vstars Chapter 199 It's so good to have a silver tongue!
Chapter 199 It's so good to have a silver tongue!
Yinzhi was absolutely right. Yinzhi truly treasured his fan and was afraid that Yinzhi would actually try to take it. From the day he left until Yinzhi recovered from his illness, he didn't dare to approach Yinzhi again.
Not long after Yinzhu recovered from his illness, it was September. These few months were enough for Kangxi to deal with the official duties that had piled up during his previous southern tour. So, after entering September, Kangxi had some free time and moved to Changchun Garden with the Empress Dowager, his wives, and children.
"Sixth Brother, can't I really move in with you? The West Garden is too far from Mother and your place."
Now that the Fourteenth Prince is twelve years old, he can no longer live with Consort De as he did when he was young. Whenever Emperor Kangxi comes to Changchun Garden, those princes like Yinti who have been granted gardens nearby naturally live in their own gardens. Those princes who do not have been granted gardens or are too young to study are all arranged to live in the West Garden next to Changchun Garden. It is very close to Wuyizhai, where the princes study, so it is convenient for them to come and go.
Yinzhuo has always been an exception. Not only does he have his own Enze Garden next to Changchun Garden, but he also has his own little plot of land in Changchun Garden—Shufeng Pavilion. If Yintang, Yinxiong, and the thirteenth brother can only envy him, then the fourteenth brother, as Yinzhuo's younger brother, is much bolder than them. He now dares to directly try to stay in his sixth brother's Shufeng Pavilion.
Who is the Fourteenth Prince? He's an even more unruly troublemaker than Yinzhuo. If he were to move in, it would mean that Yinzhuo's life for the next few months would be filled with constant frights and troubles. Yinzhuo isn't stupid; why would he put such an unstable bomb in front of him? He's not just sitting around doing nothing.
"Fourteenth Brother, it's not that I don't want you to move in, but it's just that it's not as comfortable and convenient for you to live here as it is in the West Garden. Let me explain. You see, if you live in the West Garden, not only will you have your thirteenth brother to keep you company, but it's also closer to Wuyi Zhai, where you study. In another month or so, the weather will get cold. From Shufeng Pavilion to Wuyi Zhai, you'll have to cross almost half of Changchun Garden. Do you even get up in the morning? Even if you do get up, how much suffering will you endure every morning braving the wind and snow to cross the entire Changchun Garden to study at Wuyi Zhai?"
Yinzhi said this to persuade the Fourteenth Prince to give up the idea, but it was also true. When the Fourteenth Prince thought about how the weather would get colder and he would have to get up an hour or two earlier than others to travel to Wuyizhai to study, his brows immediately furrowed. Yinzhi knew him well and could tell from his expression that the boy was about to give up, so he quickly pressed on.
“But it would be different if you lived in the West Garden. The Fourth Prince’s Residence where you live is just a short walk from Wuyizhai. You can sleep in a little longer in the morning, and you’ll suffer less on the way if the weather is bad. Besides, the West Garden is said to be far from where my mother and I are, but it’s not actually that far. If you miss us, no one will dare to stop you from coming. And Sixth Brother doesn’t have much to do all day. He might come to you to relieve his boredom.”
Not to mention the advantage of having a silver tongue. After Yinzhuo's analysis, the Fourteenth Prince immediately realized that his Sixth Brother was right. Not only did he stop arguing with Yinzhuo, he even felt that his Sixth Brother treated him well and truly cared for his younger brother.
The fact that the Fourteenth Prince gave up the idea of moving in naturally meant that Yinzhuo had gotten rid of a big problem. After the Fourteenth Prince stopped causing trouble for Yinzhuo, Yinzhuo looked at him with much more brotherly respect. After all, this was not a younger brother he had picked up. Although the child had obviously been fooled by him again, he still had to give him the sweet treats he deserved. So, in his good mood, Yinzhuo decided to give his silly younger brother some good things.
"Dexi, go and get some of the pineapples that your father sent yesterday for your Fourteenth Prince to try. Then take one to the kitchen and have them make pineapple rice according to the method I taught you before. Also, don't forget sweet and sour pork, braised pork belly, beef brisket stewed with tomatoes, roasted lamb chops. In short, bring some of all the meat you have, after all, your Fourteenth Prince is a true carnivore."
Fourteen had eaten pineapple before, and to be honest, he didn't really like the taste. But his opinion never mattered; his sixth brother thought he liked it, so even if he didn't, he had to eat it now.
"Sixth Brother, I've already eaten three pieces. Can I stop now? If I keep eating, I'm afraid all my teeth will fall out."
Yinzhuo glanced at the fourteenth prince, who was grimacing from the sour taste, and finally took pity on him and nodded. At the same time, he sighed silently in his heart. Alas, it seems that among his brothers, his second brother still has the best taste. How come they can't appreciate such delicious pineapple? Alas... what a pity...
Although the Fourteenth Prince doesn't like pineapple, he's quite accepting of dishes made with it. Yinzhuo barely ate any of the sweet and sour pork with pineapple; the Fourteenth Prince devoured the rest. There's a saying, "A half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home." Although Yinzhuo isn't the Fourteenth Prince's father and it's unlikely he'll be eaten out of house and home, seeing the Fourteenth Prince's swift and efficient eating, he couldn't help but feel envious.
"Fourteen, although this meal is for Sixth Brother, this stomach is our own. How about we stop eating here for today? If we eat any more, I'm afraid your stomach will burst."
Upon hearing this, Fourteen glanced at his Sixth Brother, put down his chopsticks, patted his stomach, and said.
"Sixth Brother, do you think everyone else is like you, doing nothing all day? Have you forgotten that besides studying at Wuyizhai every day, I also have to practice at the cloth warehouse and archery range in the afternoon? Don't be fooled by how much I ate just now, I'll be hungry again in the middle of the afternoon before dinner."
Doing nothing, fine, that's definitely the most apt word to describe Yinzhuo. Who wouldn't envy his life these days? To sum it up in one sentence, he eats three full meals a day and then goes to bed. He makes money just by lying at home and sleeping. That's him.
After sending the Fourteenth Prince away, Yinzhu first went to his father's place to check in. Seeing that the sun outside wasn't too strong, he simply asked Dexi to fetch a fishing rod, moved a chair to the waterside pavilion next to Qingxi Study, and began to play with the koi fish that his father kept there.
"Oh, Sixth Brother, you're in a good mood today. What brings you to fishing? If Fifth Brother remembers correctly, the koi carp raised here are the best ones that Father Khan specially had selected."
When Yinzhuo saw his fifth brother arrive, he immediately stood up and warmly invited him to join him in the fun. Yinqi did like fishing, but he didn't dare to sit down and mess with his fish right under his father's nose like Yinzhuo did, so he quickly waved his hand and refused.
"Hey, Fifth Brother, what are you afraid of? Look, I've been sitting here fishing for quite a while now, and Father hasn't said anything, has he? Since Father hasn't said anything, it means it's okay to fish. Dexi, go find another fishing rod and bring over a chair. Fifth Brother, come on, sit here..."