Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 629: Today is Different than Before
Changing court robes three times a year seems incredible to others.
This is not to say that Zhang Shou jumped three major ranks in one year, but six minor ranks. Because court clothes are different from official clothes and daily clothes, there are no cranes and pheasants, they are more solemn red, with a complete set of tops, skirts, knee guards, etc. Even if the rank is upgraded, the clothes, shoes and socks are almost the same, with only a few changes in the leather belt and ribbon.
At most, it was a crown with a crossbar, nothing more. In this case, a set of court clothes could be worn for many years by frugal officials. After all, at the beginning of the founding of the country, the annual clothing allowance for officials was quite generous, but after a hundred years, prices rose, and silver was expensive while copper was cheap. The little money given now was not enough to buy clothes and change clothes.
Moreover, Zhang Shou entered the government as a seventh-rank official, and was later promoted to the sixth-rank. The seventh-rank and sixth-rank officials originally had the same crown and clothes, even the crown, leather belt and ribbon were exactly the same. It was not until the fifth-rank that a beam was added. The reason why he made three new court clothes in one year was simply that he had grown too much taller in the past year.
During this year or so, because of the good economy, his daily activities increased significantly. He even went to Cangzhou. As a result, the busier he was and the more he traveled, the better his appetite became. Moreover, his diet was more complete than in the village, and he had a constant supply of goat's milk and cow's milk. Zhang Shou's height really grew very fast. Although his height was not measured in the village, he had grown at least two or three inches taller than when he came to Beijing!
Therefore, according to the rigid standard that the hem of the red silk skirt of the court dress should be one inch off the ground and the red silk top should be seven inches longer than the waist, not to mention the court dress, even his official uniform, which he had not had the chance to wear many times, had to be remade again and again as his body size changed. He even suggested that the size should be loosened to avoid waste, but was stopped by Zhu Ying.
Miss Zhu's reasoning was convincing: "You can afford clothes, so why do you have to save money? There are many people in this world who only care about clothes and not people. Instead of wearing ill-fitting clothes and letting those mean people point fingers at you, it's better to tailor your clothes to your body! Qiansi Pavilion, the most famous clothing workshop in the capital, is my family's property. Just let them make clothes for you. Good materials will rot if they are stored!"
"Besides, the material of these clothes cannot be washed. Once washed, they will rot and fade. I don't want you to mend them for three years, three years, and then three years. Now is not the time when Emperor Taizu was in trouble at the beginning of his rebellion!"
At this moment, Zhang Shou looked at the entire set of clothes in front of him and saw that the crown had changed from the original two-beam crown of the seventh rank to the current three-beam crown of the fifth rank. There were more silver-carved patterns on the silver leather belt. The original yellow, green and red brocade ribbon had also been changed to a yellow, green, red and purple brocade ribbon with carved patterns. The silver ribbon ring had also been changed to silver-plated gold. The only thing that remained unchanged was the entire set of clothes.
The entire outfit was placed on a spacious hanger that was almost as tall as him, and there was not a single wrinkle on it. Considering the ironing technology available today, it must have taken a lot of effort.
Zhang Shou couldn't help but smile as he thought about it. He lifted the sleeve of the robe and took a casual look. He suddenly found that the stitching was different from the ones sent by the Duke of Zhao's Mansion in the past. He immediately asked, "Mother, who sent this thing?"
"She is from the palace, a very amiable and dignified female official." Seeing Zhang Shou was obviously a little surprised, Wu said hurriedly, "I asked carefully and was told that this time, the Jiuzhang Hall awarded crowns and robes to everyone from top to bottom, so your teacher also received them. I was still worried, after all, didn't the Imperial Household Department plot against you before? I even went to the Duke of Zhao's mansion and consulted the Madam in person."
"As a result, the Madam said that this was indeed an extra gift from the Emperor. He wanted to treat all the teachers and students of Jiuzhang Hall equally, so he prepared one for you as well. Originally, Yingying had already asked Qiansifang to make it, but the Palace Clothing Bureau was in charge of purchasing, so the mansion had to give up. I heard that the clothing workshop in the palace of the Clothing Bureau has all the weavers and embroiderers from Jiangnan, and they are known to be of first-class quality."
"But I'm still a little worried. After all, minor issues like bad stitching are fine, but if there's a problem with the shape, it's hard to explain. Fortunately, the lady saw through my thoughts and sent Mother Li back with me to check everything from head to toe."
Zhang Shou did not think Wu was being too cautious and guarding. In feudal society, being punished for speaking was a piece of cake. There were all kinds of rules for wearing clothes, building houses, and eating. If you were not careful, you would be reported for transgression or even for plotting something illegal. Even if you were 10,000 times more careful, it would not be excessive.
Even if this dress came from the palace...
Therefore, he naturally thanked Wu again and again for her thoughtfulness, and when he accompanied his happy adoptive mother back to his room, he briefly mentioned the disputes in today's imperial lecture - there was no need to talk about the complicated ones, but he recommended Liu Zhiyuan and refuted the idea of using illiterate people as the prince's attendants. He still informed Wu first to prevent her from worrying about him after she learned about it from other channels.
Mrs. Wu really didn't understand or care about the major events outside, but since it involved Zhang Shou, she listened attentively. Zhang Shou's words were simple and easy to understand, so she naturally understood them.
When she heard that the person Zhang Shou recommended was Zhu Tingfang's teacher, Liu Zhiyuan, who was now devoted to public school, she naturally agreed. But when she heard that Zhu Ying was the first to stand up against the de facto Prime Minister, Kong Daxueshi, she seemed particularly worried. When she heard Zhang Shou say that he would also come out to support her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, you came out to help Yingying. Otherwise, she would be so angry if she was humiliated by those old men. Even if the emperor doted on her, he might not help her in such an occasion! But she is right. When your father was still alive, he taught his servants to read. What's more, it's not right for a prince to use an illiterate person."
Zhang Shou didn't expect that Wu actually gave a ready-made example, and couldn't help but laugh.
He and Zhu Ying were only using these words to mock Mr. Kong and his gang, and their main purpose was to speak well of the Third Prince.
As for whether the emperor could tolerate the uneducated eunuchs and palace servants around him, that entirely depended on his choice. Looking at the eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty in history, most of them were indeed selected based on the criteria of not interfering in politics and being illiterate. Even many concubines in the palace had questionable Chinese language proficiency. The Empress Dowager Cixi could not be said to be very cultured.
It is said that from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, the literacy rate declined instead of improving, especially the illiteracy rate in the Qing Dynasty, which was simply unbearable to look at. However, there were still countless people who did not forget to sing praises of the Qing Dynasty in later generations. The number of these old people and young people was probably more than that of all the previous dynasties combined.
However, weren't the emperors of the Qing Dynasty accustomed to having an illiterate partner?
Anyway, he and Zhu Ying have already worked hard together, so Zhang Shou is not too lazy to worry about what the situation will be like around the Third Prince in the future.
In addition to Song Juren, Fang Qing, and Yang Zhan, there are three talents in astronomy and numerology who are summoned to Zhangyuan, and three candidates, Zou Ming, who are going to Beijing to take the imperial examination. The camp is growing day by day, but after the growth, a common point has become increasingly prominent. That is, a group of people now like to go to Tiangongfang to join in the fun!
When Zhang Shou was discussing the improvement of the grinding machine with the various talents he took in and Guan Qiu in the basement of his own house called Tiangongfang, several riders arrived at Fucheng Gate in the west of the capital, in the weather where the first snow had just fallen and the snow had not yet completely melted. The leader could not help but sigh when he checked the pass and entered the city through the special passage for officials.
"Finally back to Beijing!"
"Brother Deng, we are completely in the dark about this place in Beijing. From now on, we have to rely on you, the local boss!"
Hearing this call of "Little Brother Deng", Deng Xiaodai couldn't help but laugh and cry. He was only sixteen years old this year, and the group of guys behind him were in their twenties and thirty or forty. They called him "Little Brother Deng" so easily along the way that they even shouted in the capital. He could only helplessly correct them and said, "I was born and raised in a village outside the capital. How can I be a local tyrant in the capital?"
"That's better than the rough guys like us from Xuanfu!"
Several people laughed kindly again. The soldier who had just called Xiao Deng brother said sincerely: "Xiao Deng brother, you are not only good at writing and calculating, but also the most proud person around General Wang. If we don't rely on you when we return to Beijing this time, who else can we rely on? I heard that General Wang will be given the title of Shangshu this time and officially take up the post of Governor of Xuanda. It will no longer be just a temporary position. In the future, he will be Marshal Wang. Your future is indispensable."
Deng Xiaodai scratched his head in annoyance, and finally gave up trying to reason with these soldiers. Although he was not a scholar, this was a typical case of a scholar meeting a soldier, and he couldn't make sense! As he was more familiar with the capital, he rode in front and led the way. Soon they arrived outside the Tongzhengsi on Qipan Street. After he took out the official document to verify his identity, the sealed memorial in his hand was immediately sent in.
Are you kidding? The Governor of Xuanda, Wang Datou, used to be the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. What a person he was. Some people in the capital might not know him, but he was well-known in all the major government offices. Who dared to delay his memorials?
Deng Xiaodai, who had completed his mission, breathed a sigh of relief. He was thinking about whether to go see his uncle first or to visit his own young master first, but he heard several clerks from the Ministry of Public Administration talking loudly.
"Really? At the lecture today, Miss Zhu was the first to stand up. It was like husband, like wife. It was just like when Dr. Zhang squeezed out Grand Secretary Kong on the first day of the lecture. He refuted Grand Secretary Kong, who was not the first assistant minister, and made him look humiliated! Soon after, Dr. Zhang also stood up. It was really like a couple working together can achieve great things..."
"You make it sound as if you saw it with your own eyes! It can't be so one-sided, right? I heard that there are dozens of people who support Confucius, including court officials and famous scholars who came to attend the imperial lecture!"
"What's the use of having more people? More people don't have enough momentum. Besides, the reasons given by Miss Zhu and Dr. Zhang are simply amazing. You scholars know about red sleeves and fragrance, but you want His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to use illiterate people? Oh, from now on, he won't be Dr. Zhang. I heard that Jiuzhang Hall will be separated from the Imperial College. He should be called Master Zhang!"
Deng Xiaodai was shocked when he heard this. He didn't have time to think too much. He rushed over and bowed, then politely asked why Dr. Zhang became Mr. Zhang. Because of his authentic Beijing accent and the fact that he had just returned from a business trip to deliver official documents, the clerks looked at him and explained to him in a flurry.
As a result, the soldiers who followed Deng Xiaodai back were all amazed. One of them couldn't help but shout, "Brother Deng, isn't the scholar Zhang who they are talking about now the lecturer in the East Palace also your teacher?"
This sentence was like a bolt of lightning. Deng Xiaodai saw that the faces of the clerks who had just been showing off to him about the lecture in Wenhua Hall suddenly changed, and many of the people coming in and out also turned their heads to look at him. He knew that something was wrong, so he quickly tried to run away, but he never expected that more than ten people would surround him and block his way.
Seeing this, the soldier who had just revealed Deng Xiaodai's identity regretted it immediately. He quickly stepped in front of Deng Xiaodai and shouted in a timid tone: "What do you want to do? Xiao Deng is our confidant of General Wang!"
"It turns out that he is someone close to Xuanda Governor Wang Zongxian!"
"That's right, didn't Master Zhang send many students of Jiuzhang Hall to Wang Zongxian for training?"
"But haven't all the students from Jiuzhangtang come back? How come there is another one? Is he an imposter?"
Deng Xiaodai only saw a bunch of people watching and talking about him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he didn't sense any malicious intent. He was about to push away the personal soldier who had opened his arms to protect him after discovering the trouble, but he didn't expect that person to suddenly shout, "Little Brother Deng is a student of Master Zhang. That's what my Lord Wang said. How could he be an imposter!"
"Wang Datou... No, Wang Zongxian said that? Then it is possible that he is not an imposter... Oh, I remember, I heard that Master Zhang also accepted two students during his years in the countryside. One of them was from the first class of Jiuzhang Hall. Yes, he was the assistant of Mr. Lu San. I heard that Mr. Lu San also called people "senior brothers". The other one might be this young man?"
When Deng Xiaodai heard people talking about Qi Liang, he quickly explained: "Xiao Qi studied with me under the young master, but he was born in a scholarly family, unlike me who was not interested in those things... I only learned mathematics from the young master..."
Before Deng Xiaodai could finish his words, a man rushed out from the side, nimbly dodged the protector in front of him, and then grabbed his hand: "So you are Mr. Deng, I'm so sorry! My son is fifteen years old this year. He has a good aptitude for mathematics and can remember all kinds of numbers. He can even recite the books of Master Ge by heart..."
Deng Xiaodai was still in a daze when the man praised his son like a string of cannonballs. Although Zhang Shou gave him this nickname because he was a bit dull and pedantic, he had been a minor official for quite some time, and then followed the governor of Xuanda, Wang Jie, for so much experience, he was no longer the country boy of the past, and he immediately understood the reason for the other person's enthusiasm.
Therefore, seeing that many people around him were all listening attentively to his reply, he smiled shyly and said, "My elder, my Lord President Wang is eager to recruit talented people, and he needs people who are proficient in mathematics the most. How about I recommend your son to him? Please wait a moment, I will write your son's name on the folder! You should know that since my Lord President Wang took office, he has been changing clerks like water, and he is in great need of people!"
