noffsinger Chapter 541 Tell me, who ran away this time?
Chapter 541 Tell me, who ran away this time?
The saying "When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal" is no exaggeration. From the time Yinzhen ascended the throne in October until after the Lunar New Year, he was busy sorting out all the messy affairs in the court.
The passing of the New Year signifies the complete end of the Kangxi era. At the beginning of the New Year, Yinzhen officially issued an edict to change the reign title to Yongzheng, and this year is the first year of Yongzheng's reign.
Kangxi is now very open-minded about all of this. As the saying goes, the new generation surpasses the old. From the moment he decided to abdicate, he took all of this lightly. Isn't it better to enjoy the rest of his life now than to work himself to death before?
After the first month of the lunar calendar, Emperor Kangxi and his son Yinzhu couldn't stay in the capital any longer. They first led their men around the capital, and when the weather gradually warmed up, they simply gathered their troops and went to the misty Jiangnan region during the beautiful spring season.
That saying is true. With money and leisure, one can live a good life no matter what era one is in. Yinzhuo was never short of money, and Kangxi also had a considerable amount of money in his coffers. The father and son traveled leisurely for nearly three months before finally arriving in Jiangnan.
“Father, we received a letter from Laizhou Prefecture saying that our house is almost finished and asking if we want to go and take a look.”
Look, we definitely have to go see it. They've already seen most of the famous scenic spots in Jiangnan. If they set off now, by the time they leisurely stroll to Laizhou Prefecture, the day should be getting cooler.
Both father and son were decisive and disliked getting bogged down in details. Since they had decided to turn back, they figured the sooner the better. They had someone pack their things quickly, and the next day they embarked on their journey to Laizhou.
Because the weather is hot and they are not in a hurry, in order to prevent heatstroke, Yinzhuo and his party simply get up early every day to travel, and find a place to rest when the weather gets hot, and continue their journey until the sun is about to set, looking for places to stay along the way.
As the weather grew hotter, the group abandoned their horses and boarded the ship. Although Jiangnan was thousands of miles away from Laizhou, Yinzhuo and his entourage traveled day and night, so it only took them about a month to reach Laizhou.
With two great figures like Kangxi and Yinzuo in charge, even if the Ministry of Works had a million times the courage, they wouldn't dare to mess things up with Yinzuo. Therefore, Yinzuo's manor, backed by mountains and facing the sea, was truly well-built.
The estate was vast, with a few courtyards for living and the rest being scenic landscapes that changed with every step. The father and son, led by officials from the Ministry of Works, rode in a palanquin around the estate. Apart from a few places that needed minor modifications, they were very satisfied with the rest of the place.
As the saying goes, one's happiness is always built on the suffering of others. On the second day after Yinzhuo moved into the estate, he wrote several letters and had them sent to his elder brothers and younger brothers in the capital.
There's a saying, "It's not scarcity that's worrisome, but inequality." If everyone were living a miserable life, that would be one thing, but why should we work like dogs while you get to travel all over the country and live in a grand manor facing the sea? Let whoever wants to be in this broken dynasty go ahead, I'm not going. I want to go to a place where the sea is beautiful and spring is in full bloom.
Yinqi had long suffered under the Qin dynasty, and he was bound to be the first to run away. Yinzuo's boasting was always indiscriminate, so his own brother Yinzhen had also received the letter.
Yinzhen knew his own brother's true character, so he didn't believe a word of Yinti's nonsense about suddenly falling ill. What? He was lively and energetic one day, and now he can't get out of bed the next day? I think your illness is fake; you really want to abandon me.
Although Yinzhen knew that Yinti was planning to abandon his post and run away, he really didn't expect that the other party would be so efficient. Not long after the memorial was submitted, someone reported that someone saw Prince Zhi leaving the capital with his personal guards. As for where they were going, it was obvious that they were heading to Laizhou Prefecture.
As the saying goes, once is never enough, twice is inevitable. Even though Yinzhen was on guard, he couldn't stop his brothers from having their own unique abilities. In just half a month since they found out that their eldest brother had run away, three of them had already run away. Now, Yinzhen really had a headache whenever he saw a eunuch coming in from outside.
"Tell me, who got away this time? Are your eyes just for venting your anger? A living person walked right in front of you, couldn't you see them?"
Yinzhen was suffering, but the guards were suffering even more. Their eyes weren't meant to be used for venting anger, but they couldn't stop the man from disguising himself. After all, who had ever seen a prince disguise himself as a woodcutter and sneak out? The other guards walked past them openly, but since the man was using the excuse of going out of the city on official business, they couldn't very well stop him from leaving.
While Yinzhen was fuming and slamming his fist on the table, Yinzuo was receiving his eldest brother, second brother, third brother, ninth brother, tenth brother, and the fifth, seventh, and twelfth brothers who were detained because they were a bit slow to run away, as well as the eighth brother who was often stationed in Japan, and the thirteenth and fourteenth brothers who were on the front lines. All the emperors who had participated in the struggle for the throne in history were here.
"Hahaha, Third Brother, your trick is brilliant! Sneaking out from the waterwheel is a first! Second Brother, your idea is also good. Disguised as a woodcutter, you walked out openly in front of the guards. Fourth Brother probably never expected you to do this. As for Little Ninth, you'd better be careful and learn from Little Tenth. If it weren't for him, you might have been caught and taken back by Fourth Brother... But is it really okay for all of you to run out like this? I wonder how angry Fourth Brother will be when he finds out. Father, do you think Fourth Brother will be so angry that he'll come and arrest you himself?"
So, would Yinzhen be so angry that he personally came to arrest them? The answer is definitely yes. After all, as the saying goes, it's better to share happiness than to enjoy it alone. If you all quit, why should I stay here and be your slave? At worst, I'll just give up being emperor and return the throne to my father.
When Yinzhen arrived with his entourage, Yinti and his group were, under the guidance of Yinzuo, rolling up their trousers and bending over, catching seafood on the rocks by the sea not far from the estate. Although they were a bit far away, Yinzhen could imagine how happy they were just from the laughter that could be heard from afar.
As the saying goes, jealousy can distort one's appearance. Yinzhen is clearly already unrecognizable now. He's no longer in a hurry to pay his respects to Kangxi. Instead, he pulls on the reins and leads his men towards the beach where Yinti and the others are going to the beach...
"Hey, eldest brother, second brother, third brother, sixth brother... it seems you're all living quite well, aren't you? How about we include me too?"