Chapter 116
Listening to the eldest prince's complaint, Kangxi was shocked by his sons' insolence. At the same time, he finally figured out which son of the so-called "Prince Xia" in front of him was. It turned out to be the sixth son who died early.
The sixth son died when he was five or six years old. For Kangxi, it was a memory from a long time ago. When he thinks about it now, he doesn't even feel sad. He can no longer remember what the deceased son looked like.
Kangxi looked at the cheerful young man with a smile on his face. Would the child back then actually grow up to be like this?
When they came out of the wonton shop, they saw so many delicious things they wanted to eat. Yinzuo kept buying and buying, and Kangxi also ate a lot. It was the eldest prince who stopped Yinzuo from eating too much.
The eldest prince said to Yinzuo: "What can't the chef in the mansion cook? Why do you prefer to eat outside?"
And he looked at Kangxi with a strange look in his eyes: "Father, why are you so indulgent to him today? He just ate the spicy fried tofu secretly!"
She was about to jump up again, "Just indulge him. It was ok to indulge him in other aspects before, but now you are getting more and more unscrupulous with this kid. Even my wife indulged the fourth princess like you!"
"You live with Xiaoliu, which makes it easier for Xiaoliu to please you. What did your precious son do? Why do you indulge him like this? Your eldest son should learn from him."
Yinzuo said from the side: "Everything can be cooked in the mansion, but isn't it as delicious as outside?" It's not that the chefs in the mansion are bad at cooking, all are good, but they try to cook in a healthier way, so the food doesn't have the strong taste like outside.
Then he said to the eldest brother: "Brother, you are still jealous. Why don't you come and live in my house? When my father returns to Changchun Garden, you can follow him."
The eldest prince said: "Do you think I am you? If it was you, our father would be happy to take his precious son with him wherever he went. But if it was me, our father would dislike me after just two days."
Yinzuo took Kangxi's arm and said to the eldest prince with a smile: "That can't be helped. It's because none of you are as pleasing to father as I am."
Kangxi's ears were buzzing from the noise, but he found this kind of noise very novel and even felt a sense of envy for the old Kang here.
When Yinzuo held Kangxi's arm, he tensed up again reflexively, but he soon relaxed, thinking about what the original Kangxi would be like if he were here, and said slowly: "It's just a matter of eating some spicy tofu. I know what's going on. Big Boss, you are becoming more and more talkative now."
Then he changed the subject and said, "If you really want to live with me in the garden, then come and live here. Why are you accusing me of disliking you? Let's see how long you can stay here."
The eldest brother: “…”
The eldest prince was successfully outwitted by his father. Although his father is no longer on the throne, they have learned from their sixth brother to become more and more "insolent" towards the emperor. The emperor has also become more and more "tolerant" towards them. However, if he is allowed to live with the old man for a long time, he will be under a lot of pressure.
Kangxi glanced at him with a see-through look and snorted, while Yinzuo laughed out loud, mocking his elder brother who was shooting himself in the foot.
The eldest prince regained his composure: "Sure, I will live with Father from today." The eldest prince thought that he would also leave for Guangdong in a month to train the navy, so he could still endure a month.
Speaking of his training in the navy, it was actually several years before he finally got a proper job.
Back then, the old man and the second son created a fake crown prince position to fool around with, and he, as the eldest son, became the target of public criticism. He was kicked out by those black-hearted people and was even confined to the mansion for a long time. Since then, he has had no proper job.
Later, the second brother came to power. The second brother had always been at odds with him. They had been fighting for decades. Given the second brother's grudge-holding nature, would he still use him? Of course not.
The eldest prince had always thought that he would be an idler in the future, and would just teach little kids some martial arts in kindergarten. However, he did not expect that the second prince would actually give him a serious job this year and let him train the navy.
In recent years, the Qing Dynasty has made a lot of money by smuggling things back through sea transportation. Hey, he knew that when the second brother was still the prince, he secretly got involved in the Nanyang merchant caravan, so the second brother knew better than anyone how much wealth could be brought back from the sea, so now the naval training has been brought up.
The Second Brother was worried that he would get involved in the army, but he could use the newly emerging navy. Even so, he often sent many of his own people out. The Second Brother was becoming more and more slippery.
Even when it came to military affairs, the second brother acted like a broad-minded wise ruler and let the eldest prince take care of it, not to mention the third and fourth brothers, whose abilities were all put to good use.
The eldest brother also carefully guessed that the second brother did this for the old man to see. As long as the old man was still alive, the second brother could not treat them too badly, and of course they did not dare to make trouble.
But, no matter what, the eldest prince was extremely satisfied when he thought about his next assignment. Although he preferred the feeling of riding horses and shooting arrows, the navy is still the army and it is better than dealing with some nagging and trivial paperwork in the capital like the third brother. The third brother liked those things, but he didn't!
Not only did the eldest prince remember his upcoming trip to Guangdong, but Yinzuo also thought of it from his series of facial changes, so he started chatting with the eldest prince about long journeys, as well as some matters related to shipping and navy.
Kangxi listened silently and felt that everything was so different from the world he was in. Not only was shipping prosperous, but he also had the eldest son to train the navy. What's more, the one sitting on the throne was the second son.
When Kangxi heard Yinzuo's "second brother", his mind suddenly became clear. Kangxi clenched his fingers tightly to calm himself down and not show any abnormality.
Kangxi looked at the prosperous scene on the street and the vendors who were smiling and hawking their wares. Was it his second son who was the emperor? Kangxi thought of his second son who was resentful of him and had a crazy look on his face. He felt heartbroken every time he thought of it.
He hasn't seen his second son yet, but he knows that he will definitely not be as crazy and arrogant as he was when he was imprisoned by him.
Moreover, the second son sat on the throne while the eldest son was still able to train the army, which greatly impacted Kangxi's inherent cognition.
Yinzuo smiled as he spoke: "Big brother will be gone for a year. When you come back, I'm sure you will miss me. By then, you will be treated better by me than I am."
The eldest prince was eager to try it out and said, "Really? Then I have to see what it will be like."
Even though Kangxi was in a daze, the corners of his lips slightly raised and a faint smile flashed in his eyes.
Kangxi was listening to what Yinzuo and the eldest prince were saying, while his eyes were also looking at the things being sold on the street. The fried potato chips, roasted sweet potatoes, and boiled corn were too much for Kangxi to take in. The conversations of passers-by that he heard in his ears were even more shocking to him.
Going further, we came to a more affluent place. There were not so many hawking sounds on the streets here. Each shop looked very luxurious, and even the road under our feet was different.
It looked like a piece of stone that was neither a brick nor a stone, but a grayish-white, very flat piece. Kangxi looked over and could not see a single crack on it.
Kangxi listened to the pedestrians beside him and said, "This road is easier to walk on."
"The merchants here have money, so they paid for it, so we let them repair it first. It is said that other places will also repair it gradually."
"They say it's especially good for riverbanks, where water won't break them down, so we'll build those first, and then we'll build roads. It's said it can even be used to build houses."
"Really? But I don't think this color would look good for building a house."
Kangxi listened to everything and felt very unworldly. Not only had he never seen the road before, but he had also never seen the transparent glass windows. In fact, there were such windows in Yinzuo's mansion, but Kangxi did not pay attention to them at that time.
Walking further, he saw a few more yellow- and red-haired overseas people. People on the street just glanced at them secretly and didn't seem surprised. As for the shops, not only did Kangxi find many of the goods in the local shops new, but he also saw Mongolian shops with very regional characteristics, Tibetan shops, and shops of some southern ethnic groups... all of which surprised Kangxi.
After a trip around the streets, Kangxi finally understood a lot about the world, but he still felt heavy in his heart.
Because as he was walking around, he couldn't help but feel that he was so much worse than Kangxi in this world? Not only did he lose in the father-son relationship, but he also felt that he was inferior in national development.
Although he was troubled by his sons in his later years, Kangxi felt that he had done a pretty good job in national development. But just this one trip made Kangxi feel that he was being outdone.
Kangxi concealed his emotions and did not let Yinzuo and the eldest prince see it.
After returning to Yinzuo's residence, Kangxi took a stroll around the kindergarten, and then called everyone over on the pretext of the children's homework.
Kangxi wanted to take a look at them.
Not only the third and fourth sons came, Kangxi also saw the eldest princess, the second princess, the third princess, and the living eleventh prince. So many children were standing there, talking and laughing. It was a scene that would never appear even in a dream. Kangxi almost had tears in his eyes when he saw it.
Everyone noticed that Kangxi was coming, and they all bowed and called for him. They also noticed that Kangxi seemed to be in a low mood. The third prince immediately said, "Don't worry, Father Huang. I will go back and beat up that kid of mine."
Seeing that his father seemed very worried about his children and grandchildren, the Fourth Prince hesitated and stepped forward and said, "If my son doesn't come over to supervise them more, they are quite obedient to me." Mainly because he had a cold face, none of those naughty boys dared to act naughty in front of him.
Everyone offered suggestions one after another, thinking in their hearts, why is the old man so worried this time? The children at home are not too bad. Well, for the sake of the old man, we have to keep the children at home tightly under control during this period.
Even the crown prince came. He came over and sat down next to Kangxi, poured tea for the old man, smiled and gently coaxed him, and told him to beat whoever he wanted, especially those in his family, and he could beat them as he pleased. He would never stop him and would not feel sorry!
Kangxi could not take his eyes away from the crown prince, oh, the new emperor. He looked at his second son's smiling face, and watched his second son walk towards him with a graceful and elegant figure. He had already spoken before he arrived. From his smiling voice, one could easily tell that the person who was speaking was in a peaceful mood, without a trace of negative emotions.
Is this the second son?
Kangxi watched as everyone else stood up and saluted his second son who had become emperor. His second son asked them not to bow. He did not need to show off in his gestures. Although his attitude was friendly, he already had the manners of an emperor. It was obvious that he had suppressed his brothers and had firmly established himself on the throne.
Kangxi suddenly realized.
He watched his second son sit down beside him and pour him tea. He listened to his second son talking to him in a casual and intimate tone. Kangxi took the teacup, lowered his head and drank the tea, hiding the various emotions surging in his eyes.
Only the hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.
Everyone was talking back and forth, one saying that my child was actually quite well behaved, another saying that although my child was a little naughty, he had a good brain...
Kangxi didn't really pay attention to what his sons and daughters were talking about. After they talked for a while, Kangxi calmed down and said, "Let's have a meal together today."
Then let’s have dinner together.
There was still some time before dinner, so everyone didn't gather together. Some had gone to the kindergarten to peek at the children in class, some were walking around Yinzuo's mansion, and some brothers and sisters gathered in groups of three or four to talk.
Kangxi called the prince to play chess with him and talked while playing. After two games, Kangxi felt melancholy. His second son who had become emperor was very good. Kangxi felt that this was the person he wanted him to become when he was training him.
But in the world he lives in, why did he and his second son go in completely opposite directions?
Until the meal, Kangxi looked at the people sitting one by one, listening to the eighth brother being crushed by the eldest brother's words and not daring to talk back, listening to the ninth brother and the tenth brother next to him talking about the red-haired people outside doing business very stingy, listening to the fourteenth and thirteenth drinking...
It can be seen that these people were not too restrained even in front of him and the second brother, the new emperor.
At such a family dinner, Kangxi felt like he was experiencing a beautiful yet illusory dream, feeling both nostalgic and disappointed.
After the meal, everyone was about to go home. The eldest prince raised his chin slightly and said to the others, "I won't go back. I will stay with the emperor. The emperor said he wanted to live with his son."
After all, his weight as the eldest son is still different!
The Third Prince sneered back at him immediately.
Didn't the Emperor say that he could just move to your house next door? If you want to serve the old man, then do it. You are so old now, who would want to compete with you for this?
Kangxi watched his children leave, then turned to look at his eldest son standing beside him, and finally set his gaze on his sixth son who was a stranger to him.
Although we are strangers, I feel an inexplicable sense of closeness from the bottom of my heart.
After a day of observation, Kangxi felt that the core connection between his children was this son. Even the eighth brother, who he thought was the most insincere in dealing with others, would be more sincere when dealing with this son.
And I intuitively feel that all the differences I see in this world seem to be inextricably linked to this son.
Yinzuo pulled Kangxi back and said, "Father, let's go for a walk."
Kangxi was getting used to his son's "touching" in just one day. When Yinzuo wanted to hold his arm, the back of Yinzuo's hand accidentally touched his hand, which seemed a little cold.
Kangxi also knew that his son was in poor health, and everyone was taking good care of him. Kangxi hesitated for only a moment, then reached out his other hand to touch Yinzuo's hand, frowned and said, "Why is it so cold?"
Touching such a cold hand, Kangxi couldn't help but grab Yinzuo's hand and rub it twice to warm it up. His own hands were warm.
However, after doing this, Kangxi himself was stunned, because he and his sons had been in a state of stiff confrontation or coldness and unfamiliarity for a long time, and it was incredible for him to take the initiative to do such a "kind fatherly" thing from the bottom of his heart.
And nowadays, I don’t know if it’s because of the environment here, but this kind of thing happens naturally.
The eldest prince was shouting nearby: "It must be blowing. Why are you still walking? Go back to the house."
Then the eldest prince said to Kangxi: "Father, what are you going to do next? Don't just focus on your precious sixth son. Whether it's massaging shoulders and backs, grinding ink and adding tea, or playing chess or reading, just order me around."
"Maybe you want to practice your skills and shoot some arrows, or play with Xu'er and the others' toys?"
"You can do whatever you say. Your eldest son can accompany you. Don't let other people think that you only have your sixth son who is filial to you."
Kangxi didn't know that his eldest brother could be so nagging, but the corners of his lips slightly raised. The Kangxi here lived a much better life than him.
The eldest brother wanted to show off, but Yinzuo did not argue with him. He got up early today. He yawned and said, "I'm sleepy. I'll go back to sleep first. Huang Ama and eldest brother, you two can play."
Kangxi spent more than half an hour with his eldest son, who still retained some of his cheerfulness and generosity in this world. Then he sat alone quietly for a while and then lay down on the bed to rest.
He fell asleep with a confused mind, and in his dream, he saw another self. When they returned to their respective positions, the memories of the two Kangxis seemed to intersect.
At this moment, both of them were impacted by many chaotic memory fragments. After a long time, the outsider Kangxi closed his eyes, suppressed the emotions in his eyes, and said to the Kangxi of this world: "You are luckier than me!"
The Kangxi of this world said firmly: "Yes!"
Kangxi responded in this way, and the outsider Kangxi was dissatisfied with himself in this world again. He said: "It's just luck, but it doesn't mean I am worse than you."
'Lucky' Kangxi pulled the corner of his mouth sarcastically.
Kangxi, the outsider, was very upset with him, but in the end he said: "I ended up with a situation where my father and son turned against each other, and my brothers fought against each other. I can't rest assured even when I close my eyes."
"I didn't expect to see everyone sitting together and having a good meal like today."
As he said this, he said to this 'lucky' Kangxi: "You must cherish your blessings!"
Do you need to say more? But before this "lucky" Kangxi could taunt back, the outsider Kangxi had already disappeared like smoke and fog.
Kangxi's eyelids struggled, and he woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall asleep. How could he sleep with so many memories of the 'unfortunate' Kangxi in his head?
He felt sympathy for the envy of the "unfortunate" Kangxi, but it was more than sympathy, he felt very uncomfortable.
Although these were not things he experienced in this world, the development of these things made Kangxi feel a dull pain in his heart. Moreover, Kangxi thought again and again that the estrangements between fathers and sons and the quarrels between brothers were all very likely to happen.
He was quite dissatisfied with the "luck" mentioned by the guy who borrowed his body for a day trip, but it was indeed a blessing from heaven that he could be in this situation today.
The more Kangxi thought about it, the more frightened he became, and sweat even broke out on his back.
The rebellious and crazy prince, the eldest and third brothers who had no brotherly love, and the eighth and ninth brothers, all fathers and sons were not good, and finally the fourth brother was picked out. But regardless of the fourth brother's ability to govern, after Kangxi passed away, how much energy would he have to spend on dealing with the restless brothers and the remaining factional forces? Could he develop the country with peace of mind?
And Yinzuo had already disappeared from that world.
How could there be no sixth son? It hurts my heart just thinking about it.
Kangxi lay on the bed, his mind in a mess. He thought over and over again for a long time.
.
On the second day, Yinzuo still didn't get up early. He rolled over in bed several times before he finally pulled himself together and successfully got out of bed.
But when he came out of the inner room, Yinzuo was startled to see Kangxi sitting in his room: "Father?"
Yinzuo looked at the clock in his room. It wasn’t very late. Why did his father come to his room to block him?
Yinzuo: "Is there something important, Father Huang? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Kangxi said, "Are you awake? I'm fine, go wash up."
Oh, Yinzuo is inexplicable.
In fact, Kangxi went to see Yinzuo first when he woke up. He would not feel at ease if he didn't take a look at him.
Yinzuo was sleeping at the time, Kangxi looked at him for a few seconds and told him to continue sleeping, then sat outside and picked up a random book of Yinzuo to read. The servants in Yinzuo's house were also puzzled by the behavior of the emperor.
After Yinzuo finished washing up, Kangxi said to him, "Go for a walk outside with me."
"oh."
The golden morning sun shone warmly. Yinzuo walked beside Kangxi, sometimes even reaching out to grab the branch next to him out of urgency.
Kangxi looked at his son beside him with a cherishing and gentle gaze. He walked slowly and said softly, "Yinzuo."
Yinzuo turned his head: "Hmm?"
"Ama is lucky to have you."
ah?
This time Yinzuo was shocked and even wanted to touch Kangxi's forehead. What had happened to his royal father?
Yinzuo thought about it and replied to Kangxi: "...It is also lucky for his son to have a royal father as his father."
But what was this sudden sensationalism about? His father was not like him. Normally, his father was very reluctant to say such things.
Yinzuo was worried and thought, maybe the emperor's father is not well? He would go to the imperial physician to find out.
Yinzuo, who was full of worry, was patted on the head by Kangxi, and listened to Kangxi recalling many things about his life from childhood to adulthood. The more Yinzuo listened, the more worried he became.
Not only that, Kangxi also invited everyone to come and have dinner together today.
We just had dinner together yesterday, why are you here again?
Others also sensed something unusual.
There are also people whose thinking patterns are very similar to Yinzuo, and they all go to Yinzuo, the first person around Kangxi, to inquire.
Fortunately, Yinzuo had already consulted the imperial physician and was told that their royal father was in good health.
Yinzuo thought about it and said to everyone: "Maybe the emperor is lonely? Missing you all?"
The Third Prince, who had always believed that Kangxi was partial to him, said, "Then I will live with the Emperor, too?"
Kangxi was just about to return to Changchun Garden, which was a large place. All the princes and princesses had their own places in Changchun Garden or nearby. Now that they knew that the old man was missing his children and was lonely in his old age, they all showed their filial piety and moved in there.
With so many children, how can the old man be lonely?
No.
Kangxi spent a few days with his children. Everyone was flattered and impressed by the kind-hearted old man who spoke nicely to everyone.
But this kind of intimacy didn't last long. In less than half a month, the old man changed his face and drove him away impatiently: "Go do what you need to do, don't always hang around me."
The eldest brother, who had not even lived there for a month, was kicked out.
Tsk~, this old man changes his attitude so quickly. Next time if he feels lonely without his children around, we won’t rush over, unless the old man takes the initiative to ask them to come and keep him company!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com