bookrandom Chapter 186 Curiosity Killed the Cat
Chapter 186 Curiosity Killed the Cat
Dexi kept his word. As soon as he returned to his lodgings, he went to the kitchen and had someone cook porridge for Yinzhuo and bring it over. Yinzhuo looked at the table full of fine wine and food in front of his father, and then at the bowl of plain porridge on his own table. He almost burst into tears on the spot.
“When will this bland and tasteless life end? Since the day we came out, except for the first day which was relatively normal, my son hasn’t tasted any other food except for plain porridge for the past few days. If this continues, I’ll be really losing out. Father, I think that braised meat in front of you looks good. Can I try some?”
Can I have a taste? Theoretically, of course, I shouldn't, but Kangxi couldn't help feeling sorry for his son. After thinking for a moment, he picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised meat, put it on a plate, and had Liang Jiugong bring it over to him. Yinzhu was originally happily waiting for Liang Jiugong to bring him the meat, but when he saw the pitifully small amount of meat on the plate, he suddenly felt that this was the darkest period of his life—may it be destroyed.
"Just one piece? Father, you're so stingy! My son probably won't even have a chance to taste the meat before it's gone, you see..."
What are you looking at? The imperial physician had repeatedly warned that the stomach and intestines are more vulnerable after vomiting, and it is best to eat mainly liquid food. How could Kangxi dare to give him more? Not only did he not give him any, but he also glanced at Yinti and the others around him. The meaning was very clear: I will not give him any, and you are not allowed to give him any either.
As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. After failing to get any benefits from Kangxi, Yinzhuo indeed turned his attention to his brothers.
"Brother, that braised pork belly on your table looks pretty good, is it delicious?"
Yinzhuo had used this trick before, so when Yinti heard what he meant, he understood what the boy was up to. But even if he understood, Yinti didn't dare to give it to him, after all, he had just been warned by his father.
"It's not tasty. The meat isn't tender or flavorful enough, and it's also tough..."
Yinzhi didn't believe a single word of what Yinti said. "Brother, even if you're going to lie to me, can't you at least pretend? Just look at how greasy you are eating, there's absolutely no credibility to what you're saying."
Yinti's attempt to get started was unsuccessful, and Yinzhi turned his attention to his third brother, only to be met with another setback. Since he hadn't gotten anything from his eldest and third brothers, he couldn't count on the ninth and tenth brothers either. Yinzuo looked at Yinti across from him, who was happily eating meat and vegetables, and then looked at the bowl of white porridge in front of him. He suddenly felt that he might as well not eat this meal.
There's a saying that goes, "Man is made of iron, food is made of steel." If he doesn't eat, he'll get hungry. Yinzhuo had only eaten a pastry and a bowl of porridge since morning. After all that fuss, his stomach was growling. To appease his rumbling stomach, Yinzhuo could only resign himself to his fate and pick up the bowl of porridge in front of him, close his eyes, and gulp it down.
"This is meat, chicken flavor, crunchy..."
But no matter how much hypnosis he was given, he couldn't taste the meat in the porridge. Since he was just sitting there watching others eat, Yinzhuo decided to avoid seeing it altogether. After finishing his bowl of porridge in a few gulps, he got up and said to Kangxi.
"Father, I'm full. Please continue eating. I'd like to go for a walk around the neighborhood."
Kangxi naturally agreed to Yinzhuo's request. He nodded and said to Liang Jiugong beside him.
"Liang Jiugong, you go with him. Don't let him go too far. Just wander around this area."
Although out of sight, out of mind, Yinzhu couldn't help but glance at the sumptuous meal on his father's table before leaving, and then sighed helplessly in his heart.
"What is the greatest distance in the world? It's having a table full of delicious food in front of me, being able to see it and smell it, but not being able to eat it. It's truly a tragedy..."
They said they wanted to go out for a stroll, but the weather in the north in February really wasn't that interesting. Under Liang Jiugong's guidance, Yinzhu wandered around the palace for a while but lost all interest. He had been vomiting for several days on the ship, couldn't eat or sleep well, and was really weak. Since he didn't want to go sightseeing anymore, he simply headed back home.
In the following days, Kangxi was busy receiving officials who came to pay homage. Yinti was in charge of security around the imperial palace and was also very busy. The Ninth and Tenth Princes were not busy and Kangxi did not restrict them. The two of them really went out a lot in the past few days.
"Sixth Brother, look, this is the hawthorn cake we brought back for you, and this donkey meat is also good, this roast pigeon is delicious too, you should try it, and this..."
After several days of rest, Yinzhuo's health has improved considerably. Although the imperial physician still advised him to eat a light diet, at least he no longer needs to drink porridge at every meal like before. Yinzhuo took the pile of things from Yinzhen's hands, picked out a piece of hawthorn cake, and put it in his mouth.
"The taste is not bad. We can buy more to take with us when we leave. If I still feel nauseous when I get on the ship, I can use it to suppress the nausea."
Yinzhen and Yintang both knew how sour the hawthorn cake was. They had tasted it when they bought it, and it almost made their teeth ache from the sourness. Seeing their sixth brother eat that big piece without changing his expression, the two couldn't help but wonder if what they had eaten before was the same thing as what their sixth brother had eaten. So, after exchanging a glance, they reached out and took a piece of hawthorn cake and put it in their mouths in perfect unison.
"Dexi, quickly pour me a glass of water. Sixth Brother, this stuff is so sour. How did you manage to eat it without batting an eye? Aren't you afraid of the sourness?"
Wasn't Yinzhu afraid of the sourness? The answer was definitely no. The reason he had endured the sourness and eaten the whole piece of hawthorn cake without changing his expression was because he knew that if he did that, Yintang and Yin'e would definitely try it out of curiosity, and the result was exactly as he expected.
"Hahahaha~~ Didn't I tell you two before that you shouldn't be too curious about anything you know isn't a good thing? I'm sure you two tasted this hawthorn cake when you bought it. Since you already know what it tastes like, why are you still curious about it? Young man, remember these words: curiosity killed the cat."
The little prank successfully improved Yinzhuo's already good mood. He had been kept by Kangxi's side for the past few days and was not allowed to go out, so he could only know about the world outside the palace through the descriptions of Yintang and Yinyi. Dezhou City was still very prosperous at this time, with busy canal transport and thriving commerce. Goods from the surrounding areas were distributed at the canal wharves, water and land post stations, and near the government offices in the city. Merchants gathered there. Yinzhuo could imagine the bustling scene of people coming and going from the north and south, with restaurants and inns as numerous as forests, just from the descriptions of Yintang and Yinyi.