Planting flowers every day, playing with his two mothers, and sticking to his brothers to cultivate brotherly feelings, Yinzuo lived a happy life. In the blink of an eye, it was his birthday - the fifth day of the second month.
The Imperial Concubine specially prepared a feast for the child and invited the princes and princesses who got along well with him to celebrate his birthday.
At this moment, Yinzuo was being carefully dressed up by the Imperial Noble Mother herself. Although the style was not as novel as the Kirin pullover he wore on the last New Year's Eve, the material used for this dress was extremely precious, and the embroidery on it was even more exquisite and intricate. It was obvious that it was embroidered by the best embroiderers in the palace.
Even the small boots that Yinzuo wore today had silk uppers embroidered with gold thread, and the little tiger on the toe looked very conspicuous.
"It's a pity that the Empress Dowager's birthday is in three days, so I can't hold a grand celebration for my little Yinzuo. I'm sorry for putting you in trouble." The Imperial Concubine said with a little regret as she half-knelt down to adjust the accessories around the child's waist.
"I don't feel wronged at all, because so many people have come to celebrate my birthday. Thank you for your hard work, my royal mother!" Yinzuo put his little arms around Tong Jia's neck in a friendly and natural manner, with a smile on his face.
"As long as you are happy, take a look at the birthday gift I prepared for you first."
The personal maid behind her walked quickly forward and handed the tray in her hand to the imperial concubine.
A golden box inlaid with various gems suddenly appeared in front of Yinzuo, almost dazzling his eyes.
Although this box was very pretty and looked very precious, but was it a birthday gift? Yinzuo always felt that something was not right.
"My little Yinzuo was born in the year of the rooster. Here is a gold-threaded hollow gemstone rooster ornament made by me at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Do you like it?"
The Imperial Concubine opened the golden box as she spoke.
The first time Yinzuo saw it, he was attracted by its exquisite craftsmanship. It is not difficult to make it into the shape of a chicken, but it is not something that ordinary people can do to make it so lifelike. The truth lies in the details.
The texture of each feather of this golden rooster is different, but the overall view is very harmonious. The comb is made of bloodstone to imitate its color and shape. The eyes are actually inlaid with two agates, which look real. And the pair of clasped claws, Yinzuo couldn't help but touch it gently with his hand to test whether it would come alive.
Yinzhen, who had just walked in, was stunned for a moment. The imperial mother was really generous. Even he had never seen such rare items.
"Wow~ It looks so beautiful, exactly like the real one~" Yinzuo exclaimed.
The Imperial Concubine smiled and covered her lips, and said to him, "Xiao Liu, when have you ever seen a real chicken? Do you know that it looks like the real thing?"
"Xiao Liu has seen it~ The prince has it! It can even flap its wings, that's it~"
Yinzuo imitated the posture of the chicken that he had seen entering combat mode. He folded his two little arms behind his back, pretending to spread his wings, and ran around in the hall, muttering: "Chijiji~"
This immediately made everyone in the hall laugh.
Yinzuo realized that everyone was laughing at him, so he immediately hid behind his brother, pouted his little mouth and complained aggrievedly: "Brother~They all laugh at Xiaoliu, is it wrong for Xiaoliu to learn it? But the chickens in the prince's palace are like this~"
Yinzhen coughed lightly. He knew that the prince liked to play cockfighting, so it was not surprising that he raised two.
"You are right." Yinzhen affirmed the little guy's imitation. It seemed that he was quite similar, but he was just too cute. He did not show the ferocity of a fighting cock. Instead, he looked naive.
"Xiao Liu! I'm here to celebrate your birthday with you!"
A familiar voice came from outside, and Yinzuo no longer cared about the little grievance he had just suffered. He raised his head, ran to the door, and waved excitedly to his little friends.
"Fifth brother~you're here!" Yinzuo spent the most time playing with his fifth brother Yinqi in the palace, and they were also his best friends.
Yinqi ran over, holding the hand of his best friend Xiaoliu.
"Xiao Liu, today is your birthday. I brought you a birthday gift, which is your favorite spinning top! Are you happy?"
"I'm happy~ I'm happy with whatever you give me~~"
The two little guys were talking and laughing at the door. The imperial concubine couldn't help but sigh that time flies. Once upon a time, she also had such a carefree childhood.
"It's getting late. Xiaoliu should go to the door to greet the two sisters." Yinzhen walked forward and pushed Yinqi aside calmly while speaking.
"Oh~ Okay, then Fifth Brother, you go sit down and eat something first. Or you can play with toys here. I've asked them to take them out and put them on the table." As the protagonist of today, Yinzuo still has a strong sense of being the master.
"Okay then, Xiaoliu, you go and get busy first." Although Yinqi was not very happy, he knew that today was Xiaoliu's birthday and he couldn't play alone with him.
Gradually, more and more people came, first the two sisters, then the eldest brother, and finally the third brother who lived outside the palace. Even the prince, who was unable to come in person because he was accompanying the emperor to Jingshan for fasting, sent people to deliver gifts. Yinzuo was like a happy little butterfly, flitting between his brothers and sisters. Everyone gave him a carefully prepared gift, and he felt very happy.
"Let me take you to see the flowers I planted~" Yinzuo was most proud of the flowers and plants that he and his brother planted with their own hands.
Everyone was very considerate and agreed. They chatted and laughed as they walked to the flower bed in the backyard. They saw that the flower bed was bare and if they didn't look carefully, they couldn't even find the little sprouts of vegetables coming out of the soil.
"Were they grown from the seeds I gave you?" the second princess asked curiously.
"Yeah! All the seeds planted here are the seeds that the brothers and sisters gave to Xiaoliu~"
"But when I look at it, it looks like weeds?" the third prince Yinzhi suddenly said.
Yinzuo retorted angrily: "They are not weeds! They just haven't grown up yet. When they grow up, they will be beautiful and will bloom!"
"Yinzhi, don't talk nonsense. These seeds were delivered by us personally, how could they be weeds! Could it be that the seeds you gave to Xiaoliu were just casually given to him to fool him?" Seeing that Xiaoliu was unhappy, the second princess immediately criticized the third princess.
"I didn't!"
"Okay, everyone, stop arguing. Big brother, you have read the most books. Why don't you tell us, are these grass or flowers?" The eldest princess helped to mediate.
The eldest prince Yinzhi, who was implicated for no reason, was somewhat helpless. Although he had studied in the upper study for several years, he had only learned the serious Four Books and Five Classics. How could he know how to identify flowers and plants? But this group of little ones in front of him were looking at him eagerly, expecting him to give an explanation, and he could not say that he did not know, as that would undermine his dignity as an elder brother.
"Hehe! Of course it is a flower. You are still young so you don't know that these flowers all slowly turn from grass into flowers!" Yinzhi said very confidently.
"Wow! Big brother is so awesome!" Yinzhi flattered without thinking. As long as others said something he didn't know, he thought it was awesome.
"It seems to make some sense. No wonder the flowers in my yard look like grass at ordinary times. They only look like flowers when they bloom!" The second princess thought about it and felt that there was nothing wrong with what her eldest brother said.
"Big brother is indeed knowledgeable." The eldest princess smiled and did not say much, deliberately undermining others, but chose to follow everyone in praising him.
Yinzuo was a little confused. He said to himself, "Is... is this the case?"
Yinzhen, the only sober and normal person: ...As long as you are happy.
"Do you want each of you to plant a pot? Transplant these sprouted seedlings from the flower bed into the pots. My brother and I can help you take care of them. When they bloom, I will have someone send them to you." Yinzuo suddenly had an idea.
"Okay! I haven't planted flowers yet!" The first one to respond was naturally the second princess who had the most lively personality.
Everyone else also agreed, except the third prince Yinzhi, who was reluctant to touch the dirty soil and kept hesitating.
However, planting flowers is also a very interesting job. First, everyone chose a flowerpot that suits their taste and asked Xiaoliu about what to do at each step. Then everyone communicated with each other and it was very lively.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Yinzhi also joined in, happily selecting seedlings and planting his pot of flowers.
"Xiao Liu, how about this seedling?"
"Xiao Liu, how much soil do you want to put?"
"Xiao Liu..."
Yinzuo felt that his mind was full of the word "Xiaoliu" and he was really overwhelmed. He looked at the flower pot he had just chosen, and ran to his brother for help anxiously.
"Brother, can you help me plant a pot for the Crown Prince? Everyone needs my help, and I'm really too busy. Please, brother~" Yinzuo looked at him eagerly.
Although his relationship with the prince in his previous life was not bad, it had not reached the point where he would personally prepare gifts for him. Yinzhen sighed and softened his heart.
"good."
After a while, the Imperial Concubine discovered that the princes and princesses were still staying in the backyard, so she came over to see what they were doing.
But when I actually saw the children all dirty and touching the mud, my breathing stopped and I almost fell down.
"Yinzuo! What are you doing?"
Yinzuo's hands were also covered in mud. He ran over with a smile and replied, "My Royal Highness, we are planting flowers. Everyone has a pot of flowers of their own~"
"Be good, I see you have been planting for quite a while, why don't you wash your hands and go to the front to eat something?" The Imperial Noble Concubine was thankful that the Emperor had gone to Jingshan to fast and would not suddenly appear in Chengqian Palace, while she kindly persuaded the children to stay away from the backyard.
Everyone hid their dirty little hands behind their backs. They had a lot of fun playing when no one was around, but they still felt guilty in front of the adults, especially the older prince and princess.
"I will listen to the Imperial Concubine."
The servants swiftly brought a basin of water to each young master. Everyone lined up to wash their hands, and they all started laughing as they washed.
"Xiao Liu, this is my first time planting flowers. It's quite interesting." said the second princess.
"Me too. Even though the mud is a little dirty, those are the flowers I planted myself!"
"It's fun~" Fifth Prince Yinqi just treated it as a game.
"Last year, the prince and I followed the emperor to the outside of the city to do spring ploughing. The farmers there planted crops much like we plant flowers today." That's what the eldest prince thought anyway.
"Is this how growing crops is? That's not easy. No wonder the ancients wrote a poem saying 'Who knows that every grain of rice on the plate is the result of hard work?'" The eldest princess suddenly sighed.
"The area they cultivate is very large, and one person has to cultivate several acres. It is really hard work." The eldest prince has seen it with his own eyes and experienced it, and he is the one who feels the deepest.
"How big is a few acres?" asked Yinzhi, who had never been to school.
"Well, it's as big as Chengqian Palace." The eldest prince estimated and described it.
"With such a large area, a lot of food must be grown, right? Why are there still people who don't have enough to eat?" Yinzhi once sneaked out of the city and saw refugees collapsing on the roadside due to hunger.
"It may be that the amount of food grown is too little and there are too many people, so there is not enough to eat." The eldest princess guessed based on actual facts.
Yinzhen originally thought that it was not very appropriate for Yinzo to ask everyone to plant flowers today, but when he heard this today, he suddenly felt that it would be a good idea to let everyone experience the difficulty of labor.
"It takes a long time to grow grain, and it takes a year to harvest. If there is heavy rain or drought, there may not even be a harvest. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to get grain." The eldest prince only heard the emperor's father say this, and he didn't quite understand it.
“Then everyone should finish their meals in the future. They are so precious. Let’s not leave any leftovers~” Yinzuo took the initiative to suggest.
Yinqi had a big appetite, so he naturally raised his hand in agreement.
The second princess and the third prince were both rather pampered. They often threw away the food after taking just two bites. Now they felt a little bit that something was wrong.
"Then I'll try my best to do it in the future."
"If you can't finish it, you can give it to the servants as a reward. Just don't throw it away." The eldest princess gave advice with a smile.
When they arrived at the main hall, the imperial concubine smiled and asked them to sit down.
But she found that the princes and princesses were very careful when eating. They would finish the one they had in hand before taking another piece of snack and would never take more than one piece.
"Don't be shy. Today is Xiaoliu's birthday. It's good that you can come. You can eat whatever you want." The imperial concubine originally thought that the children were cautious because of her presence.
Yinzuo suddenly shook his head and said to her, "It's not like that, my dear mother. My elder brother said that food is hard to come by and we can't waste it. Growing food is much harder than growing flowers."
The Imperial Concubine looked at the group of precious little ones in front of her with surprise. She felt very relieved that they could have such understanding at such a young age.
"Your Royal Father has always said that food is the most important thing for the people, and every grain of rice is produced with countless efforts. Therefore, as a member of the royal family, since you enjoy wealth and glory, you must think about the people of the world.
I am in charge of the harem, and I always think about saving as much as possible, reducing unnecessary expenses and using them for more important purposes. However, today is little Yinzuo's birthday, and the food has been prepared. It would be a waste if we don't eat it, so everyone should just eat as much as they want."
With the Imperial Concubine's advice, everyone was no longer as overly cautious as they were at the beginning.
This matter was heard by Kangxi. He nodded repeatedly, thinking that Xiaoliu's birthday was a very meaningful lesson for his brothers and sisters. He specially ordered Liang Jiugong to go to Chengqian Palace in person with rewards.
"The Emperor gave the Sixth Prince a jade ruyi, a pair of colorful porcelain vases with farming and weaving patterns, and a set of golden flower hoes."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Yinzuo knelt on the ground as a small ball and expressed his gratitude in a very polite manner.
"Thank you, General Manager Liang, for coming here in person. Is the emperor okay?" the Imperial Concubine asked with a smile.
"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. Please rest assured, Imperial Concubine. Although the Emperor is fasting in Jingshan, it is also to celebrate the birthday of the Grand Empress Dowager. Everything is fine. I have to return to the Emperor's presence to serve him. I will not stay for long. I will take my leave."
"Manager Liang, take care."
After the people left, everyone gathered around.
"This jade ruyi is fine, but this pair of porcelain vases with farming and weaving patterns is very interesting. It shows that the emperor knows everything you did today and he is very happy."
Even the Imperial Concubine said so, so it must be correct.
A group of half-grown children naturally couldn't sit still. After a while, they ran to the yard to play wildly. It was indeed lively with more people, and the laughter from Chengqian Palace could be heard outside the palace gate.
All the concubines passing by heard it.
It was not until the evening that everyone dispersed. Yinzuo couldn't wait to pull his brother's hand and run to the Yonghe Palace next door.
"Mother, Xiaoliu and my brother are here to pay their respects to you!" Yinzuo would always call out before he even saw the mother.
"Go slower, and be careful. Mother heard your laughter when she was strolling in the yard this morning. Xiaoliu must be very happy today, right?"
"Well~ All the brothers and sisters came to celebrate Xiaoliu's birthday. We planted flowers together, ate snacks, had lunch, and played for a long time~" It was the first time that Yinzuo had so many people to play with him for a whole day.
“It would be nice if I could celebrate my birthday every day~” Yinzuo suddenly said this.
Made everyone laugh again.
Aunt Qing smiled and said, "Sixth Prince is really thoughtful. If someone celebrates his birthday every day, wouldn't everyone who knows him avoid him?"
"Why does Aunt Qing say that?" Yinzuo was puzzled.
"Because I don't have money to give that man a gift! I have to avoid him."
Now even Yinzhen laughed.
Yinzuo opened his mouth, unable to refute. What Aunt Qing said made a lot of sense.
"Xiao Liu doesn't need any gifts, as long as everyone plays with me~"
"Silly boy." Defei smiled gently and touched his head. Only Xiaoliu would think so.
"Then mother prepared a birthday present for Xiaoliu. Do you want it or not?"
"Yes!" Yinzuo hugged his mother's legs, raised his little head and looked at her expectantly.
"Sixth Prince just said no, as long as he can play with you, that's enough. I heard it very carefully!" Aunt Qing teased him deliberately.
"Oh~ Mother, look, Aunt Qing is making fun of me~" Yinzuo hid behind his mother and acted coquettishly.
"Your Aunt Qing was just teasing you. Come, this is the birthday gift that your mother prepared for you. Open it and take a look yourself." Concubine De pushed the gift box that had been placed on the table early in front of the little guy.
Yinzuo happily kicked off his little boots, climbed onto the couch, sat down, and slowly opened the gift box.
Suddenly, he showed an extremely bright smile.
"Wow~ It's a little chicken doll~ So cute~~" Yinzuo took it out of the box, held it close to himself with both hands, and rubbed his face against it gently.
"When you were a child, you loved playing with little dolls the most. As long as you hung a string of them in front of you, you could play with them by yourself all day long. It was much less troublesome than when your brother was a child." Defei said with a smile.
"Haha~ If my brother doesn't like dolls, what does he like?" Yinzuo asked casually.
"Your brother likes to play with rattles, and he needs someone to hold him and rock him while walking." Defei recalled that time. Although she was very tired and even exhausted by Yinzhen's crying, she was even more sad when Yinzhen was taken away after his full month.
This was the first time Yinzhen had heard of this. In his previous life, his mother rarely mentioned his childhood and often talked about the fourteenth prince.
"Then next time it's brother's birthday, Xiaoliu will give brother a rattle~" Yinzuo deliberately acted mischievously.
Yinzhen looked at him helplessly.
Concubine De smiled and spoke for her eldest son: "Your brother is grown up now, how could he still like rattles like he did when he was a child? Your birthday gift is too casual."
Yinzuo stuck out his tongue and said mischievously: "I was just joking~"
"Okay, there's another one here. Xiaoliu, why don't you continue taking a look?" Concubine De drew the child's attention back.
"Mother actually prepared two birthday gifts for Xiaoliu?" Yinzuo looked at the other gift box presented to him with surprise.
"What? Xiaoliu doesn't want it? If you don't want it, mother will take it back." Defei pretended to take the gift box away.
Yinzuo immediately pounced on it and pressed most of his body on it to prevent his mother from taking it away.
"No, no~ Mother, Xiaoliu knows he was wrong~" Yinzuo blinked at his mother, pouted his little mouth, and gave her a kiss from the air.
"You are such a shameless child! You insisted on having this yourself." Defei scolded with a smile and let go of her hand.
Yinzhen, who was standing aside, curled up the corners of his lips, looking like he was enjoying the show.
"I want what I want!" Yinzuo still didn't realize that something was wrong.
It was not until he opened the gift box that he discovered a set of books inside, with Three Character Classic written on the top cover. Although Yinzuo had never learned traditional Chinese characters, the 5,000-year-old Chinese heritage was so magical that he automatically converted them into simplified Chinese characters in his mind.
The smile on Yinzuo's face froze.
He looked at his mother, then at his brother beside him, pouting his lips in grievance.
"Humph! My mother and my brother teamed up to bully me!"
Yinzhen was afraid that he was really angry with him again, and he could not sit still. Concubine De beside him gave him a look that told him to stay calm.
"How did we bully you?" he asked his youngest son calmly.
"Xiaoliu hates studying the most!"
"But if you don't study, your brother and mother will be sad and worry about what you will do in the future. Do you want us to worry about you all the time? Mother will be old and will need your care. If you don't study, you can only receive a meager salary from the royal family in the future, and you won't be able to afford to buy mother a piece of meat." When Defei said this, she picked up the handkerchief on her lapel and pretended to wipe her tears.
When Yinzhen heard this, he looked at his mother who was lying to his brother.
But Yinzuo was instilled with the idea by his brothers and sisters today that survival in this era is difficult and people will starve to death if there is not enough food. He thought that if the cheapest food was so precious, then meat must be even more expensive. He didn't know how to do anything, so his mother would suffer in the future.
"Xiaoliu, study! Take care of mother! Please don't cry, okay?" Yinzuo said anxiously.
When he wasn't paying attention, Concubine De and her eldest son looked at each other, and both mother and son raised the corners of their lips in the same way.
The author has something to say:
A moment of silence for Xiaoliu, he has not yet realized that he should hide his incompetence, what awaits him is double the pressure and oppression
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