sbdcsierra Chapter 17 Sons are also divided into 369 grades.
Chapter 17 Sons are also divided into 369 grades.
Anyone who has ever grilled skewers knows that seeing how to do it has absolutely nothing to do with whether you can actually do it. The chances of success on the first try with no experience are almost negligible. Yin Zhi and the others initially thought that it was really as simple as he said, seeing Yin Zuo grill the skewers so easily. Full of confidence, they started making a lot of mistakes after trying it themselves.
"Oh my god, someone come quick! There's a fire down there..."
"Sixth brother, didn't you say this thing was easy? How come I burned it right away..."
"Sixth Brother, can you help me? Why is this thing always smoking..."
The brothers' chaotic and disorganized behavior amused Yinzhuo, who instead of helping them, stood by and watched the spectacle.
"Third Brother, keep your voice down. The fire is obviously because the grease from the meat skewers dripped into the charcoal brazier. Just pick it up and it'll be fine..."
"Fifth Brother, weren't you watching me grill the skewers? It's really easy..."
"Hey, Seventh Brother, is that grilling skewers? You're just making a lot of smoke! Dexi, go help him..."
"Fourth Brother, why are you standing so far from the grill? Aren't you tired stretching your arms to reach the skewers?"
In the span of a single meal, Yinzhuo had offended all his brothers. In the end, none of the princes got to eat the meat they had roasted. The guards stepped forward and took over the tasks from their respective masters, and only then did the farce come to an end.
"Sigh, it seems that bragging isn't so easy. I can already imagine how Yinzhuo will talk back to his younger siblings and make fun of us in the future."
After cleaning their hands and faces, which were smeared from the barbecue, the brothers returned to the blankets by the campfire to sit and rest. Yin Zhi now felt nothing but regret. How could he have believed Yin Zuo's nonsense? Not only was his boasting hopeless, but he had also made a fool of himself in front of Yin Zuo.
"Hahaha, that's right. From now on, I'll tell my younger siblings that on the 20th day of the seventh month of the 24th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, by a stream in the Mulan Hunting Grounds, Third Brother personally grilled meat so he could brag about it to his brothers later, and the result was..."
Yinzhuo's gloating instantly aroused everyone's indignation. Yinzhi and the others hurriedly pressed him down on the blanket and started tickling the parts of his body. Before long, Yinzhuo couldn't take it anymore and kept begging for mercy.
"Hmph, letting you off the hook is out of the question. Brothers, give it your all and make sure this kid doesn't dare to laugh at us. After this, if he dares to badmouth us in front of his younger siblings, we can badmouth him too. Just like on the 20th of July in the 24th year of Kangxi's reign, by a stream in the Mulan Hunting Grounds, the Sixth Prince angered everyone by gloating, and we tickled him until he laughed and begged for mercy..."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately agreed with Third Brother, and they scratched even more vigorously.
After that day, Yinzhuo officially joined the four-person team of Yinzhi and Yinzhen. Apart from going to Kangxi's place every morning to pay their respects, the rest of the time was spent having guards ride horses around the Mulan Hunting Grounds like crazy.
They picked wild fruits on the grassland, caught fish in the stream, hunted pheasants and rabbits in the mountains and forests, had their guards ride horses and race with them, rowed boats and played in the lakes on the grassland, and sang, danced and barbecued around a campfire. The group experienced almost every kind of fun they could think of, so much so that if Kangxi wanted to see them, he had to have his guards wait for them at the camp gate in advance.
"I've heard that you gentlemen have been quite busy lately. I have to make an appointment in advance to see you all. Come, Yinzhuo, tell me what you brothers have been busy with these days?"
Kangxi knew exactly where the little ones had gone and what they had done, since the guards around them were all his men. He was only asking because he was upset and couldn't stand seeing them so happy. Why should they be so carefree while he was working himself to the bone? The old father decided to make a scene.
"Replying to Father Khan, your sons haven't done much these past few days. They've just been leading people to pick wild fruits, catch fish, hunt pheasants and rabbits in the forest, and row boats and play in the lake. They've been out and about all the time and are getting a bit tired, so we discussed it and decided not to go too far tomorrow. We heard from Altai that there's a very steep hillside nearby where they sometimes go grass skiing when they're bored, so we've decided to try it out tomorrow."
Yinzhuo's words made his already unbalanced father even more unbalanced. Listen to this, he still calls this not doing anything? Compared to the colorful lives others are living, what kind of dark and hopeless life is this?
"I know. Be careful when you go out to play. Don't go too far, especially you, Yinzhuo. You're usually so delicate. If you get hurt, you'll come running to me and cry until you can't breathe. I won't soften my heart just because you're being cute and unreasonable. I'll make sure the imperial physician prescribes the bitterest medicine for you. Alright, I have nothing else to say here. You may all leave."
The old father said he didn't want to see his troublesome sons at all, so he gave them a few instructions and sent them out. However, as soon as he stepped out the door, Yinzhuo was surrounded by his brothers.
"Sixth brother, are you really afraid of drinking bitter medicine? You even clung to Father and cried and begged because of it..."
Ever since Yinzhi made a fool of himself by laughing at Yinzhi last time, Yinzhi and the others have been surprisingly united in their attitude towards mocking Yinzhi. Even the usually composed Yinzhen is now looking at Yinzhi with curiosity, intending to hear his explanation.
"What nonsense! Father, it's one thing to disapprove of us living carefree lives, but how could you spread rumors out of thin air? When did I ever..."
Just as Yinzhuo was about to say that he had hugged Kangxi and cried and acted coquettishly, he suddenly remembered that he had actually done it, and his old face immediately turned red.
"No way, Sixth Brother, are you really afraid of taking medicine? And you really do cling to your father and act spoiled?"
"Oh, no, that's not true. Father is just talking nonsense. I'm all grown up now, not a child anymore. Why would I cry and hug Father just because I'm afraid of taking medicine? Aren't we going out to play tomorrow? It's getting late, let's hurry back."
Judging from Yinzhuo's reaction, everyone knew that what the Emperor said was probably true. They couldn't help but look at Yinzhuo with envy. To be honest, what child wouldn't want more attention from their father and a closer relationship with him? But their father was the Emperor, and in his heart, his sons were divided into different ranks.
The thought of this made everyone feel sad. Yinzhuo looked at the dejected people and didn't know how to comfort them.
Emperor Kangxi had limited energy to devote to his sons, and he had quite a few. If Kangxi's fatherly love were divided into equal parts, Yinreng, Kangxi's most valued son, would take up half of it, Yinti, as Kangxi's eldest son, would certainly take up one-tenth, and Yinzuo, as a newly favored son, would take up another one-tenth. The rest would be distributed among the other princes.
Although everyone was feeling down the night before because they hadn't received their father's favor, they were all full of energy again after waking up. Because they were looking forward to going grass skiing, the young men gathered in Yinzhuo's tent after breakfast.
"I've already sent someone to invite Altai over. Once he arrives, we can set off."
Altai was someone they met while they were out for a stroll these past few days. His father was a Taiji from a Mongolian tribe, and he had come with his father to pay their respects to the emperor. Altai had lived on the grasslands for many years, so he was naturally more familiar with the grassland environment than Yinzuo and the others. Playing with him was much more interesting than Yinzuo and the others running around on their own.
Altai was soon invited over. Now that everyone was there, they didn't waste any more time. They had someone bring the grass skiing equipment and a few pieces of sheepskin, and set off.