EBE Chapter 4 Becoming a Top-Tier Playboy
Chapter 4 Becoming a Top-Tier Playboy
Yinzhuo felt somewhat regretful that he couldn't choose his future residence, but he didn't take it too seriously. There were only a few courtyards in the Western Palace for princes to live in. Although they weren't right next to Yinzhen's, how far could they be? Besides, didn't we just say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease? At worst, he could just go and cry to Kangxi.
"Dexi, lead the way. We've got nothing else to do right now, so let's take a look around the uninhabited courtyards in the West Wing first."
Yinzhu felt he had to take advantage of this opportunity to scout out the area, since it was really not easy for him to come out. Consort De kept a close eye on him, and if it weren't for her going to Cining Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, he probably wouldn't have been able to come out today.
"Alright then, young master, this way please..."
Although Dexi hadn't been here much before, he was quite familiar with the place. After all, he was Yinzhuo's personal servant and would definitely move here with Yinzhuo in the future. So, after Yinzhuo turned six years old, he had secretly made arrangements to come here once. So, he was quite familiar with the place when he led the way.
"Young master, according to your birth order, this is the courtyard arranged for you by the Imperial Household Department. Shall we go in and take a closer look?"
Although Yinzhu said he wanted to see all the empty courtyards, Dexi dared not actually take him for a walk around the entire courtyard. After all, this prince had just recovered from a serious illness. If he were to overexert himself and cause any harm, not only would the Emperor punish him, but he would also certainly not get along well with Consort De.
Knowing that the young master liked the Fourth Prince, Dexi planned to first take Yinzhuo to see the several small courtyards around the Fourth Prince's courtyard. After a quick tour, she led him to the courtyard that the Imperial Household Department had arranged for Yinzhuo.
"The location of this courtyard is not bad; it's roughly diagonally opposite Fourth Brother's courtyard."
Yinzhuo was fairly satisfied with the location of the courtyard. Although it wasn't right next to Yinzhen's courtyard, the courtyards here were only a few dozen meters apart, and it would only take a few minutes to walk there.
As for the arrangement of the courtyard, Yinzhuo was not worried at all. People in the palace were used to flattering the powerful and belittling the weak, but it was precisely because of this that Yinzhuo was certain that they would not dare to deceive him. You know, his mother, Consort De, had been favored by the emperor for many years, and even if the people in the Imperial Household Department had the audacity to cut back on his things, they would not dare to do so.
After touring the courtyard, just as Yinzhuo had predicted, the courtyard was neatly arranged. Although the interior decorations were arranged according to the standards for princes, the workmanship and materials showed that great care had been taken. The house had also been cleaned. Everything was ready, and Yinzhuo was just waiting for the time to move in with his men.
"This yard is quite nicely tidied up, and it's spacious enough. Dexi, have someone install a hanging basket under that big tree over there. It should be quite comfortable to lie on it and enjoy the breeze when the weather is nice. Have someone place a few large vats under the sunny wall over there and keep some fish in them. I can fish and pass the time when I have nothing to do. I should also take advantage of the good weather now and have someone transplant some flowers and plants into the yard. It will make it look more lively. The plum tree is also essential, otherwise the yard will be lifeless in the winter..."
Yinzhuo's self-positioning was quite clear: he would live off his father for the first half of his life and live off his brother for the second half. If he could survive two reigns and still be alive and kicking, then he would have to trouble his nephew, Emperor Qianlong.
Other transmigrators, upon arriving in this world, all harbor grand ambitions to change history, leading to countless battles and struggles. Yinzhuo, however, had none of such thoughts. He was self-aware enough to know his own limitations. Besides, his brothers were all incredibly cunning and scheming, far surpassing him in both intellect and strategy. He didn't believe he could outdo them. And what was a lazy bum's ideal? Of course, it was to lie low and do nothing. He couldn't care less about others; he was determined to live a peaceful and uneventful life.
Since he was determined to be a well-behaved mascot, he would naturally do whatever made him comfortable. Yinzhuo had no intention of compromising himself in this regard. He was a prince now, and it wasn't like his family lacked the means. In any case, he would just open his mouth and let his subordinates do the legwork.
At this moment, Yinzhu couldn't help but bow to the great god of time travel in his heart, thanking him for giving him a status second only to the emperor.
"When I get back, I will personally go to the Imperial Household Department to bring them over. Young Master, please rest assured that they will be arranged exactly as you instructed. However, you will be going to the Imperial Study to study in the fall. I'm afraid that your studies will be too heavy then, and you won't have time to go fishing or have fun."
Seeing the weariness in Yinzhuo's eyes, Dexi, with great perceptiveness, went inside and brought out a chair, placing it under a tree in the courtyard, and then led Yinzhuo over to sit down.
"Dexi, do you know what your grandfather's dream is for the future?"
It's already May in the lunar calendar. Although it's not the hottest time yet, the sun is already quite strong near noon. Having just recovered from a serious illness, he doesn't feel very tired when he's active, but as soon as he sits down, he immediately feels more comfortable sitting.
"Your Highness, I believe you must want to study hard so that you can help His Majesty when you grow up."
Dexi felt that his answer was perfectly correct. After all, which prince didn't want to study hard so that he could become a king or prime minister and share the emperor's burdens in the future?
But when he finished answering and saw the disapproving look on his young master's face, Dexi couldn't help but panic. Had he said something wrong and upset his young master?
"My lord, please forgive me. I misspoke."
Seeing Dexi panic and kneel down to apologize because of his expression, Yinzhu couldn't help but sincerely thank the time-traveling god for giving him this identity. Although being Kangxi's son was a rather high-risk job, the benefits were also obvious. At least he didn't have to kneel down to everyone he met. Yinzhu waved for Dexi to get up, and then lazily spoke.
“What you said is certainly correct. If you were asking my brothers, their ideal would definitely be to work hard and serve Father Emperor in the future. Your answer is the standard one. But my dream is not like that…”
"Oh! Then tell me, what is your dream?"
After Yinzhen returned from school, a palace servant reported that the Sixth Prince had arrived and was strolling around the South Three Palaces with his personal eunuch, Dexi. Upon hearing that Yinzuo was only accompanied by his personal eunuch, Yinzhen knew that the boy had probably sneaked out. Although he did not know Yinzuo well, he knew Consort De well. Given her love for Yinzuo, how could she allow him to go out with only one person?
The thought that this guy, who had just recovered from a serious illness, was still so restless and dared to run out with people to steal, made Yinzhen, even though he knew that Yinzhuo wouldn't get into any trouble in the South Third Palace, still make him a little worried. After much deliberation, he decided to take people out to look for him himself. Coincidentally, he ran into the eldest prince, Yinti, who had just returned from school. After seeing Yinzhen leading a large group of people out of the courtyard and asking them some questions, the search party grew by quite a few people.
The two brothers inquired their way to the courtyard assigned to Yinzuo. As soon as they entered, they heard Yinzuo asking Dexi a question. People are naturally curious, and both Yinzhen and Yinti were very curious about Yinzuo's future dreams. So the two brothers simply stopped walking and told the people behind them not to make a sound. The group stood behind the screen wall and eavesdropped.
The two brothers agreed with Dexi's answer. After all, which prince didn't want to be valued by his father? So when they heard that Yinzhuo's dream was not to study hard and share his father's burdens in the future, Yinti couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
The two people in the courtyard, Dexi, was not able to notice Yinti and Yinzhen's arrival immediately because of the screen wall. Yinzuo, on the other hand, was sitting under the shade of a tree, enjoying the breeze with his eyes closed, so he was even less likely to notice. Therefore, when Yinzuo heard Yinti's voice, he spoke wildly without thinking.
"Of course, I'd rather be a spendthrift playboy who indulges in eating, drinking, and having fun, preferably squandering all of my father's private treasury."