noffsinger Chapter 109 Hand in Hand, We're Still Good Friends
Chapter 109 Hand in Hand, We're Still Good Friends
Although Yinzhuo offered some words of comfort, the incident still dealt a significant blow to the two little ones, Thirteen and Fourteen. After returning home, they remained somewhat sullen and did not make a fuss about going out again for a long time.
As the weather got hotter, Yinzhuo was too lazy to even go out. Since the two of them didn't bother to go out, Yinzhuo was happy to have some free time. He would sleep until he naturally woke up every day, and after getting up, he would take Tianlang to play by the lake for a while. After lunch, he would take a nap, and in the afternoon, he would take some time to check on the thirteenth and fourteenth boys' riding and archery practice. Occasionally, he would call the two of them over to check their learning progress. His days were peaceful but fulfilling.
When the weather got a little hotter, the princes' riding and archery lessons were suspended. The ninth and tenth princes had long been envious of the thirteenth and fourteenth princes being able to come out with their sixth brother. At this time, they also went to ask the Empress Dowager for an imperial decree and came over with their tutors. With Yinzhen and Yinzhen taking care of the children, Yinzhuo was even more relaxed and simply became a hands-off manager. This carefree life continued until November when Kangxi returned to the capital in triumph.
"Second brother, how much longer will Father and the others be here? My feet are almost frozen after standing here all morning..."
Yinzhu got up early in the morning to go out of the city with the Crown Prince and several other princes to welcome the returning army. However, after waiting all morning, he still couldn't see the army. At this moment, he felt cold and tired. If he didn't care about his image, he would have liked to just sit down on the ground.
"They should be here soon. Khan and his men have come a long way and are covered in dust. They can't just go into the city like that, so they need to rest and reorganize at the camp outside the capital first. I just sent someone to report that they have already set off from the camp outside the capital and should be here soon."
Just as the Crown Prince had said, after about half an hour, they finally saw the shadow of the army in the distance. As the procession drew closer, Yinzhuo was able to make out Kangxi and the others riding warhorses at the very front of the procession.
Although he was a little excited, Yinzhuo knew that he should keep a proper demeanor on such an important occasion. Otherwise, if he made a mistake, it would be a small matter if he lost face, but if it led to an impeachment by the censor, it would be a greater loss than gain. So he obediently followed behind Crown Prince Yinreng and followed the instructions of the Ministry of Rites step by step to complete all the procedures.
Emperor Kangxi was already in a good mood after returning from a victorious battle, and when he saw Yinreng standing at the front of the welcoming party and Yinzuo behind him, his smile became even brighter.
"Liang Jiugong, go and fetch two horses from the side, then send someone to call the Crown Prince and Yinzhuo over."
Yinzhuo thought that Kangxi was so busy that he would not have time to summon them until he returned to the palace. Unexpectedly, people came over as soon as the ceremony was over. He looked up at Kangxi, who was in full armor and looked majestic in the rest area not far away. Yinti and the others could no longer care about being polite. They reached out and pulled Yinreng next to them to walk towards Kangxi and the others.
"Second brother, let's hurry over there. You have no idea how envious I was when I saw how imposing the eldest brother and the others looked. Since Father is calling us over now, does that mean we'll have a chance to ride along and show off our power later?"
Yinreng was suddenly pulled by Yinzuo and almost slipped and fell. He staggered a couple of steps and barely managed to steady himself. His first reaction was to raise his hand and slap Yinzuo on the back of the head. Seeing Yinzuo rubbing the back of his head and looking at him with a defiant expression, he couldn't help but raise his hand and flick him on the forehead.
"You seemed so composed just now, I thought you had improved a lot in the past year. But it seems I was wrong. Don't be so stubborn. If I had fallen to the ground because you pulled me and lost face in front of so many people, I definitely wouldn't have let you off with just this slap."
After hearing what Yinreng said, Yinzuo felt a little guilty thinking about the scene. He smiled awkwardly and quickly walked a few steps to catch up with Yinreng.
"I'm sorry, Second Brother. I was just a little excited because I haven't seen Father and Big Brother for a long time. Please forgive me this once. Come on, don't be angry. Let's hold hands and still be good friends."
Yinreng glared at Yinzuo, who was pulling him forward by the hand, and couldn't help but slap him on the back again.
"I think you've forgotten the pain once the wound has healed. Your arm has only been healed for a few months. What will you do if you fall again? And are you so excited because you haven't seen your father and the others in a long time? I think you're excited because you're thinking about how you used to bully others."
Yinzhuo didn't care what his second brother said. He quickly pulled Yinreng to where Kangxi was resting. The two straightened their clothes and bowed respectfully to Kangxi. Kangxi quickly helped them up.
"Baocheng has worked hard overseeing the country this past year, but you have done very well in all aspects, which makes Father very pleased. Yinzuo has also worked hard to recover from his injury this past year, but now that his arm can move freely, it seems that he is out of danger."
Yinzhuo was quite excited because he hadn't seen his father for almost a year, but his father, as expected, didn't know how to speak properly. Just one sentence from him dampened his enthusiasm.
"Father, are you praising me or insulting me? Of course, it's hard work for my second brother to oversee the country, but all I do every day is eat and sleep. How is that hard work? Are you mocking me? I was so excited to see you just now, and I almost tripped while pulling my second brother along..."
Yinzhuo's resentful tone immediately made Kangxi and Yinreng burst into laughter. Kangxi raised his hand and patted Yinzhuo's forehead.
"Of course I'm praising you, but it's been almost a year since I last saw you, and you do look a bit fatter than before. So you weren't lying. You really do nothing but eat and sleep."
Yinzhuo was completely too lazy to pay attention to his father at this point, and turned to walk towards Yinti and the others.
"Big brother, third brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, seventh brother, long time no see! Did you bring me any local specialties back this time?"
Upon hearing this, Yinti and the others glared at Yinzuo in annoyance. They were going to war, not on a picnic. Where were they going to bring back local specialties for him? They had plenty of enemy heads, though. If he didn't want them...
"I don't have any local specialties, but I do have a little something for you, brother. Here, I hunted this wolf tooth myself. You can take it and play with it."
The wolf fang had already been processed, and the upper part was even covered with silver. After taking it from Yinti, Yinzuo played with it in his hand for a while and then put it around his neck.
"Thank you, brother. You're the best to me. My father always teases me the moment we meet, but you give me a gift. So I've decided that I won't be best friends with my father anymore. We'll be best friends together."
Yinti and the others were standing not far from Kangxi, so Kangxi naturally heard what Yinzuo said. He looked up at Yinzuo and then snorted.
"Alright, since you're no longer willing to be the best in the world with me, then I naturally won't need you to follow me and use my power to bully others. Your brothers and sisters will ride into the city with me, while you can walk in by yourself."