diskusbooks Chapter 31 Children who have lost their protection already have a difficult life.
Chapter 31 Children who have lost their protection already have a difficult life.
"That's impossible... that's Sixth Brother."
Speaking of the Ninth Prince Yintang and the Tenth Prince Yinqi, these two were the two tyrants in the palace from the moment they could walk. Yintang's mother was Consort Yi, one of the four consorts, and she was already favored. Because Yinqi was raised by the Empress Dowager, she also had a say in the Empress Dowager's eyes.
Needless to say, among all of Kangxi's sons, apart from the Crown Prince, none could be of higher birth than him. His great-great-grandfather and maternal great-great-grandfather were the same person—Nurhaci, the patriarch of the Aisin Gioro family. His maternal grandfather was Ebilun, one of the four regents left to Kangxi by Shunzhi. His aunt was Kangxi's second empress, and his mother was now an imperial concubine, the highest-ranking woman in the palace besides the Empress Dowager.
These two had been causing trouble in the palace since childhood, their misdeeds were countless, but they had powerful backers who always managed to smooth things over. This made them increasingly arrogant. But as the saying goes, if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Having only ever been confined to the inner palace, how could they know that there was an even more arrogant Prince Yinzhuo in the Southern Palace? So, not long after they enrolled and moved to the Southern Palace, they fell right into Prince Yinzhuo's hands.
Actually, it can't be said that they broke the law or that Yinzhuo caught them doing something wrong. It's just that Yinzhuo happened to catch them doing something bad and gave them a severe beating. Naturally, the two of them were not satisfied, so they went back to their own homes and complained to their own mothers, as usual. But it's clear that they had messed with Yinzhuo and kicked a hornet's nest.
First, compared to their mother, Consort De, as one of the four consorts, held a very high position. Second, Yinzhuo and Kangxi had spent so many years together, so there was bound to be some superficial father-son relationship. After all that commotion, the two brothers experienced the taste of swallowing their anger for the first time. After several attempts to retaliate failed to get them any favors from their sixth brother, the two brothers learned their lesson: if they can't afford to offend someone, they'll just leave them alone.
If Yinzhuo knew that he had kindly saved Yinzhen's life but was still treated as a villain by these two, he would definitely drag them over and give them a good beating. You know, when he caught them, these two were holding Yinzhen's dog, Laifu, with scissors, about to cut its fur. Luckily, he discovered it early, otherwise, if they had cut it, his fourth brother would have written them down in his little notebook.
He only punished them by making them run around the South Third Palace for an hour, which was already considered a bargain for them. After all, the reason why the historical Yinzhen hated Yintang so much was not only because he was a staunch supporter of the Eighth Prince, but also because he and Yinzhen cut the fur off his dog when they were young.
After entering June, the weather gradually gets warmer, and as the temperature continues to rise, we officially enter the hottest season of the year—summer.
Although Yinzhen suffered from the summer heat, he had become increasingly sensitive over the past year due to the loss of his adoptive mother's protection and the dislike of his biological mother. He was always afraid that he might do something wrong and cause Kangxi to dislike him. So even though it was unbearably hot, he dressed meticulously and refused to unbutton the top button.
"Fourth Brother, aren't you just making trouble for the sake of saving face? There's no one else here, just the few of us brothers. If you loosen your clothes a little like we do, it'll be cooler."
After the start of summer, Yinzhen visibly lost a lot of weight. Every time Yinzuo saw Yinzhen stubbornly refusing to get up despite being terribly hot, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Ultimately, the reason why Yinzhen's personality changed like this in such a short time was largely due to his mother, Consort De. If she hadn't been so stubborn and had treated Yinzhen better, he wouldn't have felt unloved by his father and mother, and wouldn't have felt helpless and alone in the palace, constantly fearing that he might make a mistake that would worsen his situation. A few days ago, he went to Yinzhen's courtyard and saw that the ice sent by the Imperial Household Department was significantly less than what he had.
"It's alright, Fourth Brother doesn't feel hot..."
Look at him, he's sweating buckets and still trying to be stubborn. Yinzhuo, unable to bear it any longer, got up and walked over, taking advantage of Yinzhen's momentary lapse in attention, and pulled open his collar.
"I don't care what you think, I care what I think. Stop with all the nonsense, isn't that better?"
Faced with Yinzhuo's domineering behavior, Yinzhen was helpless, but it was indeed much more comfortable after his collar was pulled open.
"Fourth brother, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but it's good to be careful in the palace. However, you're going a bit too far. It's so hot, and you're still bundled up so tightly. If you get heatstroke, you'll be the one who suffers."
Yinzhi felt that he could actually understand Yinzhen's changes. When the Empress was alive, Yinzhen was her adopted son, and the Imperial Household Department naturally dared not deceive him. But since the Empress passed away, it was obvious to everyone that Consort De did not like this son. The servants in the Imperial Household Department were the best at flattering the powerful and belittling the weak, and Yinzhen's treatment naturally declined. In this palace, a child without his mother's protection had to live a difficult and cautious life.
Seeing the lively atmosphere suddenly turn somber, Yinzhu sighed helplessly and couldn't help but mutter to himself about his fussy mother once again.
"Third Brother, I heard that Consort Rong sent you a lot of fresh fruits yesterday. Since all the brothers are here today, let's take advantage of Third Brother's generosity. You provide the fruit, and I'll have someone get some ice to make an ice bowl so everyone can cool off."
Even though Yinzhi knew that Yinzu was trying to lighten the mood, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at him.
"Heh, it's not that I'm stingy with those fruits, it's just that you're not being fair. In this South Third Institute, if anyone is short of fresh fruits, you're never short of them. Don't think I don't know you're shameless. You always like to take more than you eat. You've been scavenging from Father's place quite a bit. The other day I saw your Dexi carrying half a box of lychees. Now you're eyeing my little things? Why don't you have someone go and get those lychees out?"
The mere mention of lychees made Yinzhi and the others' teeth ache. Lychees only grow in the south, and if they wanted to eat them, they had to go through the trouble of transporting them from the south to the capital. Every year when the lychees ripened, a batch would be sent to the palace as tribute, but that didn't mean they could eat them.
There were only so many things. The Emperor would definitely keep some for himself, the Empress Dowager would get a share, then the Crown Prince would get some, and some would be set aside to reward the princes and ministers. Only if there was any left would it be distributed to the princes and concubines. It's easy to imagine how much they would actually get. The things that Yinzhuo got back then were all eaten up long ago. Now, it's no surprise that these were definitely taken from the Qianqing Palace.
"Hehe, if it weren't for Third Brother's sharp eyes, you still saw me despite all my efforts to hide it. Dexi, didn't you hear what your Third Uncle said? Go and get those lychees, and while you're at it, get some ice and fresh fruit."
Yinzhuo usually loved to eat and drink, and he liked to think about these things when he had nothing to do. So even the people in his courtyard were willing to put their hearts into it. Not long after receiving Yinzhuo's order, not only did the ice, melons and lychees that Yinzhuo wanted arrive, but also several bowls of shaved ice steaming cold.
"Come on, everyone, don't be shy. This shaved ice is something I had the people in the yard research a few days ago. They used an ice hammer to break the ice into these fine shavings, then added chopped fruit, and poured on some boiled goat milk. One bite and it's truly refreshing and invigorating..."