HCB Chapter 322 What happened? They were fine when they came, but they can't go back.
Chapter 322 What happened? They were fine when they came, but they can't go back.
Chapter 322 What happened? You were fine when you came, but you can't go back.
Was Emperor Kangxi happy about Yinzhi's arrival? The answer is obviously yes. As soon as he heard his beloved son's voice, his face beamed with a smile that almost made wrinkles appear.
“Sigh, you know, children are always a burden. Look at him, he’s grown up now, and the first thing he does when he comes in is look for his father. Liang Jiugong, hurry up and go see what this kid is yelling about again. Maybe he’s sent someone to make things difficult for the cooks in the imperial kitchen again.”
Regarding Kangxi's seemingly disdainful but actually boastful behavior, Zhang Tingyu said he just smiled and didn't say anything. When Kangxi got up, he quickly got up and stood aside, pretending to be a wooden figure with his eyes down and his nose down.
Although Yinzhuo's arrival is usually preceded by his voice, as the saying goes, if you can hear his voice, how far away can he be? Liang Jiugong hadn't even reached the entrance of the flower hall when Yinzhuo had already entered.
"Oh, Lord Zhang is here too. It seems my timing is not right. I'm going to take a stroll around the Imperial Kitchen and invite my second brother to have dinner with us. Father, Lord Zhang, you go ahead with your business. I'll take my leave now."
Even though Yinzhuo wasn't deeply involved in court affairs, he still knew Zhang Tingyu, a high-ranking official who had served under three emperors—Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong—and was frequently summoned by Emperor Kangxi. When Yinzhuo entered and saw that Zhang Tingyu didn't immediately take his leave, he knew that the emperor and his minister must have important matters to discuss. As the saying goes, our Prince Zhao is never one to lack tact. He knows what he knows and what he doesn't know; he understands the principles of knowledge.
When Kangxi saw that Yinzhuo had only been in for a few minutes and was about to leave, he quickly gave Liang Jiugong a look. Liang Jiugong, having received his master's signal, stepped aside and stood in front of Yinzhuo.
What's wrong? He was fine when he came in, so he can't go back? That shouldn't be the case. I don't remember hearing any important secrets when I came in. Yinzhuo reached out and nudged Liang Jiugong a couple of times, but seeing that he remained unmoved, he looked at his father in confusion.
"No, Father, what do you mean by this? You're not trying to find an excuse to punish me, are you? Let me tell you, I haven't gone anywhere today. I've been staying obediently in Shufeng Pavilion the whole time. If you don't believe me, you can have someone ask Xiao Jiu and Xiao Shi..."
Although Yinzhuo didn't understand why Kangxi had Liang Jiugong stop him from leaving, he felt no tension whatsoever. Even if he had heard something, so what? He truly didn't believe his father could really do anything to him. After all, there's a saying: even a tiger wouldn't eat its cubs. Historically, when his brothers caused such a ruckus, his father, aside from drawing his sword to kill the Fourteenth Prince, mostly just verbally attacked him.
"Hmph, and you still have the nerve to say that Fourteenth Prince is judging others by his own petty standards? I think he probably learned this habit from you. I heard that Yinzhen and Yinzhen were punished by you today for stepping into your waterside pavilion gate with their left feet first and were made to stand in a horse stance for more than half an hour?"
Yinzhuo was always decisive and responsible in front of Kangxi. Upon hearing his father's words, he immediately nodded to indicate that there was indeed such a thing. Seeing that Liang Jiugong was still standing at the entrance of the flower hall and wouldn't budge an inch, Yinzhuo understood his father's meaning. Since they wouldn't let him leave, then he wouldn't leave either. It was no big deal.
What were Yinzhi's life mottoes? One of them was "I can't suffer myself, even if others suffer." Since he wasn't leaving, there was no reason for him to continue standing at the entrance of the flower hall as punishment. Yinzhi first nodded slightly to Zhang Tingyu, who was standing not far from him, and then strode towards his father. When he got to Kangxi, he didn't care about his current attitude and casually pulled over a chair next to him and sat down next to Kangxi.
"Father, could you please stop mentioning that brat Fourteen in front of our son these next few days? My little pet is still heartbroken from the sudden departure of him. And you've heard so much! Our son just dealt with those two rascals, Nine and Ten, and you already know about it. Father, you don't want to do the same to me, do you? Fine, then let me ask you first: which foot did I step in with first when I entered the door?"
As the saying goes, Kangxi knew Yinzhi very well. He knew exactly what Yinzhi was up to with that smirk. Fortunately, Kangxi didn't intend for the boy to hold a grudge. He simply tapped Yinzhi on the forehead and then turned his gaze to Zhang Tingyu, who was standing to the side.
Since Emperor Kangxi didn't shy away from discussing Yinzhi's affairs, Zhang Tingyu naturally followed suit. The two of them then analyzed and summarized the affairs of the court from all aspects. Afterwards, Zhang Tingyu came up with a specific plan, which Emperor Kangxi then approved. As for Yinzhi, well, to him, the stuff that Emperor Kangxi and the others were discussing was the best lullaby. He had long since drifted off to sleep.
When Yinzhuo was gently shaken awake by Liang Jiugong, some of the candles in the flower hall had already been lit. The reason they weren't all lit was probably because Kangxi saw that he was sleeping soundly and didn't want to disturb his sleep, so he didn't have them all lit. Sure enough, Yinzhuo had only been awake for a short while, and the flower hall, which had seemed a bit dim just moments before, was now as bright as day.
"Eunuch Liang, where is my father?"
When Liang Jiugong saw that Yinzhuo had woken up, he personally wrung out a handkerchief and handed it to him before replying with a smile.
"Reporting to Your Highness, His Majesty and the Crown Prince are both in the study right now. Now that you are awake, this old servant will send someone to inform them. His Majesty specifically instructed that you should go directly to the dining hall after you wake up."
The dining hall and the study were not far from the flower hall, only in different directions. Yinzhuo had just woken up and was still groggy, so his walking speed was naturally not fast. By the time he finally made his way to the dining hall, Kangxi and Yinreng were already sitting there.
"Sixth Brother, look at all these red dishes today! They truly live up to your reputation of being the best of the best. Alright, stop standing there. Weren't you just clamoring for a tomato feast? Now that it's all prepared for you, let's start eating."
Following the direction Yinreng pointed, Yinzuo looked at the table and saw that the entire country was covered in red. It must be said that the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen were quite skilled and ingenious. After all, considering the standards of Kangxi's imperial cuisine, making everything tomato-flavored was difficult enough for them. To not only make it but also make it edible and delicious, it would be unreasonable for the imperial chefs not to be highly capable.
Despite his boisterous antics, when it came to actual eating, Yinzhuo's appetite was nowhere near that of his father, who was over fifty, or his brother, who was in his prime. He hadn't even tasted all the dishes on the table before he was already burping from being so full. He was a typical case of having big eyes but a small stomach. But no matter what, the food was free, but he was still in charge of his own stomach. He couldn't force himself to eat if he couldn't.