mtl008 Chapter 316 Is this person being possessed?
Chapter 316 Is this person being possessed?
Chapter 316 Is this person being possessed?
If you had to use one word to describe the days he spent recuperating in Changchun Garden, he would definitely tell you four words—utterly bored. If he had been quite annoyed by his noisy brothers on the return journey, now the situation was completely the opposite.
"Father, we've been in Changchun Garden for over a month now, how long are you going to keep me locked up? Look at me, I'm eating and drinking, running and jumping around, I don't look like anything's wrong at all! Father, let's make a deal, just let me out for a stroll, I promise I won't run around..."
For the past month or so, Emperor Kangxi has gone to great lengths to prevent Yinzhi from sneaking out and causing trouble. First of all, all the people serving Yinzhi, except for Dexi, have been temporarily replaced. This includes Akshang and Hatu, who went out with him last time.
Secondly, they strictly forbade Yinti and others from visiting Yinzuo at Shufeng Pavilion. Of course, it wasn't a blanket ban; they allowed him to visit his brothers, but only under their watchful eyes. The last and most ruthless point was that they temporarily confiscated Yinzuo's token allowing him free access to Changchun Garden. Furthermore, they ordered the guards patrolling the area to detain any Prince Zhao suspected of lurking around Changchun Garden and attempting to escape, and then send someone to report to Qingxi Study. These three measures effectively cut off any possibility of Yinzuo sneaking out.
"Forget about going out for a stroll. If you'd like, I can have Liang Jiugong accompany you for a walk in the courtyard. Didn't you hear from the imperial physician before that although your wound looks healed on the surface, no one can say for sure what's going on inside? Yinzhuo, you'd better behave yourself for now. Once your wound is healed, I won't stop you from going wherever you want. I've never seen you like running around like this before. What's wrong with you lately?"
Listen to this! How can my 37-degree Celsius mouth utter such cold and heartless words? Letting Liang Jiugong accompany me for a stroll in this garden? What, am I that distrustful of you now? Weren't the three iron chains you used to put me in not enough? Now you want to put a jailer on me too? I've never seen you like to run away like this before. Well, we're really in the same boat. I've never seen you restrain me like this before either.
"Father, do you think it's possible that the reason I didn't like going out as much before was because I had something I don't have now?"
"Things you had before but don't have now?" Although Yinzhuo's question really surprised Kangxi, as the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Considering the context of Yinzhuo's words, Kangxi easily guessed what the boy was trying to say.
"You little brat, are you complaining that I'm restricting your freedom?"
Having spent so many years with Emperor Kangxi, Yinzhuo believed he had some experience in discerning whether his father was genuinely angry or feigning it. Despite the tricky question and dangerous tone of Kangxi's question, Yinzhuo knew perfectly well that his father was just trying to scare him.
“Father, what are you saying? Do you think your son is so ungrateful? Of course I know you're keeping me from running around for my own good, but that doesn't stop me from getting bored. Look at all these servants in the room, which one of them can I talk to? Dexi can chat with me for a few words, but that's all. Before, on the ship, although we were also confined to one place, at least there were Xiao Jiu, Xiao Shi, Xiao Shisan, and Xiao Shisi. They would come and chat with me every day to relieve my boredom. But now? All I can do is talk to you every day. How about this, you can have someone bring my son over, and I'll have him play with me, okay?”
Bring Hongxu over to play with him? Yinzhuo's idea was clearly rejected by Kangxi. It wasn't that Kangxi was preventing the father and son from seeing each other; it was simply that Kangxi found Yinzhuo's idea unreliable. Why didn't Kangxi let Yinzhuo run around freely? It was because he feared too much activity would affect the recovery of his wounds. Hongxu was already four years old, a time when he was certainly mischievous, and Yinzhuo was no pushover either. If the two of them were left together, the older one leading the younger one running wild all over the garden, what would be the point of Kangxi keeping Yinzhuo in check? Wouldn't it be better to just let him go wherever he wanted?
There's a saying that goes, "In an argument between parents and children, if the child wins, it's a comedy; if the parents win, it's a tragedy." The tug-of-war between Yinzhuo and Kangxi clearly ended in a happy ending. You ask how I know? Well, didn't you see someone come to Yinzhuo's Shufengxuan waterside pavilion today?
"Oh my, finally someone can keep me company and cheer me up today! Second brother, fourth brother, come in and sit down. The sun is so strong outside, you must be exhausted from the journey. Dexi, go and get the chilled fruit from the icebox..."
The arrival of Yinreng and Yinzhen kept Yinzu extremely busy. They helped move chairs and fetch fruit. They not only poured tea for their two elder brothers but also personally handed the tea to them. The man's enthusiasm made Yinreng and Yinzhen have a strange feeling—could this person have been possessed?
"I always heard people say that a day apart feels like three autumns, and I used to think it was just an exaggeration. But I never expected that the ancients were right. Fourth brother, look at Xiao Liu. Anyone who didn't know better would think he hadn't seen us brothers for decades. Xiao Liu, come sit here. Second brother has to take a good look at you. Are you possessed by some evil spirit? Come on, tell me, what kind of demon are you?"
At first, Yinzhuo was still able to give his second brother some face, but when his face was almost red from being pinched by Yinreng, and this person still showed no sign of restraining himself, Yinzhuo could no longer tolerate it.
"Second Brother, that's enough. Even with my thick skin, I can't take your constant pinching. What kind of demon are you? I don't see you covered in hair or carrying a stick. Why do you think you're a monkey? If I were to tell you right now, 'I am the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong,' wouldn't you feel embarrassed? What, are you feeling the urge to act out a scene with me today? You've come to ask me to play the role of the True and False Monkey King. If that's the case, what are we waiting for? Let's get started..."
When it comes to messing around, even ten Monkey Kings like Yinreng tied together wouldn't be able to outrun Yinzuo, this real monkey. Seeing that Yinzuo was about to go crazy, Yinzhen quickly reached out and pressed him back down.
"What are you making a fuss about? Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. Go sit down quietly over there. You're already causing enough trouble on your own, and you want to drag your second brother into this mess too? What, do you want to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace...?"