diskusbooks Chapter 7 Are we here to be punished?
Chapter 7 Are we here to be punished?
Yinti's series of bandit-like actions not only startled Yinzuo, whom he was holding in his arms, and stunned the palace servants serving in the courtyard, but also truly shocked Yinzhen, who was waiting in the courtyard.
"Big brother... Sixth brother..."
"Fourth Brother~~"
The two brothers locked eyes and saw the same helplessness in each other's eyes. Fortunately, Yinzhuo was not a real child after all, and he quickly calmed down after the initial panic.
"Big brother, although my younger brother is still young, he is quite heavy. Big brother, please put him down first."
Feeling that his fighting skills were being underestimated by his younger brother, Yinti simply tossed Yinzuo, whom he was holding, into the air and caught him again, repeating this several times before stopping.
"Sixth brother, you underestimate your elder brother. Your little body, as thin as a bean sprout, is not even as heavy as the stone weight I use for exercise every day. Don't say that you only carried it for a short while, even if you carried it all day, it wouldn't tire your elder brother out."
Despite saying that, seeing Yinzhuo's scared little expression, Yinti still put him down. Yinzhuo, whom he saw as a little bean sprout, immediately ran like the wind towards Yinzhen by the stone table under the tree as soon as his feet touched the ground. As soon as the two brothers successfully met up, Yinzhen immediately received a warm hug from his sixth brother.
"Fourth Brother, Eldest Brother is so unfair! How could he tell others what he overheard that day? Not only did it make me the laughingstock of everyone, but Father also threw me into the Imperial Study ahead of time... Waaah, I'm so miserable..."
Looking at his aggrieved younger brother complaining to him, and then at his eldest brother Yinti not far away who had clearly heard Yinzuo's accusations and was looking up at the sky and the ground but not at them, what could Yinzhen do? Should he go up and confront his elder brother? But he was also afraid, so in the end he could only helplessly raise his hand and pat Yinzuo on the back, gently comforting him.
"Sixth Brother, don't be afraid. Although the teachers in the Imperial Study are a bit strict, as long as you are willing to study hard and make progress, they won't make things difficult for you. Besides, Fourth Brother is here too. You can ask me if you don't understand anything..."
Yinzhuo said he was not comforted at all. Was he afraid of the teachers in the Imperial Study? He was afraid of the 120-fold law established by his father, Emperor Kangxi. He was afraid of having to get up before dawn to go to the Imperial Study.
I can't remember where I saw it in my past life, but Emperor Kangxi set the study time for his sons as "from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m.". That is to say, the princes studied in the Imperial Study from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Although classes started at 5 a.m., the princes actually had to go to the study at 4 a.m. to review the previous day's lessons. So, they had to study hard in the study for as long as eleven hours.
And that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that there are almost no days off all year round. Five days off a year? Does that make sense? Just thinking about having to endure such a high-intensity life for more than ten years made Yinzhu wish he could just die on the spot.
"Sixth brother, it's true that I'm sorry for what you said. I just thought it was funny and told my mother about it as a joke when I went to visit her. I never expected that she would bring it up again when she went to the Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Ancestor. After you go to school, you can come to me with any questions. I will definitely help you..."
Seeing Yinzhuo's utterly hopeless expression, Yinti, who was the catalyst for Yinzhuo being prematurely sent to the Imperial Study, quickly expressed his support, telling Yinzhuo that it was alright and that his older brother would protect him when he was in the Imperial Study in the future.
Although his overthinking caused Yinzhuo to avoid Yinti like a mouse would a cat, he could still sense Yinti's sincerity in his words. Besides, even without this incident, he couldn't escape the trip to the Imperial Study; it was just a matter of time.
"Brother, don't take this to heart. Anyway, I'll be in the same boat whether I stick my neck out or not. I'll have to study in the Imperial Academy sooner or later. It's just that I'm starting two months earlier. Once I'm in the Imperial Academy, I'll have to rely on you two, my elder brothers, for help..."
Although Yinzhuo had met the eldest prince Yinti twice before, he had not taken a good look at his elder brother. Today, after a closer look, he couldn't help but feel a little impressed. He was indeed worthy of the appearance praised by the missionary Joachim Bouvet. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a tall and upright figure, and a dignified and imposing demeanor. He truly deserved the praise of being a handsome man.
Yinti had invited Yinzhen over early in the morning but hadn't had breakfast yet. Yinzuo had just gotten out of bed, so naturally he hadn't either. The temperature outside was just right in the June morning, so Yinzuo simply had Dexi set the food on the stone table under the tree in the courtyard and then invited Yinti and Yinzhen to sit down together.
The three brothers enjoyed their breakfast together. As soon as the food was cleared from the table, Dexi came over. He first bowed to the three of them before speaking.
"My lords, Eunuch Wan from Qianqing Palace has arrived."
The three were taken aback by what they heard, exchanged glances, and finally, it was Yinzhuo, the owner of the courtyard, who spoke first.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and invite them in."
The three of them, including Yinzhuo, were not unfamiliar with Eunuch Wan. After all, he was the apprentice of Liang Jiugong, the chief steward of the Qianqing Palace, and often helped Liang Jiugong run errands for various palaces.
"This humble servant greets the three gentlemen."
"You're too kind, Wan Gonggong. Please rise. Did Father Khan have any instructions for coming to the Southern Third Palace today?"
Although this is Yinzhuo's courtyard, the oldest person here is actually the eldest prince, Yinti, so it's not inappropriate for him to ask the question.
"Reporting to the First Prince, His Majesty has issued an oral decree summoning the three princes to the Qianqing Palace for an audience."
Although Yinti and the other two did not know why Kangxi had summoned them to the Qianqing Palace so early in the morning, they dared not disobey the imperial edict. So, without delay, they tidied themselves up and followed Wan Quan out.
After arriving at the Qianqing Palace, the three waited outside the hall. Wan Quan went in to inform them, but he never returned. The three stood in the sun for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but no one came back.
"Father is really something. Did he call us here so early in the morning to make us stand as punishment? It's been quite a while now, and we haven't seen a single person..."
This was Yinzhuo's first time in the Qianqing Palace. At first, he stood upright and properly beside Yinti and Yinzhen, but after a while, being exposed to the sun, he naturally couldn't stand still.
"Sixth brother, be careful what you say."
Seeing that Yinzhen was sweating profusely but still standing straight, Yinzu couldn't help but purse his lips. He turned to look at the steps under the shadow of the main hall not far away and pulled Yinzhen towards them. That night, he didn't forget to call the eldest prince beside him to follow.
"It's alright, Fourth Brother. Anyway, Father isn't here, so he can't hear what I'm saying."
Once in the shade, he felt much more comfortable. At this point, Yinzhuo had no intention of pretending anymore. He leaned against a pillar and fanned himself with his hand, completely abandoning any semblance of decorum.
"Don't talk nonsense. You can't say these things whether the Khan is here or not. And are you standing there as a guard just for show?"
Yinzhen looked at Yinzuo, who was standing awkwardly, and pulled him up from the pillar. He then pointed to the guards not far away. Yinzuo followed Yinzhen's gesture and looked at the guards standing not far from the palace gate. He couldn't help but shrink back. This was the Qianqing Palace. How could the master of this palace not know about everything that happened here?
After waiting a while, Wan Quan finally came out. He didn't say anything when he saw the three people standing in the shade. He walked over, bowed respectfully to the three of them, and then led them into the hall.
The three followed Wan Quan through the front hall and stopped at the entrance of the side hall used by Emperor Kangxi for resting. Wan Quan then spoke to the eunuch at the door and withdrew. This time, the three were not kept waiting. Soon, Liang Jiugong came out and led them inside.
Upon entering the shop, Yinzhuo discovered that Kangxi was not alone. There were two other people besides Kangxi: an eleven or twelve-year-old boy dressed in an apricot-yellow robe, and an elderly man with a full head of white hair. In those days, the identity of someone who dared to wear yellow robes was obvious, and it was none other than the Crown Prince Yinreng of the Qing Dynasty. However, Yinzhuo did not know who the elderly man was.
Of course, this was not the time for him to guess riddles. Yinzhuo followed his two older brothers and stepped forward to pay his respects.
"Your subject Yinti (Yinzhen) (Yinzuo) greets Father and His Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince nodded gently to the three of them, while Kangxi waved his hand to tell them to stand up. He then beckoned to Yinzhuo to come to his side.
"Is Yinzhuo settling in well after moving to the South Third Residence? Is there anything missing from the courtyard?"
Since Kangxi asked him to come over, Yinzhuo didn't hesitate. He walked up to Kangxi and stood beside him, smiling sweetly at him. He even took advantage of his young age and leaned into Kangxi's arms.
"Reporting to Father, Mother had someone tidy up the South Third Palace beforehand. The things are all things I used to use when I was at Yonghe Palace, so there's nothing I'm not used to. It's just that I want to change the courtyard to my liking. I'll hang a basket under the tree in the courtyard and put a few large vats against the wall. I plan to keep some fish in them..."