dognovel Chapter 122 Born in darkness, yet who doesn't yearn for light?
Chapter 122 Born in darkness, yet who doesn't yearn for light?
Emperor Kangxi did not force Yinzhuo to eat. When Yinzhuo wanted to sit up for a while, he did not call anyone in. He got up, put down the bowl in his hand, bent down and reached out to help Yinzhuo up from the bed. Afraid that he would be uncomfortable sitting like this, he thoughtfully turned him around and then went to the side to get a soft cushion and placed it on the uninjured part of Yinzhuo's back so that he could lean against it.
"Father, why haven't I seen Fourth Brother all day? Is he very busy?"
When Yinzhuo first woke up and didn't see Yinzhen, he thought he was busy outside. But when it got dark and his fourth brother still hadn't come, he felt something was wrong. It didn't make sense. He had been awake for so long, his fourth brother couldn't have missed the message. He was quite certain that his fourth brother still had some brotherly affection for him over the years. If he hadn't come, he must have been held up by something.
“Your fourth brother is not in the main camp now. After you were injured, I ordered the army to set up camp on the spot. So we are still at the place where we were assassinated. We suddenly broke camp this time to go to the White Pagoda to see off the army that is about to embark on a long expedition. This time, things happened suddenly. I stayed here with you, so I can only ask your fourth brother to go to the White Pagoda on my behalf.”
Upon hearing this, Yinzhuo nodded. He had just said that if his fourth brother knew he had woken up, how could he not come to see him? Speaking of his injury, Yinzhuo suddenly remembered the assassin who had tried to kill him before.
"Father, have those assassins been caught? Do you know who sent them?"
Yinzhuo had already lost a lot of weight during the more than half a month he spent in the Plain Red Banner. Now, after being injured and unconscious for several days without eating or drinking, coupled with the torment of illness, he naturally lost even more weight. As he lost weight, his already large eyes on his small face appeared even larger. At this moment, his eyes were shining brightly, which gave him a strangely comical look.
"Don't worry, apart from the assassins shot in the melee, the others have all been captured. As for who sent them, you can't possibly not guess. But you don't need to worry about any of that. All you need to do now is recover from your injuries. Once your fourth brother returns and your condition stabilizes, we'll set off back to the capital."
Upon hearing Kangxi's words, Yinzhuo understood. It turned out that his current predicament was all thanks to Galdan. Yinzhuo had read about Galdan's legendary and turbulent life when he was studying. He used to think that Galdan was a remarkable person, after all, he had forced Kangxi to personally lead three expeditions, and his eventual suicide was quite tragic. But now he only had one thought: he deserved it. It was too good for him to die like this.
Although Yinzhuo was awake, Kangxi did not ask him to move. Instead, he had Liang Jiugong find two more screens to separate the resting area of the father and son into two relatively private spaces. For the next few days, Yinzhuo thoroughly experienced the treatment of an emperor. Kangxi personally took care of his eating, drinking, and toileting needs, while Liang Jiugong assisted him. He lived a very comfortable life.
But no matter how comfortable life is, lying in bed for too long would probably make anyone feel bad. On this particular day, the weather was nice outside, and while Kangxi and the generals were discussing matters in the nearby tents, Yinzhuo ordered his men to carry him, bed and all, outside the imperial tent.
"Eunuch Liang, could you please go inside and bring me those soft pillows, and then bring me a cloak to cover me up? You can go about your business as you see fit. I'll call you if I want to go in."
The weather at the end of March was still a bit cold, but the sun was shining brightly today. Yinzhuo, covered with a quilt and wrapped in a cloak, didn't feel cold at all. He was dozing off in the sun when he was suddenly awakened by a series of greetings. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yinzhen standing in front of him!
"Fourth Brother, you're finally back! I asked Father Khan after I woke up and found out you went to the White Pagoda. I hope the trip went smoothly."
These past few days, Yinzhuo has been enjoying good food and drink, living a life of luxury. Compared to Yinzhen, Yinzhuo's life these days is like heaven and earth. When he left, Yinzhuo was in critical condition, his life hanging in the balance. He dared not disobey Kangxi's orders. Although he left decisively at the time, Yinzhuo was his own brother, so how could he not worry? But even though he was tormented inside, he still had to do the job, and not only did he have to do it, he had to do it well.
After seeing off the army, Yinzhen didn't dare to delay for a moment. He immediately led his men back to the camp at full speed. Because he had to see the emperor, he was a little late to go back and pack up in order not to be disrespectful in front of the emperor. He was worried about Yinzuo's injury and almost ran all the way here. But guess what? Before he even got to the imperial tent, he saw the seriously injured man from before sitting in the sun, dozing off.
"Don't worry, Fourth Brother's trip went very smoothly. It's you who's out here in this cold weather instead of staying inside. I think you haven't suffered enough from your previous ordeal. Eunuch Liang, call someone to carry him back. If he continues to act so willfully, go and inform Father Khan."
Yinzhuo wanted to tell his fourth brother that he really didn't feel cold at all, but when he looked up at the unusually serious expression on his fourth brother's face, he wisely chose to keep quiet. Sigh, if his brother thinks he's cold, then so be it.
When Kangxi returned from the meeting, he heard Yinzhen lecturing Yinzuo before even entering the imperial tent. The protective father was immediately displeased. He had been terrified by Yinzuo's near-death experience a few days ago, and now that he had finally woken up, he had been treating Yinzuo with utmost kindness these past few days.
"Fourth Prince, you really have a lot of power. You come here to lecture your brother as soon as you get back. Who gave you the guts?"
When Kangxi suddenly spoke, it really startled the two brothers. Compared to Yinzhuo, who was simply frightened by Kangxi's voice, Yinzhen immediately knelt down.
"Father, please forgive me, your son only..."
Seeing that his brother had been stammering for a long time without being able to explain himself, Yinzhuo quickly chimed in to help.
“Father, Fourth Brother only scolded me because he saw me going out to sunbathe and was worried that I would catch a cold and get sick. You see, he was just trying to help me. Please don’t scare him, okay?”
Kangxi had just returned and was unaware that Yinzhuo had gone out earlier. Upon hearing this, he immediately realized that he had wronged the fourth prince, and that Yinzhuo was indeed in need of a lesson.
"Get up. I misunderstood you just now. This scoundrel went out to cause trouble as soon as he felt a little better. He really needs to be taught a lesson. Yinzhen, you did well."
After expressing his gratitude, Yinzhen stood up and glanced at Yinzuo, who was engaged in a lively exchange of words with Kangxi. Yinzhen felt a complex mix of emotions. Was he envious? Jealous? Perhaps both. But some things, even if envied, could never be obtained. And some people, even if envied, one still wanted to be kind to. Born into the royal family, they inherently lacked purity, yet… they were born into darkness, but who doesn't yearn for light…?