Chapter 60
Kangxi looked at the grilled skewers that Yinzuo brought over, and thought that maybe the two of them grilled them separately so that he could compare whose grilled it tasted better?
But the next moment, Yin Zuo's cheerful voice was heard: "Brother, cut the meat, and Prince, come and grill it. I've even sprinkled some seasoning on it!"
"Father, please try it!" Yinzuo urged.
Kangxi looked towards the prince and found that he was standing next to the eldest brother and saying something, while the eldest brother was bending over with a dagger in his hand, cutting a piece of meat, then skewered the meat and handed it to the prince.
Kangxi looked at the skewers in his hands and wondered in surprise, was it really roasted by the eldest and second brother together? It was quite surprising.
The eldest son is straightforward and the second son is arrogant. These two sons have always had conflicts when they are together since they were young, and they have not restrained themselves even now. Now they are actually getting together to do something. Kangxi looked at Yinzuo, who had a bruised face and nose, and guessed that it was related to this kid.
Yinzuo then asked Kangxi with a smile: "We baked it ourselves. Isn't it delicious?"
Kangxi nodded slightly, and Yinzuo told Kangxi that he had won the game against many children today, and asked his father for a reward with a smile: "My son did well today, didn't he? Did he make you proud? Do you have any reward?"
Although Kangxi was satisfied, he wanted to give the boy a slap when he saw his smiling face. He said, "It's already dark and you haven't come back yet. I'm glad I didn't punish you. What if something happens to you guys?"
"Did you tell me to be back before dark?"
Yinzuo's smiling face was gone. Why did he end up talking about punishment? It was just a delay of a little while. The Emperor was so boring.
Fortunately, Kangxi did not say anything to spoil the fun. After saying this, he said to Yinzuo, "Didn't you say you wanted to eat the prey I hunted? The tender meat of the young deer is a reward for you."
It was such a perfunctory and insincere reward, but fortunately Yinzuo didn't really want anything, so he started laughing again: "Okay, I'll bring it to my brother the crown prince, so we can roast it and eat it together."
After Yinzuo finished speaking, he happily returned to the crown prince and his friends. Seeing the grilled skewers, he said to them, "I'll send some to my third and fifth brothers as well."
"The Emperor also said that the meat grilled by my elder brother and the crown prince is delicious!"
Watching Yinzuo's back slipping away again, the eldest brother complained, "We, as elder brothers, have to serve them with all our might and let them enjoy the pleasure of being younger brothers."
The prince said, "It is I who is in the smoke and fire."
The eldest prince: "I've been busy too." The second eldest prince is especially nosy and always finds fault. It would be better if he did it himself.
Oh, even if these two people work together on something, it is difficult for the atmosphere to be harmonious and peaceful, but the requirements cannot be too high. At least the final result should be worthy of praise.
Yinzuo went around and brought back the third and fifth princes. The brothers gathered together and seemed to be squeezed together, which attracted a lot of attention.
Kangxi suddenly had the leisure to walk over to them. The eldest and second sons had generally behaved well during this period, but there was some discord between them. Kangxi did not take this little quarrel between the two brothers who grew up together too seriously, but he was not happy for outsiders to see it. He was more willing to let outsiders see the harmony between his sons.
Sure enough, as Kangxi walked over there, more people also looked in that direction.
Kangxi came over, and everyone stood up to give him a seat. Yinzuo said happily, "The emperor has finished eating, and he still wants to eat big brother and the prince. Oh, is there any meat I grilled? Yes, third brother and fifth brother, come with us, let's honor the emperor together."
Whether to grill meat or not is not that important, but it feels good for the father and son to sit together in such a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.
They didn't talk about schoolwork or other serious matters, they just talked about eating and drinking, which meat tasted better, how to make it more delicious, and even Kangxi himself tried something.
Yinzuo tasted the one baked by Kangxi and said, "My father's is not as delicious as the one baked by my prince brother."
The Third Prince glanced at his careless Sixth Brother and thought that his Sixth Brother was too honest.
Kangxi said: "That's because the prince added too much ingredients, so the taste is strong."
This guy is very competitive and still refuses to accept defeat.
But Yinzuo didn't know how to save face for his father: "No, I can't control the timing as well as the crown prince."
The Third Prince said hurriedly, "Not really. I just like the ones roasted by the Emperor. I like them to be a little burnt and have a lighter taste."
Yin Zuo said, "I understand. Everyone has their own preferences. It's hard to satisfy everyone."
Since Kangxi had taken action, everyone also got busy together. It became like a self-service family activity and was quite enjoyable for a while.
By the fire, Kangxi had a gentle expression. He looked at his sons sitting around him and was in a good mood. He said to them, "You have seen that there are many tribes on the grassland when you got here, but fortunately you have many brothers. I hope you brothers can work together."
No matter what they thought in their hearts, these brothers all straightened their faces and agreed in unison.
When Kangxi stood up, he said to Yinzuo and the others, "Keep playing, but don't play too late."
Uh-huh.
After Kangxi left, the Fifth Prince and Yinzuo murmured, saying that they were not used to seeing the Emperor being so kind. Yinzuo said, "It would be fine as long as the Emperor doesn't talk about homework."
He also said to the Fifth Prince, "It's better to leave the palace." He could stay up all night facing the moon on the grassland.
The Fifth Prince said, "You played games today without me."
Yinzuo: "Then you have someone playing with you, right?"
The Fifth Prince smiled. Rather than playing with children, he preferred to play with older people. Today he went to practice falconry with others.
The brothers were chattering while eating. Most of the ones roasted in front were eaten by the younger ones and the emperor. The eldest brother was busy all the time, but he didn't get to eat much. He had a big appetite, and although he thought the meat roasted by the second brother was indeed delicious, it didn't make him feel happy or fill his stomach.
So he started to find fault again: "You are too slow, not generous." After getting along with these Mongolian men for some time, he now feels that the refinement of the royal family is not suitable for him. A man should eat meat and drink wine with big mouthfuls to be generous.
Of course the prince retorted: "Then you can do it yourself."
After Kangxi left, the two started arguing again. The eldest prince also refused to cooperate with the crown prince. He cut a large piece of meat and skewered it himself, saying, "I'll do it myself."
Yinzuo talked to his fifth and third brothers for a while, and then turned to the crown prince and the eldest prince. He opened his mouth and ate another string of deer meat at the crown prince's side, but as for the one roasted by his eldest brother, he turned his head away in disgust and did not eat it.
Eating too much barbecue would make one thirsty, so Yinzuo drank some water, glanced at his elder brother drinking, and stole a glance at the wine bag hanging on his elder brother's waist.
His elder brother imitated the grassland people and made a wine bag, but he didn't drink too roughly and still drank from a wine glass.
Yinzuo watched his elder brother taking sips of wine and bites of meat, and suddenly his heart was moved. He felt that drinking water had no taste. Then he looked at the wine bag around his elder brother's waist. Wouldn't it be convenient for him to take it away?
Yinzuo leaned against the eldest prince and sat next to him, doing something sneaky. He opened the wine bag, bent down to sniff it, then leaned over to pour a small sip, smacked his lips, and wondered why it didn't taste so good?
But his elder brother seems to enjoy the drink?
Take another bite, it seems a bit fragrant?
Take another sip. Hmm, why is it a bit bitter?
Then try it again?
It was only when the prince turned his head that he saw Yinzuo hiding behind the eldest brother. The firelight couldn't illuminate him clearly, and he hadn't moved. What was he doing there? Was he asleep? Then he called out, "Yinzuo."
"Hmm?" Yinzuo replied vaguely. The eldest prince turned his head back and realized that Yinzuo was doing something bad: "Did you drink secretly?"
When the prince heard this, he frowned and walked over. At this time, Yinzuo had already started to feel dizzy after taking a few sips of wine. He held his head and looked up and said, "Brother Prince, you are so tall."
"Why are you shaking?"
It's not the prince who is shaking, it's you. The eldest prince supported the unstable Yinzuo. When the eldest prince turned sideways, everyone saw that Yinzuo's face was flushed. The prince asked unhappily: "How much did you drink?"
Yinzuo pointed his finger and said, "One mouthful, two mouthfuls, three mouthfuls..." He waved his hand and said disdainfully, "It doesn't taste good!"
The eldest prince snatched his wine bag and stuffed it, saying, "Why are you drinking it if it doesn't taste good?"
Younger princes like the Fifth and Sixth Princes were not allowed to drink at the palace banquets. The Crown Prince looked at Yinzuo's flushed face and was dissatisfied with the eldest prince: "He has no vigilance at all. He didn't even know that the wine was stolen."
The eldest prince opened his mouth and wanted to retort reflexively, but this time he was indeed in the wrong, so he finally shut up.
The prince did not say anything more. He frowned and looked at the drunkard who was about to fall asleep. He took a cloak and wrapped Yinzuo in it, and arranged for someone to send Yinzuo back.
The eldest prince also instructed, "Go back and feed him some hangover soup, and keep an eye on him at night."
It was almost time for the show to end. Soetu, who was talking to someone in the distance, watched the prince carry Yinzuo on someone else's back and take care of Yinzuo, who seemed to be asleep. He wondered if the prince had listened to what he said.
Although today's interaction between the Sixth Prince and the son of the Mongolian prince and nobles was just a game, it does show that the Sixth Prince is quite intelligent. Moreover, with the Emperor, ministers, and Mongolian tribes witnessing him today, his reputation for intelligence will inevitably spread in the future.
Soetu looked at Yinzuo's back for a few times and then he could no longer see clearly. He turned his gaze to the eldest prince who was in the firelight. Compared with the sixth prince, a young prince who had just shown some signs of growth, Soetu regarded the eldest prince as a standard rival.
During this period, the eldest prince has been very aggressive and lacks humility towards the crown prince. In Soetu's opinion, the eldest prince's ambitions are obvious, but unfortunately, the emperor, as his father, cannot see it. He only thinks that the eldest prince has performed very well and praises him a lot.
Wouldn't this cause more people to become restless? It would help the eldest prince win over many people.
Soetu nodded to a passing general, thinking that these generals had a better impression of the eldest prince. In addition, their faction was trying to win him over, so he couldn't help but worry. He had heard the generals and soldiers praising the eldest prince.
If it weren't for Soetu's excessive worry and suspicion, he wouldn't believe that there was any prince who didn't want to be the emperor. Besides, the Manchus were all competitive, so could they really become saints who were polite, respectful and modest by reading Confucian books? Soetu didn't believe it.
It was not that Soetu was meddling in other people's affairs. The prosperity and wealth of his family for the next few decades depended on the prince, so the prince could not fall, and his family could not fall either.
Prince, oh prince, I hope you can listen to his words and be more cautious and take precautions early. There are no brothers in the royal family, only rivals.
Being drunk was not a good feeling. Yinzuo woke up with a headache the next day. In the morning, Kangxi, who had woken up early, strolled over to Yinzuo.
It wasn't so obvious in the firelight yesterday, but when I looked at it today, wow, that little face was pale from a hangover, with bruises of varying depths from being beaten, new scars on top of the old ones, it was no longer viable.
Kangxi was furious when he saw this useless little face. He tapped Yinzuo's forehead and said, "Why can't you live in peace?"
Kangxi didn't expect that something strange could happen again just after he left last night.
Kangxi said: "Your life is more lively than mine."
Seeing that his royal father was about to scold him again, Yinzuo took his royal father's big hand and placed it on his forehead, and said pitifully, "Father, I feel bad."
Kangxi said: "You are asking for trouble. You deserve to suffer."
Oh, his royal father can't say anything except scolding.
Kangxi said again: "Don't stay in bed, get up and eat."
Yinzuo said, "Oh, has your father eaten yet? If not, then you can eat with your son."
"My son has no appetite. If he eats with the Emperor, he will have a good appetite."
Kangxi twitched his mouth and thought to himself that it was no wonder that his other sons had a good relationship with this son. It was just that he was not shy about saying anything, which was not the case with most people.
However, Kangxi ended up having this breakfast with Yinzuo.
After Kangxi left, Yinzuo went back to bed. He planned to take a nap, which does not count as staying in bed too long.
I didn't go out to play today, but Harcha Tsebutan Ji and the others came to Yinzuo to find him. After yesterday's battle, although Harcha and the others lost to Yinzuo, their relationship with him became better than before.
They were not shy in Yinzuo's tent. When they learned that Yinzuo drank, they recommended their kumis to him. Yinzuo didn't think the wine tasted good yesterday, but he accepted Harcha's offer to give him kumis.
He took it back for his mother, sister and fourth brother to try, and Harcha and the others recommended a few things for him to take back.
And perhaps because of their loss yesterday, Harcha and the others became curious about what Yinzuo learned every day. Wow, this is easy. Yinzuo took out his books and homework to show them, which made these kids feel impressed.
After all, studying in the palace was monotonous, and Yinzuo used his limited experience to tell Harcha and the others about the excitement of the capital. In the next few days, the children played with Yinzuo more and more, and as the hunting was about to end, everyone became more and more reluctant to leave.
Until this day, Yinzuo ran to Kangxi and announced: "My Royal Father, my Royal Father, Harcha and the others want to follow us to the capital!"
What? Kangxi looked up in confusion.
Yinzuo said happily: "They want to go to our capital to learn skills, and our capital is good, so they want to come here!"
Isn't it just about integrating with Mongolia, so that we can be one in each other? Don't just let our princess go there, you can come too.
Yinzuo had never gotten over the fact that his sisters were marrying far away. He had learned that not only were there princesses marrying far away, but there were also hostages in the capital.
I have been thinking about this matter, so now the son of the Mongolian nobleman who I have hooked up with has come to Beijing, right?
Kangxi asked the boy opposite him, "What's going on?"
"Well, they feel that they will become frogs in a well on the grassland, and want to go to our capital to gain some experience and skills so that they can better govern their grassland tribes in the future." It was Yinzuo who told them about the frog in the well.
Kangxi was moved for a moment, but he said, "Their father will not agree with what you say as children."
But that was not the case. The children were making a lot of noise, and there were indeed a few tribal leaders who, perhaps wanting to gain attention from Kangxi, revealed their intention to send their children to study in the capital.
Kangxi readily agreed.
If Kangxi had proposed this kind of thing, it would indeed be like detaining a hostage, but it was none of his business what the child wanted to accomplish on his own.
(End of this chapter)
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