Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 559: Sonorous
Compared with Chu Kuan, who had been fighting with the high officials of the court, Hong knew her own strengths. In Jiangxi, she could rely on her father's connections and the care of the elders in Yuzhang Academy, so she was like a fish in water. She could use her father's name to quietly help those talented students in miscellaneous subjects, but in the capital...
Whether she was a filial daughter or a talented woman, these reputations did little to help her. On the contrary, because her father, Hong Shanchang, had previously petitioned to marry her to the eldest prince, the entire capital had more negative comments about her, even more than the comments about her appearance. Fortunately, she was not a beauty, otherwise the gossip alone would have been enough to make her unable to move forward.
Therefore, she didn't care what Chu Kuan was planning to do with her or who he was going to use her to fight, but she knew that once she took on the reputation of being the third prince's teacher, not only would there be an uproar in the court, but even the spit of the people would drown her. Even her father would not be happy for her, but would think that the court's move was too absurd.
Therefore, when she met Chu Kuan before, she specifically asked about the Third Prince's personality and preferences. When she learned that the Third Prince liked painting very much, she made up her mind.
But even so, the fact that the Third Prince actually took the initiative to bring up the topic just now was something she found to be an unexpected surprise.
At this moment, she had said everything she wanted to say in the four virtues of ink painting. Seeing that everyone in the room was silent, she smiled and said, "I wonder if the Third Prince thinks that I am qualified to teach you the art of ink painting?"
The Third Prince immediately showed a big smile on his face, nodded happily and said, "Madam Hong is kind-hearted and has a noble character. The eight words of charm, structure, shallowness, and hidden power just now are the icing on the cake. You know, I have been learning ink painting for so long, but I can't get started at all. Father always tells me who paints well, but after inviting her here, I find that being a good painter does not mean being a good teacher."
"I will go back to the palace today and ask my father to teach me how to paint." At this point, he looked at Princess Yongping and asked sincerely, "I wonder if Third Sister is willing to give up and let Madam Hong teach me how to paint? She doesn't have to come to teach me every day, just once every two or three days will be enough ."
Even though Shanzhang Yue and Fourth Master Hua could not really be considered to be on the same side, they still couldn't help but exchange glances at this moment, and then they saw a bit of admiration and fear in each other's eyes.
The admiration and fear were not just for one person, but for two people. Whether it was the Third Prince's sudden change of approach or Hong 's calm response, it seemed like a dialogue that had been rehearsed countless times beforehand, but in fact it was clearly their own impromptu performance. They saw it with their own eyes and were shocked in their hearts, and they no longer dared to underestimate women and children.
As for how they could tell... just look at the inexplicable surprise of Princess Yongping, who is known as the most talented woman in the capital!
Princess Yongping was indeed very surprised. She had never expected that the Third Prince would suddenly bring up the topic of painting, and that Mrs. Hong could handle it with ease. It would be fine if this was discussed in advance, but Mrs. Hong only met the Queen Mother once and never entered the palace again. After announcing the news of the Eastern Palace, this was the first time that the Third Prince left the palace today.
It is impossible for the two to meet, so how could they get in touch? And yet, they have such a tacit understanding!
In the past, the Third Prince trusted Zhang Shou, but now it seems that it is not certain that he will add another woman named Hong in the future. This woman is really too scheming and knows how to guess other people's intentions! She probably knew in advance that she could not become the Third Prince's legitimate teacher!
When Princess Yongping was in a dilemma, Zhu Ying nodded said, "This is really a good idea that has the best of both worlds. The Third Prince has always loved painting, but even if those painters have excellent brushwork, they often don't know how to teach others. It would be best if Madam Hong could teach painting. Once every two or three days, it wouldn't interfere with the homework."
Zhang Shou burst into laughter. He didn't bother to think whether Zhu Ying was simply unwilling to use her brain or had already seen through it, so he pretended to be ignorant and supported the Third Prince, and simply agreed: "Since the Third Prince has finally found a famous teacher to teach him how to paint, I have to say congratulations."
The Third Prince, who was originally nervous but pretending to be calm, finally felt relieved after receiving support from Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou. He looked at Princess Yongping eagerly, wanting to continue pleading, but as if he was afraid of angering his sister, and everyone saw it. This time, Princess Yongping finally had to give a response.
Although she was not close to these brothers and sisters in the past, she still had a good idea of the personalities of the third and fourth princes. Although they had their own little calculations, they were much cuter than her two useless brothers.
She couldn't possibly become the future prince's teacher. If her tutor was teaching people how to paint, and she blocked their way, wouldn't people think she was intolerant? So she pretended to be angry and said, "You want to snatch the tutor that the queen mother specially selected for me! Fortunately, she only taught you how to paint. If she taught you classics and history, people would think I instigated it!"
She said this with a double meaning, and then glanced at Yue Shanzhang and Hua Siye with a half-smile: "My third brother has loved painting since he was a child, and Madam Hong is a well-known talented woman, so I didn't expect that he was not accompanying me to meet someone today, but really wanted to become my disciple and learn from me. Since you two have witnessed it with your own eyes today, if anyone criticizes it later, you must help clarify it."
Mr. Hua Si immediately understood what he meant and agreed without hesitation: "Don't worry, Princess, this is a good thing. If anyone criticizes it, they must have evil intentions!"
At this moment, it was Yue Shanzhang who regretted that he should not have gone with Fourth Master Hua today, and therefore bumped into Fang Qing. If he was alone, he could have refuted righteously, or advised tactfully, or reminded calmly... If his persuasion failed, he could have left immediately, at least he could have spread the news of his opposition and exonerated himself.
But now, Fourth Master Hua had expressed his opinion first, and Princess Yongping had also spoken out to pressure him. If he walked away again, it would really offend the Third Prince, the future crown prince.
Even if the Third Prince is truly magnanimous and doesn't take it to heart, the most vengeful emperor will definitely remember it severely.
So, he thought again and again, and finally couldn't help but persuade: "Madam Hong is a woman after all, isn't it inappropriate for her to teach the Third Prince? Moreover, because of the letter written by Principal Hong before, once this matter is known, it is likely that someone will not be able to control their mouths, which will be detrimental to the Third Prince and Madam Hong's reputation."
After hearing what Yue Shanzhang said, Zhang Shou wanted to say a few words to help, but when he saw the Third Prince's firm face and an expression of "I have made up my mind", he felt that there was no need for him to interfere. Sure enough, the next moment, he heard the Third Prince speak.
"Three people make a tiger, Zeng Shen killed someone, and the multitude of opinions can melt gold... Since so many idioms have the same meaning, then even if I am cautious in my conduct, I will still be criticized."
This time, the Third Prince, with a calm face, took a deep breath and said word by word: "I can't please everyone, and I don't need to please everyone!"
"Well said! They say people's words are scary, but as long as you don't care, what can others do to you?" Zhu Ying smiled very brightly at this time. She even pulled the third prince over and touched his head intimately as she usually did in the palace, as if she didn't care at all that this was the future crown prince of the East Palace. "If the emperor heard your domineering words, he would definitely be very happy!"
The Third Prince suddenly became a little shy after being praised so much. He glanced at Zhang Shou nervously, and when he saw Zhang Shou actually gave him a thumbs up with a smile, he was surprised and happy at the same time. He didn't care that Zhu Ying's touch on his head had made him lose his image as the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, but coughed and said, "Of course, I must report this matter to my father with my Third Sister first."
After taking a look at Yue Shanzhang, he smiled innocently and said, "I am dull and have liked painting since I was a child, but I have never been good at it. However, I still like it. After listening to the teacher's basic mathematics in Banshan Hall, I became very interested. So in the palace, my fourth brother and I pestered father to teach him the "New Edition of Mathematics" by Master Ge, and finally we were able to pass the exam to Jiuzhang Hall."
"Father often said that fortunately I like painting and mathematics, not other things. Otherwise, if I liked riding horses and practicing martial arts like he did back then, someone would definitely say that playing with things is a waste of one's ambition. But I think that riding horses and practicing martial arts can strengthen the body, so how can it be called a waste of one's ambition?"
"As long as a person's preferences are appropriate and harmless, others should respect them, rather than trying to change them. No matter how well-intentioned such people are, we should stay away from them, at least that's the case for me."
Princess Yongping did not expect what the Third Prince would say, nor did Zhang Shou. Even Zhu Ying did not expect that the Third Prince, who was always so shy and seemed a little weak, would speak so powerfully.
And Shanzhang Yue could sense the independent will of the young prince from the Third Prince's words, and he couldn't help but raise his evaluation of the future crown prince to a higher level.
As for Fourth Master Hua, on the surface, he seemed to have been completely conquered by the aura of the future Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace - or rather, his domineering aura, and he just kept nodding and agreeing.
"The Third Prince is right. Those old stubborn people who gossip and make decisions under the pretext of doing good for you are really despicable. When I first took over the family business, I also encountered many such self-righteous elders. In the end, I sent them all to live out their days!"
"I have discussed this with Mr. Lu before, hoping to print thousands or tens of thousands of copies of Ge's Mathematical Classics and promote it in bookstores and even academies in Jiangnan. I wonder if the Third Prince can convince the Emperor to personally write a preface for this grand work of Mr. Ge?"
Although he was not valued by people in the palace since he had two older brothers, he was quite favored because the emperor often brought him and the fourth prince with him. Therefore, the third prince had a strong resistance to general flattery.
However, Fourth Master Hua's flattery really surprised and delighted him. He almost wanted to agree immediately - in his opinion, his father would definitely agree. But at this moment, he heard a crisp cough.
When he looked in the direction of the voice, he saw Zhu Ying glance at him angrily. When he lowered his eyes, he discovered that Zhang Shou was holding Zhu Ying's hand openly.
At this moment, he couldn't help but feel confused. Was it Zhu Ying who felt something was wrong and reminded him, or was it Zhang Shou who felt something was wrong and asked Zhu Ying to remind him? But in just a moment, the little prince made a quick decision.
"I need to report this to my father first." The third prince nodded slightly. Although he did not make any promises, he still said in an approving tone, "The Suzhou Hua family can occupy a place in the wealthy Jiangnan. This unique vision is really amazing. I heard that although the Hua family has many workshops, there has never been a servant causing trouble in all these years. This is rare."
Although there was no definite news about the thing he hoped to accomplish the most, the praise from the Third Prince was enough to surprise Mr. Hua Si.
He bowed to show his humility, and then said with a smile: "Although there are many servants in Jiangnan, as long as they work diligently, most of them can have enough food and clothing. I think that it is the scholars and even students in Jiangnan who have failed to study and cannot support their families, who not only do not work all day long, but also have to be supported by their families and wives, who are more likely to cause trouble than servants."
"If everyone can be as down-to-earth as the students of Zhaoming Academy and not take agricultural science as a hardship, then it would be better. But if they talk nonsense all day long and do not do their job, then they are more harmful than the idlers in the market. In fact, in Jiangnan nowadays, workshops are everywhere. It is easy for unemployed servants to cause harm, but those who have achieved fame but cannot make progress, or even have no fame at all..."
"Scholars are the biggest hidden danger! These people only have a mouth that can speak well. They don't think that being useless is a scholar. Instead, they think that everyone is born with talent and must be useful. If they are useless, it means that there are treacherous officials in the court and the local areas who are blocking the way!"
Just now he had been acting like a small-time flatterer, but at this moment he suddenly revealed the truth, and there was a moment of silence around him. And the one who broke the silence was Zhu Ying.
"Master Hua said that scholars are idle and have no job, so they gather together to make a fuss and there are many criticisms. This is indeed a big problem. It is said that most scholars nowadays are lazy and do not know how to distinguish between grains. I wonder what Master Yue thinks about this?"
Yue Shanzhang did not expect that it was Zhu Ying who suddenly targeted him instead of Zhang Shou. He was stunned for a moment and then his expression suddenly turned cold. He slowly stood up and said word by word: "Many scholars have forgotten the six arts of a gentleman, ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy and mathematics, but instead of complaining about their pedantry, it is better to think about what questions are asked in the examination papers used by the court to test scholars and grant them official positions?"
He took a deep look at the Third Prince, then calmly bowed and said, "The Third Prince is willing to learn from others and has a wide range of interests. This is a good thing, and I agree with it. If anyone criticizes it, I will refute it one by one. But I cannot agree with Fourth Master Hua's statement that idle scholars gathering to discuss current affairs is a hidden danger."
"Scholars don't engage in production, because what they learn is not for production, and unless they become officials, they can't find a place to put their knowledge to use!"
