nashuaworldcup Chapter 323 Who Do You Want to Take This Position?
Chapter 323 Who Do You Want to Take This Position?
Chapter 323 Who Do You Want to Take This Position?
After a hearty meal, Emperor Kangxi and his two sons did not linger in the dining hall. After washing their hands and rinsing their mouths, they got up and headed towards the flower hall where Yinzhuo had been. Yinzhuo's stomach was quite full at the moment, so when he returned to the flower hall, he did not find a place to sit as usual. Instead, he strolled around the flower hall with his hands behind his back.
Others may not know what kind of person Yinzhuo is, but Kangxi and Yinreng know him very well. This guy would rather lie down than sit, and sit than stand. There were no outsiders in the flower hall at the moment, but he kicked off his shoes, threw off his socks, and sat up on the couch, leaning back. It seems that he really ate too much at this meal.
Kangxi didn't bother with Yinzhuo's aimless wandering around the flower hall; he figured the boy would stop eventually. Yinreng, on the other hand, was dizzy from Yinzhuo's incessant pacing, but dared he intervene? Could he? Even though his father was giving Yinzhuo the cold shoulder, believe it or not, the moment he uttered a sound, the two of them would be on the same side. So, adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble, Yinreng pretended to be blind, focusing all his attention on the chessboard before him, out of sight, out of mind.
"Yinzhuo, I ask you, if your second brother were to step down as crown prince, who among your brothers do you think would be suitable to take the position?"
It's no exaggeration to say that as soon as Kangxi finished speaking, Yinzhuo immediately sat down on the ground. It wasn't that he lacked courage or heart strength; it was simply that his father's question was too out of line. What did he mean by "I think who is suitable for this position"? What use was his opinion? In the end, wouldn't it be Kangxi himself who made the final decision?
Kangxi clearly hadn't expected that he would knock Yinzhuo to the ground with just one sentence. Seeing him sitting there blankly for a long time without getting up, he thought that he had fallen hard and injured himself. He immediately forgot about the game of chess and hurriedly got up and walked towards Yinzhuo.
Kangxi's sudden remark shocked everyone present. Not only was Yinzhuo so shocked that he sat down on the ground, but Yinreng, who was sitting opposite him, was also stunned for a moment. Fortunately, he reacted faster than Yinzhuo. When Kangxi got up and walked towards Yinzhuo, he came back to his senses. Seeing that Yinzhuo was still sitting there in a daze, he also got up and walked towards him.
"Yinzuo, what happened to you? Did you fall somewhere? Liang Jiugong, quickly go and fetch the imperial physician on duty at the Imperial Hospital. Yinzuo, Yinzuo..."
Despite the loud shouts of Kangxi, he didn't dare to shake Yinzhuo at all while squatting beside him. In fact, upon closer inspection, this made sense. Yinzhuo's condition was still unclear, and it would be a loss to cause him further harm by rashly touching him.
Although Yinzhuo was startled by his father's words and his mind temporarily went offline, it didn't mean his ears had also gone offline. Kangxi's voice was naturally not quiet in his haste, and Yinzhuo was jolted awake by his shout in his ear. His disconnected mind automatically searched for a signal and reconnected.
"No need, no need, Father, there's no need to fetch the imperial physician. I was just startled by what you said and haven't recovered yet. I don't feel anything wrong with my body. Second brother, could you lend me a hand and help me up?"
Although Yinzhuo said he felt no discomfort, his father was still worried and eventually sent Liang Jiugong to the Imperial Hospital to bring over the on-duty imperial physician. After examining Yinzhuo thoroughly and confirming that he was alright, the physician and the palace servants who had rushed in after hearing the noise were sent away.
Once the imperial physicians and palace servants left, only Emperor Kangxi, his sons Yinreng and Yinzuo, and Liang Jiugong, who was standing at the entrance of the flower hall pretending to be a wooden figure, remained in the large flower hall. Yinzuo had just tripped and fallen, and although his stomach was still churning, he didn't intend to wander around any longer in order to prevent his father from saying anything more outrageous. He kicked off his shoes, flung his socks to the ground, and stepped through the gap behind Emperor Kangxi onto the bed. Then, he pressed his father's shoulder and sat down on the inside of Emperor Kangxi.
“Look at you! You don’t resemble a prince at all. You’ve completely forgotten all your manners. Liang Jiugong, stop standing there and come in to tidy up his shoes and socks before you stand like a wooden stake at the door. Yinreng, stop studying your chessboard and come here to rip this dog-skin plaster off for me. And Yinzuo, you’re almost thirty years old, how come you haven’t even learned to sit properly…”
Yinreng and Yinzuo, one was Kangxi's favorite son in the past, and the other was Kangxi's favorite son now. Neither of these two seemed like the type to be afraid of Kangxi's nagging. Look at them, one is nagging while the other is playing his game. One is staring intently at the chessboard, remaining as steady as a mountain even after being glared at by his father. The other is leaning against Kangxi, his forehead turning red from being poked, but he hasn't moved an inch. The other one is making Kangxi so angry that he wants to drag them over and give each of them a big potsticker.
"Yinzuo, you haven't answered the question I just asked you. If your second brother were to step down as crown prince, who would you prefer to take his place?"
Good grief, just now you were asking who you thought was suitable for this position, and now it's become who you want to sit in? It's like I can decide that! What, if I said I was quite suitable, would you agree to let me be the crown prince...?
Even though Yinzhuo was inwardly complaining and only wanted to run away, he knew that with Kangxi and Yinreng watching him closely nearby, and Liang Jiugong blocking his way like a wooden stake in the distance, it wouldn't be so easy for him to escape.
“Father, what you’re saying isn’t right. What do you mean I want someone to sit in this position? What, if I told you I wanted to be the crown prince myself, would you agree? Besides, my second brother is doing a good job as crown prince, why are you stopping him? Let me tell you, changing the heir apparent is jeopardizing the foundation of the country. The crown prince can’t just be deposed. Even if my second brother has made mistakes, can’t you, as his father, be a little more tolerant of him? Look, you’re still trying to save face for him. What you’re saying hurts my second brother so much…”
Yinzhuo originally wanted to tell Kangxi that discussing the matter of changing the heir apparent in front of his second brother would hurt his brother's feelings, but when he inadvertently glanced at Yinreng's smiling face, he couldn't say anything more.
Kangxi glanced at Yinzhuo, who was playing dumb with him, then reached out and slapped Yinzhuo's forehead a few times, snorting in annoyance.
"Speak up, why are you so quiet? Weren't you so eloquent just now? What happened when you realized you'd misplaced your feelings and couldn't say anything? Come here, take a good look at your second brother. Look how happy he is, not a trace of sadness on his face. And you, you good-for-nothing, you keep saying you're the best friend in the world to me, is this how you're the best friend in the world to me? You say I don't tolerate him? If I really didn't tolerate him, when he came to me several times to ask to resign his position as crown prince, I would have had him dragged out and beaten with a board..."