Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 649: It’s better not to fight than to fight
The Qianqing Palace summoned all the high-ranking eunuchs of the Silijian in the middle of the night, and then overnight, only one of the four people who held the seal and the pen was left. Chu Kuan, the seal holder, was directly sent by the emperor to the Ciqiong Palace to serve as a writer. The remaining four were attendants, and Chu Kuan was blamed. The remaining three survivors were trembling in fear, not to mention the thought of filling the vacancy of the pen holder. They even felt that it was luck that they were able to survive.
When this news spread after the court meeting the next day, it caused a huge uproar.
Especially the censors who were watching the situation and did not join the impeachment of the people in the Imperial Household Department were heartbroken - heartbroken that they missed this great opportunity to become famous and overthrow the powerful eunuchs. No one thought that there were no powerful eunuchs in this dynasty. The first high-ranking official who personally took part in the battle and succeeded in one fell swoop, Wang Jie, the governor of Xuanda, received countless praises.
The tutors who accompanied the Crown Prince to study at Ciqing Palace that day were also the first to get the news. The one who tipped off the Crown Prince was none other than the Fourth Prince. Because he had specifically asked his father to confirm that this was not a leak of forbidden secrets, the Fourth Prince started to talk at full speed as soon as he saw the tutors, pouring out everything that happened last night.
At this moment, everyone, including Qi Liang, was shocked, and some even thought they were hallucinating. Qi Liang even wondered what Lu Sanlang's reaction would be if he was not there at this moment because of his wedding leave.
Zhang Shou calmly watched the fourth prince telling everyone about yesterday's incident in vivid detail, and warned everyone in advance that they should not mock or ridicule Chu Kuan, who was serving as a pens and inkman in Ciqing Palace. Hearing the little guy say in a confident tone that Chu Kuan would make a comeback sooner or later, and that everyone was a promising talent and there was no need to offend him, he could not help but smile.
Sure enough, when they entered the main hall of Ciqing Palace, which was used for the Crown Prince and his attendants to study, they saw the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, sitting in the main seat, and Chu Kuan, wearing a green robe and a small hat, concentrating on grinding ink. Although they had foreseen such a scene because of the Fourth Prince's reminder, they were still stunned for a moment, especially those noble children who knew Chu Kuan, who were even more dumbfounded.
However, when Zhang Shou actually started teaching, he found that many of the tutors, after the initial shock, gradually regained their composure and began to listen to the lecture attentively. Even the Fourth Prince, who usually had a poor sitting still, was not distracted at all. On the contrary, the Third Prince, who was always considered a model of a good student, was rarely distracted from time to time.
Especially when he finished explaining a question and threw down his pen to ask someone to erase the first blackboard, the Third Prince suddenly came to his senses and suddenly shouted in panic: "Teacher, wait a minute... I, I haven't copied it down yet!"
As soon as these words came out, the eyes of many attendants were all focused on the Third Prince. Especially the Fourth Prince, the little fellow almost popped his eyes out, and even couldn't help questioning: "Third brother Crown Prince, you didn't even have time to copy the first blackboard?"
Chu Kuan, who was standing beside the Third Prince, witnessed Zhang Shou's daily teaching with his own eyes, so his attention was all attracted by the fast and flamboyant writing on the blackboard. He did not notice that the Third Prince was distracted. Now he saw that the Third Prince's face was flushed and his forehead was covered with sweat, and he also saw that there was not a single word on the white paper used for copying notes. He roughly guessed why.
Perhaps it was because what happened last night was too sudden for the emperor's successor.
If it were any other situation, perhaps he would try to advise or comfort the emperor, but at this moment, there was no reason for him, a servant of the emperor who had just been expelled from the Imperial Household Department, to speak, so he could only lower his eyes and sigh in his heart.
After being attacked by the Fourth Prince, the Third Prince finally stood up, bowed his head in shame and said, "Teacher, I was distracted just now, so I didn't have time to copy it down. It's all my fault."
"It's good that you know your mistake." Zhang Shou had no intention of pursuing such a minor mistake. He clapped his hands and smiled, "In that case, I will take a break for a while. You can continue transcribing. But I will not explain it a second time. Your Highness, let the Fourth Prince explain the things you missed later on."
"Okay!" The Fourth Prince was extremely excited at the chance to teach his third brother, the Crown Prince. He agreed without hesitation. Then he suddenly realized that he was just attending the class for free and all he could do was take notes - because he couldn't keep up with what Zhang Shou said, let alone understand it. On weekdays, he had to rely on the Third Prince or his father to help him with his lessons!
As for what Zhang Shou just said, he actually understood less than one tenth of it. How could he explain it to the Third Prince?
But since he had already agreed, he could only look at the Third Prince. As expected, he saw that the Third Prince's face had turned red, as if he wanted to speak but hesitated. He rolled his eyes and finally said pitifully: "But, teacher, I also want to teach Third Brother, but I don't understand it myself! Can you...can you explain it again?"
Seeing that his words of plea were snatched away by the Fourth Prince, the Third Prince felt even more ashamed. Even when Zhang Shou readily agreed and began to explain again, it took him a long time to react. When he hurriedly began to listen and copy again, he had already missed the first part.
Knowing that his study state today was extremely bad, he wanted to slap his face hard to remind himself to concentrate. However, even if he skipped this question for the time being, when Zhang Shou began to explain the next lesson, he unconsciously began to daydream again, thinking of the lessons his father taught him last night.
This time, Chu Kuan shifted his attention from Zhang Shou to the Third Prince, and finally stopped letting the Crown Prince go on in his daze. He quietly touched the Third Prince with his hand, and seeing that he was not aware of it, he simply moved his lips again and sent a reminder to the Third Prince's ear.
"Your Highness, stop daydreaming, schoolwork is important!"
However, this reminder had the opposite effect, because he saw the Third Prince suddenly stand up, and when the prince realized that something was wrong, many people, including Zhang Shou, looked at him.
The moment the Third Prince stood up , he realized what he had done. He felt so ashamed that his face turned red. What made him even more ashamed was that Zhang Shou actually shook his hand at him and said, "If Your Highness has any ideas, you can talk about it after class. Okay, let's continue to look at this triangle..."
This time, the Third Prince no longer dared to be distracted. After he lowered his head and sat down, although his eyes still couldn't help but glance at Chu Kuan and remembered the reminder just now, he forced himself to focus on the course.
In this way, the Third Prince forced himself to finish the whole class. When he saw Zhang Shou saying that the class was over and he should rest before the next class, he stood up hurriedly and said, "Teacher, I have something I want to ask you in private!"
Zhang Shou glanced at Chu Kuan, who was still standing silently beside the Third Prince like a shadow, and said with a smile, "Okay, let's talk in the study."
The Third Prince was as if he had been pardoned, and he tried his best not to see Chu Kuan and asked Zhang Shou to go with him. When he arrived at the study in the side hall, he saw that it was empty. He remembered what Zhang Shou said before, that Ciqing Palace was just a place for studying, and there was no need for eunuchs or palace servants to serve. Then he remembered what his father said to him last night. Although he wanted to ask for advice about what happened last night, when the words came to his lips, they turned into other words.
"The student was troubled by something and therefore could not concentrate today and was distracted every time. I hope the teacher can give the student a wake-up call and teach him a lesson."
What does this mean? This time, it was Zhang Shou who was puzzled. He could understand every word of the Third Prince's words, but why was the meaning so strange when they were put together? He frowned and said bluntly, "Speak human language."
The Third Prince felt his face burning at this moment, but he still made up his mind and said, "I hope the teacher can give students ten rules to let them know that it is wrong to have distracting thoughts while studying!"
There are actually people in this world who ask to be beaten! Zhang Shou felt his head explode. He knew without thinking that what happened last night must have been a big stimulus to the Third Prince. After that, the Emperor, as a father, probably had to teach his son a lesson. That was why the Third Prince looked so distraught today.
He had no intention of inquiring about the imperial education of the royal father and son, but he always disliked corporal punishment and felt that it was unnecessary for him to beat the third prince's hand until it was swollen just for such a small matter as not paying attention in class.
However, facing the Third Prince who looked like he just wanted to be spanked, he finally sighed and said, "Where's the ruler?"
Realizing that Zhang Shou had actually agreed, the Third Prince was relieved. He immediately went to the bookshelf, took down a wooden ruler from the second shelf, then turned around and walked to Zhang Shou, presenting it with both hands.
For such a good student who was always smart, well-behaved, and occasionally a little shy, Zhang Shou never felt that he needed to use a ruler to declare the authority of a teacher. But at this moment, facing the pleading eyes of the third prince, he was helpless to confirm a fact - that is, he had to beat him!
So, he took the ruler, straightened the Third Prince's hand with an expressionless face, and then swung it violently, and the ruler fell into the palm of the Crown Prince's hand.
Hearing that the man only made a hissing sound and then held back, Zhang Shou slowly hit him the second time, and this time, he saw the Third Prince biting his lips tightly and holding back a sound. He knew very well that if a beating was like a storm, it would be over in a moment, but if it was done slowly, the person being beaten would suffer much more.
Knowing that the Third Prince wanted a quick and fierce lesson, he did not hesitate and immediately struck the Third Prince's palm with the ruler ten times. Although he tried to spread the blows evenly, the small hand was only so big, so several blows had to fall on the same spot, and the palm of the Crown Prince's hand inevitably became red and swollen.
He himself did not notice that he had just strictly implemented the principle that Ah Liu had once instilled in him - it is better not to fight than to pretend!
The pain that came instantly was indeed the greatest pain the Third Prince had ever experienced. Although he tried his best to hold back his tears, they still welled up in his eyes. After all, he was always more obedient than the Fourth Prince, and the only times he was beaten were when he took the blame for his younger brother. Moreover, his father would at most slap him on the buttocks twice, and there was no way he would use a ruler.
As for the old teachers who had taught them enlightenment, who would really beat the prince?
But now, after receiving these ten blows, he understood what it felt like when his fourth brother received twice as many blows and Zhang Shou also took those ten blows on his behalf. Although he still didn't quite understand his father's instructions, his restless heart seemed to have calmed down. He wiped his eyes with his uninjured right hand, and when he saw Zhang Shou handing the ruler back, he raised his hand solemnly to take it.
"Thank you, teacher!"
It was also the first time that Zhang Shou had seen a student who thanked the boy after being beaten. Even the Fourth Prince, who was beaten twenty times, was not willing at first - he cried and admitted his fault later, but that was because he had also been beaten. At this moment, even though he knew he shouldn't be so sentimental, he couldn't help but grab the Third Prince's beaten left hand.
"As the crown prince, I, as the lecturer, have no right to punish you. Don't mention the ruler that the emperor gave me. It was only used to discipline the two ordinary princes and the noble children in Banshan Hall, not His Royal Highness. Moreover, I don't have to punish you for such a small matter as your distraction in class. But since you asked to be punished, I did it."
"But you have to know that sooner or later, no matter how much pain and confusion you feel, no one can answer your questions. You have to endure everything by yourself. No one will use a ruler to wake you up, and you can't expect anyone to wake you up."
When the Third Prince felt Zhang Shou's hand on his wound, the pain came again. He could no longer hold back his tears. He immediately bowed his head and said, "Student will accept your instruction!"
When Zhang Shou reappeared with the Third Prince, anyone with a keen eye noticed that the Third Prince's eyes were a little red, as if he had been crying. However, even the Fourth Prince, who wanted to ask about it, was glared at by his third brother, so he could only shut up .
When the Third Prince sat down again, Chu Kuan, who was serving the pen and ink, saw at a glance the left hand of the Crown Prince, which was covered with his sleeve. He had such a sharp eye that he realized at a glance that the hand had definitely been beaten!
But when he looked up at Zhang Shou, he saw that Zhang Shou had already started his second class as if nothing had happened, and the Third Prince was also listening attentively, without any sign of abnormality. In this case, he could only suppress his doubts and ignore it.
When the morning classes were over and Zhang Shou and the other students left one by one, Chu Kuan suddenly heard the Third Prince ask, "Eunuch Chu, I just want to ask you one question. Did you really do this on purpose?"
