sbdcsierra Chapter 493: No chaos, just loving fathers and filial sons.
Chapter 493: No chaos, just loving fathers and filial sons.
Dexi had served his master for decades, and the two had a perfect understanding. As soon as Yinzhuo reached out, Dexi immediately handed over the feather duster he was holding.
Hongxu knew he was in for a beating the moment he saw his father's posture, but there's a saying: "The brave enjoy the world first." If he apologized politely, his father might soften and spare him the beating.
“Wait a minute, Father, let me explain… no, I mean, let me explain. I really didn’t mean to come here and ruin these plum blossoms. I was just thinking that it’s cold today and Grandpa can’t go out, so I came to pick a few flowers to offer to the old lady. Father, I just want to ask you, what’s wrong with a son showing filial piety to his elders…”
Hey, this gave him a chance to argue, and he even made it sound so righteous? Yinzhuo glanced at Hongxu, who was looking up at him with a defiant expression, and couldn't help but give him a good whack.
“It’s certainly not wrong to be filial to elders, but aren’t you being a bit too generous with other people’s money? There are only a few plum trees in this garden, and you’ve picked them all. What are people supposed to look at now? Are they supposed to look at these bare trees? Besides, if you’re going to be filial to your ancestors, why don’t you just pick a few branches? Look at you, you’ve almost stripped the trees bare!”
When Yinzhuo hit his arm with a feather duster, Hongxu was momentarily flustered, after all, his father was not known for his martial ethics. But upon hearing his father's words, he immediately straightened up again.
“Father, you can’t blame me for this. You said we sent some to the ancestors, how could we forget about my grandmother? If my grandmother sent some and we didn’t send some to the other grandmothers, they would be so heartbroken. The New Year is just around the corner. If they are heartbroken, how will I get my New Year’s money? If I don’t have any New Year’s money, what will I give you to show my respect on your birthday?”
You know what, you really have to believe it, Hongxu's few words actually convinced Yinzhuo. Yes, the New Year is just around the corner, and according to custom, this is the time for exchanging gifts. People give children red envelopes, and the children give a few plum blossoms in return. It's perfectly normal.
After finding a plausible reason for himself, Yinzhuo's anger immediately dissipated. He put his arm around Hongxu's shoulder and said with a smile, "We're good buddies."
“Hongxu is right. Your nannies have always been very kind to you, so we can’t favor one over the other. Alright, let’s just let this go for today. But remember this: don’t you dare to act like this again. If I catch you doing it, I’ll make sure you don’t get away with it.”
To be fair, Hongxu is indeed the son of Yinzuo; his thought process is exactly the same as his father's. He lives for the moment, thinking that today's events are over and he'll deal with the future later.
"Don't worry, Father. I've remembered what you said. I promise you, I will behave myself from now on and never cause you any trouble."
Although Yinzhuo didn't believe a word of Hongxu's guarantee, he was in a good mood right now. After all, the kid couldn't cause any trouble. Even if he really was a monkey, there was still Yinzhuo to keep him in check.
When the father and son returned to Kangxi's residence, there was no chaos or disorder; instead, there was only filial piety and a harmonious scene that was almost unbelievable.
"Hamafa, don't you think these red plum blossoms are blooming beautifully? These are the ones your grandson just picked out for you from the tree."
If Yinzhuo hadn't been watching from the side, he might have actually believed his nonsense. What careful selection? It was clearly just something he picked from a tree when he left.
Although his son was just fooling his father, Yinzhuo was still a father, and he wouldn't go so far as to undermine his son.
Emperor Kangxi favored Yinzhuo, and naturally extended his affection to his grandson Hongxu as well. Upon hearing this, he chuckled and took the plum blossom from Hongxu, examining it for a while before handing it to Liang Jiugong, who was standing nearby, to take it down and put it in a vase.
By the time Yinzhuo finished soaking in the hot spring, it was already quite late. After all that commotion, it was completely dark outside. Wanquan had gone to urge them to have dinner the moment Yinzhuo brought Hongxu in, and it was served while Kangxi and the others were talking.
Other imperial grandsons rarely saw Kangxi throughout the year, and were inevitably somewhat reserved in his presence. However, this clearly did not include Hongxu. This boy was Yinzhuo's only son. Although the favor he received from Kangxi could not compare to that of his father, it far surpassed that of his cousins and a group of imperial uncles.
"Father, this imperial chef is really skilled. This braised pork is really good, much better than the one made by our household chef. Father, when we go back, could you please give this chef to me?"
Emperor Kangxi was not particularly fond of food and drink. In his opinion, if his grandson wanted to give him a cook, so be it. But before he could even speak, his beloved son refused on his behalf.
"What are you thinking, kid? This imperial chef was trained by your father. You think you can just leave like that? I'm telling you, no way! Hurry up and eat. After you finish, get back to your place. You better behave yourself from now on. If I find out you dare to cause trouble again, I will definitely not let you off the hook."
Asking for his chef? What a joke! Although it seems like a simple matter of transferring food from one hand to the other, the difference between them is enormous.
As Kangxi's beloved son, Yinzhuo was taken everywhere by him. Yinzhuo spent most of the year either living in Changchun Garden or traveling around with his father. How many days a year did he actually stay in his own palace? If Hongxu really took his cook away, what would he eat in the future? Training a cook is no easy task.
Seeing that Kangxi remained silent after hearing Yinzhuo's words, Hongxu knew that the matter was hopeless. He knew which of them, his father and himself, was more important to his maternal grandfather.
After the three of them had dinner, they rested for a while. Yinzhuo then took his father for a walk around the room to digest his food, and then took his son Hongxu to say goodbye to his father.
As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Yinzhuo knew exactly what kind of person his son was. Before parting, he pulled the man aside and gave him a warning. Then he had Dexi personally lead a group to send Hongxu back.
Yinzhuo's sleep quality was top-notch. After returning home, he quickly washed up and collapsed onto the bed, sleeping soundly until late the next day.
"Hey Xiao Liu, the sun's blazing down outside, is it really appropriate for you to stay in bed? Get up, the weather's nice outside today. Get up and eat something, then we'll go riding around for a bit. I heard the stewed goose here is pretty good, how about we have that for lunch?"