dognovel Chapter 424 This kind of figurehead can't be made up randomly.
Chapter 424 This kind of figurehead can't be made up randomly.
Yinzhuo was not annoyed when Kangxi poked his head. He raised his hand to hug Kangxi's arm and turned to walk alongside his father.
“Father, tomorrow is the Little New Year. According to folk customs, from this day until the end of the first month of the lunar calendar, you can’t hit the child or talk nonsense to the child. So from today onwards, please don’t poke my forehead anymore.”
Emperor Kangxi was a learned man with a wide range of interests, and he also had some knowledge of folk customs. He naturally knew what Yinzhi was talking about, and nodded in agreement.
"Alright, from today onwards, as long as you don't cause too much trouble, I will abide by the folk custom and will not scold you until after the first month of the lunar calendar."
It's said that what is said without intention may be taken to heart by the listener. What Yinzhu said just now was just a few complaints after his father poked his head in public. But our Fourteenth Prince actually took the conversation between the father and son to heart, and even the version with the beginning and end cut off.
"What the heck? You want to go ice skating on the lake now? It's almost dark. Isn't it dangerous to go on the ice now? Are you sure you want to go now?"
Is that really certain? After all, the Fourteenth Prince had even brought his ice skates. Seeing that his Sixth Brother was still hesitating, he walked over in a few steps, pulled him up from the kang (heated brick bed), and had Dexi come over to help him put on his shoes. He reached for the cloak hanging to the side, and pulled Yinzhuo out.
"Sixth Brother, don't worry. I went for a few laps in the lake before coming to find you. The ice there is very solid, so there's absolutely no safety issue. It's just that my eldest brother and the others are busy with tomorrow's Kitchen God Festival ceremony and no one is with me, otherwise I wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to find you."
Well, I haven't even complained about you yet, and you still dare to nitpick. Yinzhuo looked at the fourteenth prince walking in front of him, and after much restraint, he managed to control himself and not kick him.
When the two brothers arrived at Ruyi Island Lake, there were already many guards and servants holding lanterns standing on the ice. Fourteenth Prince had someone set up chairs on the ice not far from the shore early in the morning. Dexi helped Yinzuo sit down and helped his master change his ice skates before getting up and retreating behind Yinzuo.
Every year, the Qing court would hold a grand ice skating event. Ice skating and skiing were practically essential skills for every member of the Eight Banners. Although Yinzhuo's skills were not as advanced as those of Yinti and Yintang, skating on the ice was still no problem for him.
After changing into his ice skates, Yinzhuo didn't rush off like the Fourteenth Prince. Instead, he stood up and did some warm-up exercises, following the stretching techniques his physical education teacher had taught him in his previous life. Once he was warmed up enough, he started walking and chased after the Fourteenth Prince.
Ruyi Island is the largest island in the Summer Palace. It is surrounded by open water, and now in the dead of winter, the open lake has turned into a thick layer of ice, which is perfect for ice skating.
The two brothers chased each other on the lake on ice skates, and soon they glided out of the area surrounded by lanterns. When the accompanying guards saw this, they hurriedly picked up lanterns and chased after them, but they did not have ice skates. Even though they ran as fast as they could, they always fell behind Yinzhuo and the Fourteenth Prince by a distance.
Fortunately, the two brothers were still somewhat sensible. Even while playing around, they did not leave all the guards behind, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far until Yinzhu felt tired and then called for the Fourteenth Prince to move towards the shore.
"Sixth Brother, see? I told you so, the ice is frozen solid. I even had someone come here with a hammer to check it before I came this afternoon. There's absolutely no problem with safety..."
You know, you can't just make empty promises. Look, before the Fourteenth Prince could even finish speaking, Yinzhuo, who was walking in front of him, suddenly vanished from his sight.
Fourteen was clearly startled by this sudden turn of events. He stood there stunned for a few seconds before suddenly reacting and quickly sliding towards the place where Yinzhuo had disappeared.
"Sixth Brother, where are you? What's going on? Please don't scare me."
So what exactly is Yinzhuo's situation now? Actually, as you might have guessed, he was incredibly lucky. By sheer coincidence, he stepped into the ice hole that the guards had drilled out that afternoon while surveying the ice. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough, spreading his arms to stop himself from sinking in the instant he fell in. Otherwise, falling in in the dark would have likely meant his death.
"Fourteen, don't come over yet. Quickly have someone get a rope and throw it over. My clothes are very heavy when they get wet, and I'm afraid my arm won't hold up for long."
While Yinzhu was speaking, the Fourteenth Prince was almost beside him. Even though it was dark around them, the Fourteenth Prince could see Yinzhu's situation clearly at a glance. He saw that most of Yinzhu's body was submerged in the water and he was only supporting his upper body with the strength of his two arms. The Fourteenth Prince was so frightened that he turned around and shouted to the guards who were running towards him.
"Akshan, hurry up! Your master has fallen into the water. Do you have a rope? If not, quickly loosen all your belts..."
Well, Fourteen's shout was like a bolt from the blue, striking the guards who were running towards them from not far away. In the face of the situation, no one had time to think. Their first reaction was to hurriedly start unbuckling their belts.
Although Akshan was anxious, he remained calm on the surface. He instructed the guards around him to reconnect the belts he had taken off, and then led his men to run quickly toward the direction where the Fourteenth Prince was standing.
Strictly speaking, Yinzhuo didn't fall into the water for long. From the time he fell in to the time others pulled him out, it was only about five minutes. But even so, when Yinzhuo was pulled out of the ice hole by a rope made of the belts of the guards, he still felt that his legs and feet, which had been soaking in the water, were numb.
The place where Yinzhu fell into the water was not far from Ruyi Island. After he was pulled out of the ice hole, he was naturally carried by the Fourteenth Prince and his men to his residence on Ruyi Island. Because a guard had returned in advance to report, when Yinzhu was carried back, the Fourteenth Prince's personal attendant, Jinxi, was already waiting at the door with a quilt and a charcoal brazier.
Even if the Fourteenth Prince had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to conceal such a serious matter as Yinzhu falling into the water. At the same time, he sent someone to invite the imperial physician and also sent someone to report to Kangxi at Yanbo Zhishuang Palace. So, no sooner had Akshang brought the imperial physician in than Kangxi arrived with Yinti and the others.
"Fourteenth, you scoundrel! Didn't I tell you all before that you're not allowed to go on the ice or up the mountain these days? You ignored my words, and you even dared to drag Sixth Brother into your nonsense! If anything happens to your Sixth Brother, I'll skin you alive..."