Chapter 96 Elder Brother Resigns "Master, it's so hot outside, you should..."
"Grandpa, it's so hot outside. Why don't we go back inside?" Jiang Zhong advised with a pained expression.
Hongyan, hands on his hips, replied decisively, "No, I'll take a nap here tonight." He turned to the eunuchs following behind him and said, "Quickly, go and bring the reclining chair over." The eunuchs glanced at the prince and then at Jiang Zhong, hesitated for less than two seconds, and then took a few steps back.
Jiang Zhong had no choice but to say, "A reclining chair alone is not enough. This servant will go and prepare some other things, such as a sun umbrella and an incense burner to repel mosquitoes." As he spoke, he gave a wink to the two eunuchs who remained behind and then ran off without stopping.
Hongyan cheered when everyone left and stood by the lake to look at the willow tree he had chosen. He thought to himself, "Such a thick willow tree, with so many leaves, I definitely won't get any sun if I sleep under it." He thought, "Hmm, after my afternoon nap, I'll wander around somewhere else, so I won't have to drink soup, hehe."
Yes, the reason Hongyan ran away was to avoid Tang.
Lately, his mother has been making him drink soup every day—three meals a day, after his afternoon nap, and before bed. Hongyan is finding it increasingly difficult to resist; he finds it both sweet and annoying. His soup is different from everyone else's; whether it tastes good or not is another matter, but it always has a medicinal smell. The smell constantly reminds him of the bitter medicine he drank when he was vaccinated at Wufutang.
After drinking the soup for several days, Hongyan told his mother about it and begged, "I'll just drink the chicken and duck soup with you, but not the kind with medicinal herbs in it, okay?"
Cheng Qianyue pushed the black chicken soup with ginseng and scutellaria towards him: "These are all good soups, simmered in a stewing pot. Only you have this kind of soup with medicinal herbs."
Hongyan's eyes darted around and he found an excuse: "Mother can't be biased. My younger brother and sister don't drink this kind of soup."
Cheng Qianyue replied, "Hongchao and Moyaqi are still young. The imperial physician said that to be on the safe side, they shouldn't take such medicinal supplements. You are older, and you had smallpox before, so it's time for you to replenish your qi and blood. Be a good boy and drink the soup."
Hongyan was on the verge of tears, so he could only complain honestly: "Mother... that soup tasted really weird, it had a nasty medicinal smell."
Cheng Qianyue then discussed it with him, holding up one finger: "How about this, you drink it for at least ten days, and after ten days you won't drink this soup anymore, okay?" Then she put on a stern face and said: "Listen to me, look at your younger brother and sister, they both drink the soup obediently without saying a word."
Hongyan glanced at Hongchao and Moyaqi, only to see the two of them scooping out lilies from the clear pork rib soup with spoons. He thought to himself, how can you compare them like that? These two finally stopped eating rice porridge and started eating with their mother. Who knows what they'll find new and exciting now? They might even be happy to eat fried insects!
Hongyan was depressed. He held his breath and, pinching his nose, drank the soup with the smell of medicine in one gulp.
There are still three days left until the ten-day deadline, and he really doesn't want to drink it anymore. He's been drinking so much soup these past few days that he feels like he's turning into medicine, his whole body reeking of it, so he's trying every possible way to avoid it. He can't hide forever, but he'll try to avoid it for as long as possible.
In no time, a deck chair, incense burner, and parasol were brought over. Hongyan directed them to place the deck chair under the willow tree, facing the lake, and then lay down on it and closed his eyes. He smelled the incense and listened to the chirping of insects in the distance, and soon fell asleep.
Hongyan didn't wake up until about an incense stick and a half later. After getting off the reclining chair, he couldn't help but yawn. Jiang Zhong had already had someone prepare a basin of water and a handkerchief brought up. Hongyan felt much more awake after wiping his face.
Just as he put down his handkerchief, he saw a figure approaching from the east. When the figure was about twenty or thirty paces away, Hongyan recognized him as Quanxi, the second-class eunuch who served his mother. He hurriedly got up and put on his shoes. But before he could even stand up, Quanxi had already approached, bowed, and said, "This servant greets the Third Prince. His Majesty has instructed me to invite you back for some soup."
Hongyan was immediately filled with regret: "Damn it, I should have run when I saw people coming from the east! But what can I do now that they're here? It's too late to run now." He could only dejectedly walk towards Donglizhai. As he walked, he suddenly saw a man with a knife approaching from the front.
Hongyan took a closer look and immediately ran over happily, shouting, "Uncle!"
The newcomer was Cheng Yexing. Upon seeing Hongyan, he smiled and knelt down to pay his respects: "This servant greets the Third Prince."
"Uncle, get up quickly," Hongyan said hastily.
Cheng Yexing stood up and saw that Hongyan's forehead was covered in sweat. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to him, "Why did you come here, brother?"
Hongyan pointed to the west and said, "I was just taking a nap under the willow tree not far away." Then, with bright eyes, he asked, "Is Uncle going to see Mother?"
Cheng Yexing nodded: "It's been a long time. Come back and ask about your mother and brother." He glanced to the west and instructed: "Summer is just around the corner, and the sun is getting stronger every day. Brother, don't stay out in the sun. Heatstroke is no joke."
"I know, I know." Hongyan chuckled and hooked his arm around his uncle's. "It's perfect that we go back together. Mother will definitely be happy to see Uncle."
Cheng Yexing was quite puzzled by the Third Prince's overly warm invitation to Donglizhai. Today, the Third Prince was being extremely attentive to him, almost as if he wanted to drag someone along to do something naughty.
Surely not? Maybe he's mistaken?
Cheng Yexing entered Donglizhai in a state of confusion. After exchanging greetings, he was invited to sit down by Cheng Qianyue.
Hongyan said very considerately, "I won't disturb Mother and Uncle's conversation." He then quickly retreated. He was all smiles, thinking that since his uncle had finally come all this way, Mother might be happy and wouldn't keep staring at him while he drank the soup. Yay!
Cheng Qianyue knew what the boy was up to from the eunuch's report that he had taken a nap outside. While offering Cheng Yexing a seat, she said to Ruoyun, "Send the soup directly to the side room. You personally supervise the Third Prince as he drinks it. He must drink at least half of the soup and finish all the meat in it."
Ruoyun nodded in agreement, a hint of pity in her eyes, and with a half-smile, she left.
Cheng Qianyue then looked at her brother and said, "I asked someone to make him some tonic soup, but the child doesn't like the taste of the medicine and always tries to avoid drinking it."
Cheng Yexing also realized what was going on. "Oh, so that's why the Third Prince was chuckling like that just now," he said. "Children have sharp tongues; they can taste even the slightest bitterness in medicine."
That's true.
Cheng Qianyue smiled and said, "He was recently vaccinated against smallpox, so I thought I'd give him some extra nourishment. He'll stop drinking it in a couple more days, so he won't go out anymore." While the servants were serving tea, she continued to ask with concern, "How is everyone at home?"
Cheng Yexing replied, "It's all good. I came here today mainly to give you good news. You're going to be an aunt again."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Qianyue immediately exclaimed, "Sister-in-law is pregnant again? That's wonderful!" Yu Lushi had previously given birth to a daughter, a few months older than Mo Yaqi. At the time, she had sent a lot of fabric over, saying it was for making clothes for her little niece. Almost a year and a half had passed, and the Cheng family was about to have another child. Great!
Cheng Yexing said cheerfully, "Yes, that's why I came to deliver the news so quickly."
Cheng Qianyue nodded and smiled, "Time flies. I'll be giving birth in a few months. It seems I need to prepare the gold lock again."
“Then I will first express my gratitude on behalf of Yu Lu Shi and the child in her womb. Everything you send brings good fortune.” Cheng Yexing chuckled twice, but quickly let out a long sigh: “It’s just that I won’t be able to see the child born with my own eyes.”
Huh? What are you saying?
Cheng Qianyue frowned: "Pah, pah, pah!" She spat three times. "That sounds really ominous."
Cheng Yexing also realized that what he had just said was strange. "Look at my mouth, I just blurted it out." He looked up at Cheng Qianyue and said in a deep voice, "Brother's future is set. He will go to Xining, Qinghai to serve as a garrison commander after the Dragon Boat Festival."
In the past few years, Cheng Yexing has gained a great deal of knowledge by the Crown Prince's side. Aside from his daily martial arts training, he's practically worn out his reading of classics like "The Art of War" and "The Thirty-Six Stratagems." Furthermore, last year, when the Crown Prince was tutoring the Fourteenth Prince and incidentally entrusted important court affairs to his guards, Cheng Yexing spent his free time pondering these matters, including warfare and the art of officialdom, gradually developing a certain understanding of these principles.
When spring came this year, the Crown Prince suddenly decided to interrogate the guards, and as expected, what they had learned and thought about earned the Crown Prince's praise. Sure enough, within a few months, the Crown Prince appointed several of them to official positions. He went to Qinghai, while the other two went to Hangzhou and Fujian, respectively.
Cheng Yexing quickly thanked the emperor and went home to tell his family the good news. Then, Xitala told him another piece of good news: his wife, Yulu, was two months pregnant. Double happiness! He had to tell his young mistress, both to share the good news and to say goodbye.
Dragon Boat Festival... that's only six or seven days long, isn't it?
Cheng Qianyue's expression changed immediately. "So fast?"
Cheng Yexing chuckled and said, "It's already late." If he were any smarter, he might have been released long ago. To be honest, he was getting impatient.
Cheng Qianyue had so much to say, but she didn't know where to begin.
The Crown Prince will eventually be deposed again, so she doesn't know if she'll ever see Cheng Yexing again after he leaves. More importantly, she fears that her status will implicate her family. They say it's easier to see the King of Hell than his underlings. If Yinreng falls from grace, Kangxi might not be so kind to her family, but Yinreng's enemies certainly won't be friendly.
But she couldn't bring herself to say these things. Finally, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled: "When you're out in the world, you have to make a name for yourself but also take care of your health. You're our only son, Father and Mother."
Cheng Yexing nodded in agreement, and after a while said that he still had to be on duty today, then got up to say goodbye.
Seeing him stand up and stride out, Cheng Qianyue panicked and jumped up from the bed. Her expression was as if she were facing a life-or-death separation. After a long while, her lips trembled as she said, "Brother, if in the future... if the situation in the capital becomes bad and our circumstances change, you don't need to worry about me. Just be good to Mother and Father. In case... I mean, in case, you can take the whole family and leave the capital."
Um?
Cheng Yexing was taken aback by these words. Just now, his younger sister had said that his words were unlucky, so why was she saying unlucky things now? But then he thought, maybe she just blurted it out, perhaps she was afraid that he would get promoted and settle down elsewhere, instead of coming to the capital.
He slowly smiled.
As the saying goes, it's hard to leave one's homeland. The whole family are from the capital, so why would they pack up and run away? Besides, the Crown Prince certainly won't let him stay in the capital forever. As long as he makes contributions, he will definitely be transferred back to the capital.
Cheng Yexing said confidently, "Qianqian, don't worry. Your brother will definitely make a name for himself!"
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