20demayo Chapter 35 Don't worry, I promise I won't let you suffer like this.
Chapter 35 Don't worry, I promise I won't let you suffer like this.
At this point, not only Kangxi, but also Yinti and others frowned. It seemed that it really was true. Every day, the Emperor had to get up before dawn to attend court, and after dinner, he still had to deal with official business for a while before he could rest. Some time ago, he was so busy that he couldn't sleep until the middle of the night. Wasn't this getting up earlier than the chickens, sleeping later than the dogs, and working more than the oxen?
"But being a carefree, useless prince is a different story. First, his status and position are still there; even a carefree prince is still a member of the royal family, so ordinary people can't bully him. Second, he has plenty of time and can do whatever he wants. The key is that he won't lack money. As long as our son doesn't do anything reckless in the future, he'll basically be free as a bird in the sky and a fish in the sea. So, Father, are you really not going to consider giving our son a hereditary, inalienable title of prince?"
As the conversation progressed, Yinzhuo's tone became more relaxed and cheerful. In the end, he even changed the subject back to the original topic, saying that one should always have ideals, in case his father suddenly agreed.
But his father was clearly still in his right mind. Upon hearing this, he beckoned Yinzhuo to come to his side and then patted him on the shoulder.
"Yinzuo, it's already dark, but you're still not asleep? Let's not dream about it yet. But what you just said, I thought about it and it seems to make a lot of sense. Being an emperor really is quite tough. Don't worry, your father will never let you suffer like that. But I also think that being a carefree prince sounds like you're living too comfortably. I've had such a miserable life, and I don't want you to be so comfortable. What do you suggest we do?"
What could Yinzhi do? He thought to himself, if I had a solution, would I be here having to put up with your attitude? Sigh, it seems that the father-son relationship between him and Kangxi is a bit too superficial. It's mostly just a little bit of fatherly love, but not much of it.
"Father, am I still your favorite son? How can you be so cruel? Just because you suffered the hardships of being an emperor, you can't stop your son from enjoying the pleasures of being a spoiled brat. How about this, let's make a deal: I'll suffer a little loss, and I'll just be a spoiled brat instead of a spendthrift. What do you think?"
To Kangxi, Yinzhuo's idea was certainly not good. However, after this round of banter, his anxiety before the expedition was greatly relieved.
"That would really be unfair to our Sixth Prince. His father would not bear to see him suffer. You should try to be more ambitious for me. I will be leading troops on an expedition tomorrow. I will not be in the palace, so you better behave yourself. If I find out that you have caused trouble because of your mischief when I come back, see how I deal with you."
Heh, you'd better be honest. You really think you'll be gone for a long time? I'm embarrassed to tell you, it'll be quick. You'll basically just go for a stroll, get sick, and come back. If I don't take advantage of this time when there are no tigers in the mountains to cause trouble, when will I ever become the king?
Even though Kangxi was worried, he still had to set off at dawn. Before leaving, he and his son Yinreng held hands and looked at each other with tears in their eyes. The scene of seeing them off for eighteen miles made the princes who came to see them off feel extremely envious. Just yesterday, they were envious of how much their father liked Yinzuo. Now it seems that was nothing. If Yinti hadn't been in the army and had a chance to make a name for himself, he probably would have gritted his teeth.
Of course, Yinzhuo wasn't among those who were sour about it. As the saying goes, there's no harm without expectation. Although over the years Yinzhuo had increasingly identified himself as Kangxi's son and gradually come to regard Kangxi as his father, he didn't have many expectations of Kangxi. Now, watching the scene of the father and son saying their reluctant farewell, he had only one thought in his mind: cherish these last moments of fatherly love and filial piety, because soon Kangxi would become dissatisfied with Yinreng.
Not long after Kangxi left, the study was also closed due to the hot weather. Yinzhuo and the others suddenly went from being busy every day to having nothing to do. They had time, but Kangxi was not there, and the Crown Prince was now overseeing the country and was busy every day, so he naturally had no time to take care of them. Thus, under the leadership of the mountain king Yinzhuo, these mischievous monkeys really ran around inside and outside the palace, almost turning the palace upside down.
"Sixth Brother, are you sure this is really okay?"
No matter how you look at it, Yinzhen still felt that his sixth brother's method seemed unreliable. Who teaches someone to swim by simply throwing them into the pool and letting them struggle on their own?
"Otherwise what? If you're so capable, you do it yourself."
Yinzhuo knew, of course, that his method was unreliable, but he had no other choice. Besides, he had learned to swim by splashing around in the hot springs back in the day, and he was worried about accidents, so he had someone guarding the pool. If anything went wrong, they could just pull Yinzhuo out.
"I can't do it, Sixth Brother, you should do it."
Yinzhen had been splashing around in the pool for days and had only just barely learned to doggy paddle. If he were to teach Yinzhen to swim, there was a high chance that the two of them would end up lying at the bottom of the pool.
Seeing that Yinzhen was no longer stopping him, Yinzuo carried Yinzhen to the edge of the pond, looked at the trembling little fat boy in his hand, and comforted him in what he thought was a gentle tone.
"Tenth Brother, don't be afraid. Sixth Brother is telling you, learning to swim is all about having the guts. You'll float, you'll float, once you've had your fill of water."
Yinzhen was already a little scared when Yinzhuo was holding him up above the pond, and now, hearing his sixth brother speak to him in that sinister tone, he became even more frightened. But what good would his fear do? Of course, no.
"Sixth Brother, why is it 'the boldest die from overeating'? Can you really float after drinking your fill?"
Yinzhu casually tossed Yinxi into the pool, watching him splash into the water and then struggle haphazardly. Yinzhu frowned; this kid was still no good, far inferior to himself back then.
"Shuxi, go and pull him out of there. Don't let him really drown. After today's lesson, let's see if he dares to go near the water again."
Upon receiving his master's order, Shouxi immediately jumped into the pool and pulled Yinqi out of it just before he thought he was about to drink his fill and float to the surface.
Yinxi had been splashing around energetically in the pool, but now that he was on the shore, he was as stiff as a fish out of water. Yinzu walked over, squatted down, looked at Yinxi lying motionless on the ground, raised his hand and patted his face. Seeing that he could still open his eyes, he felt relieved.
"Now you know why it's said that the bold get the most food, right? Because the timid aren't afraid of water at all and still want to go to the edge of the pool. What Sixth Brother told you before, that you'll float when you're full, is true. But first you have to go through the process of sinking to the bottom. Was that process comfortable?"
Just thinking about how he had struggled in the water and how the water in the pool had been constantly poured into his mouth and nose made Yin feel extremely uncomfortable. Even though he was still in shock, he shook his head vigorously.
"It's right that you feel uncomfortable. There are only two ways to cure the fear of water. One is to overcome your fear of water and learn to swim through your own efforts. The other is to know your fear and stay away from the water. Before, you saw your Ninth Brother playing in the pool. You were clearly afraid of water, but you still wanted to go into the water with him. This behavior is very dangerous. If something goes wrong, neither of you will be able to get out. Consider today as a lesson from your Sixth Brother. Remember that feeling. If you can't learn to swim and don't want to die, stay away from the water from now on, understand?"