Yinzuo's words left an impression on the two mothers. As expected, not long after, the emperor was heard to mention the southern tour to the Empress Dowager, and the date of the southern tour was finally set for September. After all, the emperor's tour was a big event, so preparations had to be made in advance and officials from various places along the way had to be notified to welcome him.
Without his brother, Yinzuo played less and less with his little friend, his fifth brother Yinqi, except for occasionally going to Yuqing Palace. He spent most of his time accompanying his sister who was only a few months old.
"My sister has grown up again~" Yinzuo came to see her every day and was most aware of her changes. The dress had shrunk a little and looked a little short.
"Children change every day. Just like you, Xiaoliu, you have grown to three years old without me noticing. I still remember very clearly that when you were the same age as your sister, you still had some flesh on your face, but once you took off your clothes, you were very thin."
When she thought of this, Rouwan remembered that when Yinzuo was the same age as his sister, Yinzhen had just experienced the smallpox vaccination together with the third prince. Now Yinzuo is three years old, and it is almost time for him to be vaccinated. She just doesn't know how the emperor has arranged it.
So she found a time to discuss it with the Imperial Noble Consort. Since it concerned the princes, the Imperial Noble Consort could not make a decision on her own, so she went to the Qianqing Palace in person to ask the Emperor in person.
"The fifth child hasn't been vaccinated yet, so let's get the others who are over two years old to get vaccinated together this fall. Ask the Imperial Observatory to calculate a suitable date. You should keep an eye on this matter and make sure nothing goes wrong."
"Yes, I understand."
The Imperial Concubine knew very well how many children had died in the palace over the years, and each of them was the Emperor's own flesh and blood. The Emperor was the Son of Heaven, but he was also a father.
It had been planned to vaccinate children of appropriate age after the Mid-Autumn Festival, but unfortunately, Yinzuo caught a cold and fell ill.
Yinzuo looked lively and energetic on weekdays, but when he was really sick, it was really worrying. His face was pale, his eyelids drooped, and he looked listless. He didn't even like to talk and had a poor appetite.
Sick people are always more vulnerable.
The Imperial Noble Consort personally coaxed him to eat and take medicine. Although Yinzuo couldn't eat much, he didn't make a fuss. He looked so well-behaved that it made people feel distressed.
"My Imperial Mother, Xiaoliu misses her brother so much. When can her come to accompany her?" Yinzuo had tears in his eyes because of the bitter medicine.
"My dear little six, your brother is studying in the upper study room now. I have already asked someone to tell him that he will come to see you after school this afternoon. How about taking a nap first? The Royal Mother is here to accompany you."
"Hmm~" Yinzuo nodded his head weakly, and his eyes, which had lost some of their former liveliness, slowly closed.
The Imperial Noble Consort had been guarding Yinzuo's bedside, and she would personally change the wet sweat towel on his forehead to cool him down every once in a while. Yinzuo suddenly developed a high fever last night, and she had been waiting for him since he fell ill until now, and there were even red bloodshot eyes.
Matron Cheng stepped forward and said, "Royal Concubine, you have been guarding for a whole day and night. Why don't you go and rest for a while? I will be guarding here."
"I will never feel at ease if I don't watch it myself. Well, no need to say more. The medicine that Sixth Prince will drink tonight is being boiled in the small kitchen. You go and watch it yourself, and don't let anyone get close."
One must always be on guard against others. Xiaoliu is a good child. She has already lost a daughter and cannot lose another one. Even though the child is not her biological child, after living with him for the past two years, the child has brought her so much laughter and touched her so much that she has long regarded him as her own.
As soon as Yinzhen received the news that Yinzuo was ill, he was extremely panicked. Even though he calculated that there were still more than two years before Yinzuo's death in his previous life, he was still afraid. What if it happened earlier?
Ever since Chengqian Palace came to report the news at noon, Yinzhen has been absent-minded in class this afternoon and was even scolded by his foreign martial arts teacher, Anda.
As soon as the school was over, he ran out without even having time to tidy up his desk.
The Third Prince Yinzhi, who was standing by, felt that it was just a blink of an eye and the shadow of the Fourth Prince disappeared.
"Hey! This is strange. Why is Yinzhen running so fast today? Could it be that he has to pee urgently?"
The prince on the side glanced at him, not knowing what to say, so he could only shake his head and sigh.
When Yinzhen rushed to Chengqian Palace panting, Yinzuo was still sleeping, curled up in the quilt, with slightly red eyes and wet marks on his eyelashes, it was obvious that he had cried not long ago.
"Greetings to the Imperial Mother."
"Get up. Look how fast you've been running. Your head is covered in sweat. Come here quickly and I'll wipe it for you." Tong Jia knew that Yinzhen would be very worried about Xiaoliu.
"Why did Xiaoliu suddenly fall ill? Royal Mother, what did the imperial physician say?" Yinzhen asked worriedly while holding Yinzuo's little hand.
"The imperial physician said that it was the change of seasons and he caught a cold. Last night, Xiaoliu said he was not feeling well and wanted to take a bath. You know that Xiaoliu likes to play with water when taking a bath. I guess he caught a cold at that time. Now he still has a fever and his appetite is not very good." The imperial concubine briefly explained the situation to him.
"It's already late autumn. Even if Xiaoliu likes to play in the water, the palace maids who serve him should persuade him not to do so. Now that the master is sick, it is you servants who have failed in your duty!" Yinzhen's words were quite harsh.
The palace maids and eunuchs in the room, led by Madam Cheng, knelt on the ground and apologized.
"I won't punish you today, but you have to know that it's because I don't want Xiao Liu to be sad for you when he wakes up. You have to be grateful to Xiao Liu in your heart and take good care of him. If it happens again, I won't be able to keep you no matter what."
"Minions remember this! We will never make the same mistake again."
Tong Jia looked at Yinzhen, who had suddenly grown up and was becoming more and more powerful, and smiled with satisfaction, as if "my son has grown up". Yinzhen had only been in the upper study room for more than half a year, but he was becoming more and more dignified as a prince.
"It seems that I can rest assured about you from now on. Yinzhen has grown up." Tong Jia straightened Yinzuo's collar and said softly.
"Yinzhen will always be a child in front of the Imperial Noble Mother."
"You sound more and more like Xiaoliu now. Okay, you stay with him. I think he will wake up soon. I will go back and rest for a while."
Yinzhen: "Farewell, Imperial Mother."
After seeing off the Imperial Concubine, Yinzhen sat in front of the bed and took on the responsibility of changing the wet towel on Yinzuo's forehead.
"Brother...Brother~" Yinzuo was suddenly awakened from his sleep crying.
"I'm here." Yinzhen held his little hand and leaned over to answer in his ear.
Yinzuo's thick and curly eyelashes trembled, slowly opened, and his big tearful eyes finally opened.
"Brother~" His first reaction was to stretch out his two little arms and ask his brother for a hug.
Yinzhen took off his boots, turned over to the bed, hugged him and lay down with him.
"Why do you come to accompany me just now~" Yinzuo said this in an extremely coquettish and willful manner.
"It's all my fault." Yinzhen didn't make any other excuses for himself.
Yinzuo smiled secretly. When his little temper was tolerated, he felt extremely happy.
"Brother~"
"Yes." Yinzhen agreed very patiently.
"Xiao Liu really wants to eat sweet snacks. The medicine is too bitter. Everything I eat tastes bitter~ Woo~~" Yinzuo complained and hummed.
Because Yinzuo had eaten too many sweets before, he had a toothache one time and had to call the imperial physician. From then on, the imperial concubine ordered that he was not allowed to eat too many sweets. Yinzhen remembered it very clearly, and it was almost every three days that he could eat two pieces of dessert. Even when he went to the Prince's Yuqing Palace, it was the same because Shunfeng, who followed him, would keep an eye on him.
"Besides snacks, what else do you want to eat?" Yinzhen had just heard from the Imperial Noble Mother that Yinzuo had lost his appetite.
"I want to eat..." Yinzuo thought seriously for a long time. In fact, he didn't want to eat anything, but since his brother asked him, he had to answer well.
"I want to eat the crucian carp stewed with tofu made by my mother." In fact, Yinzuo missed his mother, but he knew very well that he was sick and his mother had to take care of her sister, so she couldn't come to see him.
"Okay." Yinzhen patted his back, lifted the bed curtain and shouted outside.
"Su Peisheng."
Su Peisheng hurried forward and responded, "The servant is here."
"Go to Yonghe Palace and tell them that the Sixth Prince wants to drink the crucian carp stewed with tofu made by our mother."
"Yes, I'll go right away!"
Su Peisheng went to the imperial kitchen specifically to spend money to get crucian carp and tofu, and then took these two ingredients to Yonghe Palace.
During the waiting period, Yinzhen just lay with Yinzuo on the bed. Most of the time, it was Yinzuo who talked. Although he spoke very slowly, Yinzhen did not urge him. He just listened quietly and responded from time to time to show that he was listening carefully.
Su Peisheng walked in carrying a lunch box.
"Fourth Prince, the crucian carp stewed with tofu made by Concubine De has been delivered."
"Xiao Liu, didn't you say you wanted to eat the crucian carp stewed with tofu that my mother made? Would you like to get up and have some?"
"Okay~" Yinzuo had been talking for so long that his mouth was a little dry. Although he didn't feel hungry at all, he was willing to drink some soup.
The milky white crucian carp soup also contains Yinzuo’s favorite coriander. The combination of green onions and milky white is really appetizing.
Yinzuo was sick and had little strength, so this time Yinzhen fed him personally. Yinzuo, feeling so happy that he was about to burst into bubbles, swung his legs and smiled.
"Brother~"
"Yeah." Yinzhen wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth.
"You were so nice to Xiaoliu today~"
"Am I not nice to you on a normal day?" Yinzhen smiled helplessly.
"It's okay without today. Brother, can you sleep with Xiaoliu tonight?" Yinzuo was a little too demanding.
"Do you want me to sleep with you?"
"Yes!" Yinzuo nodded seriously.
"Then I'll accompany you, but only for tonight."
"Yeah! Brother, why are you so nice~"
"Just eat your food and take your medicine obediently, get better soon, and don't make me worry, okay?" Yinzhen looked into his eyes.
Yinzuo nodded obediently and replied softly: "Okay~"
With his brother's company, Yinzuo ate a lot at night and took the medicine obediently.
At night, she nestled in her brother's arms and told him a lot of things that happened when her brother was not around, most of which were about her sister. Yinzhen felt a little uncomfortable after listening to him. He wanted to ask Yinzuo several times whether his sister was more important than him as a brother in his heart.
By the time he made up his mind to ask, Yinzuo fell asleep.
The next day, before dawn, Yinzhen was awakened by Su Peisheng. Chengqian Palace was farther away from the Shangshufang than the Nansansuo, so in order not to be late, he had to get up earlier than usual.
When Yinzuo woke up, his brother was no longer by his side. It was the Imperial Mother who was watching over him.
Yinzuo looked around the room twice and asked, "My dear mother, where is my brother?"
"You forgot that your brother had to go to the study to study. He left early in the morning before daybreak."
"Will he come back today?" Yinzuo asked nervously, rubbing the quilt.
Tong Jia shook her head gently. The princes had a heavy workload. Now that Yinzuo had recovered, Yinzhen should naturally focus more on his studies.
"The teachers in the study room are very strict. If your brother fails to complete his homework, he will be beaten with a stick. Do you want your brother to be beaten?"
Yinzuo quickly shook his head. Of course he didn't want that.
"Then you should get better soon, and don't let your brother be distracted by worrying about you."
"...Hmm~" Although Yinzuo felt a little disappointed, he still hoped that his brother would be well.
Now the fifth and seventh princes are being vaccinated, and no one comes to see Yinzuo. The imperial concubine also has to deal with the affairs of the palace and cannot be with him all the time. During the day, he can only play with his toys alone in bed.
In the evening, Nanny Cheng came forward and advised: "Sixth Prince, it's time to have dinner."
But Yinzuo really had no appetite, so he didn't say anything.
"Sixth Prince, how can you not eat? You should eat something." Nanny Cheng advised earnestly.
"Didn't you promise me yesterday to eat well and take medicine so that you can get better soon?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Yinzuo suddenly turned his head to look at the door. He suddenly showed a bright smile, stood up from the bed, and danced with joy.
"Brother~"
"Don't jump down, just lie down obediently." Yinzhen walked quickly to his bed.
Yinzuo was extremely obedient at this moment, and his whole body was filled with joy.
After tucking in the corner of Yinzuo's quilt, Yinzhen said, "I'm hungry too."
"Madame Cheng! Please ask them to bring dinner! My brother is hungry!" Yinzuo was the first to make arrangements.
"Yes!" Nanny Cheng saw that her young master had been quiet all day and was now so excited, so she was naturally very happy for him.
"Brother, eat quickly and let Nanny Cheng feed me~" Yinzuo still remembered that his brother had just said he was hungry.
"good."
After the two brothers had dinner, Yinzhen went back to bed and played with Yinzuo's toys until Nanny Cheng reminded Yinzuo that it was time for him to take his medicine.
When his brother came back just now, Yinzuo did not eat obediently. Now he began to show himself very actively. He frowned and drank the medicine one mouthful at a time.
Then, two pieces of rose-chestnut powder cakes wrapped in a handkerchief appeared in front of him. The rich sweet fragrance filled his nose, and Yinzuo couldn't help licking his lips.
"Eat it."
Yinzuo quickly picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, his eyes narrowed with laughter.
"Is this... the taste from the Crown Prince's palace?" Yinzuo could tell the difference as soon as he tasted it. Only the maids in Yuqing Palace had such good cooking skills.
"Um."
Yinzhen said it lightly, but Su Peisheng, who was standing by, knew how difficult it was. His master had a cold personality to begin with, and he actually lowered his face to beg the prince.
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