EBE Chapter 23 A Chaotic Meeting
Chapter 23 A Chaotic Meeting
Yinzhuo's words were not untrue. Ever since the birth of her youngest son, Yinzhen, Consort De had devoted all her energy to him. A person's energy is limited. With more energy spent on Yinzhen, naturally less energy was available for Yinzhuo.
She paid less attention to Yinzhuo, but that didn't mean she didn't care about her son. When she heard Yinzhuo say that he had lost weight from exhaustion, she quickly got up, handed her youngest son to the wet nurse next to her, walked to Yinzhuo's side, pulled him up from the stool, and looked him over carefully!
"Yes, you've lost some weight recently, but you don't need to complain that your mother is biased. It's because you're always running around and rarely come to Yonghe Palace. Even if your mother wants to care about you, I have to be able to find the right person for you. Sons really aren't as considerate as daughters. They were fine when they were little, but once they grow up and their wings have hardened, all they think about is flying away..."
Consort De pulled Yinzhuo around and looked him over, then pushed him to the table to sit down, and pushed a bowl of bird's nest that had been placed in front of her to Yinzhuo.
"Here, eat this bird's nest first. At noon, your mother will personally go to the small kitchen to cook some of your favorite dishes to nourish you properly. You are at the age when you are growing, and studying is hard. You can't neglect yourself, otherwise you will regret it later. Your mother will stew tonics for you every day and have them delivered to the South Third Hospital."
Yinzhuo disliked bird's nest. Putting aside the fact that its effects were not suitable for his condition, the fact that it was actually just swallow saliva was enough to disgust him. So, he frowned, pushed the small bowl in front of him far away, got up, and went to the wet nurse who was holding the fourteenth prince to take her away.
"Come on, Fourteenth Brother, Sixth Brother is going to show you something good today. This stuff is a rare and highly nutritious tonic..."
Just as a spoonful of bird's nest was about to be fed into Yinzhen's mouth, Consort De swiftly snatched the spoon from Yinzuo's hand and then slapped him on the back.
"You brat, if you don't want to eat, then don't eat! Why are you making your brother suffer? Is this the right time for him to eat this?"
Yinzhu jumped high after being slapped, causing the little fourteenth prince in his arms to giggle excitedly. Seeing that he wasn't afraid, Yinzhu simply tossed the boy gently into the air and caught him as he fell. The two brothers were having a great time, but poor Consort De, who was watching from the side, frowned and her heart was pounding. She scanned the room, picked up a feather duster, and walked towards Yinzhu.
"Yinzuo, put your brother down right now. You've been itching for a beating lately, haven't you? Well then, I'll give you a good spanking... You stand there and don't move, or I'll whip you."
"Mother, your son isn't stupid. If I put the fourteenth prince down, you'll be out of options. If you catch me, you'll beat me mercilessly. Holding him is the only way I have a shield. Mother, please be careful and don't hit the fourteenth prince..."
Could Yinzhuo stand there and let his mother beat him? Of course not. Hearing his mother's words, he not only didn't put down the little fourteenth prince in his arms, but instead pulled him away to dodge. For a moment, the main hall of Yonghe Palace was quite lively.
Yinzhen was led in through the door amidst the chaos and commotion. He clearly hadn't expected to be greeted by such a scene, and stood frozen at the door for a moment.
Upon seeing Yinzhen, Consort De instantly transformed from the irritable old mother she had been just moments before into her usual elegant and dignified noblewoman. She tossed aside the feather duster in her hand, turned around, and sat down at the table in the room, calmly instructing someone to bring Yinzhen in.
"Your son, Yinzhen, greets Mother. May Mother be blessed."
When Consort De was with Yinzhen, she never bothered to hide her dislike for him. When Yinzhen greeted her, she would only say "Get up" indifferently and then leave him standing there ignoring her.
Yinzhuo sighed helplessly as he looked at the silent mother and son. Resignedly, he carried the fourteenth prince into the room and pulled Yinzhen to sit down at the table. Afraid that Yinzhen would feel uncomfortable, he put the fourteenth prince on his lap for him to hold.
"Fourth Brother, can you hold Little Fourteen for me for a while? This kid may look small, but he's quite heavy. My arms are already sore from holding him for just a short time."
Years later, the Great General Wang, who had a bitter feud with his older brother, was now just a chubby little boy over a year old. At this moment, he was not afraid of being placed in the arms of a stranger by his older brother. He looked up at the unfamiliar older brother with a smile on his chubby little face.
When Yinzhen was suddenly given a child by Yinzuo, he was initially flustered, but holding this little thing made him much more comfortable than before. Seeing the chubby little boy grinning at him, he couldn't help but reach out and carefully poke his chubby little face. His expression relaxed a bit and a smile appeared on his face.
"Mother, didn't you say you were going to cook a few dishes to treat your son and fourth brother today? Well, now it's time to get started. Don't worry, go to the kitchen. Your son and fourth brother will take good care of little fourteen..."
Seeing the two brothers getting along harmoniously, Yinzhuo started urging Consort De again. Consort De was probably fed up with the awkward atmosphere. Upon hearing this, she just glared at Yinzhuo and stood up as he asked. She then glanced at the little fourteenth prince in Yinzhen's arms and tapped Yinzhuo's head.
"If His Majesty hadn't said you were actually quite clever, I would have thought that when I gave birth to you, I only gave you a cunning mind. You're already a teenager, how come you haven't grown at all..."
Although she scolded him verbally, Consort De still cared for her son. She prepared a very sumptuous lunch. The family sat around the table. Although Consort De and Yinzhen, who were mother and son who had married later in life, didn't seem to have much to say to each other, fortunately, Yinzuo, a chatterbox, was there to smooth things over, so the meal wasn't too awkward.
After the meal, the fourteenth prince fell asleep. Seeing that he was tired, Consort De took him back to the inner palace to rest, while Yinzhuo and Yinzhen strolled out of Yonghe Palace.
"Fourth Brother, Mother's attitude was not good today, please be understanding. She's just stuck in a rut and can't get over it right away. Next time you come to Yonghe Palace to pay your respects, please take me with you. With me here, Mother won't bully you."
Yinzhen had always known that his mother didn't like him very much, so he was mentally prepared for Consort De's attitude today. Although he was still sad and didn't quite understand why his biological mother was so cold to him, he was grateful to his younger brother Yinzuo.
"Fourth Brother wants to thank Sixth Brother today. If it weren't for you, my meeting with Mother wouldn't have been so peaceful. I'll have to trouble you more in the future to mediate between Mother and me."
Even after his mother's death, Yinzhen could still clearly feel the subtle changes in the attitudes of the people in the palace towards him. His current status was also awkward. Although he had been raised by his mother since childhood, his jade tablet was registered under the name of Consort De. At most, he could be considered half a son of his mother. Before, when his mother was alive, no one dared to say anything, but now, his own mother disliked him and he was not favored by his father. Who would take him seriously?
Yinzhuo, his younger brother, had always liked to keep to himself since childhood. After the Empress Dowager passed away, he not only did not distance himself from him, but also took good care of him. Although he did not know Yinzhuo very well, he knew that this guy was extremely lazy and was the kind of person who would dare to argue with the Emperor if he wanted to get up an hour later in the morning. He was able to appear at Yonghe Palace so early today, and he was sure that Yinzhuo was involved in the matter.
"Oh, you're being too polite. Who are you? He's my own brother, and Mother is my own mother too. I can only live comfortably if the two of you get along well. So, Fourth Brother, don't feel like you're troubling me. If you need anything in the future, just have someone call me from my side."
Yinzhuo's words were not untrue. If his mother and brother had a falling out in the future, he would be caught in the middle and suffer a lot of consequences. Although he didn't know if his actions would stir up historical changes, it seemed that he would have to rely on his fourth brother for the future. His father was a heartless scoundrel, and although his brother was affectionate, he was historically known to be narrow-minded. From now on, he would have to keep a close eye on his somewhat troublesome mother and his future troublesome younger brother, the Fourteenth Prince.
Yinzhen's visit to Yonghe Palace today could not be kept secret. There were quite a few people who wanted to watch the spectacle. After all, it was common knowledge in the palace that Consort De disliked the recently deceased Empress and also hated her own son who was raised by her side. So, in the short distance from Yonghe Palace to the South Third Palace, Yinzhen and Yinzuo had already encountered quite a few people.
But they were clearly going to be disappointed, because neither Yinzhen nor Yinzuo looked like they had had a falling out.
"Hey you over there around the corner, can you stop hiding your head and not looking back? Your clothes are showing. And you pretending to walk, don't look back, watch out for the wall ahead..."