OBS Chapter 397 Father, look at what your son has accomplished!
Chapter 397 Father, look at what your son has accomplished!
So, did Kangxi believe Yinzhuo's explanation? Well, just look at the expression on his face, and it would be a miracle if he believed it. There's a saying that no one knows a son better than his father, and Kangxi knew his son's character very well.
"Take the initiative? In my opinion, you probably dragged your fourth brother into helping you, didn't you? Your second brother has followed suit, hasn't he?"
To be fair, Kangxi's guess was absolutely correct. Yinzhuo was not embarrassed at all that his carefully clung fig leaf had been so easily exposed. He ignored his father's words and turned to look at Liang Jiugong behind Kangxi with a smile.
"Eunuch Liang, could you please have someone bring over three palanquins? It's still snowing outside, so please don't forget to tie umbrellas to them. Father, it's getting late, and Xiao Jiu should have finished preparing by now. Let's go over there now."
Since Yinzhuo wanted to change the subject, Kangxi wouldn't hold onto that topic. He nodded and beckoned to a palace servant waiting nearby to fetch cloaks for himself and Yinzhuo from the front hall. He then led his two sons toward the gate of the Qianqing Palace.
Liang Jiugong was quick. When Kangxi, Yinreng, and Yinzuo strolled to the entrance of Qianqing Palace, a palanquin was already waiting there. It was already dark, so the three of them didn't waste any more time. After getting on the palanquin, Kangxi gave an order, and everyone got up and carried the palanquin toward Yinzuo's small courtyard in the South Third Palace.
Ever since Yinzhuo left the palace to establish his own residence, no one has moved into his small courtyard. Some of the people who used to serve him went to the palace with Yinzhuo, while others stayed in the courtyard to continue to help manage it. Sometimes, when Yinzhuo got tired of staying in the Qianqing Palace, he would come to the small courtyard to sit for a while. Therefore, even though no one has lived in the courtyard for many years, there is no sign of it falling into disrepair.
When Kangxi, Yinreng, and Yinzu arrived, Yintang had already made all the preparations. The tent was set up in the center of the courtyard. Because Kangxi was there, Yintang had specially asked someone to find a relatively large tent, so even though people were coming and going inside, the space did not feel crowded.
Yinzhen was standing at the entrance of the tent. When he saw Kangxi and the others coming, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet them. Although the snow on the ground had been cleared, it was still snowing in the sky. Before Yinzhen could pay his respects, Kangxi waved his hand to indicate that he should not be formal, and then led his sons quickly into the tent.
Camping and barbecuing were not new things for Emperor Kangxi, since he would go to the Mongolian grasslands almost every year. However, sitting face to face with his sons in the palace and grilling meat together was a first for him.
"I've often heard people say that Yinzhuo really enjoys inviting friends to your courtyard to brew tea around the stove and personally grill meat. Now it seems that this is indeed quite interesting..."
Upon hearing Kangxi's words, Yinzhu handed the grilled meat skewers he was holding to Dexi, who was standing to the side, and asked him to keep some food warm on the charcoal stove and send it over to Yinzhen, who was still struggling with memorials in the Qianqing Palace. Yinzhu then got up, pushed a chair, and sat down next to Kangxi, raising his hand to help him turn the meat skewers on the stove.
"My son also thinks it's quite fun, especially when it's snowing heavily outside like now. Gathering with a few brothers around the stove to enjoy the snow while brewing tea is simply a pleasure. However, if it's just grilling meat, the atmosphere is a bit off. After all, the smoke and fire aren't very aesthetically pleasing. The key is that we can't get too close to the tent. Look at the wind whistling around the door..."
Despite Yinzuo's complaints about the wind at the tent entrance, if you actually asked him to rest inside, he wouldn't budge an inch. Yinreng and Yinzuo had spent a lot of time with Kangxi and were very relaxed around him. It was Yintang who suffered; he had never sat so close to his father before. His initial nervousness quickly escalated to eight or nine points.
Yinzuo looked at Yintang, who was sitting upright, and felt tired for him. He picked up a palm-leaf fan from the low table next to him and fanned the oven a few times. After the oven was lit, he threw away the fan and casually said to Yintang beside him.
"Xiao Jiu, where did you find this stove? How come it produces so much smoke when you're roasting meat? Get up and move this stove outside. Have someone clean up under that tree. Go over there, roast the meat for us, and then bring it over."
Good heavens! Yinzhi was utterly astonished by Yinzhi's words. He glanced at Kangxi and, seeing that he did not object, immediately got up and led his men outside the tent to start making a fuss. Yinzhi couldn't help but roll his eyes at Yinzhi, who had just been sitting there with a stern face like a wooden puppet, but was now all relaxed and lively.
"Father, look at your son! Are you some kind of monster? Why are you scaring him like this? Anyone who knows you're his father would think you're his boss..."
Kangxi had seen how Yinzhen had been sitting there, but he was clearly used to the distance and lack of intimacy between his sons and him. He looked up at Yinzhen in the courtyard and reached out to ruffle Yinzhen's bald head.
"Alright, do you think everyone is as audacious as you? Don't even mention Yinzhen, just ask your second brother if he felt nervous when he was with me before."
As soon as Kangxi said this, Yinzhuo's gaze immediately fell on Yinreng, who was flipping meat skewers beside him. After observing him carefully for a while and not finding any discomfort in Yinreng, he got up and walked over to him.
"Second brother, Father asked me to ask you, did you feel uncomfortable when you were with him before?"
Yinreng sat opposite Kangxi and Yinzuo, with a grill between them. At such close range, unless he was deaf, he couldn't possibly miss their conversation. The reason he didn't speak back was simply because he was recalling in his mind what his past interactions with Kangxi were like.
Yinreng couldn't remember much about his childhood, but ever since he started studying in the study, he still felt somewhat nervous around his father. It wasn't that their relationship had become less close after he started studying in the study; it was mainly because his father loved to conduct surprise checks on the spot.
As time went by, the rift between father and son deepened. Yinreng's nervousness and unease after meeting Kangxi naturally increased. Fortunately, his years of learning the ways of the emperor had not been in vain, and even though he was nervous, he was able to remain calm in front of his father.
"Look at the question from Sixth Brother. Does Second Brother seem a little uncomfortable right now?"