Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 506: Hearing is not as good as meeting
When a person who grew up in the countryside enters a city for the first time, he will inevitably be stunned by the prosperity and wealth of a big city. Even the common people in a big city will inevitably be trembling with fear and shrinking their hands when they enter a mansion for the first time. As for the leading figures in the mansion, their first time entering the palace, their performance will not be much better than that of a country person entering the city for the first time.
The Queen Mother wanted to use this simple truth to test the quality of the Hong family. However, when she was thinking this, she only heard Zhu Ying laugh: "Queen Mother, this method sounds very good, but in this world, there is a kind of people who are different. To put it nicely, it is called not changing their expression even if Mount Tai collapses in front of them. To put it bluntly, it is that they don't care at all."
Zhu Ying glanced at Zhang Shou with pride as she spoke: "Take my Ah Shou for example. When a beauty like me fell from the sky, he avoided me like a snake and scorpion, and wanted to stay away from me every day! When he entered the capital, he seemed to be more interested in the city gate than my family's deep mansion. Later, after he entered the palace, I saw that he was also quite calm!"
Zhang Shou didn't expect Zhu Ying to use him as an example, so he could only laugh. He wasn't a real country boy, and he had seen almost everything that was available these days. Many of the gardens of later generations might be renovated imitations of antique buildings, but they were definitely not inferior to the designs of the ancients in terms of sophistication. He was almost aesthetically fatigued by the gardens of ancient streets and towns. He had even seen palaces in more than a dozen countries.
Born in the era of information explosion, he may not be as smart as those old foxes of today, but in terms of vision and knowledge, he is far ahead of them. What's so amazing about mansions and palaces? The top natural wonders and the grandeur and smallness of the earth seen from space are what make people excited, right?
But the Queen Mother had no idea what Zhang Shou was thinking. Because of Zhu Ying's words, she looked at Zhang Shou again. Seeing this elegant and handsome young man smiling at himself, she couldn't help but twist the Buddhist beads in her hand and smiled along with him.
"Yingying, I think you're always praising your own vision whenever her father bragging about her. If she can really enter the palace but turns a blind eye to the wealth and luxury, and acts as if she is alone, then it means that her father recommended the right person."
At this point, the Queen Mother said with a half-smile, "Chu Kuan didn't volunteer to go to greet her today. But I heard that all the leaders of the Imperial Household Department under him went out, in addition to the two Shang Gongs and two Shang Yis."
Zhang Shou simply didn't know what to say. Even though he had experienced all kinds of strong onlookers before, the treatment from Hong's onlookers today was no less than what he had experienced before. If a person is really just an ordinary girl, under so many sharp eyes, even small flaws will be picked out as big ones, and even if there is no problem, it will be picked out as a small flaw! To be honest, this is a bit of bullying.
He couldn't help but frown, and this expression immediately caught the eyes of the Queen Mother who had been observing him carefully.
However, the Empress Dowager did not expect that the person who was more directly disgusted than Zhang Shou was Zhu Ying.
"Although that old fellow surnamed Hong is annoying, why not take his daughter around the palace first and see how she reacts? One head of the Imperial Household Department is enough. Why do we have to go in such a large group?" Zhu Ying, who had just sat down, sneered and simply stood up. "How many people in the palace used to show their courtesy to the eldest prince? Why are they starting to think of other things now?"
Seeing Zhu Ying say "I'll go take a look" and then walk out without saying anything, Zhang Shou wanted to stop her, but seeing her impetuous look, he unconsciously gave up the idea. When the door curtain fell, only the empress dowager and himself, as well as the female official Yuquan and several palace servants who he had just met were left in the room, he laughed.
"Just like what Yingying said just now, when I first met her, I thought she was just an ordinary daughter of a noble family, just incredibly beautiful, so of course I stayed as far away from her as possible. But later, as we spent more time together, I saw that she had a frank personality. Although she did things her own way, she was open and aboveboard. I gradually felt that she was really a very special and interesting girl."
"Thanks to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the best grandmother, parents, and brothers, a girl like her can grow up without worries."
The Queen Mother did not expect Zhang Shou to comment on Zhu Ying like this in front of her. If Zhu Ying was replaced by someone else, she would definitely think that Zhang Shou's praise was deliberately said to her, but because it was Zhu Ying, she just felt that the treasure she had carefully cared for met someone with discerning eyes, and her eyes towards Zhang Shou softened unconsciously.
How many people just think Zhu Ying is a fool with vulgar appearance, but have never understood her?
She always felt that Zhu Ying was special, from the little pink ball who reached out for a hug when she first came in front of her, to the little maid who was like a cheerful colorful butterfly every time she entered the palace. Every time she saw her, the girl seemed like the bright sunshine, illuminating this gloomy palace. It was a kind of glory that came from being pampered in one's palm and having no evil thoughts in one's heart.
So compared to those princesses and princesses, she has always loved this girl more.
If it weren't for the protection of elders like them, that little bit of light might have been tainted by the darkness of the world long ago.
"Yingying is like this. On the one hand, she scolds and even hates someone, but on the other hand, she can't help but want to help when she sees that person being wronged." The Queen Mother smiled unconsciously, and even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes slightly relaxed. "This time, I am very curious, will her sincerity be in vain?"
Hearing the Queen Mother say this, Zhang Shou knew that the Queen Mother was still very wary of Hong. At the moment, he just smiled, and although he was a little curious about what the situation would be like when Zhu Ying came back, he didn't say anything.
He and the Queen Mother did not have much in common, so instead of forcing a conversation that would make both of them uncomfortable, it would be better to remain silent and take a break. He had neither the interest nor the need to please the Queen Mother.
Therefore, Zhang Shou, who could sit still the longest, sat there calmly, daydreaming as he made his own student training plan in his mind - no matter whether it was the first batch of students such as Zhang Chen and Lu Sanlang, or the sophomores of Jiuzhang Hall, or the first years now, he counted the names of each person in his mind one by one, and he had no worries about passing the time.
The Queen Mother saw him being distracted and gradually developed some admiration. It was not because she was used to seeing ministers trembling in front of her, so now she suddenly saw a calm and composed one and she would admire his character, but she had already realized that Zhang Shou did not have the ambition to pursue a career in the government and rise to prominence.
Because anyone who has this idea will find ways to show themselves even when facing the queen mother who has already handed over power.
And Yuquan, the first female official of Qingning Palace, who had served the Empress Dowager since the early years of Yongchen and later presided over the Shanggong Bureau for a time and only handed over the power after the Empress was enthroned, was truly shocked.
She knew the Queen Mother's true attitude towards Zhang Shou, and Zhang Shou, a smart man, should have noticed it. Now that Zhang Shou rarely came to Qingning Palace, he dared to act like this in front of the Queen Mother? Could it be that he had been with Zhu Ying for too long and had learned all the characteristics of that lady?
Whether it was neglect or indifference, Zhang Shou didn't come back to his senses until he heard Zhu Ying talking to someone outside. He was very familiar with Zhu Ying and could tell at once that the eldest lady's voice was cheerful, and it was obvious that she was in a good mood at the moment. Sure enough, when the curtain outside opened and Zhu Ying came in first, her face was filled with a smile.
"Ah Shou, the wife of the Hong family is a very interesting person. I used to think she was very old-fashioned, but I didn't expect that she actually has some very special skills. Some of the colorful Hangzhou silks that are popular in the capital now are even designed by her..."
Seeing Zhu Ying walking towards him happily, talking while walking around him, and whispering in his ear, Zhang Shou was slightly startled even though he was used to the eldest lady's unscrupulous behavior. But soon, he was completely attracted by Zhu Ying's low whisper.
"Ah Shou, this Hong is indeed very ordinary looking, but she knows how to match clothes well and looks very energetic. She makes me feel very comfortable and attractive. Her voice is very gentle, neither humble nor arrogant, but very reasonable, which makes you unconsciously willing to listen to her. Moreover, I asked her bluntly why she was willing to marry the eldest prince, and she said..."
Zhu Ying paused, as if she was hesitant about what to say next. However, when the woman she had just met entered the main hall and appeared in front of her, she was startled.
She said in a very low voice: "She said that she married the eldest prince not for her father, but for herself. She wanted to tell the eldest prince who has always been proud of his family background that unlike him, a woman without beauty and family background can achieve what kind of career."
Although Zhu Ying's voice was deliberately lowered to an extremely low level, Yuquan, whose ability to hear from afar was no less than Ah Liu's, heard it clearly and immediately repeated it word for word into the empress dowager's ear.
However, the Queen Mother did not pay much attention to Yuquan's words, because as soon as the woman came in, she kept staring at her.
It was an ordinary face - ordinary facial features that would definitely be overlooked in a crowd, a slightly high forehead, and yellow skin with even larger pores. If it weren't for her straight nose, rosy lips, and fairly slim figure, and her well-matched clothes, people might believe that she was over 30 years old.
However, what attracted people the most were those bright eyes. From those eyes, the empress dowager, who had seen countless people, seemed to see those familiar figures who were once silent but at the critical moment, they spared no effort to shine with all their light and warmth.
There was her nephew Zhu Jing, who was once just a low-ranking military officer, but resolutely took over the heavy responsibility when her two younger brothers were afraid in battle, defeated the enemy with a small force, and finally made a great name for himself; there was also Zhang Yun, the first Duke of Qin, who was originally just an unsuccessful co-governor, but at the critical moment of the struggle for the throne in the last years of Emperor Yingzong's reign, he persuaded her husband, Emperor Ruizong, to launch a surprise attack at all costs.
There were also many young people who stepped forward and held up the banner of her husband, Emperor Ruizong, in the midst of blood and gore.
Although it was only a momentary illusion, the empress dowager's initial teasing and carelessness disappeared when she saw Hong kneeling gracefully. After Yuquan followed her instructions and asked her not to bow, she smiled and asked, "Are you Hong? How old are you now? What books have you read since childhood?"
This was the opening remark that the Empress Dowager often used when meeting wives of officials and daughters in the past, but when asked this time, Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou both sensed a bit of testing in the words. Zhang Shou grabbed Zhu Ying's hand without thinking, and when he saw Zhu Ying looking at him, he shook his head slightly at her.
To others, their little actions were just a small interaction between unmarried children. The Queen Mother didn't pay attention, but the plain-looking Hong couldn't help but take a look, and then she smiled slightly.
Then, she spoke frankly, "Reporting to the Queen Mother, I am twenty-eight this year. Because my father studied Confucian classics, I have been reading the Four Books and Five Classics, the Records of the Grand Historian and the Book of Han, the Collected Works of Hundred Schools of Thought, law and music, and I have also learned some miscellaneous subjects since I was a child."
The Queen Mother was slightly startled, then smiled meaningfully: "I remember the Emperor told me that your father said you were familiar with all kinds of books on women's virtues and were proficient in needlework, but he didn't say you had read so many books. When Yingying came in just now, he only said that you were clever and had designed several unique Hang silks."
"I just met Miss Zhu for a short while, and I didn't have time to talk about anything else. In front of the Queen Mother, I naturally dare not hide anything. As for what father said, I have only read books on women's virtues, it is because father only cares about his knowledge of etiquette and law, and the students in the academy, and he doesn't really discipline his daughter, so he doesn't know my reading preferences."
When Hong frankly stated what she had learned, the Queen Mother smiled and asked, "Do you think that it is not enough for girls to only read books on women's virtues from a young age?"
“It’s not that it’s not enough, but it’s far from enough.”
Hong smiled slightly and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Back then, the Song sisters themselves did not marry, and their poetry and books were passed down from generation to generation. They were known as female scholars in the palace and teachers of concubines and princesses, but they passed on the Analects of Confucius to women in the world. This is inconsistent with their words and deeds. If we want to pay attention to women's virtues, they did not marry after the due date, which was in violation of the court's decree that men should marry when they are old enough and women should marry when they are old enough. What right do they have to write books and teach others?"
Zhu Ying didn't expect that Hong would dare to speak to the Queen Mother in such a tone, and her eyes lit up in surprise.
Zhang Shou, however, could clearly hear a hint of rhetoric in Hong's words. Therefore, he still held Zhu Ying tightly to prevent the young lady from interrupting him. The next moment, he only heard Hong say calmly: "Men are responsible for the outside world, while women are responsible for the inside world. Diligence, harmony, managing the household, and gentleness... These are not things that should not be learned, but learning only these is not enough."
"I don't know why women like the Song sisters and Ban Zhao wrote these essays instead of poems and songs. But after I read all the books in my father's study since I was a child, I couldn't help but find many more books to read. Later, I saw the miserable conditions of countless weak women struggling to survive. I vowed that as long as I have the ability, I must help women broaden their horizons."
