20demayo Chapter 10 It seems I still have to be a spendthrift.
Chapter 10 It seems I still have to be a spendthrift.
Upon hearing Kangxi's question, Yinzhuo finally felt relieved. It seemed that his guess was correct; his father had indeed only summoned him to inquire about the day's events.
"In reply to Khan Ama, in today's class, the teacher first led us to recite the Three Character Classic, then taught us to recognize a few characters, and then let us practice the characters he taught us using calligraphy models. That was all."
Kangxi already knew what Fahai had taught him in class today, so he simply nodded slightly after hearing Yinzhuo's words, and then asked.
"Was Yinzhuo finding it difficult to learn?"
At this moment, Yinzhuo was completely unaware that danger was quietly approaching. He thought Kangxi's question was just a routine inquiry, so he shook his head.
“It’s not difficult at all. Yinzhuo has studied everything the teacher taught him very well.”
Kangxi was waiting for these words. Upon hearing them, he pretended to be nonchalant, got up, took a copy of the Three Character Classic from the bookshelf next to him, opened the book, and selected some sentences to test Yinzhuo. He found that Yinzhuo could indeed recite the entire text as Fahai had said, so he nodded in satisfaction and then beckoned Liang Jiugong to bring over a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone.
"Yinzuo has learned the Three Character Classic quite well. It seems he has really studied hard. Now, Yinzuo, write down the characters that your teacher taught you in class for your father to see."
Yinzhuo had previously witnessed Kangxi's strict examinations of Yinti, Yinreng, and Yinzhen, and knew that Kangxi always valued the princes' studies. However, he never expected that it would be valued to this extent, as this was only his first day studying in the study.
But the pen had already been handed to him, so could he refuse to write? Of course not. So Yinzhuo sighed and resignedly took the pen from Liang Jiugong, and then carefully wrote down the few words that the teacher had taught him that day.
Although Yinzhuo's handwriting was so bad it looked like chicken claws, Kangxi was quite satisfied. It didn't matter that his handwriting was a little bad, as long as he wrote everything correctly.
"Not bad, the fact that you could write all the characters correctly on your first try shows that Yinzhuo has indeed put in the effort. However, you need to practice your handwriting more. How about this, starting tomorrow, come to Qianqing Palace after school, and I will personally guide you in practicing your handwriting..."
No, how did he end up personally instructing him on practice? If Yinzhu still didn't realize something was wrong at this point, he would be truly stupid. Good heavens, it turns out that he wasn't complained about by the teacher for misbehaving in class today; on the contrary, it was precisely because he performed too well that he attracted the attention of his father, Emperor Kangxi.
Having figured out the whole story, Yinzhuo now really wished he could go back half an hour and strangle his past self. If God gave him another chance, he would definitely answer that he couldn't understand what the teacher was saying at all when Kangxi asked him if he was having a hard time studying.
However, this thought was only fleeting. Thinking carefully about how her father knew about her performance in the Imperial Study, it must have been because Fahai told her. If she had lied to Emperor Kangxi knowing the truth, her fate would have been much worse than it is now. If she had known this earlier, she definitely wouldn't have forced herself to be drowsy and acted well in class today. It would have been better to just fall asleep than to be like this now.
He came with trepidation and left with deep regret. At this moment, Yinzhuo truly understood what it meant to lift a stone only to drop it on one's own foot.
Ultimately, it was Yinzhuo's own carelessness. The Three Character Classic is familiar to almost everyone, adults and children alike, in modern times. You could drag a kindergarten kid out and they could recite a few lines. He was already fighting off sleepiness during class. At first, he could still follow the teacher and recite word by word, but later he was so sleepy that he was reciting unconsciously from memory. It was probably around that time that Fahai noticed something was wrong. But by then, it was too late to say anything.
"Young Master, what's wrong? Was His Majesty reprimanded, or is he feeling unwell? Should I go to the Imperial Hospital and fetch Physician Li?"
It's no wonder that Dexi had such a guess. After returning from the Qianqing Palace, Yinzhuo looked like a wilted eggplant, completely listless. He entered the room with a gloomy face and didn't say a word. He lay down on the couch with his head down. It was hard not to think that he had been scolded by the Emperor.
"No need, the Imperial Hospital can't cure my illness. I was so stupid, really. Why didn't I think of that back then? Who can write all the characters correctly on their first day of school? Who can recite the Three Character Classic without stumbling on their first day of school... Now look what's happened, Father Khan treats me like a genius. From now on, I not only have to go to the Imperial Study every day, but I also have to go to the Qianqing Palace to practice calligraphy after school. My ideal is to be the most idle salted fish. I don't want to be the King of Scrolls..."
Once Yinzhu started talking, he couldn't stop. Dexi was completely confused by what he said, but fortunately, he was able to extract the key points himself.
"Young master, are you saying that His Majesty wants you to go to the Qianqing Palace to practice calligraphy every day after leaving the study? Then why are you looking so worried? This is a wonderful thing!"
Dexi felt that she couldn't understand her young master at all, because this was a favor that others would beg for.
"Is that a good thing? Then let whoever wants it have it."
This would certainly be a good thing for other princes, but for Yinzhuo, who only wanted to be a lazy bum, it was a huge problem.
While gaining Kangxi's favor certainly brought many benefits, it also meant that he was in the most prominent position. You must know that Kangxi had more than a dozen princes, or more if you include those who were not yet born, but only the Crown Prince had received his personal instruction. However, his status was there; as the heir apparent, he naturally received more of the emperor's attention. Even if the other princes were not satisfied, they could only compete with him in secret.
Now he's become one of only two princes besides the Crown Prince to be brought to the Qianqing Palace for instruction by Emperor Kangxi. It's like having a bright target placed in the most conspicuous spot. Now everyone doesn't need to focus their efforts on the Crown Prince anymore; they'll all be targeting him instead.
Thinking about this, Yinzhuo knew he would definitely have trouble sleeping tonight. After all, such a big thing had happened. If he could sleep, he would be heartless. However, he soon contradicted himself. As soon as it was time to go to bed, he lay down on the bed and slept soundly all night. If Dexi hadn't woken him up early the next day, he would have definitely missed the morning reading session in the Imperial Study.
Yinzhuo proved with a good night's sleep that he was indeed heartless. However, he has now figured it out. Thunder and rain are both imperial favors. Since he is destined to stand in the most conspicuous position, he must do his job as the target. It's just a matter of passing the exam. You know, he also passed the exam successfully from among thousands of students crossing the single-plank bridge of the college entrance examination to a 985 university.
If you were to ask Yinzhuo, "Isn't your dream to be a playboy who indulges in eating, drinking, and having fun?" Yinzhuo would definitely tell you that a dream is a dream precisely because there is absolutely no chance of it coming true.
In his previous life, he was an ordinary person from a middle-class family. Although he had a laid-back personality and no worries about food or clothing, he still had to work hard to make a living. He finally transmigrated to a better family and was about to become a playboy who could eat, drink, and have fun, but then he met such an inhuman father. His life was just bitter.
Yinzhuo forgot where he had once read a saying: people only feel jealousy towards those of similar ability. Once they realize you are so outstanding that they can't even compare, standing far above them, and that they don't even have the right to be jealous, no one will harbor any hostility towards you. Just as a beggar wouldn't envy a billionaire, and ordinary people wouldn't envy a member of the royal family, so if he were outstanding enough to surpass his brothers, wouldn't they no longer be afraid of him?
The idea was good, but putting it into practice was incredibly difficult. You see, all of Yinzhuo's brothers were notorious for their cunning and ambition. How difficult it was to stand out among a group of such cunning princes! Moreover, a prince who was outstanding, favored, and didn't want to compete for anything was more likely to die sooner than those princes who were constantly vying for power. Thinking of this, Yinzhuo couldn't help but sigh.
"No, it seems I still have to be a spendthrift."