Changning hasn't figured out how to solve this problem yet. After all, this problem has probably existed since ancient times, and it will still be the same even in modern times, hundreds of years later.
It's like that classic question: If I and your mother fell into the water, who would you save?
Changning could only comfort his two youngest sons first. However, Hongmin was not as angry as Hongchen, and simply added a cute little voice.
"Mother, my brothers have jumped into the water."
Oh, so I didn't bring you guys with me for the diving. What the heck?
Did those spendthrift sons go diving?
Where did you go diving?
Can they swim?
Changning's vision went black, and he almost fainted.
Hutuli quickly helped his mother up, and Yierha was also startled, thinking that his younger brothers were too bold.
Hutu hurriedly pointed to the wet nurse next to Hongmin and asked, "You tell me, what exactly happened? Where did they go to jump into the water?"
The wet nurse was also very nervous and stammered, but at least she managed to say everything.
It turned out that these past few days had been very hot, and the boys were dressed quite warmly. After eating inside for a while, they went outside to ride horses and spin tops a few times, and were already covered in sweat.
Hongyan had originally instructed his servants to prepare hot water so that everyone could take a good bath.
Who knew that Hongchun, who loved watching the drama unfold, said that he often swam at home, and that swimming was the most enjoyable thing to do in this weather.
Upon hearing this, Hongzhao was alarmed and immediately wanted to persuade his brothers to give it a try.
Honghui, who always followed the rules, hesitated and said, "Isn't this a bad idea? We should report to Father or Mother Chun first."
Hongchun waved his hand dismissively: "What's the big deal? When we were in the manor, Father and I often went swimming together. Fourth Uncle probably won't mind, right?"
Hongzhao, however, was thinking about another question: "Brother Hongchun, where did you swim?"
“It’s in the pond. Don’t you have a small pond on your estate? Let’s not go to the big pond, let’s play in that small pond that’s a bit off to the side. It’s cool and safe there, and the pond isn’t deep.”
Hong Yan frowned: "Even if it's not deep, the water isn't clean, is it?"
“What’s unclean about it? It’s just a bit of weeds. We can have them go down and collect it a few more times.” Hongchun was also eager to try.
Hongchang's eyes also gleamed with excitement; he had never tried swimming before.
Hongyan still felt it was a bit dangerous, so he sent one of his eunuchs who could swim to test the water and see how deep it was and how far it went.
When the eunuch beside him went down into the water, he found that it was indeed not deep, only up to an adult's thigh, about a meter deep, and this was the deepest part of the area.
Near the shore, the water level only reaches the calves, so it's fine for the little ones to play on.
Moreover, the pond doesn't have many aquatic plants, so a little cleaning will suffice.
Hearing the eunuch say this, Hongyan and Honghui finally felt relieved. Hongchun, on the other hand, had already impatiently taken off his clothes and pulled Hongchang and Hongzhao along with him. As for the two little ones, Hongmin and Hongchen, they were told to stay away.
This pool is not for little kids like them to play in.
As a result, Hongmin and Hongchen got angry and ran back to the courtyard to complain to Changning.
Hearing them say that, Changning finally felt relieved. It wasn't because she was being overly cautious, but because there were far too many cases of children getting into accidents while swimming in the wild in the summer in modern times, which made her feel compelled to be careful.
When Yinzhen heard about it, his first reaction was to be furious. He almost immediately wanted to drag all the servants out and beat them to death, and he smashed all the teacups on the table in the study.
Su Peisheng asked in detail and spoke up at this crucial moment, saying that the young masters had not gone to the big pond, but to a smaller pond further away. It was not deep, only up to the calves, and the deepest part was up to the thighs. It was not really swimming; the young masters were just playing in the cool water.
Nevertheless, Yinzhen was still very angry and scolded the servants around him, giving each of them ten strokes of the cane.
These are his three grown sons and two nephews; he can't afford to take responsibility if anything happens to them.
Still feeling uneasy, he went to check on them himself and found the boys shirtless, having a great time playing inside. They hadn't gone to the deepest part of the room, and were splashing each other with water, having a wonderful time.
Hongzhao's molars were gleaming in the sun; as Changning put it, his mouth was so big you could see his stomach.
When the boys saw their father arrive, none of them dared to cause any more trouble, and they quickly slunk ashore.
Even Hongchun, who was usually bold and loved to cause trouble, didn't dare to say anything at this time, and he just followed his father, the fourteenth prince.
Both father and son were born with a certain fear of Yinzhen.
If Yinzhen were here, things would be better; he could restrain himself a bit. But as long as Yinzhen wasn't here, he would let loose and have a great time.
Even if the fourteenth prince is stubborn and headstrong, always provoking his fourth brother like a donkey, he will become incredibly cowardly if Yinzhen gets really angry, raises his eyebrows and blows his beard.
As for Hongchang, he was even more frightened. Although his fourth uncle had always been kind to him, he was cautious by nature and dared not speak at this moment. He could only follow behind Hongyan.
Honghui and Hongyan, on the other hand, seemed quite responsible. They stood at the front, bowed to Yinzhen, and took the initiative to admit their mistakes, saying that they shouldn't have been so reckless.
Yinzhen first gathered his strength and scolded them a few times, saying they were acting too recklessly. Even if they wanted to play in the water, they should have told him in advance.
He told the servants to tidy up the place before letting them play; how could he be so rash as to make the decision on his own?
Wouldn't that lead to utter chaos and rebellion in the future?
Upon hearing Yinzhen's words, the boys blushed, lowered their heads, and dared not retort.
However, he didn't want to stop the children from playing. Boys are bolder, so he instructed Su Peisheng to clean the pool thoroughly, leaving no stone unturned and ensuring there were no dangerous elements.
Then let the children wash up, change their clothes, have a meal together, and come back to play happily tomorrow.
The boys exchanged glances, knowing they had passed this hurdle, and then, smiling and putting their arms around each other's shoulders, they went to pack up.
Hongzhao was still shouting, "Isn't my swimming skill amazing now? I can hold my breath for a long time, a quarter of an hour!"
Yinzhen smiled helplessly and shook his head.
Tonight's meal is a group affair. Changning instructed people to prepare many of the children's favorite dishes, including spicy tripe soup, crispy tendon, braised mutton, sweet and sour lotus root slices, and a perch with hydrangea-shaped filling in the center.
The sea bass was headed and tailed, and the fish meat was cut into pieces about the length of an index finger. The fish bones were completely removed, so there were no fish bones to eat. The fish meat was then mixed with scallion and ginger juice, egg white, cooking wine, etc. to remove the fishy smell. It was then rolled into balls with three kinds of shredded vegetables and steamed. It really looked like a brightly colored hydrangea.
It tastes delicious, and Hutuli and Yierha really like it.
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