noffsinger Chapter 420: Haven't you heard of the chapter about children playing with fire and wetting the
Chapter 420: Haven't you heard of the chapter about children playing with fire and wetting the
Just as Teacher Guo said, it's not that others are so outstanding, but mainly that they are highlighted by their peers. With the unreliable comparisons of the thirteenth and fourteenth princes, Yinzhen, who is usually disliked by his sixth brother, seems much more presentable.
The key point is that Yinzhen performed exceptionally well today. Not only did he bring the goat that Sixth Brother specifically requested, but he also bought some candied hawthorns, roasted chestnuts, and sugar paintings he saw on the way. As a result, the criticism session that was supposed to be held by Thirteenth and Fourteenth Brother suddenly became even more intense.
How raw mutton becomes roasted meat is naturally not something Yinzhuo needs to worry about. Before the mutton is cooked, all Yinzhuo needs to do is chat with his brothers in the waterside pavilion. As for the content of the chat, it is of course the latest headline in the capital - the young prince of Prince Zhao's family burned down the Crown Prince's Yuqing Palace.
"If you ask me, the reason Hongxu is so unruly is all because Fourth Brother spoils him. Have you ever heard the saying 'children play with fire and wet the bed'? Even when I wanted to hit that kid, Fourth Brother stopped me..."
Yinzhuo was furious when he talked about Hongxu burning down Yuqing Palace. If Yinzhen hadn't stopped him, he would have definitely dragged that brat Hongxu over and given him a good beating. Now, that brat is hiding with his fourth uncle and won't show his face, so even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have the chance to beat him up.
The moment Yinzhuo mentioned his troublesome son Hongxu, his blood pressure would spike. If he remembered correctly, the boy wasn't this naughty when he was little. Although he always had a serious face and imitated his fourth uncle, at least he looked composed. When did he suddenly mutate like this?
"Big brother, second brother, third brother... since you're all here today, can you help me analyze this? Is it possible that Hongxu was secretly switched with someone else when we weren't looking?"
Yinti and the others initially thought Yinzuo had discovered something extraordinary given his serious expression, but this was all? It just goes to show, you can't have any expectations of something so unreliable. Who is Hongxu? He's the most precious and privileged young prince in the Zhao Prince's mansion. Not only is he surrounded by wet nurses, maids, servants, and a whole host of people, but what kind of person, tired of living in the mortal world, would be so foolish as to dare to come to Yinzuo's heavily guarded mansion to exchange children?
Although Yinzhuo was thick-skinned enough, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at like he was an idiot for a while. He raised his hand to touch his shiny bald head, glanced at Yinti and the others, and then awkwardly spoke.
"Hey, big brother, second brother... can you stop looking at me like I'm an idiot? I'm starting to doubt myself from being stared at like that for so long. It's not my fault I think this way. I've always been a top student, smart and quick-witted, everyone loves me, flowers bloom for me, cars get flat tires just looking at me. How come my son didn't inherit any of my good qualities? He's always so annoying, it's infuriating..."
Regarding Yinzhuo's self-praise, Yinti and others simply smiled and remained silent. Yes, you were indeed clever and quick-witted when you were young, but you were definitely not outstanding in both character and academics. Have you forgotten who it was that clung to your father's leg in the archery court, crying his eyes out, just to avoid riding and archery lessons?
Moreover, when it comes to the phrase "hated by everyone and even dogs," you were no less so when you were a child than your son is now. Take Hongxu for example, haven't you done all of these things? Don't you have any idea how many tanks of goldfish you have to change every year at Qingxi Bookstore?
Did Yinzhuo know the truth? The answer is actually quite obvious – no. He was completely immersed in the cathartic pleasure of venting his grievances and was completely oblivious to the hesitant words of Yinti and the others.
"Fourth Brother, since you're here today, how about we make a deal? I see you quite like that kid Hongxu, so how about we switch places? You give me Hongshi as your son, and I'll give you my brat. If you think that's too much, how about this: I'll give you an extra million taels of silver privately..."
One million taels? Good heavens, it seems he's really gone all out to sell his little rascal. To be honest, when Yinzhuo said that, some of the people present were indeed tempted, especially the Fourteenth Prince. Look, his Fourth Brother hadn't even opened his mouth yet, and he had already stood up to answer.
“Look at me, look at me, Sixth Brother, look at me. If you really want to switch sons, how about my Hongming? Here’s what we’ll do: I won’t ask you for a million taels. How about five hundred thousand taels? Give me five hundred thousand taels and I’ll do it.”
As soon as Fourteenth Brother uttered these words, he immediately received countless eye rolls, including from Yinzhuo, the one who had started the suggestion. Yinzhuo first raised his eyes and glared at Fourteenth Brother, then pointed at Fourteenth Brother and then pointed to the spot in front of him. The meaning was clear: he wanted Fourteenth Brother to stand in front of him.
Although Fourteenth Brother knew that if he stood there waiting for him now, nothing good would come of it, but since his Sixth Brother had called him out, would he dare to run away? Yinzhuo saw that Fourteenth Brother was dawdling there for a long time and was not in a hurry to come over. He turned his head and gave Dexi, who was waiting behind him, a look. Dexi immediately led his men towards Fourteenth Brother.
"Oh dear, why are you in such a hurry? I didn't say anything was wrong, did I? Sixth Brother, don't trouble yourself, I can go over there myself."
Faced with the choice between being forced to move forward and walking forward on his own, Fourteenth Prince wisely chose the latter. Yinzuo was only a few steps away from where Fourteenth Prince was sitting. Even if he was dragging his feet, it would only take a few breaths for him to get there. When Yinzuo saw him coming over, he gestured for Fourteenth Prince to lower his head, then threw the string of beads he was holding onto the table and grabbed Fourteenth Prince's ear.
"Fourteenth Prince, although everyone says that the brave enjoy the world first, you've gone too far. We're telling you, you're a prince, are you really so poor that you have to sell your children? Also, do you know what it's called to cut someone in half like that? That's clearly disrupting market rules..."
Fourteenth Prince did not struggle when Yinzhuo grabbed his ear. He let his sixth brother knead it three times to the left and three times to the right until he let go. Only then did he raise his hand to touch his earlobe, which was obviously red and hot.
"Sixth Brother, you're just a rich man who doesn't know the hunger of a starving man. What's wrong with being a prince? I'm really poor. My meager salary is barely enough to support my whole family, let alone pay for all the social obligations. Does this cloak I'm wearing look familiar? It's the one you gave me for my birthday two years ago..."