HCB Chapter 125 Explosion, your head must be buzzing, right?
Chapter 125 Explosion, your head must be buzzing, right?
Yinzhuo was exhausted and sleepy at this time, so he naturally had no energy to deal with the enthusiastic Dexi. Seeing that Dexi kept nagging beside him, he quickened his pace until he entered Dexi's courtyard.
"Dexi, hold on for a moment. Your master just wants to take a good bath and then go back to his room for a good night's sleep. So don't have the kitchen send the food over yet. Go and close the gate to our courtyard in a bit. I won't see anyone for the next few days. We'll talk about everything after I've rested."
Yinzhuo took a simple bath and changed his clothes under Dexi's care before returning to his room. As soon as Yinzhuo returned to his room, Dexi immediately ordered someone to close the courtyard gate as Yinzhuo had instructed, while she and her men stood guard at the door of Yinzhuo's bedroom.
Yinzhuo was able to return to his room to rest as he wished, while Yinzhen hurried back to his residence outside the palace. The army was returning to the capital today, and Dexi in the palace had already received the news. Su Peisheng outside the palace naturally knew as well. He didn't know when his master would return to the residence, so he came to the gatehouse early in the morning to wait.
"Your Highness, you're back. Would you like to go back to the front courtyard to rest first, or go to the main courtyard to see the Princess Consort and the young prince?"
Yinzhen wanted to go see his son first, but after looking at the clothes he was wearing that he hadn't changed in two days, he had no choice but to give up the idea.
"Let's go back to the front yard first. We'll go to the main yard after I've washed up and changed my clothes."
Since joining the army on the expedition, Yinzhuo hadn't had a good night's sleep for the past few months. Now that he was back in his own little corner of the country, he relaxed and slept soundly for days on end. He slept from late afternoon until noon the next day. And that wasn't all. After getting up and eating something simple, he lay back down and didn't wake up until the morning of the third day when he was fully rested. Only then did he call Dexi in to help him wash up and get up.
"Dexi, how is everything at home while I've been away?"
Yinzhuo lay comfortably on a recliner under a tree in the courtyard. The tree's huge canopy acted like a giant umbrella, shielding him from the scorching sun. He took the refreshingly cool iced plum juice from Dexi's hand, took a sip with relish, and then slowly asked a question.
"Your Highness, please rest assured. During the months you were away, the two elder sisters, Chunxiang and Xiahe, were in charge of the courtyard. Consort De also sent people to help me from time to time, so everything at home was fine. It's just that some time ago, after the Fourteenth Prince learned that you were injured, he came to the courtyard and cried for several days. In the end, Consort De found out and took him back and gave him a severe scolding."
Although Yinzhuo hadn't personally witnessed how his mother disciplined the Fourteenth Prince, he felt deeply sorry for him based solely on Dexi's description. So, he got up, put the cup in his hand on the table, and walked into the house. Dexi, not knowing why his master was going back into the house, quickly followed him.
"Dexi, I remember that the Khan once gave me a fine antler bow. Go find it later and send it to Little Fourteen along with this antler slingshot."
De Xi, Chun Xiang, and Xia He were in charge of almost everything in Yin Zuo's courtyard. So when Yin Zuo mentioned the deer antler bow that Kangxi had given him, De Xi immediately realized which bow Yin Zuo was referring to.
"My lord, that was the first bow His Majesty bestowed upon you. Are you sure you want to give it to the Fourteenth Prince?"
Yinzhuo was certain, after all, he now had a better bow and arrow, so he had nothing to be reluctant about giving this bow and arrow to the Fourteenth Prince. However, what he never expected was that less than half a day after he gave away the bow and arrow and the slingshot, the Fourteenth Prince used the slingshot he gave him to make a big mess.
"Dexi, I didn't hear you clearly just now. Say it again, what did Fourteenth do with the slingshot?"
Yinzhuo felt his head buzzing; he could hardly believe what he had just heard.
"Your Majesty, I just said that the Thirteenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince took slingshots and went to shoot birds' nests near Shou Kang Palace. They accidentally startled the Empress Dowager. His Majesty is furious when he finds out and is about to punish them with a cane. Consort De has sent someone to ask you to go to Qianqing Palace immediately..."
Good heavens, Dad's so angry he's about to use the cane. It seems Thirteen and Fourteen really scared the old lady this time. His mother sent someone over just to ask him to go to the Qianqing Palace to bail out those two boys, but does his mother know that the slingshot was given to Fourteen by him? If he goes, he might get a beating himself.
But as the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator, and he is undoubtedly involved in this whole affair. Since he's going to get stabbed anyway, he might as well go and confess quickly and get leniency.
When Yinzhuo rushed to Qianqing Palace with Dexi, the thirteenth and fourteenth princes had already been whipped and their backs were torn open by the angry Kangxi. Summer clothes were thin, and the bloodstains stained their backs bright red through their clothes. Yinzhuo was startled by the sight and quickly walked a few steps to Kangxi and knelt down!
"Father, although it was Thirteen and Fourteen who did what happened today, all of this trouble started because of your son. It was your son who impulsively gave Fourteen a bow and arrow and a slingshot, which led him to commit such a terrible crime and disturb Grandmother. Thirteen and Fourteen are still young and cannot withstand such punishment from Father. If you are still not satisfied, then punish your son."
When Kangxi saw Yinzhu kneeling down, he thought he was going to plead for the thirteenth and fourteenth brothers. He didn't expect that Yinzhu wasn't there to plead for his two younger brothers at all, but to receive punishment. Although Kangxi was quite good at whipping the thirteenth and fourteenth brothers, he really couldn't bring himself to whip Yinzhu like that.
But he had already beaten the two younger ones, Thirteen and Fourteen, so he naturally had no reason to let the older one, Yinzhuo, off the hook. Caught between two difficult choices, Kangxi simply threw the rattan cane in his hand to the ground and then raised his hand to slap Yinzhuo's back several times!
"Why did you have to give him a slingshot? You know those two kids were just shooting wildly with their slingshots and almost hit your Imperial Grandmother. If it weren't for the nanny next to her helping to block it, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Upon hearing Kangxi's words, Yinzhuo immediately felt that the slaps he had received were not unjust at all. It was fortunate that the Empress Dowager had not been hit, otherwise it would have been much more than just a few canes and slaps.
"Father, how is Grandmother doing now? It was indeed my negligence this time. I will go to Shou Kang Palace to kowtow and apologize to Grandmother in a little while."
Yinzhuo's attitude in admitting his mistake was good, and Kangxi's anger dissipated after he stirred things up. He had only felt that the more he hit Yinzhuo, the angrier he became, but now that he saw the blood-stained backs of the thirteenth and fourteenth princes, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them. He first asked Yinzhuo to help the two of them up and sit down to the side, and then he called Liang Jiugong in and asked him to send someone to fetch the imperial physician.