in2ebook Chapter 65 This is all tears
Chapter 65 This is all tears
Yes, Yinzhuo's horsemanship and archery skills were so poor, how did he pass Kangxi's test back then? This question not only intrigued Yinzhuo, but also Yintang, Yinxiang and the other younger ones.
"Hahahaha~~ Yin? That's a good question, but you probably won't get the answer from your sixth brother. How about this, you ask your eldest brother me instead."
Although many years have passed, Yinqi still can't help but chuckle whenever he recalls the scene that happened at the Arrow Pavilion. You have to know that their Great Qing Dynasty was conquered on horseback. In order to maintain the spirit of horsemanship and archery and to keep the Eight Banners army fighting, their Khan would organize military drills, horsemanship and hunting activities almost every year. You can imagine how much they cared about horsemanship and archery.
Yinzhuo's laziness and spoiled nature, his repeated slacking off during archery lessons, caused Kangxi a lot of headaches. Given Kangxi's temper, why wasn't Yinzhuo punished for daring to disobey him? Of course he was punished! In the end, our Sixth Prince simply gave up and clung to Kangxi's leg at the archery pavilion, wailing and wiping his snot and tears all over his father. Kangxi was angry, helpless, and heartbroken at the same time, his forehead veins bulging. But he was powerless against the little boy who was crying and clinging to his leg. In the end, he could only comfort himself with the saying that the dragon has nine sons, and each one is different.
"Then, elder brother, how exactly did Sixth Brother get past Father Khan back then?"
Don't look down on me, okay? Answering this question is a piece of cake for me, after all, it's a shining example of my glorious record of outwitting and outmaneuvering the old man over the years, so what's wrong with saying it?
"No need for you to worry, elder brother. I'll answer that myself. As for how I escaped from Father's clutches, it's all tears. You wouldn't believe it, your sixth brother has always been sickly. I'm fine studying in the study, but as soon as I get to the archery pavilion and see the blazing sun, I feel weak all over and my eyes go blurry. But Father doesn't know that. He thinks I'm just slacking off. Every day after class, he punishes me by making me practice drawing and aiming my bow for half an hour. I can't take that. So, one time when Father came to the archery pavilion for a surprise inspection and punished me again, I just went all out. I went up to Father and hugged his leg and started wailing. In the end, Father softened from my crying and stopped bothering me..."
Yinzhuo was quite satisfied with his words, feeling that they were very objective and rational, without any artistic embellishment. However, the eldest prince, Yinti, was not satisfied. He believed that although Yinzhuo's words seemed fine at first glance, upon closer inspection, they completely avoided the important issues.
“Yinzuo, what you’re saying isn’t right. Let’s not even talk about whether you’re neglecting your practice because you’re unwell or lazy. Isn’t it because your father was so angry that he didn’t want to talk to you anymore after you covered him in snot and tears and he struggled with you for half an hour at the archery pavilion without being able to pull you off? You don’t know, don’t be fooled by your sixth brother’s delicate and weak appearance during his riding and archery lessons. When he was crying on your father’s lap, he was incredibly brave and strong. Even with your father and Liang Jiugong’s combined efforts, they couldn’t pull him off your father’s lap for half an hour.”
Yinti's words were not an exaggeration at all. Yinzuo really clung to Kangxi's leg and cried for more than half an hour. No matter how Kangxi pulled him away or Liang Jiugong tried to reason with him, he remained unmoved. It is said that even tigers do not eat their cubs. Faced with Yinzuo like this, Kangxi had no way to use his strength. If he hit him too hard, he was afraid of hurting him. If he was too gentle, it would be completely useless. He could not hit him, and he would not listen to scolding him. In the end, he could only let him be.
"Hahaha, what Sixth Brother said is right. He was able to get past his father's hurdle back then, and it was all thanks to his tears."
Yinzhuo was completely unfazed by his brothers' ridicule. He said, "Heh, go ahead and laugh. How can your slander overshadow my brilliance?"
As the saying goes, a tree without bark will surely die, and a person without shame is invincible. Relying on this saying, Yinzhuo has been virtually undefeated over the years.
The brothers played around on the training ground until the sun was almost setting before returning to Yinti's residence. After a quick wash, Yinzuo looked at the sky and realized it was almost time for dinner. He was too tired to move, so he decided to stay at his elder brother's place for another dinner before going back.
"I tried the chef's cooking here today and it was pretty good. I feel weak and lazy right now. I wonder if you could treat us to dinner?"
Upon hearing Yinzhi's words, Yinti immediately replied, "Yes, I must take care of it. Don't even mention one meal, I'll take care of ten or a hundred meals, otherwise you might start badmouthing me when you go out in the future."
So before dinner, Yinzhu saw Ihana again, who had been brought over by the First Princess Consort to greet them. However, compared to her radiant appearance when they met in the morning, the girl now looked dejected.
"Oh, our little Jinhua was fine this morning, but she looks so listless this afternoon. Could it be that she's been upset?"
Yinzhuo's question only made the girl feel more aggrieved. Her lips twitched, and tears immediately streamed down her face.
"Oh, why is she crying? Brother, sister-in-law, you saw it from the side, I really didn't bully your daughter."
Seeing the somewhat flustered Yinzhi, the First Princess Consort smiled apologetically at him, pulled Ihana to her side and gently comforted her for a few moments until the little girl stopped crying. Only then did she get up and explain to Yinzhi and the others.
"I apologize for making you laugh, my brothers. Ihana is currently learning needlework from her nanny. Today she was pricked by a needle a few times and was scolded by her nanny for not learning well, so she's been quite unhappy. She's been very depressed since she came back. I spent a long time coaxing her before bringing her here, but I didn't expect her to still offend you brothers."
Even if the child hadn't done anything outrageous, and even if she had done something slightly inappropriate, Yinzhuo and his uncles wouldn't hold it against a six-year-old child. Everyone said it was nothing and even offered some words of comfort to the little girl. The First Princess Consort had only come over to hear them greet her, chatted for a few minutes, and then took her daughter back home. It was truly a case of coming and going in a hurry.
"Brother, besides learning needlework and other needlework, what else are your nieces learning these days?"
Yinzhuo's question stumped Yinti, who was usually a hands-off parent. His daughters' upbringing was usually handled by his wife, and he would only play with them when he had free time. How could he know what they were learning?
"You've stumped me. But I suppose it's nothing more than music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and needlework."