EBE Chapter 108 The scariest thing is the human heart
Chapter 108 The scariest thing is the human heart
While Yinti and his troops were out in the capital, even a jar of pickled vegetables and chili sauce were fought over like precious treasures. Meanwhile, Yinzuo was living a very comfortable life in the capital. Although his shoulder injury made it difficult for him to move around, and he couldn't wander around the capital as he used to, his Enze Garden was huge. Even if he explored a little bit each day with Tianlang, the thirteenth, and the fourteenth, it would be enough for them to explore for a month or two. Besides, it was freezing cold outside, and he didn't want to go out at all.
"Sixth Brother, shall we go out for a walk? We've been in Enze Garden for two months and haven't even left the house yet."
Yinzhu glanced sideways at the thirteenth prince, who was sitting bored beside him with his chin resting on his hand, and then at the fourteenth prince, who was whimpering while clinging to his uninjured arm. He was quite helpless. "Seriously, have you two forgotten why you came here? Can't I just stay quiet? Didn't Mother send you two here to keep an eye on me and prevent me from running around? How come the ones who are always thinking about running away are now the ones who are in the wrong?"
In the two months since they moved to Enze Garden, both Crown Prince Yinreng and Consort De have sent imperial physicians to visit several times. Yinzuo's shoulder injury has healed quite well. Last month, after a consultation by several imperial physicians, it was confirmed that there was nothing seriously wrong. The reason he was still so obediently staying in the garden was simply because he felt it was too cold outside. Now that the weather is getting warmer, since the thirteenth and fourteenth princes can't stay still, it would be nice to go out for a stroll.
"Alright, you just want to go out, right? That's easy. You two go back and change your clothes now, and we'll head out in a bit."
Seeing that Yinzhuo had given in, Thirteen stopped being bored and Fourteen stopped whining. They quickly got up and went back to their own courtyard to change their clothes. After they left, Yinzhuo called Dexi over to help him get ready.
As the weather warmed up, there were noticeably more people on the streets. Thirteen and Fourteen had been cooped up for so long, and even though Yinzhu had repeatedly warned them before they came out, the two of them couldn't control themselves once they saw the lively scene on the street.
"Sixth Brother, how about we buy one of these kites?"
"Wow, this ball is so pretty! Sixth Brother, shall we buy one for Sirius to play with?"
"Sixth Brother, look, there's a monkey show over there. Let's go take a look."
These two wanted to buy everything they saw. Dexi and his men followed behind them, not only paying for the items but also helping them carry them. Thirteen and Fourteen were quite capable, and soon Dexi's hands were full of things.
"Akshan, go and help Dexi with the load. Hatu, go and keep up with Thirteen and Fourteen. There are quite a few people here, so don't get lost."
With Aksang and Hatu following him, Yinzhuo was naturally at ease. After all, Aksang had faced a tiger without flinching, so how could the thirteenth and fourteenth be more powerful than a tiger? He figured that dealing with these two little things would be a piece of cake for him.
"Dexi, there's a tea stall over there. Go see if there are any seats available. If there are, let's go sit there for a while."
After walking for a while, Yinzhuo also felt tired. He glanced around and found a tea stall not far away. They were lucky; someone was leaving just as Dexi arrived. So he quickly called Yinzhuo to take the people over.
"Boss, bring me a pot of hot water and a few teacups. No need for tea leaves, we have our own. Don't worry, the price will be the same as the tea price."
Yinzhuo watched as Dexi skillfully approached the shopkeeper to chat, then brought over hot water and teacups, deftly rinsing the teacups and teapot before taking out tea leaves from his small bag and pouring water to brew tea. He couldn't help but be a little surprised.
"Dexi, do you even bring tea with you when you go out? I've never seen you take it out before."
Dexi kept working and quickly filled the teacup in front of Yinzhuo with tea before putting down the teapot and replying.
“I usually bring it with me when I go out, but you usually go to the Yajixuan or the bookstore. The tea there isn’t as good as ours, but it’s still drinkable, so I don’t take it out. But here today, they use tea leaves to make tea. I was just worried that you wouldn’t like it.”
The people at the tea stall were all different, and their conversations were varied, ranging from gossip to local gossip. Yinzhu listened with great interest. Just as he was about to ask Dexi to refill his teapot, he saw the thirteenth and fourteenth princes returning angrily, led by Akshang.
"What's wrong with you two? Why are you arguing while shopping? Dexi, quickly pour them each a bowl of tea so they can calm down."
Thirteen and Fourteen were clearly still angry. Even after drinking a cup of tea, they were still sulking. Yinzhuo glanced at Akshang and Hatu beside him. The two were quite perceptive. Almost without Yinzhuo asking, Hatu stepped forward.
"My lord, the thirteenth and fourteenth princes didn't quarrel. It's just that while they were shopping earlier, an old man deliberately bumped into them. When the two princes helped him up, he falsely accused them and almost extorted money from them. They're quite unhappy about it now."
Good heavens, this is a staged accident! It's like the ancient version of the "to help or not to help" dilemma. He kindly helped someone up after being hit by a car, but almost got falsely accused. No wonder Thirteen and Fourteen are still so angry even after they've been back for a while.
“Dexi, there are chestnuts for sale over there. They smell good. Go buy some for your thirteenth and fourteenth uncles to try. You two don’t need to be angry anymore. Come on, let me ask you something. If you encounter a situation similar to today when you go out in the future, and you see an old man lying on the ground, will you help him up or not?”
Thirteen and Fourteen were in a bad mood at the moment. When they heard Yinzhuo's words, their first reaction was to angrily reply that they would not help him up. Yinzhuo nodded first, and then asked another question.
"But what if the elderly person really did fall accidentally and needed help?"
Thirteen and Fourteen thought that Yinzhuo agreed with them when he nodded. Obviously, neither of them expected that Yinzhuo would ask further questions. Now the two little ones couldn't help but feel conflicted. Yes, although they might encounter situations like today's where they were extorted again, what if the person who fell down really needed help?
"But Sixth Brother, how do we tell if this person needs help or is worth helping?"
That's a good question. If someone had asked Yinzhuo this question in his previous life, he probably wouldn't have been able to answer it. After all, he couldn't ask someone to gamble their entire family's savings on the kindness of a stranger. But this life is different.
"Sixth Brother can't answer this question for you, because even if Sixth Brother were in the same situation, he couldn't immediately tell whether the person genuinely needed help or was trying to scam someone. But what Sixth Brother wants to tell you is that although the most terrifying thing in this world is the human heart, it is also often the human heart that can defeat the human heart. We can't discern the human heart, nor can we fully understand human nature, but it's okay, we have money and power. If you encounter such a situation in the future, just do what you feel is right. If you encounter someone trying to scam someone, just send them to the yamen and give them a good beating. If you encounter someone who genuinely needs help, do a good deed that day."