Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 591: The Wise King and the Idle King
Ye Mengqiu and four others who had caused a big disturbance at the coming-of-age ceremony at the Lu Mansion were kept by Zhang Shou in Zhang Garden. Later, Lu Sanlang brought people to deliver several large boxes of books - one box was delivered by him first, and the other boxes were brought again after he met up with other classmates and junior brothers - after the news spread, those who were originally waiting to see Zhang Shou and his students suppress dissidents were suddenly dumbfounded.
In the past, weren't the teachers and students of Zhangshou very aggressive and would fight back against anyone who criticized them? Why did the sun rise from the west today? Not only was he tolerant and forgiving, but he also pretended to be a supporter of his fellow travelers and kept him in Zhangyuan to discuss mathematics together?
Ge Yong, who had tried his best to hold back from going to the Lu Mansion to join in the fun of the fat boy's coming-of-age ceremony, learned the whole story from the side. He was worried at first, then satisfied, and finally went to find his two old friends in triumph, trying his best to show off his ability as a prime minister. Moreover, he not only said this, but also ordered people to spread it, which naturally made people angry to death.
Among them, the Grand Secretary Kong, who was already annoyed by Zhang Shou's love of making trouble, was furious - how could Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang be compared with the prime minister? Also, was Ge Yong sure that this was not a mockery of him, the Grand Secretary, for being too narrow-minded?
In addition to the Grand Scholar Kong, the four deans in the Juxian Yashe of the Imperial College who were preparing for the next imperial lecture were also in a bad mood when faced with this news. The other three were fine, but the least sophisticated and the worst-tempered dean Hong was so angry that he smashed things.
And considering that Hong was directly summoned by the empress dowager to Qingning Palace for company, and the only person who could advise him was gone, after he had vented his anger, he realized that he was no longer in Jiangxi, nor in his own Yuzhang Academy.
Sure enough, the noise in his room spread to the other three places in an instant. Although they usually had different views on people, after getting along with Hong Shanzhang, the three of them all had the same opinion of him. Although this person was extremely proficient in classics and history and was very rigorous in his studies, he had one biggest shortcoming, which was his stubborn personality and his hatred for all kinds of unconventional things.
They really couldn't understand why the emperor, who was so eccentric and unconventional, would summon such a colleague?
If the three of them knew that it was because of the plain-looking but capable Hong that Shanchang Hong came into the emperor's sight, they would definitely feel that it was a pity for Shanchang Hong that he had a good daughter but did not know how to cherish her.
At this moment, Hong Shanchang's good daughter, Hong, was spending her fourth day in Qingning Palace.
For other noble ladies, being kept in the palace by the empress dowager was a first-class privilege. Not to mention that the emperor was now in his prime, the supreme ruler of the world, and had a dignified appearance, and the queen who was said to be jealous had already been deposed. Even if they really didn't want to be concubines, the empress dowager's favor would spread out in the future, which would help them to improve their reputation at home and in their husband's family in the future.
But as for Hong, she was so low-key in Qingning Palace that she wished she didn't exist. Not to mention trying to please the Queen Mother, she didn't even seem to understand the way the daughters of the rich used copying scriptures to quietly show their presence. Every day, apart from reading, writing, painting , and needlework, she would only ask the palace servants who were sent to serve her one thing, which was when the girls' school would open.
Therefore, even though she was initially suspicious of Hong's intentions, the Queen Mother had to admit that she was a smart woman who knew what she wanted and what she shouldn't get involved in. So, on the night after the Lu Mansion's coming-of-age ceremony, the Queen Mother called Hong directly to her and spoke to her in a friendly manner.
"The matter of the girls' school will be formally prepared after the emperor confers the title of crown prince in the middle of this month. You, as the tutor, should have gone to assist Yongping who has taken on this matter. But before that, since you have nothing to do here, Sanlang has asked you to teach him painting. Starting tomorrow, you should go and teach him every other day."
Although she had reached an agreement with Chu Kuan before, Hong didn't think that she could really teach the future crown prince. The third prince's previous proposal to teach painting not only saved her, but also proved that he also had reservations about the matter. After entering the palace these few days, she didn't even hear the three words "teaching painting", and she felt that the matter was hopeless.
But now that the Queen Mother brought up the old matter again, she was not overjoyed, but rather shocked. If possible, she would rather let her mother entrust herself to the school, and she herself felt that it was meaningful to do it well - as for teaching and influencing the Crown Prince of the East Palace, it was just a dream, and she did not have such a big ambition.
However, no matter how surprised or ignorant she was, she tried to decline with fear and trepidation, saying that she was afraid she could not take on such a heavy responsibility. But the empress dowager just smiled and said nothing. She had no choice but to agree.
The next day was another lecture. Although Hong didn't ask about it, she still heard from the palace that several great scholars were giving lectures today - among them was Yue Shanzhang of Zhaoming Academy, but her father was not there. She couldn't be sure how the emperor decided the order, but after the lecture was over, she learned about the situation of that day from Yuquan.
There is no doubt that after the emperor deliberately arranged the schedule of the imperial lectures and encouraged "academic debates", this day was still full of verbal battles , and Yue Shanchang, like Zhang Shou, also debated with the crowd and shined brightly.
But all this had nothing to do with her, a woman who did not have to attend the imperial lectures - although as far as she knew, there were many girls in the capital, including Zhu Ying, who could attend the imperial lectures, but she had no intention of trying to join in the fun - what was worrying her more now was what she should say in her first lesson to the Third Prince.
Should we talk about painting step by step, or use objects to satirize people and express our own opinions, or should we take the golden mean and just fool around?
Hong, who had been tossing and turning all night, got up early on the fourth day of October, washed and changed her clothes, and ate a tasteless breakfast. Then, as usual, she was asked by the Queen Mother to stay and study. Although she looked calm, her mood was mixed. Half an hour later, she returned to the side hall where she lived. She read and wrote as usual, but before she could adjust her mood, it was time for lunch again.
After a lunch that was so plain that it was tasteless, she finally had the experience of being a teacher to a prince for the first time in her life - and also the experience of being a teacher to the future crown prince. When she followed the female official Yuquan out of Qingning Gate, she didn't pay attention to the direction of travel at first. When she found that she had arrived in front of Kunning Palace, she was surprised.
Yuquan saw her surprise and said with a smile, "It is convenient for the emperor to come here from the Qianqing Palace, and the Kunning Palace is empty anyway, so before the enthronement ceremony, the third and fourth princes are left here to study."
Hong was originally prepared to teach only one prince. When she learned that the fourth prince was also here, she was stunned and almost asked how she should teach him. Fortunately, she was only teaching painting. If she wanted to teach other things...how could she teach the crown prince and ordinary princes in the same way? However, what surprised her even more was what happened next.
When she followed Yuquan into the east warm room of Kunning Palace, she saw the third prince actually stood up to greet her. He first politely called her Aunt Yuquan, then nodded and smiled at her, "Madam Hong, from today on, I should call you teacher."
Shocked, Hong hurriedly said modestly, "I am only teaching Your Highness how to paint. I dare not be called a teacher."
"In ancient times, there was a word for teacher. Even if Madam Hong really only teaches me painting today, she deserves the word teacher." The Third Prince smiled sincerely and brilliantly. Seeing that Madam Hong was still trying to refuse, he said solemnly, "Besides, it was me who took the initiative to ask for teaching painting. If I don't respect my teacher because of this, then I would be sorry to Madam Hong."
At this point, he turned his head to look at the Fourth Prince beside him. Seeing that he couldn't help yawning, he said, "Fourth brother, if you are not interested in painting, then I can talk to my father and ask him to ask someone to teach you how to play chess."
"ah?"
The fourth prince finally came to his senses. He stared at his brother with wide eyes, and found that he was not joking at all. He quickly straightened his back and said, "No, no, I will learn painting with my third brother, and learn chess when I have time in the future."
I have to keep a close eye on this strange woman to prevent her from taking advantage of your kind and honest character to stir up trouble!
Hong saw the Fourth Prince's vigilant and even hostile look and felt helpless. When she started teaching painting, her feelings became even more obvious.
If the Third Prince was intelligent and generous, a little shy at best, and a model of the royal family, then the Fourth Prince was a man with many problems, often questioning people out of the blue, and even liked to deliberately cause trouble. Hong also found that she could not ignore the Fourth Prince, otherwise he would definitely try to make trouble nearby.
Therefore, after half an hour, she, who had taught some children before, felt exhausted. After all, some women used to make a living by raising children. She was really curious about how Zhang Shou had taught this unruly little prince.
The Third Prince certainly saw that the Fourth Prince was trying to make trouble, but he would not scold his younger brother in front of outsiders to show off his authority as an elder brother. Even if he became the Crown Prince in a few days, it would be the same - after all, the Hong family was also an outsider in his eyes. Therefore, he just coughed from time to time to remind the Fourth Prince not to go too far.
It's just that he really likes painting, and Hong's painting skills are indeed very good. Although he is still a little unnatural when explaining, he is much better than those fearful painters. After all, no matter how willful the emperor is, he would never let those court officials with famous painters teach an insignificant little prince like him. He only summoned a few court painters to teach him.
Therefore, when the class of less than an hour was over, he thanked her sincerely and personally sent Hong to the door. After watching her leave, he glanced at the palace maids and eunuchs serving by his side, grabbed the Fourth Prince and hurried away.
Everyone was already used to such scenes, and after looking at each other, they all stayed where they were. Needless to say, the next thing would be the elder brother teaching the younger brother a lesson, so it was better for them not to watch.
However, the Third Prince's behavior was beyond everyone's expectations. He did not scold his brother behind him, but took the Fourth Prince out of Kunning Palace directly from the back door. When they came out of the Jinghe Gate behind Kunning Palace, they saw the back garden behind them. He saw several eunuchs passing by staring at the two brothers in amazement, but they did not say anything, just tightly holding the Fourth Prince's wrist.
He dragged the man all the way to the Wanchun Pavilion in the back garden of Kunning Palace. Seeing the surrounding situation in full view, and seeing that everyone he saw along the way had wisely avoided him, he let go of his hand and asked in a low voice: "Fourth brother, have you heard anything?"
The Fourth Prince thought that his brother would ask him why he made things difficult for Mrs. Hong, and he had already prepared a lot of convincing answers, but the Third Prince was so straightforward that he could not help but be stunned.
He never had the habit of lying in front of the Third Prince. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered, "I heard that someone is planning to promote this woman to alienate you and the teacher. The teacher is a pretty good person, and his follower Ah Liu is also very interesting... Anyway, I don't like this woman very much, so just drive her away!"
Hearing this answer, the Third Prince was stunned. He stared at his brother with a strange expression, and then he laughed for a long time. Seeing that the Fourth Prince was laughing at him, he said calmly: "Where did you hear this? Don't you think about it? The teacher is Sister Yingying's fiancé, and the emperor has always appreciated him. Why can Madam Hong compare with him?"
"Distance does not separate closeness. Am I closer to the teacher or to her? She teaches painting, while the teacher teaches mathematics. Painting is entertainment, while mathematics explains the principles of the world. Which one do you think is more important? Or do you think I'm so stupid?"
"The person who spread this message to you had bad intentions, and you took it seriously!"
The fourth prince was a little unconvinced at first, but after hearing the last part, he was a little embarrassed. He frowned and thought hard for a long time, and finally said bitterly: "Maybe it's really like what you said, the day before yesterday, when I went out of Jinghe Gate and walked around the back garden, I heard someone talking about Hong's... Yes, that day was at Yucui Pavilion, and the pavilion was surrounded by flowers and trees!"
The Third Prince was speechless. The Fourth Prince was usually quite smart, how could he suddenly become stupid? His father had long ago taught them that when walking around the palace, they should try not to go to places where people could hide, but should walk openly in the largest possible public place, and when talking, they should also look for open areas where people could not hide, so as to avoid having ears behind the walls!
Therefore, he suddenly made a move and flicked the Fourth Prince's head. Seeing him covering his forehead and looking at him with resentment, he said helplessly: "Okay , don't listen to others in the future. As the lectures go on day by day, the Emperor will probably select other lecturers. Those people are not as humble and low-key as Madam Hong. If you keep making trouble like this, you'll be in trouble."
"What's the big deal!" The fourth prince smiled nonchalantly, "At best, they will complain to my father, or they will say that I am unruly and undisciplined... Anyway, I will be a leisurely prince in the future..."
"He is a wise king, not an idle king!" The third prince's face changed, and after a stern rebuke, he said word by word, "Fourth brother, whether I will have a younger brother in the future, this may be hard to say, but now I only have you as my younger brother! Moreover, our father asked us to study together, and his expectations have always been clear."
"I hope you can compete with me as you did before, instead of pretending to be stupid to make me look better!"
