Chapter 54
After lunch, the three of them returned to their carriages. The Fifth Prince and the Third Prince also followed Yinzuo's example in the carriage, spread out their mattresses and took a nap during the day. I have to say, regardless of whether you feel sleepy or not, the feeling of taking a nap during the day is a kind of spiritual pleasure!
When the carriage stopped at night, the three of them became energetic again. They sat around the campfire like others, admiring the stars and feeling the night breeze. They all felt that life was particularly beautiful! They chatted together until late at night. It was a great feeling to stay up late. It was completely different from the feeling of staying up late to copy books as punishment!
The Fifth Prince swung his legs and said, "You can sleep as long as you want tomorrow. Thinking about the hard life that Fourth Brother and his family are still going through, I feel a little guilty."
The Third Prince thought that if you could stop smiling, everyone would trust you more.
Yinzuo was imitating others in baking pancakes on the bonfire, and said, "With the Emperor not here, I wonder if my fourth brother and seventh brother will relax a little?"
The third prince said: "Probably not. Given their personalities, they might be even more hardworking than our father was when he was in the palace." At this point, the third prince still felt a little uneasy. He didn't want to be surpassed by his fourth brother and become one of those who was surpassed by his younger brother!
But, but, oh, such a rare relaxing vacation day, the third prince couldn't resist the temptation. As for Yinzuo, he didn't resist at all and couldn't wait to plunge into the days of decadence.
The sun rose outside, and he opened his eyes stimulated by the sunlight. Then he thought that he didn't need to get up, so he rubbed the quilt and turned over to have another long sleep. Yinzuo had a smile on his face with his eyes closed.
"Still sleeping?"
"The curtains and doors are open."
Yinzuo, who was sleeping soundly, heard someone talking in a daze. He frowned and was about to continue sleeping, but the thin quilt was hit by something. When Yinzuo opened his eyes, he saw an orange rolling around.
Yinzuo turned his head towards the window. Oh, that handsome and imposing figure on the horse could not be anyone else but his brother the Crown Prince, who was even more handsome and unique in appearance. However, his brother's face did not look very good.
Yinzuo smiled like a flower and leaned against the window: "Good morning, Prince brother. You look so good in this outfit!" Today the prince changed into a riding outfit, which made him look less dignified and more dashing.
The prince said calmly, "It's getting late. The sun has already reached noon. I heard that you slept all day yesterday! Are you planning to sleep in during the day today?"
Yinzuo didn't think it was a big deal at all. He just lay there and talked to his brother, the crown prince: "I have nothing to do." He couldn't write in the carriage, so Yinzuo interrupted the crown prince and said: "Reading in the carriage will tire your eyes."
"Brother Prince, I also want to ride a horse. How about I find a horse to ride for fun?"
The prince said: "...Your horse is not brought with you, so don't try to ride other horses." The horses accompanying him were all big and strong, so Yinzuo would not ride them. The prince said to Yinzuo: "Get up, you are not allowed to sleep in the daytime and stay awake in the middle of the night."
"If you go too far, don't even think about following me out again." Yinzuo closed his mouth just as he was about to open it.
He picked up the orange that the prince had thrown in, peeled it and chatted with the prince, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Brother Prince was also very bright and good-looking yesterday, I saw it all."
Standing together with Kangxi and in front of the ministers, the young crown prince was full of confidence. The successor who had been carefully cultivated for many years was as bright as a rising star, and the king was also in his prime, strong and calm, and awe-inspiring without anger.
The ministers who were seeing them off felt honored and proud to have such a king and a crown prince appear in front of the Mongol tribes. The Rebellion of the Three Feudatories had been completely quelled for three or four years, and the domestic political power was stable, so they were becoming more and more confident in facing the Mongol tribes.
Prince Yinreng was caught off guard by his sixth brother's straightforward praise. He looked to the side and saw many soldiers guarding here, but they were not the usual people serving around. The prince felt awkward and uncomfortable again. He said to Yinzuo, "Don't say these nonsense. You are not allowed to sleep in the broad daylight."
Yin Zuo raised his head in a listless voice, looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Is the Crown Prince busy now?"
It wasn't too busy, the prince asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay, I just want to talk to my brother for a while." Yinzuo's eyes curved.
Although he was sticky, the prince looked at the boy and smiled at him obediently, thinking that although this boy could make people angry a lot, he also often made people feel soft in their hearts.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince chatted with Yinzuo beside Yinzuo's carriage, but they didn't talk about anything else. Yinzuo asked the Crown Prince about the places he had passed by, and the Crown Prince could easily bring up some historical stories that happened in this land.
"…There is Wangliangdun, which is said to have been built by Empress Xiao of Liao. Standing on it, you can see the grain-carrying ships on the Baihe River. The Baihe River here connects Miyun in the upper reaches and Tianjin in the lower reaches. It is also an important water source for grain transport…"
There was no need to be nervous when chatting with Yinzuo. The Crown Prince would pick up a few things and let Yinzuo listen with great interest. He even asked the Crown Prince, "Shall we also go to Wangliangdun and stand there to take a look?"
The prince said, "Whenever you stop, you can get out of the carriage and move around. We are on the road now, not for you to play around."
The journey is long, so there is no time for everyone to relax and have fun.
Yin Zuo said "oh" but was not disappointed. Instead, he looked at the prince with admiration and said, "Brother Prince, you know so much."
The admiring look in his brother's eyes made him feel happy. The Crown Prince's mouth curled up slightly, but he said, "If you read more books, you will naturally know more."
Hey, now that we're out, there's no need to keep urging people to study, right? Yinzuo quickly interrupted and changed the subject.
The prince didn't chat here for too long, but when he left, he was worried that once he left, the boy would lie down again. In the distrustful eyes of his brother, the prince, Yinzuo said helplessly: "I'll go talk to my fifth brother."
The prince then nodded and said, "Yes."
After getting into the Fifth Prince's carriage, he complained to the Fifth Prince about the Crown Prince. The Fifth Prince said, "You should be content. The Crown Prince is just caring about you."
The prince has a much higher status than his other brothers, so when they get along with each other, he is a bit arrogant, so he treats this kid differently from others.
Yinzuo smiled and nodded: "It's true that Crown Prince loves me."
"Fifth brother, I'm so bored. Tell me about what's happening in Mongolia." The Fifth Prince grew up with the Queen Mother from Mongolia and had heard a lot about things on the grassland.
Then let’s talk. The Third Prince also came over and the conversation became even more lively.
But they had had enough of chatting, so the three of them started playing Pai Gow. Yinzuo even learned to drive a horse-drawn carriage from others. Later, he got out a slingshot made of a tree branch from somewhere. Yinzuo and the other two got together to play with the slingshot and said, "It's very interesting." It was more fun to play with than playing with a bow and arrow.
At night, the soldiers and servants would gather around the campfire to tell interesting stories. Although they would become very reserved if they approached, they could still eavesdrop if they just passed by. After a while, they not only became better at playing mahjong, but also had slingshots and could pick cicada pupae from the ground! They even roasted grasshoppers, but they definitely didn't eat them.
They were having so much fun that their hearts were about to fly! The Third Prince also told them that it was like a heavenly day.
Yinzuo, who lived a god-like life, would sometimes go to see his brother the Crown Prince and his eldest brother. The two of them did not sit around and play like them, but no one knew what they were busy with.
The eldest prince threw a book to Yinzuo and said, "What are you busy with? Aren't you reading a book?"
Yinzuo said, "The bumpy ride in the carriage is bad for your eyes."
The eldest prince said: "Is it really that bumpy? I can't concentrate on reading. I saw you sleeping soundly in the carriage during the day and playing mahjong happily, didn't you?"
"Oh, you can do anything except reading, right?"
Yin Zuo pouted and said, "Brother, don't scold me. I just wanted you to take a break. You've already come out, why are you still so tired?"
"I've never seen big brother love studying so much before."
Yinzuo was hit on the head by a book: "Why don't I like studying? Is it that only your brother, the crown prince, likes studying?"
Yinzuo squeezed over and said, "Brother, why are you acting like you're jealous of someone? And you're always arguing with me. Are you unhappy today?"
How could this kid be so emotionally sensitive? The eldest brother was stunned for a moment, then said, "I saw that you were having so much fun these days, and I thought you had forgotten about me, your eldest brother, and only had your fifth and third brothers in your eyes."
Yinzuo slightly widened his eyes, then smiled, revealing his porcelain-white teeth: "So, big brother missed me. If big brother wants me to accompany him, just tell me."
"I thought my brother was busy, so I didn't bother him."
The eldest prince was indeed busy, but he was not concentrating on studying in the carriage. Sometimes he would ride a horse outside and meet officials who needed to be greeted. Moreover, he was older now and also had correspondence to deal with.
He was indeed in a restless mood. It was not so obvious when he was in the palace, but whether it was when Kangxi and the prince stood together to accept the farewell of the ministers when leaving the palace, or now when he brought the prince aside when meeting with the ministers, he, the eldest prince, seemed to be as different from the prince as heaven and earth.
I also met people from my uncle's family, and the conversations I had with them made me feel uneasy.
The eldest prince pinched the silly kid who was smiling next to him, thinking that he was lucky to be so carefree.
Yinzuo said happily beside his elder brother: "I can play with you as long as you want, but I don't want to accompany you to study."
The eldest prince was speechless, but although Yinzuo did not accompany his elder brother to study, he could barely play chess with him. When the carriage stopped, he could also take his elder brother to play slingshot, and even take his elder brother to skip stones on the water.
Oh, he also has to go and see his brother the Crown Prince. Regarding the fact that his brother needs him, Yinzuo is very positive. He is like a little bee, chattering here and flying around there, determined not to let his brothers who miss him and get jealous by not seeing him!
But as for his royal father, Yinzuo thought about it with a guilty conscience and decided to avoid him.
But he was not able to hide completely. This time, he was taken to Kangxi as soon as he jumped out of the prince's carriage. Kangxi sat behind a small table in the carriage, which was piled with letters and memorials. Yinzuo was shocked. His father was really hard-working.
Kangxi looked at Yinzuo and said, "Your third brother and fifth brother have come to pay their respects, but I haven't seen you. What have you been doing these days?"
Kangxi's question made Yinzuo speechless. Yinzuo glanced at his father carefully and said, "We are all in the carriage, there is nothing to do, just look at the scenery and talk to people."
"Your Majesty, you are very tired. The affairs of the world cannot be separated from your Majesty, but your Majesty, please don't be too tired. It must hurt your eyes to review documents in the car, right?"
"I'll give the Emperor a massage!"
Kangxi looked at the little rascal with disdain and said, "You only know this one trick and you can't change it."
"If you weren't my son, you wouldn't even be as good as someone who flatters me."
Yinzuo: "...Then what other trick can you use?" Yinzuo pressed Kangxi's shoulders randomly and asked humbly.
Kangxi closed his eyes and didn't want to pay attention to his troubled son. He just said: "From now on, someone will read to you for an hour every day."
Yinzuo’s eyes widened, so this was why he didn’t want to get close to Kangxi!
Yinzuo said, "Master Han, who taught me Chinese, is not with us."
Kangxi: "Your elementary education teacher is here. You don't have to worry about Chinese. Any one of the people accompanying you can teach you."
Yinzuo struggled to his death: "Reading in a carriage hurts my eyes."
Kangxi: "I will teach you the good parts of the road. Besides, the master will tell you, and you listen. If you can't write it down, just recite it. Then write it down when the car stops."
Yinzuo wanted to wail, why was it so miserable? Yinzuo was sad, he muttered: "The emperor also said that I only have one move, didn't the emperor say so too?"
Kangxi: "What if it's not two hours?"
Kangxi had long been dissatisfied with the idle lives of his three sons, and had endured it until now before he had the time to discipline them.
Yin Zuo: "No, no, no, one hour is just right, Father Huang, I didn't say anything just now."
Kangxi then nodded. When Yinzuo left, he took a piece of gauze tent from Kangxi. The gauze was very fine and effective in blocking mosquitoes, but it was also very breathable, so it didn't feel stuffy at all inside.
There were many jungles where they passed through, so mosquitoes were inevitable. Yinzuo had delicate skin and tender flesh, which attracted mosquitoes. There were several red bites on his arms and face, and the red marks from his scratches were quite obvious.
Although Yinzuo was delicate and tender, he had a rough temper. Looking at the red envelopes was quite uncomfortable for him, but it did not prevent him from having fun or sleeping, nor did it ruin his good mood at all.
Only his royal father let them study and ruined his good mood!
The eunuch beside Kangxi walked towards Yinzuo's carriage holding the gauze curtain. Although he received the reward, he was dejected.
There was also a gauze curtain in the things that Concubine De prepared for Yinzuo, but Yinzuo always felt it was too stuffy, so he always kept the gauze curtain open, which made it completely useless.
After changing to the new gauze curtain, Yinzuo felt it and found that what his royal father gave him was indeed a good thing!
Yinzuo's unhappiness about Kangxi's words that reduced his happiness of vacation by more than half finally disappeared. His royal father was still very good to him, it would be better if he could give them a little help in studying.
The people around Kangxi were carrying things from Kangxi to Yinzuo, which caught the attention of many people. Everyone had heard about the favor of the Sixth Prince a long time ago, and it was just a rumor that was confirmed.
But Suo Etu frowned and said to the Crown Prince, "The Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince are on good terms?"
The prince looked at Suo Etu: "What do you want to say?"
Suo Etu: "The Sixth Prince is quite favored by His Majesty. According to several people in the Upper Study, the Sixth Prince is very good at math and is also very smart."
"The Sixth Prince was not in good health a few years ago, but now he seems to be in good health. He looks energetic after such a long journey and can run and jump."
The prince looked at Suo Etu with a slightly gloomy look in his eyes: "Sixth brother is in good health, and I and the emperor are very happy."
Suo Etu said: "I know that the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince have a good relationship, but this relationship must be truly good. He is the Crown Prince's younger brother, and the Emperor's son, and the Emperor's favorite, intelligent, and now it seems that he is still a healthy son."
"As you grow older, it's better not to have a big heart."
"It is a blessing for the country. Your Majesty loves all the princes very much."
"I only saw the eldest prince before, but now I realize that the third, fifth, and sixth princes are not young anymore."
The prince's face became even darker. He was displeased by Soetu's constant barking. He just said, "The war in Yaksa is very important to the emperor. Your men should not make trouble for the food and military supplies."
The prince did not take to heart the trivial things that Soetu had just said. In his mind, Yinzuo was just a greedy and playful kid, and the third prince and the fifth prince were not to the extent that he felt threatened.
Only the eldest prince's mother was close to the army. In this war, Soetu intended to make trouble and get rid of the officials close to the eldest prince. He didn't dare to make a big fuss, but wanted to do some small dirty things to eliminate dissidents.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not agree with this and he warned Soetu again.
Although he had seen many conspiracies and intrigues while following Kangxi, he ultimately learned the orthodox way of being a monarch, rather than the treacherous and evil ways. After dealing with the matter of Suo Etu, he had someone send some mosquito repellent incense with a lighter smell to Yin Zuo.
When Yinzuo came to him just now, he also saw the red marks on Yinzuo's hands from being scratched.
It can be said that Yinzuo was a child who grew up under his care. In the eyes of the prince, Yinzuo was a weak child who needed more care. It was difficult to raise him and he now looks okay.
He is such a grown man, and it's just a gauze curtain. As a prince, he would not do such jealous and shameful things.
(End of this chapter)
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