Geng Youran then remembered that she hadn't made the soup for her son yet. She bowed to Yinzhen and hurriedly left the room to go to the small kitchen.
Seeing Geng Youran leave, Yinzhen stepped forward and said:
“Although it was just reckless courage, you did the right thing, so Father won’t punish you this time.”
"Really? Thank you, Father."
Hongzhou was overjoyed to hear that he wouldn't be punished by copying books.
"Father is asking you, was Hongshi present when you made the bet with Hongwang and the others?"
"Well... my son was only thinking about how to compete with Hongwang and the others at the time, and didn't pay attention to my third brother."
"You dared to lie to your father, didn't you? Tell me, was your third brother there at the time?"
Hongzhou was startled by Yinzhen's reprimand and then told the truth:
"My third brother was right there at the time."
Yinzhen's eyes darkened.
This matter was indeed not so simple. Hongzhou usually did not like to stand out, and even if Hongwang was audacious, he would not dare to do such a bold thing in the palace.
Then a bold conjecture came to his mind.
“Father, you don’t suspect Third Brother, do you? Although Third Brother rarely talks to Fourth Brother and me now, we haven’t seen him have any bad intentions towards us.”
"Father understands this matter. You should stay here with your mother and recover well. Don't run around."
"Yes, son understands."
Then Yinzhen told Gao Wuyong to stay there while he returned to his study.
On the other side, Geng Youran took the chicken pieces that Xiao Anzi had prepared, put the chopped chicken pieces into the pot, and stir-fried them over medium heat until the surface of the chicken pieces turned slightly yellow and they became fragrant.
Once the skin turns slightly yellow, pour in an appropriate amount of rice vinegar and stir-fry evenly with the chicken pieces.
Then add an appropriate amount of water to the pot, enough to cover the chicken pieces.
Add a few slices of ginger and some rock sugar to the pot.
Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat until the chicken pieces are tender and the broth is rich.
When the broth thickens, add a little salt, then turn up the heat to reduce the sauce.
When Geng Youran brought in the stewed chicken, Yinzhen had already gone to his study.
"Eunuch Gao, where is the Prince?"
"Your Highness, the Prince has gone to his study. He instructed me to stay here and watch over the young prince until you come in, then I will leave."
"Then I will take care of Hongzhou. Thank you for your hard work, Eunuch Gao."
"This is all my duty, Your Highness, there's no need for you to be so polite."
After Gao Wuyong left, Geng Youran came to the bedside, ladled out a bowl of chicken soup, and prepared to feed Hongzhou:
"Mother, your son can eat by himself."
Hongzhou blushed a little at his mother feeding him.
"Look how swollen your wrist is, and you're still trying to show off. Open your mouth."
Unable to argue with his mother, Hongzhou had no choice but to speak up.
"Mmm, it tastes good."
Hongzhou has never been stingy with his praise for his mother's cooking skills.
Looking at his mother carefully picking meat off his body, Hongzhou suddenly felt as if he had returned to before he was six years old, when he was still by his mother's side.
"What are you thinking about, so lost in thought? Eat up. Let me tell you, this 'vinegar-braised chicken' can relieve sprains. I learned it from a folk remedy. You're the first one to try it. In the future, don't be so impulsive, my heart can't take your abuse."
Hongzhou ate the meat his mother had picked out while listening to her nagging.
To be honest, he occasionally missed his mother's nagging while he was in the palace.
He had always felt that his mother was different from his father's other women.
She never thought of competing for her father's affection. Although she was already quite favored, who would complain about having too much love?
When teaching myself, I never ask about my grades, how many calligraphy models I've copied, or how many books I've memorized. Instead, I always ask myself if I'm eating well and if I feel unwell.
To be honest, he was really dissatisfied, feeling that his mother was asking him that because she didn't value him.
Whether in the eyes of his grandfather, his father, or even others, the most outstanding person in the Yong Prince's Mansion was Hongli, who was a few months older than him. Even his own mother had praised him many times.
But today, he suddenly realized how naive his previous thoughts had been.
As Hongzhou pondered this, he fell asleep in Geng Youran's arms without realizing it.
This was the first time Geng Youran had held her son since he started attending school at the age of six.
Perhaps because he had endured for so long, he was finally able to relax and slept very soundly in Geng Youran's arms.
"Princess, how about I hold you for a while? You should eat something first."
"No need. Go to the small kitchen and make some 'red bean and bamboo shoot soup'. After it's cooked, keep it simmering over low heat and let Hongzhou drink it when he wakes up."
"Yes, this servant will go right away."
About half an hour later, Hongzhou finally woke up. When he woke up, he found himself still nestled in his mother's arms, and he blushed a little.
Geng Youran didn't say anything, but called Qianxue and asked her to bring the food up.
"It's best not to eat anything too greasy at night. Mom asked Qianxue to make 'red bean and bamboo shoot soup,' which helps reduce swelling. Try it."
Hongzhou blushed and took a bite.
Sure enough, the food at my mother's house is still the best.
"Mom, you eat too."
There was a dish of sweet and sour pork ribs on the table, which was Geng Youran's favorite dish. Hongzhou thoughtfully picked out a piece for Geng Youran, and Geng Youran affectionately patted Hongzhou's head.
Through the window, Yinzhen could vaguely see the mother and son talking, and a rare smile appeared on his face.
He had witnessed many different kinds of mother-son relationships, but the bond between Geng Youran and Hongzhou was the warmest and most precious.
"Your Highness, won't you come in and eat with us?"
"No need, there are still many memorials waiting for you in the study. Remember to have the imperial physician come every other day to examine Hongzhou. We must not allow any damage to his bones."
"Yes, sir."
After returning to his study, Yinzhen looked at the memorials on the table and frowned, a rare occurrence for him.
Recently, the Emperor's health has deteriorated significantly. Yesterday, he said that his "qi and blood are gradually declining, his energy is decreasing, he feels quite tired when doing things, and his hand is gradually trembling when writing."
He then delegated some tasks to his sons, including the military supplies for the Northwest campaign.
Originally, this matter was to be handled by Yinzhi, but because of Hongwang's incident, Yinzhi was labeled as 'incompetent in raising his son' and all his power was suspended. Therefore, these matters are currently being handled by Yinzhen.
Minister Haijin and others reported that the number of sheep in pastures in Altai, Barkol and other places was huge, and merchants and military commanders were also buying sheep in large quantities to prepare for military needs.
In addition, Yinzhen also sent people to various places to purchase large quantities of millet, wheat flour and other military supplies.
In order to stabilize the situation in the Northwest, Emperor Kangxi ordered the Grand General of Pacification, who was also his fourteenth son, to be stationed in Xining. He also issued an edict to the Mongol princes in Qinghai, entrusting all military affairs related to Tibet to the Grand General of Pacification.
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