Chapter 24
When Yinzuo returned, he brought back peach juice. Didn't he hold the prince's hand and drink the whole cup? The prince couldn't stand his useless appearance, so he asked someone to bring him some back when he left.
Although it is said that all the wealth in the world is concentrated in the royal family, the life in the harem is not necessarily luxurious. The clothes, jewelry and utensils are all very luxurious, but the food, especially the seasonal fruits and vegetables, are not so easy to get.
In particular, the ones from the Crown Prince's side were the first batch of early-ripening peaches. The palace had very few of them, and Depin was only given a small basket of more than ten peaches. They were not long-lasting and had already been eaten.
When Depin saw the peach juice that Yinzuo brought back, she felt quite regretful. If she had known that the peaches they got could also be made into juice for Yinzuo to drink, although making them into juice would definitely be more wasteful than eating the peaches directly.
"Drink it, mother. It's delicious."
Under Yinzuo's gaze, Depin drank two sips, nodded in agreement, and then handed it to Yinzuo again, saying, "Mother drank too much tea just now, Yinzuo should drink the rest, otherwise it will go bad later."
If that was the case, Yinzuo drank the rest himself. Depin was much more skilled at feeding children, and Yinzuo did not drink enough to get his drink down his neck.
Yinzuo drank the sweet peach juice and said to Depin, "Hello, brother."
Well, there is nothing bad about you.
However, Depin glanced at the pitching equipment from the eldest prince in the yard, and then looked at the bowl from the East Palace in her hand, thinking that her son could actually bring back something wherever he went.
This time, even the East Palace’s bowls were taken away. Isn’t that a bit bad?
But they were all given by his brother, so they are probably not a big deal.
Before he finished his bowl of peach juice, something else was delivered to him. It was beautiful fish caught from the lake, delivered in a wooden barrel.
When Yinzuo heard that the fish were coming, he quickly quickened the pace of drinking peach juice and went to see the fish.
They were all fat golden-red fish, and they all looked very beautiful. The fish were in a wooden barrel, and now Yinzuo was much closer to them.
Yinzuo lay on the wooden barrel, his fingers eager to try. He glanced at his mother, then at the fish in the water. Although his little hands were hanging above the water, he held back his urge to move at the sight of his mother's gentle smile.
The fish's tail was swaying back and forth, its fins were flapping, and its gills were bulging. Yinzuo lay on the wooden barrel and watched with his eyes wide open. It was much clearer this way, and it was different from watching the fish in the lake.
Yinzuo moved his little finger again, and when the fish swam under his finger, he stretched his little finger down, and the tip of his finger touched the fish's back!
It’s a pity that after he did this, all the fish hid under the water and no one dared to swim up.
Yinzuo felt someone’s eyes on him. He stood up from the small wooden barrel he was lying on and explained to his mother, “No.” I didn’t play in the water!
Yinzuo raised the wet finger and put just that one finger into the water without paddling with his whole hand. Depin, who was standing there, felt amused to see her son lacking the confidence to reason with her.
However, Depin turned a blind eye to her son's clever tricks. She said, "Don't go too far."
Mother did not criticize him. Yinzuo smiled widely and lay down again, waiting for the fish to swim back to the surface. Not to mention, it was a good exercise for the child's eyesight and flexibility.
Since the addition of these new fish, Yinzuo has shown great interest in them and even spends less time outside!
But after a few days, his joy turned to sorrow. One night, Yinzuo went to check on his beautiful golden red fish and found that two of them had turned upside down and could not swim anymore!
When Yinzuo found out that the fish was dead, he would definitely be very sad.
At least there was still one fish left, and they hoped to keep this last one. However, things did not go as planned, and within the same day, this fish also died along with its companions.
Yinzuo looked at the empty wooden barrel with tears in his eyes, and even his back showed sadness.
Although I didn't shed tears this time, I felt uncomfortable and listless.
When Kangxi, whom he might not see once every ten days or half a month, came, Yinzuo, this time, rarely greeted him with a smile.
Kangxi was used to Yinzo calling him Ama happily every time he came over, which made people happy. But this time, he saw the listless little dumpling, and Kangxi felt puzzled.
Kangxi asked Depin: "What happened to him?"
Depin said: "The fish I raised died."
Depin told Kangxi that the prince caught a fish and sent it to her, and Yinzuo liked it very much. He would look at it every day when he woke up and before going to bed. But if the fish died, wouldn’t he be sad?
Even my appetite has decreased today.
Kangxi knew that Yinzuo had gone to the prince's place, and Kangxi was pleased with the prince's love for his younger brother. Kangxi said, "You haven't coaxed him yet? Why don't you get a few more for him? It won't be a big deal."
I told Yinzuo this, but after hearing it, Yinzuo did not become happy, but shook his head instead.
“He’ll die.”
"don't want."
Then Kangxi saw that the child didn't want to play with the toys anymore. He just looked very sad and didn't have the lively and cheerful spirit as before at all. It was quite strange and uncomfortable to watch.
Kangxi also said to Depin: "This is too soft-hearted."
It seems that it is not a good thing for boys to be too soft-hearted, which can easily make people think that they are cowardly and have no future. Depin was not happy to hear this, and even boldly talked back to Kangxi, saying: "Yinzuo is still young."
Kangxi: “…”
Yes, she is still young, and it is too early to say what will happen in the future. But with Depin's attitude, Kangxi is worried that he will be raised in a wrong way. But when the child grows up, he will go to the prince's residence, so it's okay. Loving mothers often spoil their children, and it makes sense not to let the prince grow up in the hands of the women in the harem.
Kangxi is such a scumbag father. He not only doesn’t raise his own son, but he is also quite good at looking down on others.
Seeing Yinzuo was always listless, Kangxi gave Yinzuo a piece of news that would be of interest to him before he left. Didn't Kangxi say before that he would take Yinzuo to the garden outside in the summer? As an emperor, he kept his word and could take him with him when he went out to escape the summer heat in a while.
As for how long this period of time is, you will know when you go there.
This news really made Yinzuo feel better and he was looking forward to it.
Yinzuo thought for a moment, tilted his head and asked, "Waterwheel?"
There was a farm next to the garden, and there was indeed a waterwheel, so Kangxi said to Yinzuo: "Yes, there is."
This time Yinzuo finally smiled a little.
Kangxi left with satisfaction.
As an emperor, shouldn't it be easy for him to coax a few children?
Depin can't do it.
Depin had no idea that Kangxi was actually competing with her in his heart. She quickly took out the set of rural waterwheel toys and said to Yinzuo, "We can first get familiar with what is available on the farm outside."
"Mother also stayed on the farm for a while before, and she could pick her own vegetables." This was not with Kangxi, but before she entered the palace.
In the past, when Kangxi traveled, Depin was not with him, and before that, Kangxi would not stay away for a month or two to escape the summer heat. These things happened after Kangxi's regime was stabilized.
Depin has not gone out since entering the palace. This time, not only Yinzuo is looking forward to it, but Depin is also looking forward to it.
Just have to wait.
Because Yinzuo listened to Depin's story about picking fruits on the dirt road in the farm outside the palace before entering the palace, he temporarily forgot about the death of the fish. Sometimes, even though he didn't understand what he heard, he still said "wow", "oh", and "oh" in a supportive manner. Anyway, it gave Depin a good recollection.
However, when I woke up the next day, I still felt a little sad when I thought of the dead beautiful golden red fish.
After several days, every time Yinzuo passed by the lake, he no longer felt the joy of watching the fish as before.
When the prince saw Yinzuo again by the lake, he, who was unaware of the inside story, was quite satisfied that Yinzuo finally did not lie on the ground and look at the fish through the gap in the railings, and that this time his highness the prince did not hide from people.
Instead, he walked towards little Yinzuo.
The prince was still thinking that this kid said he would go to his place, but he didn't see him go. He didn't know if it was because Depin and the others didn't let him come.
Of course, no matter what thoughts flashed through the mind of this dignified Crown Prince, he would never ask Yinzuo why he didn't come.
Yinzuo was still happy to see his brother, the crown prince, "Brother."
The prince said, "You're here to see the fish again, aren't you tired of the heat? Aren't there fish already? That's not enough, you have to look at what's in the lake, right?"
Isn't this bringing up sad things again?
Yinzuo's eyebrows twitched, "The fish is dead."
Yinzuo took the prince's hand again and said to him, "Yin will send my brother off."
Oh, and then send him to the gate of the East Palace.
But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince didn't say anything.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still thinking about the dead fish, and it’s only been a few days.
This time the little one didn't swing his arms when he walked. He was obviously more well-behaved and much quieter than last time.
Yinzuo was looking at the road. If he walked a little further he would know how to get to where his brother the crown prince lived.
The prince felt a little guilty when he saw Yinzuo being so quiet, so he returned to the East Palace and asked someone to prepare peach juice for Yinzuo, as Yinzuo loved to drink it.
Then the prince sat with Yinzuo for a while before going to read and do homework.
Only the prince himself knew that today he was a bit gentler than before, but his Highness the Prince was quite reserved at such a young age that others didn't notice it.
The prince's palace now uses ice, and the heat dissipates after entering. Yinzuo didn't notice it at first because the ice basin was placed in the corner.
Today, Yinzuo was not sitting on a big chair in the East Palace, but a small stool, which was just right for him. Now if he wanted to stand up, he didn't have to climb down from the big chair. After standing up, he quietly went to the ice basin.
There was no ice basin used at Depin's place, and the ice cubes in the basin were still emitting white smoke. It was the first time that Yinzuo had seen ice cubes in his life.
Seeing something new for the first time, how could Yinzuo not squat there and study it.
But before he could squat down, someone grabbed his collar from behind. Yinzuo turned his head and said, "Brother."
The prince did not let go of his hand. He said, "You can't play with this. You will get sick."
Xiao Cui was quite nervous, worried that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would again say that they did not take good care of the little prince. In fact, she also wanted to stop the little prince from playing with ice, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was one step faster than her.
Little Yinzuo, who was being held, didn't want to leave. He pointed at the ice cube that was smoking and asked, "What is this?"
His Royal Highness raised his eyebrows. This little guy didn't even recognize ice cubes, but that was right. This was a little kid who was just over one year old. Although the kid didn't say it explicitly, his clear eyes spoke volumes. He looked like he didn't want to leave and wanted to play all the time.
Let's just say that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should be gentle and patient today. Under those eyes, the Crown Prince thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll break a small ice cube for you to get to know."
Yinzuo didn't know how small the ice cubes were that the prince was talking about, but he knew that the prince agreed to let him play with ice.
Yinzuo was happy, and said with a pair of curved and sticky eyes: "Hello, brother."
The prince snorted in his heart, but a smile appeared in his eyes.
And how small were the broken ice cubes? They were just tiny in an elegant white porcelain plate with green branches, as small as a fingernail.
Yinzuo could touch and feel such a tiny piece of ice with his fingers, but the prince still did not let him hold it in his palm to play with it.
The child is weak and cannot catch a cold. The prince doesn't want anything to happen to the kid because of his visit, otherwise it would be difficult to explain to Concubine De.
Mothers are extremely protective of their children, and even though Crown Prince Yinreng had never enjoyed his mother's care, he knew this. The young crown prince's eyelashes drooped, and his expression was slightly different, but he was quickly disrupted by the child's surprised voice.
"water!"
Yinzuo stretched out his wet fingers to show him, and the Crown Prince hummed: "Ice can turn into water."
And it melted very quickly. The ice cube the size of a fingernail disappeared right before his eyes in a short while. Yinzuo's eyes widened and he looked at his brother, the crown prince: "The ice is gone!"
"Yes, hasn't it all turned into water?" The water will dry up again in a while.
Yinzuo stared at the water stains left by the melted ice for a while, then looked up at his brother the Crown Prince and said, "Ice, some more." Apparently he hadn't had enough fun playing with ice.
But the prince said mercilessly: "No more."
"But you can play other things."
What else?
Soon it was known. The prince asked someone to find some things from the storehouse of the Eastern Palace that were given to Yinzuo when he was a child. Many of them he had never played with himself and had been piled up in a corner of the storehouse. Now it was just right for Yinzuo to play with them as he pleased.
Yinzuo could only play with the toys he had never seen before for a long time. The prince continued to do his homework. The two people in the hall were doing their own things and it was quiet for a while, but it looked quite harmonious.
Although it is quite quiet, with the addition of a little ball and the mess on the ground, the East Palace seems a little less spacious, and this filling is just right.
This time, Yinzuo didn't even have to ask when he left. He didn't look anxious like last time, and announced directly in a baby voice, "Come again!"
The prince glanced at the boy and said nothing, but he didn't refute it, right? He was even dragged by the boy's hand and "forced" to send him to the gate of the East Palace.
Yinzuo went to the crown prince twice. The eldest prince, who had been keeping a close eye on the crown prince, inevitably said sourly when he saw Yinzuo again: "You're playing with the crown prince again?"
The words sounded like those of a jealous young lady. The eldest prince's eyes and nose were so jealous that they were no longer eyes and no longer had a hearty smile.
But unfortunately, his sixth brother still couldn't hear the jealous words, and he admitted generously: "It's fun."
The eldest prince felt that this boy was annoying: "He likes playing with the prince. It seems that he is not interested in playing in the prince's residence. That's right, there are so many fun things in the prince's residence."
?
Yinzuo took a while to react, then said anxiously to his elder brother, "Go, go to my elder brother." He still needed to find the way.
The eldest prince who was being pushed was not in a hurry at all. He said calmly, "Yinzuo doesn't like big brother holding Feifei, right? Or will the prince hold you Feifei?"
Yinzuo: “?”
The prince brother is also very good, but he will not take Feifei with him. After hearing what the eldest brother said, little Yinzuo was aroused. He hugged his eldest brother's legs and tried to climb up: "Carry Feifei?"
Yinzuo was still familiar with his eldest brother. Although he was very outgoing with his brothers, if it were before, little Yinzuo would only beg people eagerly instead of trying to climb up directly like this.
The eldest prince, who had grasped Yinzuo's weak spot, was very proud of himself. As Yinzuo hugged his thigh anxiously, he did not stretch out his hand. He continued, "It seems that you don't like archery and pitching pots anymore?"
Oh, I like them all. Although toys are fun, Yinzuo still prefers to have someone play games with him.
Yinzuo kept saying "I like you" several times, fearing that his elder brother would not believe him, and he was anxiously circling around his elder brother.
The eldest prince was calm and composed, and the breath he had just held was gone, and he felt extremely relaxed.
I have never teased children before, but now I find that teasing children is so much fun.
After teasing the child enough, the eldest prince reached out and scooped the child over. He easily picked up the child, shook him up, and concluded: "He has grown a lot."
Yinzuo laughed happily when he was picked up by the eldest brother. After he could walk, he was more willing to walk by himself, but he still liked it very much when his brother held him. Especially this brother held him differently from others. Whether it was bouncing him up, flying, or switching from one arm to the other, he was not afraid and thought it was fun.
The eldest prince Yinzhi, who inherited the petty-mindedness of the Aisin-Gioro family, could not help but inquire about what Yinzuo was doing in the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince.
Then, as expected, when he heard that the prince could neither hold Yinzuo Feifei nor play archery and throwing pots with him, the eldest prince curled his lips slightly. He knew that the second prince was not able to put down his pride and do these things.
Yinzuo must still like him more!
The eldest prince asked Yinzuo, who was laughing so hard that his eyes almost disappeared in his arms, "Who do you like the most?"
To like someone the most means to like him more than to like him. Yin Zuo said loudly, "I like you the most, big brother!"
The eldest prince was satisfied.
But later he heard that the peach juice prepared by the prince for him was delicious, and the soft pastries were tasty. The eldest prince was quite disdainful. It was not the second son who had to do it himself after being told to do so. The second son could only do some face-saving work. He was not like him who would personally play with others.
And when he learned that the prince had caught fish for him in the lake, the eldest prince complained in his heart as well, saying that the fish in the lake were not raised by him and he was just borrowing the prince's flowers to offer to Buddha.
It had been several days, but Yinzuo still sighed when he talked about it: "The fish is dead."
“Not happy.”
This made the eldest prince speechless. He quickly said, "Your Highness, you are the same. You don't even think about the fact that the fish lives in the lake. If you have to fish it out and put it in a wooden barrel, it will definitely die."
"Your Highness is too careless. Fish like to swim in big places. Wouldn't they be suffocated to death?"
"He didn't understand it himself, and he didn't know how to ask others, so he just gave the order blindly. The fish died in vain."
The nagging after the fact, as if the prince did not kill a few fish, but issued a wrong policy that made the people's lives miserable.
But the eldest prince was enjoying himself when suddenly a small hand covered his mouth.
"Can't."
"You can't say brother."
The little fellow's face was very serious. He looked at the eldest brother with his dark eyes, and said in a serious voice, "Don't say bad things about brother!"
Even if it is said by one brother, it is not acceptable to speak ill of another brother.
While the eldest prince was stunned, Yinzuo said, "Yin, Yin is not happy!"
(End of this chapter)
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