It’s not that Hong Zhou had never been fed before. In fact, even though he was eight years old, it was normal for him to have food and clothes provided for him. It’s just that he didn’t feel anything extra at the time.
But Hong Zhou felt very embarrassed to be fed by his uncle who was older than him but several years younger than him, and he even decided not to be fed by anyone again.
"You go feed Fourth Brother." Hong Zhou lowered his voice and said after being forced to eat the mouthful of rice that he stuffed into his mouth.
When Cheng'an heard his words, his first reaction was not to look at Hongli, but to look at Yinzhen.
"I'm talking about my fourth brother!" Hong Zhou saw him looking at his father and quickly drew his attention back.
He didn't control the volume of this sentence well, so Hongli who was standing next to him heard it. Just as he was thinking about what he said, he saw his uncle pick up a piece of beef fillet with a different pair of chopsticks and bring it to him.
Good job Hong Zhou!
Hongli glared at him, then raised his bowl and chopsticks to block it in front of him and politely refused.
The colorful beef fillet on the chopsticks gave off an enticing aroma. Even though Cheng'an was full, he still felt a little greedy when he smelled the aroma. Seeing that his nephew didn't eat it, he wanted to put it in his own mouth.
Yinzhen ignored him when he saw him insisting on feeding his own son just now, but now that he was full and wanted to have a few more bites, he coughed lightly.
Hongli looked up when he heard the voice, and after realizing what his father meant, he reluctantly ate the beef fillet before the little guy.
Um?
Cheng An blinked, and when he realized that it was his nephew who ate it, he immediately picked up another piece of food with chopsticks and fed it to him, saying, "Eat more, grow taller~"
Hongli looked at the little uncle in front of him who was not even as tall as himself, and glanced at his father and the Queen Mother, hoping that someone would come to take care of him, but no one did.
As for Hong Zhou, he had finally managed to divert the blame, and now he wished he could bury his face in the bowl.
It would have been fine if the little guy had insisted on feeding his nephew, but he kept staring at the plate of beef tenderloin. By the time lunch was over, Hongli felt that he would not want to eat this dish again for a while.
"Fourth brother An An is feeding his nephew!"
Seeing that he was still running to him to take credit, Yinzhen glanced at his son who was already expressionless after eating, and praised him against his conscience: "Cheng'an has the demeanor of an elder."
The little guy leaned on him and laughed after receiving the praise.
Only Hongli, seeing that his father was actually praising him, had a hint of resentment in his eyes.
After lunch, after a short rest, Kangxi prepared to take Cheng'an back.
The little guy was not very happy. After all, his fourth brother, his little nephew, and a dog were here to play with. He didn't want to go back so soon.
But if he was really left alone, he felt reluctant to leave Kangxi, especially when he found that Kangxi had a stern face.
In the end, the little guy obediently followed Kangxi and sat on the imperial carriage.
Seeing that he finally chose to go with him, Kangxi was quite satisfied. He touched his head and said, "I'll bring you here next time when I'm free."
"Okay." Cheng'an immediately became happy when he heard this. After he could no longer see Yinzhen and the others from the window, he threw himself into his arms and started chatting with him.
"Ama, do you know how a dog barks?"
Kangxi knew, of course, and he also knew that he would definitely learn to bark like a dog next, so he said with a hint of seriousness: "I know, you are not allowed to learn."
"Why?"
"How disgraceful of a noble man to imitate the barking of a dog."
"What does it mean to be indecent?"
"It's not right."
"Why not?"
"It's inappropriate, and you are not allowed to learn it!"
"Okay~"
Cheng'an saw his father's stern face and nodded obediently.
The little guy had the habit of taking a nap in the afternoon. After returning to Changchun Garden, Kangxi originally wanted to watch over him until he fell asleep before going to Danningju to review memorials. However, the little guy was in good spirits today. He was lying on the Luohan bed with his eyes wide open.
"Father, do you like your nephew?" The little guy suddenly asked after lying down for a while.
How could Kangxi not like his own grandson for no reason? He nodded slightly.
"So does Ama like An An or his nephew?"
This was the question that Kangxi and the princes had asked the little guy at the beginning. I don’t know how he suddenly remembered it and asked Kangxi in return.
Generally, the relationship is between grandparents and grandchildren, but the little guy's situation is special, so naturally no other grandson can surpass his position in Kangxi's heart.
However, Kangxi saw that he was not sleeping but asked him such a boring question, so he deliberately said, "Of course it's your nephew."
When the little guy heard this answer, he sat up suddenly, frowned and shouted, "No! I like everything I say!"
"Why?" Kangxi asked knowingly.
When Cheng'an saw that he actually said that he liked his nephew but not himself, he felt very aggrieved. When he saw that he didn't change his words immediately, he lay down again angrily, facing him with his back and little butt.
It was also because Kangxi couldn't hear what he was thinking, otherwise he would definitely cry out that he was wronged. After all, even if he was just teasing him, Kangxi never said that he didn't like him.
Kangxi hadn't seen him lose his temper for some time. He looked at his back and smiled silently for a while before preparing to coax him.
"Cheng'an."
Kangxi called out, and seeing the little guy lying there motionless, he reached out and gently pushed his shoulder.
Seeing that he didn't respond when he pushed him, Kangxi simply hugged him and turned him over, only to see that the little guy had fallen asleep with his eyebrows knitted and his mouth pursed.
Can you sleep while being angry?
Kangxi was speechless for a moment. He raised his hand to smooth his brows. He thought that he would probably forget about it after a good night's sleep, so he decided to go to Danningju first.
However, he underestimated the little guy's memory and temper.
When Cheng'an woke up rubbing his eyes, his first reaction was to look for Kangxi in the house.
Under normal circumstances, he knew Kangxi was busy and it wouldn't matter if he didn't see him, but when he thought about the conversation before going to bed, he suddenly felt that his father really didn't like him anymore...
The little guy felt aggrieved at first, and then started to get angry.
Bad Ama! An An went to find his brother!
The little guy puffed up his cheeks and prepared to run away from home. Before leaving, he did not forget to pack some yam jerky in his wallet, and then took the exquisite little Tibetan knife that he liked recently.
When they saw him packing yak jerky, Liu Cai and others couldn't help but bring up Kangxi, but the little guy was angry and didn't listen.
He insisted on pretending, and Liu Cai and others did not dare to stop him. So they saw him with a bulging purse hanging around his waist and a Tibetan knife in his hand. He pushed the small wooden horse with wheels that Yin'e had given him out of the door, and finally he sat on it, pushed the horse and started running.
Liu Cai and others couldn't stop him, so they could only follow him with bitter faces.
Less than two hours later, Kangxi came back from Danningju and found that the little guy was not in the room, so he asked casually.
"In reply to Your Majesty, the young prince ran away when he woke up, and is now with the second prince." The eunuch who stayed at Qingxi Book House said, and after thinking about it, he added, "From what I saw, the young prince seemed very unhappy when he left."
Kangxi was busy at Danningju for a while and almost forgot what happened before he left. At first he wondered what he was unhappy about, but when he remembered, he shook his head slightly, thinking that he was quite angry.
After asking him in detail about the circumstances before he left, Kangxi learned that he had taken a bag of dried meat with him. A smile appeared in his eyes, and he felt that he really never forgot to eat.
At one point, Kangxi even suspected that he was deliberately taking advantage of the situation so that he could grab a bag of dried meat and run out to eat.
"Let him go. He will come back when he's had enough fun."
Kangxi had no worries about Yinreng's presence, thinking that he would at most have dinner with Yinreng and then come back.
The other side.
When the little guy ran out of Qingxi Bookstore, he didn't think about which brother he was looking for. It was just that when he just arrived near Qianhu Lake, he happened to meet Yinreng.
"Why are you running at this time?
Come out to play?" Yinreng was a little surprised to see him.
“Second brother!”
When Cheng'an saw him, he felt like he had seen a relative. He got off the wooden horse and ran over to him.
"What's wrong?" Yinreng took the man into his arms, and seeing the aggrieved expression on his face, he felt distressed.
The little guy felt even more aggrieved when he heard his caring tone.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Yinreng just buried his little face in himself, rubbed his head and led him back.
When they returned to their own courtyard, Yinreng saw that he still didn't speak, so he pointed at the knife tightly in his hand and asked: "Where did Cheng'an get such a beautiful Tibetan knife?"
"Brother Da gave it to me." The little guy finally spoke after hearing his words.
"Can I show it to my second brother?"
Cheng'an nodded and handed over the hidden knife in his hand.
Yinreng took it and found that the knife was not sharpened, but the scabbard was very exquisite.
He was not interested in the knife at first. He glanced at it casually and his attention soon fell on the purse on the little guy's waist.
"What's in your purse?"
When the little guy heard what he said, he immediately reached out and took off the purse, while telling him: "It's jerky!"
Yinreng helped him take off the purse and found that it was indeed full of dried meat.
"Second brother, eat it." Cheng An took out a piece of dried meat and fed it to him. After eating another piece himself, his little brows finally relaxed.
Seeing this, Yinreng took the opportunity to ask, "Why was Cheng'an unhappy just now?"
Thinking of the news he heard in the morning that the Emperor took him to the Old Summer Palace, Yinreng couldn't help but wonder if he had been wronged by the Fourth Prince.
"Ama said he doesn't like An An!" When the little guy thought of this, the dried meat in his hand no longer smelled good.
Yinreng was slightly stunned when he heard this unexpected answer, and couldn't help but deny it on behalf of Kangxi: "How could it be possible? No matter who the emperor dislikes, he will definitely dislike Cheng'an."
"Father, he just doesn't like An An!" The little guy said angrily, and couldn't help but look up at him, "Does Second Brother like An An or his nephew?"
"What little nephew?" Yinreng asked softly.
"Hongli and Hongzhou~"
Although Kangxi said that he liked his little nephews, the little guy did not vent his anger on them and uttered their names in a baby voice.
To Yinreng, the two nephews whom he had only met a few times were naturally inferior to him, so he said without hesitation: "Of course it's Cheng'an, my second brother only likes Cheng'an."
When the little guy heard this, his eyes lit up instantly, as if stars were falling in them.
But after he was happy, he hugged Yinreng and said softly: "My little nephews are very well behaved, and my second brother likes them too."
"Okay." Yinreng nodded casually, then touched his little face and said, "But second brother still likes Cheng'an the most."
The little guy immediately smiled like a kitten that had stolen some meat, with his eyes and mouth curved up, and he couldn't help but bury his head in his arms and rub against him like a spoiled child.
Yinreng lowered his eyes and looked at him, the corners of his lips unconsciously raised.
After a moment, the little guy raised his head again, holding the purse in his hand and said, "Give all the dried meat to my second brother!"
A bag of dried meat may not be worth much, but for the little guy, it is his favorite, otherwise he would not remember to bring it with him when he "runs away from home".
"So good?" Yinreng took it with a smile.
Cheng An smiled when he saw his brother got the meat jerky, and said in a baby voice: "An An likes second brother the most too, all the meat jerky is given to second brother!"
Even though he knew that he was not the only one he loved the most, Yinreng was still very happy to hear this.
The atmosphere between the two brothers was warm and cozy, but in Qingxi Study, Kangxi did not wait for the little guy to come back after dinner.
Why haven’t you come back yet?
Kangxi held a book in his hand, but he didn't read much of it. He kept glancing towards the door from time to time.
Liang Jiugong, who was waiting on the side, saw this and was about to ask for instructions.
When I went to pick up the little prince, a young eunuch suddenly came outside.
Liang Jiugong walked over and asked a few questions, then turned back to Kangxi and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince sent someone to say that he wanted to keep the Young Prince at his place for one night."
In fact, it was not Yinreng who wanted to keep him, but Cheng'an was rarely in a bad mood and was unwilling to come back.
He refused to leave, and Yinreng was reluctant to drive him away, so he could only send someone to tell him.
"I understand." Kangxi said and continued reading. However, judging from the fact that he did not turn the pages for a long time, it seemed that his mind was not entirely on the book.
Obviously, Cheng'an's failure to come back until evening was beyond Kangxi's expectation, which also made him realize that his casual words really made him angry.
The temper is quite big...
Kangxi thought to himself and decided to coax the girl well when she came back tomorrow.
Without the little guy around, the surroundings became exceptionally quiet. Obviously, such an atmosphere was more suitable for reading, but Kangxi could not bear to read.
After sitting for a while, he simply went to wash up and rest early.
In the past, the little guy would make a fuss in bed before going to bed. Sometimes Kangxi was too lazy to pay attention to him, and sometimes he made too much noise and he had to say a few words.
At this moment he lay directly on the bed, always feeling that something was missing.
While Kangxi's side was deserted, Yinreng's room was very lively.
During dinner, Hongxi heard that his younger uncle was coming, so he ran directly to Yinreng to eat.
Hongxi would not have dared to do such a thing before Yinreng was still the crown prince, but now he felt that his own father was easier to get close to, especially when his uncle was present, so he didn't care so much.
"Nephew~" Cheng An was very happy to see him. He told him about the two little nephews he met today, and counted on his fingers, "One, two, three, I have three nephews!"
Hongxi laughed when he heard his words: "You have more than three nephews."
"Anything else? Where is it?" the little guy asked curiously.
This time when he went to Changchun Garden, Yinreng not only brought his son Hongxi, but also called his other two sons over when he saw that Hongxi wanted to see his other nephews.
"Wow~"
When the little guy saw that he had two little nephews, he couldn't help but shout.
"Meet little uncle."
After Hongtan and Honghuang bowed and greeted Yinreng, they looked at their young uncle in front of them.
In fact, there was also Hongyang who was the same age as Chengan, and Hongwei who was about one year old, but because they were too young, they were not brought to the palace.
Since everyone had arrived, Yinreng simply asked them to have dinner with him.
Most sons were respectful in front of their fathers. Hongtong and Honghuang were no exception. They seemed a little reserved after sitting down at the table.
When they started to eat, they were surprised to see their father feeding their uncle personally.
Hongxi had long seen how his father took care of his uncle, so he was not surprised. However, when he sat at the same table with his brothers, he began to reflect and felt that compared to his father, he, as an older brother, was not doing enough.
"Hongyang, come here, I'll feed you."
When the five-year-old Honghuang heard what his elder brother said, he almost choked and quickly waved his hands and said, "Thank you, second brother. Honghuang can eat by himself."
"My eldest nephew is also my brother?" The little guy couldn't help but look up when he heard the conversation between the brothers.
Hongxi originally had an older brother, but he died young, so he became the eldest son and grandson.
Yinreng: “Yes.”
"I also have Da Ge and Er Ge~" the little guy said and climbed directly from his chair into his arms.
Yinreng looked at him lovingly, then picked up the bowl and fed him another mouthful of rice.
The little guy ate it in one gulp and felt how great it was to have a brother.
While he was happy, Yinreng pressed the vegetables under the rice and meat.
"Nephew, this meat is delicious!"
The little guy who was being fed must be quite free, and he kept talking to his nephews while eating.
talk.
"Let me try it." Hongxi cooperated and took a piece with chopsticks. After finishing, he nodded, "It's really good."
Hongxi is the eldest nephew, and like the seven-year-old Hongtan, the five-year-old Hongheng and Hongzhou, they are all younger nephews in Cheng'an's heart.
"Little nephew, eat meat!" The little guy needs to be fed, but he is worried about his elders.
When Yinreng heard what he said, he turned around and found that his son was also quite picky about food, but his picky eating was the opposite of the little guy's.
"Did Hongyan hear what your uncle said?"
Hongyan responded and quickly picked up a piece of meat and put it in the bowl and started eating.
Seeing that he could spend half a day eating a piece of meat, Yinreng couldn't help but shake his head.
After dinner, the outgoing Cheng'an pulled his older and younger nephews to play together.
Although someone was playing with him, Yinreng did not participate and just sat aside and watched.
"Where are you, nephew?"
The little fellow had a handkerchief covering his eyes and stretched out his hands to explore and touch.
Hongxi naturally couldn't answer him. He hid behind the door with his arms folded across his chest and watched him groping around.
"Where are you, nephew?"
Seeing that his eldest nephew didn't say anything, the little guy who couldn't touch him continued to ask questions.
Hongtong and Honghuang were born after Yinreng was imprisoned. Influenced by the environment, they were both shy. However, Hongtong was older and could hold back from speaking. However, Honghuang responded directly: "Honghuang is here."
The little guy had sharp ears and immediately moved towards the direction of the sound. When he found Honghuang, he hugged him tightly in his arms.
Being hugged tightly by the soft and milky little uncle, Honghuang put his hands on his sides and was a little afraid to move. It was not because he was scared by him, but because he felt that the little uncle in front of him was too small and soft, and he was afraid that he would be pushed down by accident.
"An An caught his nephew!" the little guy said excitedly.
Honghuang saw him laughing with his little milk teeth showing. Even though he was the one who was caught, he couldn't help but laugh along.
Hongxi saw through the crack in the door that he had been holding Hongyang for a long time, as if he had forgotten that there were still two people he hadn't caught. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, are you still going to catch them?"
Cheng'an reacted when he heard his voice, immediately let go of Honghao and ran towards the voice.
The little guy had sharp senses, and even though Hongxi shut up immediately after speaking, he still managed to touch it successfully.
After being caught by him, Hong Xi couldn't help but rub his head and said, "Are you doing this on purpose?" He deliberately hesitated to make him speak.
The little guy didn't say anything, but just hugged him and giggled.
The remaining one, Hongtan, did not try to hide and was soon touched by him. In the end, even Yinreng, who was watching from the sidelines, could not escape and was hugged by him. The room was suddenly filled with the laughter of the little ones.
Although this game was childish, probably because Yinreng also participated in it in disguise, Hongxi and the others did not show it on their faces, but they were quite happy in their hearts. After all, it was their first time to have this kind of experience playing with their father.
By the end of the game, even Honghuang became quite lively. If Yinreng had not spoken out when he saw it was getting late, they would not have been willing to leave.
After Hongxi and the others left, Yinreng took the little one to wash and prepare for rest.
"Second brother..."
After getting to the bed, Yinreng heard the little guy calling him in a long voice, and thought he was thinking about his father, but he unexpectedly heard him ask: "Does An An have an uncle?"
Apparently, he was lying there when he suddenly remembered the topic he had talked about with Hong Zhou and the others during the day.
"Of course." Although Yinreng didn't know why he suddenly thought of this, he still answered.
When the little guy heard that he also had an uncle, his curiosity was immediately aroused: "Then why has An An never met his uncle?"
He was still young, and Yinreng didn't want to be too blunt, so he said, "They went to a very far place."
"You're not coming back?"
"Yes." Yinreng nodded and changed the subject, "How about Cheng'an recite the Three Character Classic for my second brother?"
"Okay!" Cheng An agreed immediately.
He sat up and shook his head, saying, "When people are born, their nature is good..."
Yinreng listened with a smile, and taught him softly when he encountered something he didn't understand.
The little guy was sitting by himself at first, but after a while he leaned on his arms and then fell asleep while reciting the Three Character Classic with him.
It was not until he fell asleep that the little guy faintly called out "Ama".
The next day.
After Kangxi left the court, he took the memorials back to Qingxi Study to review them and waited for the little guy to come back. However, he waited until noon and didn't see him.
"Are you not planning on coming back?" He tried to hide it at first, but when he saw that the little guy was not coming back, he could not help but slam the letter in his hand on the table.
"Your Majesty, calm down."
Seeing that he was somewhat unhappy, Liang Jiugong wondered whether he should send someone to secretly tell Yinreng to ask the young prince to come back quickly.
However, despite Kangxi's fierce criticism, he could no longer sit still the next moment and stood up to go and pick someone up in person.
When Kangxi came over, Cheng'an was studying with Yinreng.
"The sky and earth are dark and yellow, the universe is vast and desolate..."
The little guy's pronunciation is quite clear now, but his tone is still childish. It is a pleasure to listen to him reading.
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