Ever since Yinzuo lost a front tooth in public at the New Year's Eve banquet, he has been hiding in Chengqian Palace and avoiding people, except for his biological brother Yinzhen who was specially allowed to stay with him.
"Xiao Liu, it's me. Could you please open the door and let me in?" The Imperial Concubine came over and knocked on the door herself.
Yinzuo, who was lying on his brother Yinzhen like a boneless man, raised his head and said loudly: "My Royal Highness, only you are allowed to come in!"
"Okay." The imperial concubine agreed with a smile.
She pushed open the door and walked in alone. After closing the door behind her, she walked in front of her two sons.
I saw Xiaoliu holding a very familiar bronze mirror in her hand. It was the one that the child took from her dressing table when she came back on New Year's Eve. It seemed that Xiaoliu had been looking at her fallen front teeth in the mirror for the past few days. I don't know if they have grown back or not. The child didn't let others see it.
"Greetings to the Imperial Concubine." The two brothers knelt together and bowed to greet the Imperial Concubine.
"Get up quickly and let me see if your teeth have grown out." After the imperial concubine said this, she pretended to go forward and grab Yinzuo so that she could take a closer look.
Yinzuo quickly hid behind his brother Yinzhen, using all the skills he had learned in the years of playing "Eagle Catches Chicken". He was very slippery and the Imperial Noble Consort couldn't touch even a corner of his clothes for a long time.
"Xiao Liu, what are you doing? I won't laugh at you. We are all family. Don't run away. Let me have a good look at you." The Imperial Concubine supported herself on the table and was out of breath while speaking.
Yinzuo showed half of his head from behind Yinzhen, looked at her with his two big round eyes and said, "No! It's only a little bit sticking out, it's ugly, wait until it grows fully, then your Royal Madam can take a good look at it!"
"My child, I don't know when I will see you next time. Your father sent someone to tell you that you will be moved to the South Third Residence today and will be in the Upper Study tomorrow."
Yinzuo was so anxious that he didn't care about avoiding people.
He ran out, grabbed the Imperial Concubine's sleeve, and asked anxiously, "Didn't you say last time that you would go after the Lantern Festival?"
"Your Royal Father knows that you stay in your house and don't go out. He is worried about you and thinks it would be better for you to study with other princes as soon as possible."
Yinzuo pouted, unable to say no.
Ever since I lost a tooth in front of the Emperor Father on New Year's Eve, he was so scared that he carried countless rewards into the Chengqian Palace. The Emperor Father also came to visit me in person every day. If it weren't for the busy state affairs, I'm afraid the Emperor Father would have lived in the Chengqian Palace.
"Okay then, are we moving now?"
"You should ask them to come in and help you pack first. Take the things you need right away first. I will have others deliver the rest to you one by one in the next few days."
Yinzuo gently hugged the Imperial Concubine's waist and put his little face against her.
"My dear mother, I will come back to accompany you after I finish school."
The Imperial Concubine used her fingers to smooth his slightly uneven collar and said with a smile, "Silly boy, you have already moved to the South Third Institute, so why would you come back so far? Study with your brother, listen to the teachers' instructions, and listen to your Royal Father. Don't be so willful anymore."
Yinzuo hummed twice but did not argue. He knew that the imperial mother was worried about him and was reluctant to leave him, but she just didn't say it.
"Alright, let them clean up here, and you two can follow me to the main hall and sit down."
The Imperial Noble Consort walked in front, holding Yinzuo's hand, while Yinzhen followed on the other side. Along the way, he could hear the Imperial Noble Consort's instructions to Yinzuo, no matter how big or small the matter was. It seemed as if he was not going to the study to study, but rather going on a long journey.
"I understand, Imperial Mother. I'm not moving out and never coming back. If there is anything, please tell me next time, otherwise I won't remember it~" Yinzuo started to act like a spoiled child.
"You kid." The imperial concubine had to shut up.
As soon as Yinzuo stepped into the hall, he found a number of boxes on the table. He walked over curiously and opened a few of them, only to see sachets, brushes, books, shoes and socks, etc. inside, almost everything he could use.
"These are the items I asked them to prepare in advance and send them to you at the South Third Institute. Take a look at them yourself and tell me if there is anything missing."
Yinzuo ran over and pulled her to sit on the couch, then said with a smile: "The arrangements made by the Royal Mother are naturally the most meticulous, and the things are also the best, so I don't have to worry about it. I'm hungry~"
"Then serve the food. I've asked the kitchen to prepare some soft dishes. Remember, before your new teeth grow in, you are not allowed to eat anything hard or spicy, to avoid toothache or buck teeth. Don't cry when that happens."
Yinzuo quickly covered his mouth again. He had just forgotten that his front tooth was still missing.
"Why are you hiding it? I've seen it a long time ago. We are all family. I won't laugh at you."
The lunch was more sumptuous than usual, almost as good as the Chinese New Year days.
By the time Yinzuo finished eating, his stomach was full.
"I also asked them to make some snacks. You two brothers will each take some later. Nan San Suo is not like our own palace. It is not convenient to eat whatever you want. If you really want to eat, send someone to tell me. I will ask them to prepare it and send it to you two."
"The Royal Mother is so kind~"
Ever since Yinzuo had a toothache from eating too many sweets when he was a child, he has restricted his snack intake over the years. It is a rare opportunity to be unrestricted like this.
After the snacks were served, Yinzuo quickly took a piece and bit it in his hand.
"Why isn't this very sweet?" Yinzuo was a little confused.
"You just lost your tooth, so you can't eat anything too sweet. Besides, these snacks are for your brothers and sisters. Who said they were for you to eat alone?"
The Imperial Noble Consort knew that this child would not think about the ways of the world. He would have to see his brothers every day, so how could he not maintain good relationships with them?
"It turns out it's not for me to eat..." Yinzuo muttered softly.
"Yinzhen, remember to send a portion of these snacks to the brothers living in the South Third Building. Don't let Yinzuo eat them all by himself."
"Yes, son, I remember it."
"You can do the job, mother, rest assured."
Listening to the loving conversation between his brother and the Imperial Noble Mother, Yinzuo said unconvincedly: "Is the Imperial Noble Mother not confident in me?"
The Imperial Concubine felt both angry and amused.
"What do you think? Look at your stomach. It's already so big. As soon as you see the snack, you insist on stuffing a piece into your mouth. Aren't you afraid of bursting your stomach?"
Yinzuo stopped talking to defend himself, and hummed as he came closer to his brother, seeking comfort.
Relaxed and happy days always pass quickly. Yinzuo talked with the imperial mother for a long time at noon and moved to the South Three House in the evening. The South Three House suddenly became extremely lively.
As soon as they heard that Xiaoliu had moved in, his brothers all came over to greet him. If it weren't for the fact that his house was filled with so many things that there was nowhere to put them, they would have probably stayed here and talked to him for a while.
The fifth brother, Yinqi, claimed to be Yinzuo's best brother, so he was the first to speak: "Little Six, you should go sit with me. I'm afraid you still need to clean up your room."
At this time, the third son Yinzhi also interrupted: "Little Six, why don't you go to my place? My house is the cleanest, and there are a few red plum trees in front of the window, which are very beautiful."
The eldest brother just looked at the two of them, but didn't say anything about letting Yinzuo go to his place.
"It's still winter now, and Yinzhen's room is right next door, so don't let Xiaoliu run too far. What if he gets sick from the cold? He has to go to the study room tomorrow, so don't delay him."
"Then let's all go to our brother's room and sit for a while!" Yinzuo treated all of them equally and did not show favoritism towards any of his brothers.
Everyone went to Yinzhen's room next door and sat down. Fortunately, Su Peisheng knew that his master would be back today, so he estimated the time and lit the charcoal fire in the room. Now the whole room was warm and the temperature was just right.
"From today on, I will go to the study room with my brothers, and you guys are requested to take good care of me~" When arriving at a new place, it is natural to seek shelter.
Yinzhi said, "I am your third brother! Let me tell you who the masters are. Since I cannot be sure which one will teach you, I will tell you all about it. You should remember it and be sure not to violate their taboos."
"Oh, Third Brother doesn't know, but I do. So I won't bother telling Xiaoliu. When the Emperor went to Ciren Palace, he told Mama to let Xiaoliu, Xiaoba and I learn from Lord Li Guangdi first." Yinqi said these words with particular pride, as no one else knew this.
The third son Yinzhi retorted bluntly: "Look at how proud you are, fifth son. You have been studying in the upper study for such a long time, but you have to study with the sixth and eighth sons who have just entered the school. What is there to be proud of? If we encounter any difficulties, I am afraid we can't rely on you!"
Yinzuo realized that the situation was not good, so he quickly stepped forward and grabbed one of them and acted as a peacemaker.
"Third brother! Fifth brother! Stop arguing! You are all my good brothers. Fifth brother accompanies Xiao Ba and me. If there is anything we don't understand, Fifth brother can immediately guide us. If we encounter any difficulties, don't we still have Third brother? I heard that Third brother is very knowledgeable, even the emperor praises him highly!"
Xiao Ba, who was following behind, said shyly: "Sixth brother is right. We need the brothers to take care of us more."
When Yinzhen heard the word "we", his brows slightly frowned and he felt uncomfortable.
"If you have any difficulties in learning martial arts from An Da outside, feel free to come to me and I will give you two some private guidance." The eldest prince Yinzhi liked his two younger brothers, Xiaoliu and Xiaoba, very much.
"And me, Sixth Brother and Eighth Brother, if you need any help from me, just let me know." Seventh Brother Yinyou also quickly stated his position, even though he was not familiar with the two new brothers.
"Okay, I will definitely not be polite to you all!" Yinzuo behaved generously.
Yinzhen raised his hand and walked in with the food box.
"This is the snack that the Royal Mother specially asked my brother and me to bring for everyone. Everyone please sit down and have a taste."
"I've heard that the snacks in Chengqian Palace are particularly delicious, so I won't be polite." The eldest prince was the most open-minded. He was a teenager and consumed the most food, so he took the lead in picking up a piece and stuffing it into his mouth.
Yinqi said proudly to his third brother Yinzhi: "Xiaoliu and I often play together, and we have been eating this snack since we were young!"
Yinzhi glared at him and ignored him.
The author has something to say:
I'm sorry, I've been too busy lately to update. It's my fault. I accept the criticism. From tomorrow on, I will resume normal updates.
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