The weather was getting warmer, and Yinzuo's clothes were finally not so thick anymore, so he could run more easily. Now he only had the morning to study and learn to read with his brother, and he had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he made an appointment with Yinqi to go to the Imperial Garden to play.
"Brother, I'm going to find Yinqi." Before leaving, Yinzuo ran to his brother and reported his whereabouts.
"Um."
Yinzhen had no intention of accompanying Yinzuo. He planned to reread the Four Books and Five Classics. He would have to go to the upper study room in half a year. Hiding his shortcomings was one thing, but if he really forgot, he would find it hard to accept it.
But for some reason, Yinzhen always felt a little uncomfortable when he saw Yinzuo's little figure walking away.
"Xiaoliu."
After walking a few steps out, Yinzuo turned around and looked at his brother who suddenly called out to him in confusion.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, come back early." Yinzhen suppressed his uneasiness and gave a reminder.
"Got it~"
Yinzuo walked towards the imperial garden with cheerful steps. He and Yinqi had made an appointment to play hide-and-seek together. That place was big and was the most suitable place to hide.
The two of them were playing behind the rockery by the lake. When it was Yinzuo's turn to hide and Yinqi was looking for him, Yinzuo hid himself in a very secluded little hole, and stayed there, quietly listening to the movements around him.
Unexpectedly, the person who came first was not Yinqi, but a furtive palace maid. She kept looking around and her behavior was very suspicious. Yinzuo was curious and followed her quietly.
The maid only spoke a few words to an unfamiliar eunuch. Yinzuo was a little far away and didn't hear clearly what was said. Then the maid took out a small paper bag from her sleeve and handed it to the other party. The two of them left in two different directions.
After a long while, Yinzuo vaguely heard Yinqi's shouting.
"Xiao Liu! I give up. Where are you hiding? Come out now! Xiao Liu!"
"Sixth Prince! Please come out quickly!"
"Sixth Prince!"
"Sixth Brother, please come out quickly!"
These are the voices of Nanny Cheng and Shunfeng Shunshui.
Yinzuo came out from his hiding place, crouching down, and responded: "I'm here~"
"I was scared to death. You are so good at hiding. I looked for you for a long time and couldn't find you. I thought you fell into the pool." Yinqi ran over and grabbed him, saying with lingering fear.
"How could that be? I have been hiding in the rockery the whole time." However, Yinzuo subconsciously concealed what he had just seen.
"Just now a person floated up in the pool and scared me. Let's go back quickly."
Only then did Yinzuo notice that Yinqi's face was pale, as if he had been greatly frightened. He quickly patted him on the back and nodded obediently.
The death of an insignificant servant in the palace was not a big deal, but the Fifth Prince, who was raised by the Empress Dowager, developed a high fever that night and talked nonsense. The imperial physician took his pulse and said that he was frightened during the day, so he had convulsions at night.
The Empress Dowager was furious and questioned the palace servants who served the Fifth Prince. She immediately found out about the matter and immediately summoned Concubine Hui and Concubine Rong, who were now in charge of the affairs of the six palaces, to Ciren Palace overnight.
Not only were Concubine Hui and Concubine Rong reprimanded, but they were also asked by the Empress Dowager to investigate the matter thoroughly as soon as possible.
The next day, the whole palace was talking about it. Yinzhen also learned about this from Su Peisheng. He immediately frowned and got up and went to the next room.
"Yinzuo, you were with Yinqi yesterday, did you also see that unclean thing?"
Yinzuo was in the corridor taking care of the pots of flowers and plants that his brothers and sisters had planted. When he heard his brother's question, he stood up and shook his head.
"No one saw it. My fifth brother and I were playing hide-and-seek. I was hiding behind the rockery. My fifth brother seemed very scared yesterday. He gave up and went back to Ciren Palace."
After Yinzuo finished speaking, he suddenly remembered the scene he saw yesterday. He thought about it, leaned close to his brother's ear, and whispered it to him.
After hearing this, Yinzhen frowned.
"Did they see you?"
Yin Zuo shook his head and replied, "Probably not. I was hiding in a very secluded place. They didn't notice me when they left, and I was quite far away from them."
"Don't tell anyone about this, remember?" Yinzhen warned him seriously.
"Okay, I'll remember it." It was the first time that Yinzuo saw his brother like this, and he didn't dare to ask more questions.
"Next time you go out, remember to tell me and I will accompany you." Yinzhen said worriedly.
"Great~" It couldn't be better if my brother was willing to go out and play with me.
There are many concubines in the harem, and the private fighting has never stopped. In the past, Yinzuo was still young and stayed in Yonghe Palace and seldom went out. He was well protected by his mother, so he had not been attacked or witnessed the dirty work behind the scenes. Now his mother is pregnant and the imperial mother is not in the palace, so Yinzhen can't trust the protection of Chengqian Palace so much. He can only be extra alert and vigilant at all times.
"During the period before the Royal Mother returns to the palace, Yinzuo, you move in and live with me." Yinzhen thought that it would be a good idea to have all the servants stay in his room to avoid any mistakes.
"Okay~" Yinzuo noticed that his brother's expression was not right and he was in a very tense state.
Two days later, Yinzuo found out that his fifth brother was ill. He had fallen ill after they went to the Imperial Garden together. He was worried and blamed himself, so he wanted to go visit his little friend. Before he left, he suddenly remembered that his brother had told him to tell him before going out.
He leaned against the door quietly and looked inside, and found that his brother was reading very seriously. His brother didn't like to be disturbed when reading. Yinzuo thought about it and decided not to go in. He went out with Shunfeng.
When he arrived at Ciren Palace, Yinzuo waited outside the door in an orderly manner, waiting for the maid from Ciren Palace to go inside and pass on the message.
"Sixth Prince, the Queen Mother invites you in."
"Thank you, Madam~" Although it was not the first time that Yinzuo came here, he always remembered to say thank you every time.
"Sixth Prince, please follow me." The smile on the nanny's face deepened.
Before he stepped into the palace, the nanny whispered, "Fifth Prince wants to go out and play, and the Queen Mother is having a headache. Sixth Prince might as well help persuade him."
"Okay~ Thank you, Ma'am~~" Yinzuo smiled brightly at the ma'am with curved eyebrows.
The maid also gave him a sincere smile and opened the door for him.
"Sixth Prince, watch your step."
Only then did Yinzuo strode in.
I saw my fifth brother wrapped in a blanket, ignoring everyone. The Queen Mother beside him was saying to him earnestly, "You were frightened a few days ago, and you want to go out again. What if something bad happens again? Can't you play in Ciren Palace? It's spacious enough."
"No, no! Xiaoliu isn't in Ciren Palace, and it's not fun for me to be alone!"
They spoke in Mongolian, and Yinzuo did not understand. He just took the opportunity to kneel down and kowtow when they stopped talking.
"Xiao Liu pays his respects to Mama."
"Get up, your fifth brother was just asking to play with you." The Queen Mother seemed to have seen a savior.
After the Queen Mother finished speaking to Yinzuo, she said to Yinqi, who was covered in the quilt, in Mongolian: "Yinqi, look, isn't Xiaoliu here? Let him play with you in Ciren Palace."
Only then did Yinqi lift the quilt and stick his head out.
"It's really Xiaoliu!"
He stopped covering himself, quickly got off the couch, ran barefoot to Yinzuo and hugged him happily.
"Put on shoes! Quickly! Help Yinqi put on shoes. He is still sick." The Queen Mother ordered the palace maids anxiously.
The palace servants hurriedly looked for shoes for the Fifth Prince, as they didn't know where he had been kicked to, and the whole place was in chaos again.
Yinzuo simply pulled his fifth brother to sit on the couch, and seeing that he was wearing thin clothes, he helped wrap him up with a quilt.
"I heard that you were sick, fifth brother, so I came to see you. My mother said that when you are sick, you should keep warm. How could you not wear your clothes and shoes properly? It will be uncomfortable when you are sick, and you have to drink very bitter medicine every day, and you can't eat delicious food. Mama will be worried about you, and Xiaoliu will be worried about you too~" Yinzuo looked at his little friend without approval.
What the empress dowager didn't expect was that Yinqi, who had always been hard to deal with, scratched the back of his head with a silly smile after hearing what Xiaoliu said, and actually took the initiative to admit his mistake.
"I didn't think too much about it. I made Xiaoliu and Mama worried. I know I was wrong and I will definitely not do it again next time."
The Queen Mother looked at Yinzuo and nodded secretly, thinking that he was a smart and good child.
"Didn't Fifth Brother say last time that he wanted to learn how to make dried flowers from me? Why don't I teach you in person now?"
"Okay!" Yinqi agreed enthusiastically.
"What dried flowers? How come I have never heard of them?" The Queen Mother was also attracted by the conversation between the two little guys.
"Ma, you don't know, but Xiaoliu made a birthday gift for Concubine De some time ago. She made fresh flowers into dried flowers that never wither. It's so amazing!" Yinqi is a big fan of Xiaoliu.
"Oh? A flower that never fades? That's quite interesting."
"When Yinqi learns it, he will give it to his mother as a gift!"
When the Queen Mother heard this, she immediately smiled happily.
"Okay, then I will wait to receive the gift made by Yinqi himself. If you need anything, just tell them to get it. I have to go and chant the sutras. You can take Xiaoliu to your room and do it slowly."
"Let's go! Xiaoliu." Yinqi couldn't wait to drag Yinzuo to the house where he lived.
An hour later, the Queen Mother finished reciting the sutras and asked, "What are those two little guys doing?"
The maid who was serving the Queen Mother stepped forward and replied, "In reply to the Queen Mother, the two young princes are still making dried flowers."
The Queen Mother said in surprise, "It's OK for Yinzuo, but I didn't expect Yinqi to be able to sit still. Send them some snacks. Don't let them get tired. Let them rest for a while before continuing."
I hadn't really intended to ask them to do anything. I just wanted Yinqi not to leave Ciren Palace until the matter was clarified.
"Yes, I will go right away."
"Xiao Liu, you are so great. The flowers you press are so beautiful, but why are the flowers I press folded together?" Yinqi really couldn't understand.
Yinzuo looked at the flower on which he had carefully unfolded each petal, flattened it and pressed it firmly, and then looked at Yinqi's flower, which he had just placed on the paper. He was silent. He had clearly explained every step in detail, but his fifth brother was really not such a meticulous person.
"Fifth Prince, Sixth Prince, the Queen Mother instructed me to bring you two some snacks, saying that you two should take a rest before continuing." The nanny beside the Queen Mother said to the two little princes with a smile.
"Fifth brother! Why don't we eat something first~" Yinzuo's eyes lit up when he saw the delicious food, and he didn't care about anything else.
Yinqi touched his stomach, nodded and said, "Okay, I'm a little hungry too."
With Yinzuo's company, Yinqi no longer made a fuss about going out. The Empress Dowager specially invited him to have lunch in Ciren Palace. During the nap, Yinqi was very generous and gave half of his bed, pillow and quilt to Yinzuo.
Even though he was the first to wake up, he forced himself not to speak, and quietly looked at the sleeping Xiaoliu, sighing in his heart: Xiaoliu's eyelashes are so long, and Xiaoliu is so white. How can Xiaoliu be so beautiful? Xiaoliu is willing to play with him. He is so nice. He really envies his fourth brother who can live with Xiaoliu every day.
In the afternoon, Yinqi also followed Xiaoliu very seriously to learn how to make dried flowers. Later, the two of them played with Yinqi's treasured toys together for a while.
When Yinzuo was about to go to Chengqian Palace, Yinqi was very reluctant to let him go. He pulled him at the palace gate and couldn't help asking, "Xiaoliu, can you come to Ciren Palace tomorrow to teach me how to make dried flowers? I haven't learned it yet."
In fact, he used this as an excuse. Xiaoliu was so nice. He knew that he was learning to make dried flowers to give to Mama, and she would definitely not refuse him. It was rare for Yinqi to play a trick, and he felt very guilty and did not dare to look at Xiaoliu.
Seeing that he lowered his head, Yinzuo seemed to want to continue learning. Although what he did today was not very good and those things probably could not be given as gifts to others, Yinzuo was moved by his little friend's persistence, so he smiled and agreed to him.
"Okay then, I'll teach you tomorrow~" Yinzuo never thought that his fifth brother, who had always been honest and kind, would deliberately deceive him.
Yinqi was very happy and let go of Yinzuo's hand.
"Then Xiaoliu, come earlier! I'm waiting for you to come find me!"
"Hmm~"
Yinqi looked at Xiaoliu's back reluctantly and envied his fourth brother again.
After entering the Chengqian Palace, Yinzuo remembered that he seemed to have forgotten one thing. He did not tell his brother when he left, and... his brother would not be angry for coming back so late, right?
He quickly trotted towards his brother's room, but suddenly stopped at the door. He stuck his little head inside, trying to take a peek and see what was going on inside.
But suddenly, his eyes met with his brother who was sitting at the dinner table.
Yinzuo smiled at his brother bitterly and called out guiltily, "Brother~"
As a result, he found that his brother did not reply with a "hmm" as usual, but said nothing and continued to look at him steadily.
Yinzuo moved his feet with his fingers, slowly rubbed in front of his brother, then lay on his brother's legs, looked up at him and said softly: "Brother, I'm back~~"
"Heh! Do you remember to come back?" Yinzhen's voice was very stern. He put his left hand behind his back and his right hand on the table. He did not try to help him.
The person suddenly disappeared and didn't tell anyone where he was going. He left home in the morning and didn't come back until almost dark. Yinzhen was almost crazy with anxiety and took people to the Imperial Garden to look for him frantically. If he hadn't tried to send people to the Empress Dowager's palace to inquire, he would have taken people to ask the Grand Empress Dowager to search the pool in the Imperial Garden and the six palaces in the east and west.
Yinzuo's little body trembled with fear for a moment, and he immediately stood up straight. It was the first time he saw his brother so angry, and his expression looked much more terrifying than the last time they watched the lanterns.
"I... I heard that Fifth Brother was sick. He got scared when he went to the Imperial Garden with me, so I thought about going to see him. I didn't run around!"
"What did I tell you a few days ago! I asked you to tell me before you go out so that I could accompany you. But you turned a deaf ear to me, right?" Yinzhen slammed the table.
Yinzuo was so frightened that tears came out, and a large group of tears quickly gathered in his eyes.
"Xiao Liu... I know I was wrong..."
"Do you know how dangerous it is to just talk?" Before Yinzhen could finish the second half of his sentence, he saw the tears in Yinzuo's eyes, pursed his lips and swallowed back all the words that followed.
"Go stand by the wall for an hour and reflect on yourself." Yinzhen left after saying this. He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would have to soften his heart and coax that daring little fellow.
Yinzuo looked at his brother's resolute back and did not dare to chase him. He just turned around obediently and stood by the wall. After a while, his little chin trembled and tears as big as beans fell on the back of his hand.
Shunfeng felt very distressed when he saw this, so he bravely followed.
"Fourth Prince, I have something to tell you."
Yinzhen looked up at the half-moon in the sky and stopped.
"Before Sixth Prince left this morning, he wanted to tell you something, but when he saw you were reading, he didn't dare to disturb you. When he arrived at Ciren Palace, Fifth Prince insisted on going out to play, but the Queen Mother refused. Later, the Queen Mother insisted on keeping Sixth Prince in Ciren Palace to accompany Fifth Prince. That's why he came back late, and it was not because Sixth Prince wanted to play around." Shunfeng boldly recounted what had happened in front of Fourth Prince.
After a while, Shunfeng heard the Fourth Prince say, "Ask the kitchen to heat up the dishes and send them to the house to serve the Sixth Prince dinner."
"Yeah!" Shunfeng hurried to get busy.
Su Peisheng looked at his master's back and sighed. The Fourth Prince was also too concerned. Today, when he was looking for someone in the Imperial Garden, he accidentally fell because of his anxiety and his left hand and knee were broken.
At this time, Yinzuo in the room was still crying in grievance.
Nanny Cheng and Lu Wu brought in dinner, walked up to him, and gently wiped their young master's tears with a handkerchief.
"Mammy, my brother...hiccup...is angry with Xiaoliu..." Yinzuo said self-reproachfully while hiccuping.
"Sixth Prince, please stop crying. Fourth Prince is worried about you. Something like that happened a few days ago, and we haven't investigated it yet. Sixth Prince, you disappeared for a whole day without saying anything. Fourth Prince took us all to look for you in the Imperial Garden for two hours, and he even fell down, with blood on his hands and knees."
Nanny Cheng didn't want her young master to have any misunderstandings with his most beloved brother, so she briefly told him what had happened today.
"It's bleeding!" Yinzuo no longer cared about being sad.
"Have you found a doctor? Is it serious? It's all my fault!"
"It has been bandaged. From my perspective, it is quite serious. Fourth Prince knows that you like to play at the rockery, so he went to look for you personally. I am afraid that your knee must have been badly injured when it hit the rock."
At this moment, Yinzuo was almost overwhelmed by the self-blame and guilt, and he couldn't help crying again.
Shunfeng saw his young master crying non-stop, so he quickly stepped forward and said to him, "Sixth Prince, please stop crying. Fourth Prince just told you to eat your dinner. You must listen to Fourth Prince and stop worrying him."
"Then...brother, have you eaten?" Yinzuo asked with tears in his eyes.
Lu Wu was often in the small kitchen, so she knew this very well and replied, "No, the Fourth Prince was in a hurry to see you, so he didn't have lunch or dinner."
"Then I will stand here and reflect for an hour, and then have dinner."
Later, no matter how everyone persuaded him, Yinzuo refused to give in. One hour sounded like a short time, but Yinzuo was old and his legs became more and more sore as time went on.
Everyone was very worried and stayed by his side. When the time came, Shunfeng immediately said, "Sixth Prince! It's already the hour!"
Madam Cheng quickly picked him up and made him sit on a chair. She massaged his legs and said, "Hurry up and sit down and take a rest! I'll give you a massage."
He handed the prepared water over, and Yinzuo drank it all in one gulp.
After a while, Yinzuo said to Madam Cheng, "Okay, Madam, press it again later. I have to go find my brother."
Nanny Cheng had no choice but to accompany the young master to find the Fourth Prince.
Yinzuo saw his brother sitting in the yard, looking at the moon in the sky with a cold expression.
He bravely ran over, but he stood there for a long time and almost fell down. Fortunately, his brother rushed over and supported him.
Yinzuo also saw his brother's left hand wrapped in gauze, and he felt like crying again.
"Brother~ Xiaoliu shouldn't have gone out without telling me. I made you worry. Xiaoliu will never do it again next time. Brother...can you forgive Xiaoliu this time...okay?"
The little guy in front of him had a red nose, tears in his eyes, a soft tone, and a sincere attitude. Yinzhen couldn't bear to continue to be angry with him, but he really couldn't say those soft words. In the end, he could only respond with a dry word.
"Um."
"Then brother, let's go have dinner~" Yinzuo held his brother's hand and shook it gently.
Yinzhen frowned and looked at Shunfeng.
Yinzuo was afraid that his brother would punish Shunfeng, so he quickly said, "Xiaoliu wanted to reflect on it first, don't blame them!"
"Brother, Xiaoliu is hungry~~"
When Yinzhen heard this, he didn't bother to care about anything else and led him towards the house in silence.
In the moonlight, two elongated shadows huddled together, and two voices were heard.
"Brother, can you eat with Xiaoliu?"
"Um."
"Brother, are you really not angry anymore?"
"Um."
"Brother's hand is injured, can Xiaoliu feed him?" Yinzuo had a bad intention and dug a trap for his brother.
"Well... no!" Yinzhen subconsciously hummed another word, and then quickly changed his words in an emergency.
"Hehe~ Brother, you clearly agreed just now!" Yinzuo said playfully.
"My left hand is injured, and I use my right hand to eat." Yinzhen explained, trying to dispel the little guy's dangerous idea.
"Well... okay then." Yinzuo's tone was full of regret.
After a while, the little guy next to me started buzzing again.
"Brother~"
"Um?"
"Xiao Liu loves you the most~"
Yinzhen didn't respond.
"Brother, why don't you speak?"
"Um."
The author has something to say:
This is yesterday's update. I was stuck and just rushed it out. It's gone~
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