bookrandom Chapter 193 Pray to Heaven, to Judge Loyalty and Treachery
Chapter 193 Pray to Heaven, to Judge Loyalty and Treachery
As the saying goes, "The devil may be one foot tall, but the Tao is ten feet tall." No matter how powerful Yinzhuo, this monkey, is, he is ultimately no match for his father, the Buddha who has schemed and plotted. No sooner had they left the palace than Kangxi received the news.
"I knew that Yinzhu wouldn't behave himself. I thought that sending the third prince to keep an eye on him would be somewhat effective, but I didn't expect the third prince to be so unreliable as well, actually going along with his nonsense. Liang Jiugong, go and send someone to keep a close eye on them secretly. Report to them in advance when they are about to return."
Yinzhuo and his companions certainly had a great time that day, enjoying boat rides, shopping, tea drinking, and even listening to a storyteller at a bookstore. However, all of this joy came to an abrupt end the moment they returned to the imperial palace and saw Kangxi.
"Um... Father, what brings you here today? Shouldn't you be very busy today? Um... Father, let me explain. It's not what you think. My third brother and I didn't go out just for our own fun. Akshan, hurry up and bring the things in. Father, wasn't yesterday your birthday? I felt the gifts we gave you before were too perfunctory. So today, my third brother and I happened to be together, and we thought we'd go to the market to pick out a decent gift for you, to make up for not being able to properly celebrate your birthday yesterday."
To be honest, both Yinzhi and Yinzuo were momentarily flustered when they saw Kangxi. However, as his own son, Yinzhi had the confidence to back it up. While Yinzhi was still at a loss, wondering how to explain things to his father, Yinzhi had already taken the initiative and started arguing with his father.
Emperor Kangxi knew exactly what Yinzhuo had done that day. How could he not know how much exaggeration was in Yinzhuo's words? But the old father loved to hear such things, so his previously gloomy expression softened a bit after Yinzhuo finished speaking. He beckoned Liang Jiugong to bring over the pile of things Yinzhuo had bought. He wanted to see what kind of trinkets Yinzhuo had bought to appease him after going out all day.
Yinzhi's heart pounded at what Yinzuo had just said. He had paid for most of those things, and he knew all too well what kind of junk they were. Forget about giving them to his father as birthday gifts, he probably couldn't even find a decent one.
Yinzhuo knew perfectly well what was in that pile of things, but who was our Prince Zhao? He was a master at taking advantage of situations. He was all about the thrill. So when he saw Kangxi actually going through the pile of things he had brought back, he not only wasn't guilty, but he also eagerly went over to his father and started introducing them to him.
"Father, look at the goldfish painted on this rattle drum. It looks just like the one we kept in our yard. Even the red dot on its tail is exactly the same. And do you remember this spinning top? You were the one who taught our son how to spin it. Isn't this kite beautiful? Look how majestic this tiger looks on it, doesn't it..."
Yinzhi was practically dying of worry for Yinzuo. "Brother," he thought, "don't you want to hear what you're saying? The situation is dire, and you're still reminiscing with Father? If you can't come up with a decent gift later, what we just said will be considered deceiving the Emperor..."
Yinzhuo's harvest of the day was truly diverse. After he finished introducing them one by one, not only Kangxi, but even Yinzhi, who was initially very uneasy, was now calm. After patiently listening to Yinzhuo's nonsense, Kangxi bent his index finger, raised his hand, and tapped Yinzhuo's forehead, asking a question.
"So what? After all that talk, it's all just things you've taken a liking to. Which one is a gift for me?"
Yes, none of the things Yinzhuo just introduced seemed like suitable as gifts for Kangxi. Seeing that he hadn't confused his father after saying so much, Yinzhuo had no choice but to turn his gaze to Yinzhi beside him.
"Sigh, Father is getting harder and harder to fool. Alright, I was just joking with you. Actually, these are just little trinkets that I liked. The real gift is with my third brother. Third brother, hurry up and bring out the thumb ring we picked out, or Father will get anxious again."
Yin Zhi's heart was truly ice-cold at this moment. He did have a thumb ring in his pocket, but Yin Zuo, did you forget what you said when you left today? You said you would take full responsibility? Is this how you take responsibility?
However, getting through this hurdle is the most important thing now. So even though he was reluctant, Yinzhi took out the thumb ring he had carefully selected from his pocket and handed it to Liang Jiugong, who was waiting nearby. Kangxi took the thumb ring from Liang Jiugong, examined it closely, and nodded in satisfaction when he saw that the jade was warm and smooth and the carving was exquisite.
"This thumb ring is quite nice. You two brothers are thoughtful. Since there was a reason for it, I will not pursue the matter of you going out without permission today. But you must not do it again next time, Yinzhuo. Do you understand?"
Kangxi naturally understood that the two brothers were trying to fool him, but there's a saying, "One who is neither deaf nor dumb cannot be a good father-in-law." Besides, judging from their tense exchange, the ring must be a cherished possession of Yinzhi. He figured the boy would be heartbroken to have it taken away, so this was a lesson for him...
Yinzhi simply didn't know what Kangxi was thinking, otherwise he would have definitely shouted to the sky, "Heaven, please distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous! Why is it that for the mistakes we two made, you only think of giving me a lesson?"
No sooner had Kangxi left than Yinzhuo was grabbed by the ear by his third brother. He was aware of what he had just done, so he quickly reached out and grabbed his third brother's arm, smiling apologetically.
"Third brother, please let go first, okay? Let me explain. I had no choice but to do that. I keep my word. Since I said I would take full responsibility if I got caught, I will definitely not let you suffer a loss... How about this, how much silver is the ring? I'll pay you back, or even double or triple it."
As the saying goes, a gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way. Is our Prince Cheng the kind of person who is greedy for money? Well, believe it or not, he really is. After all, who would turn down money? Even landlords are short of cash these days.
"three times?"
Yinzhuo's ear is still in their hands, isn't it? Even if it's passed around again, he still has to give it back, let alone three times the price. Besides, he had said before that he would take full responsibility if anything happened, so his answer at this moment was without hesitation.
"Yes, three times. Third brother, let go first, and I'll go get you the silver right away."