Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 502: Flattering Appearance
Emperor, are you trying to make me hate you? Zhang Shou didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but the emperor looked like he wanted to hear your opinion, so he wouldn't let him refuse.
Therefore, although the scrutinizing gaze of the opposite headmaster Hong was as real as a substance, and the smile of the headmaster Yue was meaningful, he still said calmly: "Your Majesty compares me with the headmasters Yue and Hong, who have many students all over the world. As a fledgling teacher, I am really terrified. However, just as the quality of students cannot be completely determined by comparison, the quality of teachers cannot be determined by comparison either."
"For example, Principal Hong taught a scholar who won the first place in the imperial examination and was also famous for his literary talent; while Principal Yue taught a scholar who, although he did not pass the imperial examination and only entered the government with difficulty, was able to make the people live and work in peace and contentment, and was praised by people and even had countless people see him off when he left office. Can these two students be compared? Can these two teachers be compared?"
"For example, Principal Hong taught a censor who dared to criticize the ministers and chancellors of the imperial court, and who was the most honest official who was not afraid of power; while Principal Yue taught a minister who could control floods, build bridges, and find a good solution for a river that had swallowed up countless fertile fields for dozens or hundreds of years. Can these two students compare? Can these two teachers compare?"
Seeing that Shanzhang Hong and Shanzhang Yue had different expressions, and the emperor was looking at him with some surprise, Zhang Shou just smiled indifferently.
"Your Majesty, don't look at me. I don't have the ability to check people's resumes. Principals Yue and Hong have good and capable students, and I also have good and capable students. If it weren't for Lu Sanlang and Ji Jiulang, I, a doctor of the Imperial College who came from the countryside and was ignorant, would not have known that Principals Hong and Yue had so many talents under their tutelage!"
After laughing, he continued, "Although I have only been a teacher for one year, I can confidently say that a teacher is someone who imparts knowledge and resolves doubts, and I have always tried my best to do that. Some people have good aptitudes, while others do not. I cannot treat them all equally, but I am willing to do my best to help them find a way out for the future."
"Some people can get ten points of results with one point of effort, while some people can only get one point of results with ten points of effort. But if we always ignore this situation, it will be too unfair to those who work hard. Therefore, I have only one simple goal, which is to let those who are willing to work hard in the world at least see their own future."
“Let those who are willing to work hard in the world at least not be disappointed or even despair.”
Shanzhang Yue had no idea what Shanzhang Hong felt when he met Zhang Shou for the first time, but he had to sigh that the young boy in front of him was just as the rumors said, and did not look like he came from the countryside at all.
The emperor's question was a tricky one, but Zhang Shou not only successfully resolved the problem, but also boasted about himself. His words were so high-sounding that no one could find fault with them. He also recommended two students. Compared with the students he and Hong Shanchang had just recommended, Zhang Shou's words were clearly more clever.
But the eyes of Hong Shanzhang, which were originally slightly narrowed, gradually widened at this moment. He stared at Zhang Shou with wide eyes. Seeing that Zhang Shou was in high spirits and looking at him fearlessly, he could not help but take a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Sweet words and flattering appearance!"
At this moment, even though Shanchang Yue was very wary of Zhang Shou and was quite cautious of Shanchang Hong because of what Shanchang Hong said on the road, he couldn't help but feel that Shanchang Hong's rebuke was absurd to the extreme.
Is he judging Zhang Shou's rhetoric so openly? Is this Hong confused or has he lost his mind, or is he so self-righteous that he has completely forgotten the occasion?
Even though Zhang Shou hinted in his words that there are many talented and upright students in Yuzhang Academy, he was not scolding you. Do you need to jump out and scold him as if someone has stepped on your tail?
Zhang Shou had always been a man who respected others as much as he could. Now, this Hong Shanzhang, whom he had just met for the first time, suddenly scolded him for his sweet words. If he pretended not to hear it and tried to keep quiet, he would not be like him. He smiled without hesitation and said, "No matter how sweet my words are, I can't compare to Hong Shanzhang's impassioned words in his memorials, and then he turned around and recommended his virtuous daughter!"
Chief Hong suddenly became furious and stood up without caring that he was in the presence of the emperor.
"It is because the officials in the court are submissive and cannot correct the atmosphere and persuade the emperor that you have been spoiled. You look like a gentleman, but you are actually a villain! You are only a few years old. If the emperor appoints you as a doctor of the Imperial College, you should humbly decline. How can you be so shameless as to occupy the position and even drive away your colleagues!"
"On the one hand, you flatter the powerful, and on the other hand, you win people's hearts and make those poor children grateful to you. On the one hand, you build schools, and on the other hand, you desperately instruct students to go out and make money in the local area! The people in Cangzhou are in turmoil, and drastic measures should be taken to deal with the criminals. However, you blindly blame the eldest prince, show favor to the common people, and seek fame and reputation, but you don't care about the reputation of the emperor and the royal family!"
He panted and said this without even glancing at other people's expressions. He said firmly, "I wrote to the emperor to ask him to choose marriages for the princes without any selfish motives! And I recommended my daughter to be the eldest prince's consort without any selfish motives. My daughter started learning literature at the age of three. She can recite books on women's virtues such as the Analects of Confucius by heart, and she is even more skilled in needlework."
"In the past, Jiangxi suffered from floods and droughts one year after another. Many people were displaced and countless people sold their children. It was my daughter who came forward and gathered women to raise silkworms, weave silk, spin yarn, weave cloth, make socks and other handicrafts, barely maintaining the food and clothing of hundreds of people. Her character and virtue have always been well-known. And most importantly, my daughter is older than the eldest prince and has an ordinary appearance, so there is no need to worry about the harm of being a foxy woman."
At this moment, Zhang Shou suddenly felt like rolling his eyes.
Although it was really unfair to be scolded for no reason, he was just preparing to scold back. But now when he heard Hong Shanzhang suddenly start to praise his daughter with confidence, and even cited actual evidence of her virtue, and finally explained why his daughter was suitable to be the eldest prince's consort, he was speechless.
She is older than the eldest prince, not good-looking, has read all the books on women's virtues that are like the dogmas of being a good wife and mother, and is also good at needlework and other manual work... Why does he feel that she was carved out according to the templates of the most famous ugly women in the world?
So Zhang Shou simply said unhappily, "May I ask, Principal Hong, are you going to give us examples of the four great beauties? No matter Xi Shi, Diao Chan, Yang Guifei, or Wang Zhaojun, none of the four great beauties had a good ending. But the four great ugly women in history books were all good wives and mothers, and lived in harmony with their husbands. So, although Ling'er is plain-looking, she will definitely be able to persuade the eldest prince to be good people."
This was what Shanzhang Yue wanted to say just now. At this moment, the corners of his mouth twitched twice. He forced himself to suppress the urge to retort after Zhang Shou, and wondered in his heart whether Shanzhang Hong was really pedantic.
The next moment, his question was answered. Because Hong Shanchang faced the emperor calmly and said word by word: "A woman's beauty can only last for 10 to 20 years. After the passage of time, how can it compare to her virtue, words, and achievements? Mo Mu was able to assist the Yellow Emperor, Meng Guang was able to treat her as an equal, Zhongli was able to advise the King of Qi, and Ruan was able to instruct her husband."
"If you get these four girls, you can at least settle down your family and help your husband, unlike some beautiful women who bring trouble to the family and the world. I have already made it clear in my previous letter that the eldest prince is now the eldest son of a concubine who is imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple for a crime, so he can naturally be left to fend for himself. However, I know firsthand that as a father, Your Majesty must be sad to imprison his eldest son in a humble room."
"Of course, if you really only care about the eldest prince's heirs, Your Majesty can choose women from the common people as the eldest prince's wives and concubines. If it is not easy to choose girls from noble families, you can also choose orphans from the common people and teach them to send them to the eldest prince. But Your Majesty has been governing the country for many years, and you are exactly what kind of person you are. Both the ministers and the people of the world know very well. Your Majesty is kind-hearted and does not want to do this!"
Although he was furious at what Hong Shanchang said just now - although he was scolding Zhang Shou, the emperor felt that some of his words were also scolding him. But when he heard Hong Shanchang deny in that tone that he would casually sacrifice innocent women for the eldest prince, the emperor's face unconsciously softened.
He glanced at Zhang Shou and saw that one of his hands was on the handrail, while the other hand was hanging down. He looked again and saw that he was holding the hand of the Fourth Prince. His youngest son was very angry at this moment, as if he would rush out to argue with Hong Shanchang at any time.
Although he almost lost his temper and wanted to kick him out just now, the emperor nodded slightly at Zhang Shou after calming down, and then said: "Although Zhang Shou has been a teacher for a short time, his achievements are obvious to all, and you can't erase them with just a few words."
Seeing that Hong Shanzhang was extremely shocked and could not accept it, the emperor said to himself: "As for what you said about him trying to please the rich and powerful... you are probably wrong. He is so successful in Banshan Hall. It is not him trying to please others, but others trying to please him. For example, my Sanlang and Silang would not have taken the entrance exam for Jiuzhang Hall if they did not like him as a teacher."
Finally finding an opportunity to speak, the Fourth Prince immediately said loudly: "That's right, the teacher teaches well and treats students even better. This is known to everyone in the Imperial College! Yang Yiming is a guy with low character. Even his students want to break off their friendship with him. How can it be said that the teacher forced his colleagues to leave!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became. Suddenly, he felt a hand pressing on his shoulder . When he turned his head and saw it was Zhang Shou, he felt as if a puffed-up ball had been punctured and immediately deflated.
But when he retreated to Zhang Shou's side, he was still mumbling, "Don't my third brother and I know what kind of person our eldest brother is? He values beauty over virtue. When the Queen... well, Concubine Jing was choosing palace maids for him, she picked two ordinary-looking ones, but he was not happy with them. He had to have stunning beauty! He also always boasts in front of my second brother, saying that he will marry a beauty prettier than Sister Yingying as his princess in the future!"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but glance at the emperor and saw that the emperor's expression was extremely subtle at this time. It was obvious that his younger son had spoken without thinking and exposed the dark materials of his older son. The father was also helpless. He stood up and bowed to the emperor calmly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for clearing my name."
"Just now, Lord Hong said that I was seeking fame and reputation without caring about the reputation of the royal family. I don't want to defend myself. After all, Lord Hong has already chosen the most suitable princess for the eldest prince and explained the pros and cons for the emperor. What else can I, an outsider, say? I just want to ask, Meng Guang got married at the age of thirty, and Wuyan Jun was forty when she became the queen. May I ask how much older your daughter is than the eldest prince?"
Hearing this, Shanzhang Yue finally couldn't help laughing out loud, and asked maliciously: "Like Ruan's husband, he also fled because of his wife's ugly appearance. Shanzhang Hong is well-intentioned for the emperor, but he also has to think about the eldest prince."
Zhang Shou saw that Shanzhang Yue finally couldn't help but help him, so he naturally sighed that he was tactful, and then said with a smile: "The most important point is, Shanzhang Hong, have you ever asked your daughter what you mean?"
Chief Hong ignored Zhang Shou and Chief Yue's joint attack and said sternly, "It was her parents' order and the matchmaker's words. She has always been a filial daughter and knows the meaning of loyalty and righteousness. Therefore, when I wrote the letter, she had already agreed generously. She will definitely persuade the eldest prince to abandon evil and promote good."
After hearing the previous words, everyone in the huge main hall, including the Fourth Prince, felt that the previous petition was all manipulated by Chief Hong, and that the plain-looking but not young Mrs. Hong probably just left it to fate.
But after hearing the second half, everyone was a little bit unbelievable. Could it be that this woman was really so virtuous that she regarded the examples in the Biographies of Women as the golden rule? For a moment, no one noticed that Director Hong avoided talking about his daughter's age.
Shanchang Yue felt his eyelids twitching, especially when he thought about living in a temporary residence with Shanchang Hong, a guy with a strange temper and rigid behavior, he felt a gloom in front of his eyes.
It took him a long while to gather himself together, and he forced out a big smile: "May I ask, Master Hong, could it be that your daughter followed you to the capital?"
"Of course." Hong Shanchang smiled proudly and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "After my wife died, I never remarried. All household affairs were taken care of by my daughter. Even the editing of manuscripts was left to her. Although many people from all over the country came to ask for her hand in marriage because of her reputation, she couldn't bear to leave her father alone and didn't want to get married. I couldn't persuade her, so I could only let her do what she wanted."
"She often said that most men in the world value beauty over morality, so she spent her life helping the weak and helpless women and children. I think this makes a lot of sense, so I agreed with her. If I hadn't felt that the eldest prince should be given a chance to reform, I wouldn't have mentioned this to her, and she wouldn't have agreed out of hand."
At this point, Dean Hong said loudly: "Your Majesty blames me for wrongly blaming Dr. Zhang. I am thousands of miles away, and I may have heard it from hearsay. However, Dr. Zhang blames me for ulterior motives, which is to judge a gentleman by one's own mean heart! I know that I am not talented and learned enough, and Yuzhang Academy cannot do without me as the Dean. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to stay in Beijing for a few days and then rush back."
Seeing the man in front of him bow to the ground after he finished speaking, Zhang Shou couldn't help but exchange glances with Yue Shanzhang for the first time. Is this guy really pedantic or just a fake? And this sentence, is it to retreat in order to advance, or... to retreat in order to advance?
