After dinner, Yinzuo was extremely worried. He asked his brother what dish he wanted to eat, picked up some food for him, and asked if he wanted soup. Was the soup hot? His small body was busy running around, and he almost dazzled Yinzhen's eyes.
At night, when the two brothers slept together, Yinzuo took advantage of his brother's sleep and secretly crawled out from under the quilt to check his brother's injured left hand and knee. There was a faint smell of medicine under the gauze.
Yinzuo's eyes became red again.
Yinzhen, who should have been asleep, clearly felt a slow breath coming from his affected area. He opened his eyelids slightly and saw Yinzuo puffing up his cheeks and blowing air for him.
After a while, Yinzuo carefully returned to the other half of the bed. Not long after he closed his eyes, his breathing became even and long, indicating that he was in a deep sleep.
Only then did Yinzhen open his eyes and look at him seriously for a while, wondering what he was thinking.
The next morning, when Yinzuo woke up, he found Su Peisheng changing the bandages for his brother. He quickly ran out of bed and went closer to take a look.
The wound was quite large. The knee is a joint and is most likely to get bruised if bumped. In addition, the wound was quite large, so it looked a bit scary.
"It's all my fault..." Yinzuo blamed himself.
Yinzhen rubbed his head and said to him calmly, "It's not a serious injury, but it looks serious. It will heal in a few days."
"...Um~" Yinzuo responded obediently, lowered his little head, and let his brother's hand rest on his head.
"I forgot to ask you yesterday, why did you take so long to visit Xiaowu at Ciren Palace?"
"My fifth brother saw the birthday gift I made for my mother last time, and he wanted to learn how to make a gift for Mama, so I taught him."
When Yinzuo said this, he remembered that he had promised his fifth brother something.
"Brother, before I came back yesterday, I promised Fifth Brother that I would continue to teach him. He didn't learn it yesterday, so I..."
His brother had agreed to accompany him when he went out, but now that his brother was injured again, Yinzuo became a little hesitant.
Yinzhen thought about it for a moment and felt that something was wrong. He knew how to make dried flowers and it was not difficult. How could he not be able to learn it after a whole day's work? However, he did not express his doubts.
"Since you've agreed, then go ahead. Otherwise, Xiao Wu will make a fuss and tell others about this, which will upset the Queen Mother."
"But brother, you are injured. Xiaoliu wants to stay in Chengqian Palace to accompany you." Yinzuo didn't want to go to Ciren Palace anymore.
"I'll go with you." Yinzhen was already worried about letting Yinzuo go out alone.
In Ciren Palace, the Queen Mother was having breakfast with Yinqi. She found that the boy was absent-minded while eating, with his eyes always looking outside. She didn't need to think to know that he was expecting Yinzuo to come and play with him.
Just then, a familiar voice came from the door.
"Mammy, is it convenient for me to come in and pay my respects now?"
Yinqi immediately put down his chopsticks and ran to the door, shouting excitedly: "Xiao Liu! You are finally here, I have been waiting for you for a long time!"
But when he really saw the person coming, the smile on his face froze.
"Fourth...Fourth Brother, why are you here too?"
Yinzhen replied, "I came to pay my respects to Mama."
"Oh..." Yinqi responded dryly.
"Fifth brother, what's wrong with you? You look unhappy?" Yinzuo asked in confusion.
Yinqi quickly put on a smile again, walked over and took Yinzuo's hand.
"No, why would I be unhappy? Mama is having breakfast inside, come in quickly."
The group then walked in, and Yinzhen followed behind them. He heard Yinqi ask Yinzuo.
"Xiao Liu, have you had breakfast?"
Yinzuo nodded slightly and replied in a low voice: "I have used it. I came here after eating with my brother."
It was not a long distance to begin with, and after Yinzuo finished saying this, he calmed down.
"Greetings to Mama, may Mama be blessed."
"Xiao Si is here today too, it's quite lively, there's just one more person to accompany Yinqi, hurry up and sit down to talk. You guys don't know that Yinqi was so absent-minded during the meal just now, he was just thinking about when Xiao Liu would come."
"Thank you, Mama."
The palace maids brought two chairs and the two brothers were able to sit down.
Yinqi was embarrassed when he was exposed in public. He said angrily, "Madam! Why are you still talking about me in front of so many people?"
"Okay, I won't talk about you anymore."
The Queen Mother then said to Xiao Si and Xiao Liu who had just arrived: "Have you two had breakfast? Forget it, it doesn't matter whether you have had breakfast or not. Since you are here, why not eat together?"
"Although I have eaten before coming here, Xiaoliu looks at Mama's breakfast and it's as if I haven't eaten anything." Yinzuo added with a smile.
The Queen Mother was very happy after hearing this, and said to him with a smile: "You are such a sweet kid, eat more if you like it."
When the maids brought up the dishes and chopsticks, Yinqi immediately handed a bun to Yinzuo.
"Xiao Liu, try this red bean paste bun. It's sweet. You will definitely like it!"
"Thank you, fifth brother." Yinzuo immediately took a bite, and his eyes began to light up immediately. He quickly picked up another one for his brother.
"Brother, you eat too~"
Yinqi felt unhappy when he saw this scene, but he also knew that Xiaoliu cared about his brother the most, so he didn't say anything, but just looked unhappy.
"Fifth brother, why don't you eat? I remember that you eat a lot more than me, that's amazing, I envy you so much~"
Yinqi was immediately overjoyed again. It turned out that Xiaoliu thought he had a big appetite and was amazing!
"Hey, eat, eat, eat right away."
Yinzhen was quietly eating the red bean paste bun that Xiaoliu gave him the whole time, without saying a word.
Just like yesterday, after the empress dowager had breakfast, she went to the small Buddhist hall to recite scriptures, while the three younger ones went to Yinqi's room together.
"Xiaoliu, after you went back yesterday, I asked them to dig out a lot of fun things. Let's play with them one by one!" Yinqi said to Yinzuo excitedly.
Yinzuo answered subconsciously: "Okay~"
Just at this moment, Yinzhen spoke.
"Xiao Liu, didn't you say you were going to teach Xiao Wu how to make dried flowers?"
After his brother's reminder, Yinzuo remembered the purpose of coming to Ciren Palace today.
"Oh, I almost forgot about the main thing. Fifth brother, let me teach you how to make dried flowers first. When you learn it, we can play with it, okay?"
Yinqi suddenly thought that it would be better if his fourth brother didn’t come. He was so angry that he glared at him, but he acted as if nothing had happened.
"Don't worry about this. It's not too late for us to study in the afternoon."
"I heard from Xiaoliu that Xiaowu studied all day yesterday but didn't learn it. Let's start learning earlier." After saying that, Yinzhen bent down and rubbed his knees very naturally.
Yinzuo immediately ran to him nervously and asked worriedly: "Brother, does your wound hurt?"
"Not bad." Although Yinzhen said this, his brows were slightly furrowed, and people could tell at a glance that the situation was not as easy as he had just said.
Yinzuo thought that his brother was injured and must have a good rest. If he hadn't been worried about him, he wouldn't have been injured, and there was no need for him to accompany him out even though he was injured.
"Fifth brother, I'd better teach you first. If you learn it sooner, can't you send a gift to Mama as soon as possible? Mama said she is still waiting for your gift. It's not good to let her wait too long."
"Well... okay then." Yinqi suddenly felt that he had shot himself in the foot. If he had known earlier, he would have told Xiaoliu directly that he wanted him to come to Ciren Palace to play with him.
Originally, Yinqi wanted to repeat the same trick and continue to delay the progress, pretending that he was clumsy and couldn't learn, but there was Yinzhen sitting next to him. Yinzuo was young and couldn't tell that his fifth brother was playing tricks on him, but Yinzhen saw through it.
Whenever Yinqi acted badly on purpose, Yinzhen would say a few words to provoke him. However, Yinqi didn't want Xiaoliu to misunderstand that he was a stupid person. What if Xiaoliu didn't want to play with him anymore?
So after half a day, Yinqi had to learn how to make dried flowers.
"Isn't Xiaowu doing very well? How come you didn't learn it after studying for a whole day yesterday?" Yinzhen said in a light tone with a hint of confusion.
Yinzuo also felt a little strange. When he looked at his fifth brother, he found that he was looking at his brother with gritted teeth. Suddenly he understood that his fifth brother had deliberately pretended not to be able to learn yesterday.
"Maybe it's because Fifth Brother was in a bad mood yesterday." Yinzuo helped to find an excuse.
Yinqi hurried down the stairs.
"Yes, that's right, I'm just in a bad mood."
Bah! No, he was in a very good mood yesterday, but today he is really in a bad mood. Doesn't Yinzhen usually not like to go out? Why did he go out with Xiaoliu today?
"Since Xiaowu has already learned it, then make it for Mama carefully. It must be made by yourself to show sincerity. Yinzuo and I will not disturb you." Yinzhen struck while the iron was hot and proposed to go back to Chengqian Palace.
Yinzuo thought so too. His brother's legs were not feeling well, and it was not good for him to always stay at Mama's place and eat for free. Besides, his fifth brother was busy, and if he and his brother sat here, it would disturb him.
"Well, brother is right, Fifth Brother, then we will go back~"
Yinqi opened his mouth but didn't have time to say anything.
I saw the annoying Fourth Brother walking out holding Little Six's hand, but there were a lot of materials next to him, so I couldn't step. I could only watch them walking further and further away.
Only after leaving Ciren Palace did Yinzhen slow down his pace.
"Brother? Isn't your leg hurting? Why did you hold my hand and run so fast just now?" Yinzuo looked at his brother's injured knee with some concern.
Yinzhen was not panicked at all, and said calmly: "Yes, it hurts a little, so I want to go back and rest quickly."
Yinzuo did not suspect this. He nodded his head and said quickly, "Oh, let's go back quickly!"
When Yinqi chased to the palace gate, he found that Xiaoliu had disappeared.
He said angrily: "Why are you walking so fast!"
From then on, Yinzuo seldom went out again. Except for occasionally going to the Yonghe Palace next door to see his mother and talk to her, he spent almost all his time accompanying his brother to recuperate.
After some time, Concubine Hui and Concubine Rong found out that the dead servant accidentally fell into the pond and drowned. The Empress Dowager did not pursue the matter further, but Yinzhen did not believe this result.
So he was still on guard and protected Yinzuo from going out alone.
During this period, Yinqi finally succeeded in making two dried flower gifts. One was given to the Empress Dowager, and the other was sent to his mother, Concubine Yi, who accompanied him to Shengjing through the Empress Dowager.
After receiving the dried flowers, Concubine Yi immediately showed them off in public. Kangxi also learned from the Empress Dowager's letter that the dried flowers were a novel idea that Xiaoliu came up with to give to his mother, Concubine De, as a birthday gift.
It happened that he had hunted dozens of tigers along the way, so he asked someone to select a good one and some other rewards, and sent them to Concubine De in the Forbidden City.
Although it was a little late, the emperor was away and only Concubine De received the reward, which shows that the emperor was thinking about Concubine De. On the other hand, Concubine Hui and Concubine Rong, although they were assisted in the affairs of the six palaces, someone died in the palace and they were reprimanded by the empress dowager. Not only did they not get anything good, but the emperor also questioned their abilities.
More than eighty days after the departure on February 15th, the emperor finally returned.
Defei was about to give birth, and looking at his mother's big belly, Yinzuo always felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen.
All the concubines in the harem, princes and princesses were at the palace gate to welcome the emperor. Naturally, the first person Kangxi noticed was Concubine De, who was pregnant, and he asked her a lot of questions alone.
Yinzuo noticed that the Imperial Concubine had lost weight and looked much more haggard, which showed that the long journey was not as easy as he had imagined.
"I still have to go pay my respects to the Empress Dowager, so you can all return to your palaces."
"yes."
Yinzuo and Yinzhen naturally followed the Imperial Noble Consort back to Chengqian Palace. After returning to the palace, the Imperial Noble Consort spoke a few words to them briefly and then asked them to go back to their rooms. She was really tired and urgently needed rest.
However, on the second day, the prince sent someone to deliver a lot of things, and specifically pointed out that they were for Yinzuo.
Yinzuo's first reaction when he received the gift was naturally happiness, but then he remembered that his brother didn't seem to get along well with his brother, the Crown Prince, so he became a little conflicted and could only try his best to hide his joy in front of his brother.
"Put them all away." Yinzuo ordered.
"Brother, Xiaoliu doesn't like those delicious and fun things at all, let's continue studying~"
Yinzhen, who was feeling a little uncomfortable, rubbed his head.
"I won't read today. Since the prince carefully selected this for you, you should take a good look at it and let me learn from it."
He wanted to see what rare items the prince had given Yinzuo, and then he would return the favor tenfold or a hundredfold in the future. There was no need to argue with him for a moment.
Yinzuo confirmed that his brother did not show any signs of unhappiness, and after a sigh of relief, he said obediently: "Okay~"
"Brother has never been to Shengjing either. Let's go together. When brother and Xiaoliu grow up, we can go to Shengjing together~" Yinzuo cleverly added these few words to comfort his brother.
"Hmm." Yinzhen was thinking that this was the second Eastern Tour of his father, and there would be a third Eastern Tour in the future. Although he stayed in the capital in his previous life and was unable to travel with the emperor, he might be able to make some changes in this life. At worst, there was still a fourth Eastern Tour. In his previous life, he went on the fourth Eastern Tour in place of his father.
"Then we have an appointment~"
After saying that, Yin Zuo happily started to open the things sent by the Crown Prince with his brother. Sure enough, there were all kinds of delicious and fun things, and they were all very novel. They were all things that Yin Zuo had never seen before.
Yinzhen explained to him the origins of these things, and secretly wrote down a few of the ones that Yinzuo liked the most, thinking of taking him to Shengjing to see them in person in the future.
"Brother, you are so amazing, how come you know everything?"
“…It’s written in the book.” Yinzhen made up an excuse.
"Xiaoliu should also read more books. It turns out that books also write about delicious food and fun things~"
"Um."
A few days later, when Yinzuo was paying his respects to the Empress Dowager in the Cining Palace, he ran into the Crown Prince again. The Empress Dowager was old and did not have much energy, so she sent away all the youngsters.
When they reached the gate of Cining Palace, the prince suddenly walked around to Yinzuo, pinched his soft little face, and said to him, "Do you like the things I gave you a few days ago?"
"Xiao Liu likes them all. The Royal Mother has been unwell these past few days, so Xiao Liu has not been able to personally thank the Crown Prince. Today, I would like to thank the Crown Prince here~"
"As long as you like it, is your Royal Madam feeling better now?"
"It's all right now. Thank you for your concern, Prince Brother."
"In that case, why don't you come with me to Yuqing Palace to play, Xiaoliu?" The prince invited Yinzuo with a smile.
Yinzuo subconsciously looked at his brother who was holding his hand.
The prince smiled and invited Yinzhen, who he had just completely ignored, "Why don't you come with us, Xiao Si?"
"Okay, I'll bother you, Prince."
The prince was stunned. He really didn't expect Yinzhen to agree. After a moment, he covered it up with a smile again.
"Then let's go together."
Along the way, the prince kept talking to Yinzuo, and the topic revolved around dried flowers.
"When I was in Shengjing, Yinqi sent Concubine Yi a very unique dried flower. When Concubine Yi took it out, I was delighted. Later, I learned from the Emperor that it was you, Xiaoliu, who came up with it. I wonder if I will be lucky enough to get the flowers made by Xiaoliu herself?"
"Of course you can. Xiaoliu made some more. Since the prince likes it, Xiaoliu will send it to the prince tomorrow~"
"Then I will wait to receive the flowers made by Xiaoliu. Speaking of which, I am very curious about how they are made."
Yinzuo patiently explained the production process and methods again. For him, it was the happiest thing that the things he made could be liked by other people.
The prince inadvertently glanced at Xiao Si who didn't say a word.
"I admire Xiaoliu's creative ideas. What do you think, Xiaosi?" The prince was thinking that Yinzhen was cold and taciturn, and was definitely not as good as him in making Xiaoliu happy.
"Well, Xiaoliu is very smart and has unique ideas. He racked his brains to come up with this idea for my mother's birthday. He put a lot of thought into it and worked very hard when making it. I witnessed all of this with my own eyes."
The prince's mouth froze. This was not what he expected.
"Brother~" Yinzuo was very touched. This was the first time he heard his brother praise him.
Fortunately, they finally arrived at Yuqing Palace at this time. The prince took the initiative to step forward and led Yinzuo inside, and Yinzhen could only follow behind.
"Go and serve some of Xiaoliu's favorite snacks, and bring over the things I brought back."
"Hey!"
After the prince brought Yinzuo into the hall, he deliberately observed Yinzhen's expression and found that he was sitting upright with his eyes straight ahead, and did not show surprise like he did when Xiaoliu came last time.
The crown prince was much more difficult to deal with than Yinqi. He would please Yinzou and make him happy. He was also capable of tempting Yinzou with delicious food and fun things. He did not behave inappropriately. Yinzhen had almost no chance to interrupt throughout the whole process. He could only sit there and drink several cups of tea.
Later, Yinzuo learned from his elder brother the Crown Prince that several of the things he had given him were extremely rare and valuable. He felt a little uneasy, but these were things his elder brother had never mentioned, and it seemed that the book did not describe them so comprehensively.
Moreover, the Crown Prince's description was very vivid and interesting. He also told Yinzuo what happened along the way.
When Yinzuo heard the Crown Prince say that the traveling team had stretched to more than twenty miles, his mouth opened wide. Although he was not sure how long one mile was, it was definitely very long.
"After we passed Shanhaiguan, the emperor organized more than 3,000 archers to hunt together. The emperor led me and the ministers to hunt more than 300 prey."
The prince was very proud when he said this.
Yinzuo's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't stop praising: "Father Huang and Prince Brother are so awesome~ You are all Baturu~~"
The prince began to feel proud of his brother's admiring gaze. He waved his hand and said to Yinzuo, "The prey included tigers, bears, deer, wolves and foxes. I got a complete fox skin, which is a little small. It's just right for you to make a cloak. You can take it back later."
"Thank you, Prince brother~"
"The same goes for Xiao Si, but it's not as intact as Xiao Liu's." The prince was not stingy at this moment.
"Thank you, Prince." No matter what, Yinzhen still sincerely admired the prince. Except for being slightly inferior to his eldest brother in riding and archery, the prince was much better than all of their other brothers.
"Brother Prince, please tell Xiaoliu about what happened on your way~" Yinzuo's heart was filled with emotion. Since he couldn't go, it would be good to listen and broaden his horizons.
"Okay, no problem. We also went fishing in the Songhua River. You don't know, the fish there are bigger than you, weighing dozens of kilograms each."
"Wow~ Bigger than Xiaoliu? How big must it be? Is it delicious?" Yinzuo continued to ask, and the focus was of course on the last sentence.
The prince smiled and replied, "It tastes great. After being stewed, it is very delicious. Unfortunately, it is a long journey and I cannot bring it back to the Forbidden City for you, Xiaoliu, to taste it."
Yinzuo's saliva was about to flow out. Since the Crown Prince said it was delicious, it must be good. After all, Yinzuo had seen it when he came to Yuqing Palace last time. The Crown Prince would not tolerate any food that was slightly inferior.
"What else?"
The prince now understood clearly that the little guy was obviously most interested in food, so he picked out a lot of things he had eaten on the road and told him about them.
Yinzuo ate a lot of snacks according to the prince's description, and finally he was full. But even though his stomach was full, he was still very greedy.
Yinzhen on the side sighed silently in his heart. He really had no advantage against the prince now.
The author has something to say:
My elder brother defeated the fifth brother Yinqi but lost to the crown prince. There was nothing that could be done about it.
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