The two brothers talked for a long time, with Yinzuo doing most of the talking and Yinzhen listening. It was nothing big, just some interesting things that Yinzuo had experienced in his daily life.
"Brother, do you know? When it's about to rain, ants will move away from their original nests in groups, and the carps in the pond in the imperial garden will jump out of the water one after another. They jump very high!"
"Um."
"Mother has a new baby, but we don't know whether it is a brother or a sister. Brother, do you hope it will be a brother or a sister?"
"Sister."
"It turns out that my brother likes his sister more just like me!"
Yinzhen smiled and said nothing. He did this because Yinzuo liked Qionghua very much and thought that if he had another sister, Yinzuo's attention on Qionghua would be diverted. Yinzhen's heart was still a bit dark, but Yinzuo could not know this.
"Qionghua is now living in Ciren Palace. Mama treats her very well, even better than she treats Fifth Brother. When she first went there, she often cried for Mother. Mother was pregnant and couldn't move around very often, so I went to Ciren Palace every day to play with her. She is much better now. When I go to the study, I can't go to accompany her. What if she starts crying again?"
"Yinzuo, Qionghua will eventually grow up. As the ancients said, 'Boys and girls should not sit together when they are seven years old.' Even if they are siblings, they should still avoid each other when she grows up."
Yinzhen wished that Qionghua could grow up to seven years old immediately so that she would have no reason to stick to Yinzuo all day long. Of course, on the surface, he still acted like a good brother who cared about his younger siblings.
"Yes, by the way, brother, if I go to the study room to study, will I not be able to see my two mothers every day? What if I miss them?" Yinzuo held his face and sighed heavily.
"After school, I can come with you to pay my respects to them both."
"What if the master in the study room doesn't teach me how to do it? I heard that they will hit my hands with a stick, which is very painful!" Yinzuo frowned and pouted, with an expression that said I'm very scared.
"No, I will help you. Besides, you have a tutor. Even if you forget to answer the question, the teachers will just let your tutor take the blame for you." Yinzhen tried his best to dispel his concerns and worries.
"Study partner? I don't know who my study partner will be. What if he doesn't like me?" Yinzuo simply had a hundred thousand questions in mind.
Yinzhen smiled helplessly. Is there anyone in this world who doesn't like him? Yinzuo didn't know enough about himself.
"He will definitely like you." Yinzhen patiently continued to comfort Yinzuo, who was feeling a little uneasy.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to get up in the morning and the Emperor will punish me..." Yinzuo was worried about this and that and was extremely anxious.
"I'll go and call you myself."
…
The conversation did not stop until the Imperial Concubine sent someone to invite them to the main hall for dinner.
"Let's go. I haven't seen the Royal Mother for a long time. It's a good opportunity for us to pay our respects to her together." As soon as he finished speaking, Yinzhen took the initiative to hold Yinzuo's hand and walked out, fearing that he would continue asking questions.
After having dinner together.
Yinzhen also accompanied Yinzuo to the backyard to look at the flowers and plants that the two brothers had planted together. After Yinzuo's careful planting over the past few years, the flowers and plants grew very lush. Now it is spring and many plants are in bud, and of course a few are already in bloom.
"Brother, do you still remember the daylily we gave to our mother as a birthday gift?"
"Yes, I remember."
"That pot of daylilies has now burst its pot, and its seeds have fallen into the pot, growing more and more, and now there are seven or eight plants. I want my mother to collect some new seeds this year and plant two plants in the South Third Institute, one for my brother and one for me."
"Okay." Yinzhen rubbed his head. In fact, the living conditions in Nansanso were not very good, so he had no intention of growing flowers. If it had not been for Yinzuo, he would never have taken the initiative to touch these flowers and plants.
Yinzuo immediately took his brother to the Yonghe Palace next door to pay his respects to his pregnant mother and mentioned the matter of the seeds.
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on it for you."
Concubine De is now becoming more and more gentle. Her eyes are full of tenderness, and she looks at her children with a loving gaze. Although Xiaosi, Xiaoliu and Qionghua are not with her now, the three children are very filial, and the relationship between mother and children becomes deeper as they grow up. She is already very satisfied with this.
"Xiao Si, is it possible that he can understand what Master is reading?"
Yinzhen nodded. He looked at his mother who looked like her in her previous life but not the same, with mixed feelings. He said softly, "The teachers explained everything in great detail. If my son has any questions, the teachers will explain them patiently. Don't worry, mother."
"That's good. Your brother will be going to the study room soon. Please take care of him in private. You know his lazy nature. He is not as steady as you. Mother is always worried."
"I'm not as bad as mother said~" Yinzuo lay on his mother's lap and rubbed it, acting coquettishly to express his dissatisfaction with the evaluation of him that mother had just given him.
"Besides, it's my turn to take care of my brother!" Yinzuo raised his head and said confidently.
"Oh? Then mother doesn't know how you are going to take care of your brother? Come, tell me." Defei thought Xiaoliu was a funny guy, and he could always make people laugh when he spoke.
"My brother doesn't like to talk, and he must be alone most of the time. But it will be different with Xiaoliu by his side! I will tell him jokes and play with him, so he won't feel lonely and bored~"
Yinzhen raised the corners of his lips and replied with a smile: "Yeah, that's right."
"You two brothers are still the same as when you were little. Xiao Si always protects your younger brother, and you think everything he says is good." Defei smiled and shook her head gently.
It was getting late, and it was time for Yinzhen to leave and go back to the Nansanso. Yinzuo stood at the gate of Yonghe Palace and waved vigorously at his brother until his back completely disappeared from his sight. Then he turned around reluctantly and went back to Chengqian Palace.
On the second day, after the court session, Kangxi went to the study to check on his sons' learning progress. He asked them questions one by one and asked them to recite. In contrast to Yinzhi, who was weak in a certain subject, and Yinqi, who knew nothing about anything, Yinzhen, who could recite the content of the article fluently, looked particularly pleasing to the eye. Kangxi saw that there was a slight dark spot under Yinzhen's eyes and expressed his concern.
"Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"To answer your question, Father Huang, yesterday was Xiaoliu's birthday. After school, he went to Chengqian Palace and was a little late when he returned to Nansansuo."
"Yesterday was... the fifth day of the second month. Yes, it was Yinzuo's birthday. Yinzuo is six years old this year."
Last year, Kangxi was so preoccupied with the war in Russia that he neglected the fact that it was time for his son to start school. It had already been delayed for a whole year, and he couldn't postpone it any further this year.
So after Kangxi came out of the upper study, he told Liang Jiugong: "Go prepare something to celebrate Yinzuo's birthday. I will go to Chengqian Palace in the evening."
"Yeah." Liang Jiugong wanted to remind the emperor about this matter yesterday, but several ministers in the court stayed up late to discuss matters yesterday, and the emperor looked tired, so he didn't say much.
When Kangxi appeared, the Imperial Noble Consort and Yinzuo had been waiting for a while, and the mother and son hurried forward to greet him.
"Greetings to the Emperor."
"Greetings to the Emperor~"
"Get up, everyone." Kangxi naturally picked up Yinzuo and held him in his arms.
"I have prepared dinner in advance. Your Majesty, please go in and have your meal first."
"good."
Yinzuo hugged his father's neck and laughed happily. After the father and son sat down, they put their heads together and whispered intimately.
"Father Emperor, I haven't seen you for a long time. I miss you so much!" After saying that, she gave him a kiss.
Kangxi was now completely accustomed to Yinzuo's intimate behavior, so he just laughed it off.
"I am busy with state affairs, so I came to see you when I had some free time. I remembered that today is your birthday, and I prepared a gift for you."
"Father Emperor, but yesterday was my birthday?" Yinzuo blinked his eyes and opened his mouth slightly.
"Isn't today the fifth day of the second month?" Kangxi seemed puzzled.
The Imperial Concubine was busy preparing the meal and did not notice what the father and son were whispering about. She only heard the last sentence.
"Your Majesty must have been so busy that he misremembered the date. Yesterday was only the fifth day of February, but today is already the sixth."
"What? Did I remember it wrong?" Kangxi looked annoyed.
Only Liang Jiugong behind him knew the truth, but as a servant, he had to cooperate with the emperor in the show.
"It's all my fault! I failed to remind Your Majesty in time. Please forgive me!"
"Father Emperor, Eunuch Liang didn't do it on purpose, so don't blame him. It's okay. As long as Father Emperor is willing to come and celebrate Xiao Liu's birthday, Xiao Liu will be very happy~"
"Forget it. Since Sixth Prince pleaded for you, I will not punish you today. Hurry up and present the gift I carefully prepared for Sixth Prince."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace! Thank you, Sixth Prince, for pleading for me!" Liang Jiugong hurriedly held the things in his hands and presented them to the Sixth Prince.
"Lacquer, smoke and ink?" Yinzuo blurted out as he looked at the things in the box.
"You know him?" Kangxi was a little surprised.
"The Emperor and the Royal Mother are really in tune with each other. The gift that the Royal Mother gave to Xiaoliu yesterday was also lacquer and ink~" Yinzuo replied with a smile, clapping his hands.
"If I knew that the emperor was also planning to give this gift, I would definitely buy a good inkstone for Xiaoliu."
"I just got a Songhua River stone melon pool inkstone a few days ago. Since the Imperial Noble Consort has said so, I will give it to you. You are already six years old this year, and it is time for you to go to the upper study to study."
Yinzuo nodded his little head like a chick pecking at rice.
"Xiao Liu obeys your order."
"Your Majesty, Xiaoliu has not yet been vaccinated. It just so happens that the Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince are all two years old this year. I am thinking that it would be better to vaccinate them together in the near future so that the brothers can have a companion. What do you think?"
Kangxi thought for a while and nodded.
"That's good. Every prince must strictly implement vaccination. Otherwise, the people will find it hard to believe, and the court will face many obstacles in promoting vaccination."
So, on an auspicious day set by the Imperial Observatory, Yinzuo and several younger brothers who were younger than him and whom he had hardly ever met were sent to the West Three Buildings behind the Cining Palace.
The West Three Houses are heavily guarded inside and outside. No one is allowed to enter except the servants who take personal care of the princes. Once inside, no one is allowed to leave until the princes recover.
Each prince was assigned a room, but the rooms were very small and had not been occupied for a long time, so there was a musty smell in them. So after a while, several princes ran out of the rooms one after another and played in the yard.
Suddenly arriving in a completely unfamiliar environment, the younger ones were obviously a little uncomfortable. Yinzuo thought of himself as the older brother, so he took the initiative to greet them.
He opened his purse, poured a few candied fruits into his palms, and then said to his brothers with a smile: "Little Eight, Little Nine, and Little Ten, I am your sixth brother. I will treat you to candied fruits. They are so sweet~"
The three little kids looked at him hesitantly, and no one stepped forward for a while.
Yinzuo picked up a pill and put it into his mouth, eating it with relish.
He expressed his feelings while eating.
"Delicious! So sweet~"
Children naturally couldn't resist such temptation. One of them, a little kid dressed in the most exquisite and luxurious clothes, ran over, followed by a nanny.
The maid yelled nervously, "Tenth Prince, don't run! Slow down! We have some snacks, please have some!"
"No! I want candied fruit!"
He was the first to take a paw from Yinzuo's hand, and he was really not polite at all.
"Are you Xiaoshi Yin'e?" Yinzuo took the initiative to talk to him.
"Hmm." The little kid pointed his nose at Yinzuo and responded nonchalantly. In fact, he had been stealing glances at Yinzuo. He thought his brother was really handsome, even more handsome than the crown prince, so he couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.
Yin'e seemed to be the most courageous, even a little arrogant. His action of taking the candied fruit from Yinzuo's hand just now could be more accurately described as snatching rather than taking. The imperial concubine had only him as her son, so naturally she doted on him extremely. Even if he wanted the stars in the sky, the imperial concubine would try her best to pick them for him, which led to his overbearing character.
"I want one too!" The second little kid also rushed up. His personality was not so likable either, and he was also a spoiled and willful person.
"Then you are the ninth brother Yinzhen, right?" Yinzuo had heard his fifth brother complain to him, saying that his brother Yinzhen was not cute at all and even stole his toys.
"How do you know? I don't care, just give me the candied fruit!" The little kid grabbed Yinzuo's legs and started to act like a spoiled brat.
"Call me Sixth Brother first, and I'll give it to you."
"Then why didn't Yin'e call you just now? You gave it to him too!"
It's obvious that these two little guys often play together.
"Because he was the first one to run over, and you are the second one. The second one has to call me, and then I will give it to you." Yinzuo was also spoiled since he was a child, and he would not be humble to coax others.
Yin'e, who had just won first place, smiled proudly with his chin raised high.
Yinzhen was also a man of great adaptability. He could not beat Yinzuo, who was much taller than him, and he had no servants around him whom he could order around, so he simply called for help.
"Sixth brother! You can finally give it to me now, right?"
"Here." Yinzuo generously took out a handful from his purse and gave it to him.
Yinzuo looked at the last little kid who was huddled in the corner and had not taken the initiative to approach them. He was also the smallest one among the three of them.
"Xiao Ba, come here. Sixth brother will also give you candied fruit. Come quickly." Yinzuo took out another handful and held it in his hand, then stretched it towards the last little kid.
The little guy looked at him several times, as if to make sure that he had no ill will towards him, and then slowly moved over.
"...Six...Sixth Brother..." The voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. If you didn't listen carefully, you really couldn't hear it.
"Hey! Xiao Ba is so good. Take it and eat it quickly. If you don't have enough, come and ask Sixth Brother for more." Yinzuo took his little hand and put all the candied fruit in his hand into his little hand.
Unfortunately, the eighth little Yinsi's hands were too small for him to hold them, so Yinzuo fed them into his mouth one by one himself.
"Is it tasty?"
Little Eighth Yinsi was a little reserved, and he nodded slightly.
"Don't be afraid. I know your mother is Liang Guiren and my mother is De Fei. They are good friends. I will take care of you."
When the eighth brother Yinsi heard his handsome brother mention his biological mother, he unconsciously developed a close feeling towards him.
"...Thank you, Sixth Brother." Although his voice was still very low, at least he was taking the initiative to speak.
"Then I will call you Xiao Ba from now on."
"Okay..." Little Eighth Yinsi nodded again very obediently.
The other two little kids looked at this side, snorted, leaned together, and started eating with their backs to them.
After a while, the candied fruit was finished. The two of them whispered in the corner, looking at Yinzuo from time to time.
"Why is he so nice to that guy alone?" The tenth prince Yin'e was very dissatisfied. He had just boasted that he was number one!
The ninth prince Yinzhen was also very dissatisfied and said: "I just called him Sixth Brother, why didn't he feed me!"
The two little Tyrannosaurus Rex were hesitant. Even though they were beginning to feel jealous, they still had to consider their own face and so they resisted the urge to move forward.
After eating the candied fruit, Yinzuo took out a stack of small pieces of paper that he had carefully made. The small pieces of paper were cut into rectangles of uniform size. The back was blank, and the front was covered with various cute simple drawings he had drawn himself.
That’s right, this is the picture card that Yinzuo made himself. It is a game that is popular in the streets. In his previous life, he saw other children often gathered together to play picture cards. Recently, he had nothing to do, so he simply made it. However, he did not have the chance to play it with his best friend, his fifth brother Yinqi.
"Sixth brother, what is this?" After the friendly exchange just now, the eighth little Yinsi, who had never enjoyed such love, had become Yinzo's number one fan.
"This is called a picture card. It's for fun. I'll teach you!"
From time to time, the laughter of Yinzuo and Yinsi could be heard from this side, while Yin'e and Yin'er on the other side were becoming more and more restless.
"What are they playing?"
"Why didn't he ask the two of us to come over? He even asked the two of us to eat the candied fruit just now!"
"Is it so funny? You're laughing so loudly."
"How about we go over and take a look?"
"OK!"
The two little kids were sneaking towards the other side.
Yinzuo had noticed the two of them a long time ago, but he deliberately ignored them. It was because they were so rude just now. Xiaoba was the most obedient.
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The brothers showed up!
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