent for a long time.
The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense. The people below felt a chill run down their spines from the piercing, icy gazes fixed upon them. The two looked down at each other, cold sweat breaking out on their brows.
"How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to make such accusations and speculations!" Yinzhen's rebuke wasn't a hysterical shout. But even his calm tone carried an imposing aura that caused the two, already feeling apprehensive, to immediately kneel down.
"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!"
"The Empress has many children, but only the Crown Prince has been personally cared for by me since childhood. Now the Crown Prince is still young and needs care and guidance. Moreover, I know the Crown Prince's character better than any of you. When the Crown Prince moves and where he moves is not up to anyone else to decide."
Yinzhen glanced coldly at the two men below who had just realized their fear, and snorted as he spoke, "I see that you two also have children. If you don't want to keep them at home, you might as well send them to me, and I will find them a good place to live."
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