Chapter 33
No one ever talked about the Seventh Prince in Kangxi's ear, and he was not happy to hear it.
Others did not dare to mention it for fear of displeasing Kangxi, and as for Yinzuo, the child was tactless, ignorant and fearless.
Even though Kangxi heard Yinzuo talk a lot about the Seventh Prince, he had no intention of going to see the Seventh Prince who could already walk. After the chattering Yinzuo left with his quacking duck, Kangxi just continued to review memorials and did not give any instructions to the Seventh Prince.
Less than ten days later, Yinzuo and his companions were returning to the palace after spending the summer vacation.
On this day, the eldest prince, with dark circles under his eyes, finally handed in all his homework before returning to the palace. He felt relieved. He wanted to go back to the palace and was willing to get up early every day to go to the study.
Except for him, everyone else was reluctant to leave.
The princesses in particular had tears in their eyes. The ducklings they had raised for only ten days had to stay here even though they hadn't grown up yet. The calm eldest princess was also reluctant to let them go, and the seventh prince shed tears again. Although the time was short, they had already developed feelings for the flat-billed ducks with tender yellow feathers.
The feeling of reluctance to leave and sadness was particularly strong on this day.
Yinzuo is committing a sin.
Yinzuo's eyes were also wet at this time, but his mother told him that the little ducks liked it here because there was a big place and a river, and they didn't want to leave home.
Before leaving, Yinzuo touched handfuls of little ducks, feeling very reluctant to leave.
The prince took a look and went to his own carriage. He had also been stuffed with a duck by Yinzuo at that time. Fortunately, he didn't have to take it back to the palace. He didn't want to raise ducks in the East Palace.
When Yinzuo was carried into the carriage, he kept clinging to the window and looking back for a long time. If you didn't know, you would have thought that a life-and-death farewell was taking place.
"Mother, come back."
"Look at the ducks."
Depin: "Well, OK."
At least they won't come this year, and we don't know what will happen next year. The emperor may not come here to escape the summer heat, and even if he does, he may not bring them with him.
He didn't want to go back to the palace, but when he really came back, he felt that he missed the place a little bit. Yinzuo regained his energy and found all his toys. He hadn't seen them for a long time and hadn't played with them for a long time.
After playing with toys and going wild outside, Yinzuo could no longer be restrained. Many changes had taken place in the palace after he had not returned for a few days. For example, some flowers in the imperial garden bloomed while others withered, some trees grew lush again, and some trees had small fruits.
However, there was one very bad thing after returning to the palace, which was that it was inconvenient for him to play with his sisters. Yinzuo was always easily lost in all the palaces, and Xiaocui would not let him run around.
Yinzuo had a great time outside during the hot summer, while the fourth prince Yinzhen, who stayed in the palace, had a much more boring time. Now that the weather is cooler, he also came out for a walk.
When I saw Yinzuo, I couldn't help but take a few more glances, because Yinzuo had become darker when he returned to the palace. It is common to see people with white skin who live a life of luxury in the palace, but it is not common to see a tan color like Yinzuo who has played too much in the wild.
Didn't Yinzuo notice that the Fourth Prince had looked at him twice more? He also turned around and stared at him with his head tilted: "Fourth Brother!"
It’s been a long time since we last met, but Yinzuo still remembers his brother. He is so ashamed that he had so much fun playing outside that he didn’t even think about his brother.
Upon hearing this enthusiastic little voice, even though it was dark, the Fourth Prince recognized who it was, and he also wanted to walk towards Yinzuo.
But before he took two steps, he was stopped by the palace maid beside him: "Fourth Prince, the queen wants to use lotus flowers to make tea, why don't we go pick some lotus flowers for the queen."
The Fourth Prince looked at the palace maid with his clear black and white eyes.
The people in the Imperial Concubine's Palace wanted to take the Fourth Prince away, but would little Yinzuo let his brother go? Of course not, he had already come over!
Yinzuo was very interested and asked: "Lotus? Yin, come together!"
Yinzuo was the master after all, and he didn't walk away when someone came to him. Could he chase him away now? Of course not.
Yinzuo came closer to his fourth brother and stared at him. He seldom saw his fourth brother and had forgotten about him when he went out to play. Now he had to look at his fourth brother carefully and remember him well.
The big, twinkling eyes were right in front of him. The Fourth Prince felt shy and whispered, "Don't look at me like that."
Yin Zuo: "I haven't seen my fourth brother for many days."
"Fourth brother is not here."
The fourth prince said, "My mother has something to do in the palace."
Yinzuo hummed and agreed: "I have to accompany my mother."
But it’s still a pity that his fourth brother couldn’t go out and play, it’s very fun outside.
Many people had gone out, and most of the palace was empty. The Fourth Prince had never been able to go out since he was born, and he was also curious about the outside of the palace.
So he couldn't help but ask Yinzuo: "What is it like outside the palace?"
When asked about this, Yinzuo had something to say. He rode a horse, saw a big tiger, harvested wheat, went to the mountains, went to the imperial farm, and his eldest brother could climb trees. Yinzuo leaned close to the fourth prince's ear and whispered to him: "Brother, Crown Prince, my father can't do that."
There is also a very cute little duck, but it’s a pity that I didn’t bring it. If fourth brother had gone out as well, I would have given him one. I just don’t know if he would like it. My eldest brother doesn’t like it, and my father doesn’t like it either.
The Fourth Prince was also a child who had never seen anything. Let alone a big tiger, he had never even seen a duckling.
The people in the Imperial Concubine's Palace couldn't help but frown when they saw the two little heads getting closer and closer, biting each other's ears from time to time.
"We are almost there. How about letting the Fourth Prince pick the lotus flowers?"
The two children stopped whispering and started picking lotus flowers. Yinzuo pointed at the lotus leaves and said to the Fourth Prince, "Look, Fourth Brother, these are water beads." He played a lot when he was outside, and compared to lotus flowers, he liked the lotus leaves with water beads more.
Yinzuo also had someone pick a few lotus leaves, filled them with some water, and demonstrated to his fourth brother.
To be honest, the Fourth Prince didn't have many playmates, so he found it fun to squat and play with water beads with his younger brother. A smile appeared on his face, and he shook the big lotus leaf like Yinzuo, then reached out and touched the surface of the lotus leaf. The touch was indeed different from that of other leaves.
The two little guys squatted together, and especially when the Fourth Prince smiled, one could see the resemblance between his eyes and Yinzuo's, which again made the senior palace maid in the Imperial Concubine's palace jump in her heart.
As a capable maidservant beside the Imperial Concubine, Qi Yun knew that her master did not want the Fourth Prince to get close to Concubine De.
"Fourth Prince, the lotus flowers have been picked. Let's go back while they are still fresh so that we can give them to the Empress."
When he heard that the Fourth Prince was leaving, Yinzuo felt reluctant to let his brother go and hugged him reluctantly.
"Yin will miss fourth brother." Although I forgot to miss my brother when I went out to play, it will not be like that this time. I will remember to miss my brother.
"Fourth brother wants to come out and play."
It was as if the two of them were going on a long journey and parting ways. The feeling of reluctance was real. Although this brother was not very familiar, we had a good time today. This brother had a good temper. While playing, the fourth brother held the lotus leaf for a long time and asked him to pour water and play with it, and he was letting him do what he wanted.
Because we are not familiar with each other, we need to play together more to become familiar with each other.
The little guy's reluctance was so obvious that the Fourth Prince, who was hugged by Yinzuo, also felt more reluctant. He nodded heavily and agreed: "Yes."
Unlike Yinzuo who loved to talk about what he had done outside after returning home, the Fourth Prince was not so fond of sharing with others after returning home. Moreover, the Fourth Prince still remembered the scene when he first met Yinzuo.
He vaguely felt that his mother didn't seem to like him and his sixth brother, or rather, it was not just his sixth brother, his mother didn't like him playing with other people.
After returning, the Fourth Prince gave the lotus to the Imperial Concubine and recited to her the Thousand Character Classic that he had learned these days. He can now recite the Thousand Character Classic to the point where he reads "…sitting in court to ask questions, and deciding matters."
The Imperial Concubine was also very satisfied with the Fourth Prince's intelligence and enlightenment. Although it was still early for the Fourth Prince to enter the study room, he was one step ahead of others now, and would be much better than others in the future.
And even if he doesn't enter the study, when the emperor comes, the prince can recite a passage in front of him. The emperor will definitely like this healthy, precocious and studious prince.
There was a flash of satisfaction in the imperial concubine's eyes.
On the day when everyone returned to the palace, she saw the Sixth Prince, who was conspicuous with a dark circle, when she was welcoming the emperor. She looked down on the way Depin raised her children, and she also knew that the princesses who were given ducks all came back with red eyes.
The imperial concubine looked down on him.
The emperor himself has been studious, diligent and hardworking since his childhood, and he has the same requirements for the eldest prince and the crown prince. Could he allow a playboy to be raised in the royal family?
She is still young now, but if things continue like this, when she grows up, she will definitely be disliked by the emperor.
The Fourth Prince and the Sixth Prince were born to the same mother. The Sixth Prince was not only in poor health but also naughty. He was inferior to the Fourth Prince in every way. The difference between them was of course the people who raised them.
Such a comparison made the Imperial Concubine have a secret sense of superiority. Even if Depin was favored for a while, her background was not good enough to be considered presentable, so her vision and pattern were destined to be not presentable.
After handing the lotus to the imperial concubine, the Fourth Prince stepped out, but he still held the lotus leaf in his hand. However, without water, the lotus leaf was no longer fun to play with, and the Fourth Prince didn't want anyone to fetch water to play with in the house, so in the end he just placed the lotus leaf on the table.
The Fourth Prince was thinking that he wondered if his mother would leave the palace next summer. He also wanted to go outside with her to see the big tiger and the little squirrel that his Sixth Brother had mentioned.
Although the Fourth Prince did not mention Yinzuo's affairs in front of the Imperial Concubine, the senior palace maid who followed him out would definitely tell the Imperial Concubine about it, which ruined the Imperial Concubine's good mood.
"Let the Fourth Prince stay away from him from now on." Now, the Imperial Concubine doesn't want the Fourth Prince to play with Yinzuo not only because Yinzuo is Depin's son, but also because Yinzuo is naughty and playful, and the Imperial Concubine doesn't want the Fourth Prince to be led astray by Yinzuo.
The head palace maid nodded and said that she had always done this and would be more vigilant in the future.
The Fourth Prince remembered to go out and see his Sixth Brother, but unfortunately he was unable to go out for the next few days, and when he went out he did not meet his Sixth Brother.
The days passed quietly as autumn passed. The Third Prince entered the study, Yinzuo returned with a whiter complexion, leaves fell in the palace, and the weather turned cold rapidly.
Whenever the seasons changed, Concubine De had to be extra careful. Yinzuo did not get sick in the autumn, but he got sick again in the winter.
Adults are prone to getting sick when the weather changes, and it is also normal for children to get sick, but Yinzuo's illness was lingering and it was not good at all.
The little guy usually looks more energetic than anyone else and doesn't look unhealthy at all.
Kangxi came back from seeing Yinzuo and called the imperial physician over: "Is the effect of the medication at the beginning of the year still there? I think he can run and jump normally, so he should be fine."
"Honestly, don't think I don't know that you are afraid of taking responsibility and always say ambiguous things."
"Sixth Prince should have recovered." He looks more mischievous than anyone else.
The imperial physician was so shocked that he wanted to wipe his sweat in the middle of winter. "After all, it is a strong medicine. It must be harmful to the body."
"It's not obvious on weekdays, but once you need to fight the disease, it's harder for you to bear than for others."
"The Sixth Prince has been taken care of much better than we expected."
Kangxi frowned: "Is it possible to recover completely?"
The doctor bent down and said carefully, "After five or six years, maybe."
In fact, the imperial physician did not think it was a big deal, as the royal family had no shortage of medicine. Some people with illnesses could live to old age, but those who looked healthy might die suddenly from an acute illness.
But it is not easy to use this statement to comfort the family members.
Kangxi said: "Feel free to use the herbs you need for your recovery. If you need any, you can look for them in my private storehouse." Although he now has many sons, Kangxi still cherishes his sons very much.
Although this son often gives him a headache, his presence is too strong. If anything happens to this little guy now, Kangxi will be much more unacceptable than at the beginning of the year.
No matter if it was the well-behaved child who sweetly said he missed his father, or the naughty boy who hugged his neck and moved around on the horse's back, or the naughty boy who made him neither angry nor happy when he was given a duck, Kangxi was reluctant to let them go.
The imperial physician bowed again and said, "There is no need for medicinal herbs. The Sixth Prince is still young, and food supplements are worse than medicine."
Kangxi said: "Well, you should take good care of the Sixth Prince."
After the imperial physician left, Kangxi said to Liang Jiugong, "Send the charcoal to the Sixth Prince as soon as possible. The weather is changing quickly. The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager are not young anymore. It's time to start burning the charcoal in the palace."
In fact, it’s just winter.
But this is the emperor's fatherly love, so Liang Jiugong certainly wouldn't say much.
"Sixth Prince is still young, please send more of the best red charcoal over there."
Liang Jiugong agreed again.
Kangxi's eyebrows were still furrowed. This son was really a worry for him. Forget about the troubles he caused on weekdays. Aren't naughty boys usually rough and strong? Why was he so delicate and difficult to raise?
It won’t work if it’s too hot, and it won’t work if it’s too cold.
He can go there to escape the heat in the summer, and there are several hot springs in the winter, but he doesn't go out to spend the winter, and he can't let Yinzuo leave the palace alone, right?
Kangxi thought for a moment and asked Liang Jiugong, "Do I have a piece of snow fox fur in my private storehouse? It is the lightest and warmest. I remember that I didn't get much. It happens that the Sixth Prince is small, so I can make clothes for him."
After that, he said again: "Squeamish."
Liang Jiugong responded with a smile again, saying, "So what if she's spoiled? The royal family can afford it anyway."
(End of this chapter)
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