activa-t Chapter 369 You're going out to build a snowman? Has the Emperor approved this activity?
Chapter 369 You're going out to build a snowman? Has the Emperor approved this activity?
What to do when you're stuffed? Of course, you need to find a way to digest your food. It's still snowing outside, so going out for a stroll is out of the question. But luckily, Qingxi Study is big enough. The father and son walked around the flower hall, study, dining hall, and meeting hall a couple of times, and the feeling of fullness that comes with overeating was almost gone.
In the end, Yinzhuo was never one to stay still. No sooner had he stopped feeling bloated than he started getting restless. It was alright if he couldn't go to the Imperial Garden, which was a bit far from Changchun Garden, but he could always go outside Qingxi Study. Look at the thick layer of snow on the ground; it's perfect for building a snowman.
"Wan Quan, come here. Go outside and find two people. Have them go to the West Garden and invite my older brother and the others over. Tell them that I see the snow is quite thick and I want to have a go at building snowmen with them... Father, you said before that I couldn't go to the Imperial Garden, so going outside Qingxi Study isn't considered disobeying and sneaking out, is it?"
Yes, this isn't exactly sneaking out, it's just acting first and asking questions later. Did I give you permission to call your older brothers over? Did I approve your activity of challenging someone to a contest on how to build this snowman? If you didn't do any of those things and just made the decision yourself, then isn't your last question a bit redundant?
At this moment, Yinzhuo was unaware of what Kangxi was thinking. Otherwise, he would have definitely told him, "Father, you think too much. If I wasn't afraid that you would really send my precious little dumpling away, I wouldn't have asked that last question at all..." Yinzhuo stood there waiting for a long time without seeing his father's reply. In the end, he could only walk a few steps to Kangxi, who was resting on the bed with his eyes closed, and reach out to tug at his sleeve as a reminder.
“Father, are you asleep? Our son said he wants to go out and build a snowman, and you haven’t answered me yet. No response? Fine, I understand. No response means consent, and consent means permission. Dexi, don’t just stand there. Father has given permission, so hurry up and get the tools ready so we can go build a snowman…”
No, what permission did you give? I haven't even said a word yet, and you've already made this decision so readily. Is that alright? But it's obviously too late to say anything now. If Kangxi doesn't want to spoil his son's mood, he can only grit his teeth and accept Yinzhuo's self-righteousness. As the saying goes, there are no parents in this world who can be more at ease than their children.
"You can go out, but we need to make this clear beforehand. If you lose because you're not as skilled as others, you're not allowed to come and cause trouble for me. Also, it's cold outside now, so you can't take off your cloak. If you catch a cold and get sick, you'll have to drink the medicine that Physician Wang prescribed, no matter how bitter it is. If you try to cheat, I won't tolerate it."
Yinzhuo was now completely preoccupied with building a snowman, so he readily accepted Kangxi's indifferent nagging. The West Garden was right next to Changchun Garden, and Yinti and his entourage arrived quickly. Yinzhuo saw them through the window of the flower hall and immediately abandoned his father, getting up to greet them at the entrance.
"Big brother, second brother, third brother, fourth brother, fifth brother... Hey, you're all here, why is little twelfth missing? Is that kid sick again? I haven't heard anything about it."
Because they were going to go out to build a snowman later, Yinqi and the others did not change their shoes before going inside. After standing at the door and bowing to Kangxi, they were called to leave and automatically formed groups of two or three, waiting for Yinzhuo to change his clothes.
"Alright, stop worrying about Little Twelfth. He's much healthier than you. It's just that his mother isn't feeling well, so he's staying in the capital to take care of her. As for you, it's quite cold outside, so don't be reckless when you go out later. Make sure you wear your cloak..."
Yinzhuo has finally figured it out. In the eyes of his brothers, he was never strong, but rather just bloated. Fine, then he'll set himself a small goal—to try to outlive the twelfth prince.
When Yinzhuo said he wanted to learn how to build snowmen from Yinti and the others, he wasn't just bragging. After all, he had studied ice shoveling for a while in the ice sculpture club when he was in college in his previous life. There's a saying that goes, "If you understand one thing, you understand everything." He thought that shoveling snow and shoveling ice should be similar in essence.
They say a man is a boy until he dies. Even though Yinti and his group are all quite old, they are all incredibly enthusiastic about building snowmen. Look, the palace servants have only just finished clearing the snow from the ground, and they've already grabbed their tools and are eager to get started.
But as the saying goes, interest is interest, and skill is skill. Yinti and the others had seen plenty of snowmen, but when it came to building one, it was a first for every single one of them. Before they started, they were all thinking about how they would show off their skills, but once they got their hands on it, they found that their hands really had their own ideas and didn't listen to their brains at all.
"Hahahaha, Xiao Jiu, what the hell is that pile of stuff you made? Big head, thick neck, oh, I know, you must have made a cook, right..."
Yinzhen stared at his sixth brother, who was laughing so hard he was doubled over, for a long time with a hesitant expression. In the end, he gave up trying to defend himself. He was just a cook, after all, he couldn't possibly argue that the things he had piled up were iron-eating beasts.
"Brother, what are you piling up? Judging by the posture and the branch, is it holding a bow and arrow? Guo Jing from The Legend of the Condor Heroes? Or Genghis Khan? Or maybe you, brother..."
To be honest, Yinti was genuinely excited when Yinzuo said the tree branch was a bow and arrow, after all, the other person guessed correctly. But when Yinzuo said the snowman was Yinti himself, Yinti's excitement vanished instantly, and he even showed a hint of embarrassment on his face. Of course, this wasn't because Yinzuo had guessed wrong; on the contrary, he had guessed perfectly. Yinti had indeed initially wanted to build a snowman of himself, looking dashing and heroic as he drew a bow and shot an arrow.
You ask why Yinti felt embarrassed? Well, it's simple. The snowman he built looked so bad that even he didn't want to recognize it. How could he not feel embarrassed? The main thing is that he doesn't dare to admit that the snowman is him. If he did, his brothers would tease him to death.
"Sixth Brother is indeed clever. I did pick up this tree branch to use as a bow and arrow. I remember you told us the story of shooting the eagle before, Guo Jing, right? That's him I'm referring to. I remember you mentioned a couplet when you told the story: 'Peach blossoms fall, shadows fall, divine sword flies; blue sea tide rises, jade flute plays...'"