Chapter 76: Eating and Taking
Gongsun Yi is young and has no teaching experience. There is no problem for a teacher like him to get along well with students, but he seriously lacks authority.
teaching ability……
It is even more sloppy, even worse than Sui Gongyan.
Fortunately, Yuan Zonggao had set the teaching guidelines for him early on. He should not only explain the meaning of the classics but also the collected annotations. He can still recite from the book. It is another matter whether the child can learn it by rote if Zhu Xi's collected annotations on the chapters and sentences are quoted verbatim. But he should be able to memorize it by rote, right?
At this time, the textbooks in Zhu San and Zhu Si's hands included "Collected Annotations of the Analects of Confucius" and "Collected Annotations of the Mencius", and Gongsun Yi only gave a general idea.
Before the school was dismissed in the afternoon, after a class, Zhu Si pulled everyone out to play Cuju. Gongsun Yi did not stop them. It was obvious that he had no plan for teaching, and he didn't even set a rule for how long a class should be. Originally, the teacher should lead the children in the classroom, but now he was the one who revolved around the children.
"Zhu Hao, didn't you say you could make a leather Cuju? Why haven't I seen it?" Zhu Si was very concerned about this matter.
Zhu Hao said, "Do you think the materials are that easy to find? I can't find any leather for the time being, so I have to put this matter aside. Isn't it most important to deal with your father's test right now?"
This time even Zhu San nodded.
Compared to going out of the city to play, Cuju has a ready-made ball to play, so is there any need to be picky about Cuju?
While several children were playing Cuju, Gongsun Yi was sitting on the steps at the entrance of the school. He did not act like a teacher at all, but if you looked closely, you would find that he was actually in a daze with a strange smile on his face, looking very proud.
Zhu Haoxin said, "He doesn't know yet. It is precisely because he has no teaching experience that the palace is not worried that he is an undercover sent by the Royal Guards. This time the palace is selecting teachers , and it is expected that the Royal Guards are also doing something. Letting me meet Lu Song may be related to this. By the way, where is Lu Song now?"
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After school in the afternoon.
Zhu Hao, Jing Hong and Gongsun Yi arrived at the West Courtyard together. When Zhu Hao saw Gongsun Yi was about to leave, he couldn't help but remind her, "You can have dinner first."
“This… I’m afraid there’s something wrong with it.” Gongsun Yi actually wanted to stay in the palace for dinner. What’s wrong with saving a meal for the family?
Seeing Gongsun Yi's face full of longing for food as it did at noon, Zhu Hao consoled him, "The meals in the palace are not fixed at regular times and in fixed quantities. You are a gentleman, and you are also considered a member of the palace. What's wrong with leaving after dinner? Come eat with us..."
Now it became Zhu Hao's cordial invitation to Gongsun Yi.
Gongsun Yi couldn't refuse, in fact he had been longing for it for a long time, so he followed Zhu Hao and Jing Hong to the cafeteria. Dinner had not officially started yet, but many guards had gathered and were waiting to eat and take food.
No one had a big reaction to Gongsun Yi's arrival. After all, he was the new instructor in the palace. Even if he was just a temporary one, there was nothing wrong with him eating here.
Besides, with their status, how could they be qualified to speak out against it?
Instead, Gongsun Yi felt very ashamed and thought it was embarrassing for a scholar to eat a meal that did not belong to him.
But when Zhu Hao brought three dishes and a large bowl of rice, all the guilt disappeared.
The three dishes were braised pork with preserved vegetables, stir-fried sour cowpea and cabbage with garlic sauce, all of which were very delicious. Gongsun Yi no longer cared about his image. He picked up the large bowl that was filled with half a pound of rice and started eating it in big mouthfuls. After a while, the rice was finished. He looked at Zhu Hao embarrassedly, and Zhu Hao stood up to add another bowl for him.
When Zhu Hao had only half of the rice in his bowl, Gongsun Yi actually finished another large bowl of rice. At this point he was finally sure that Gongsun Yi was a glutton!
"Mr. Gongsun, eat slowly. No one is going to snatch your food away... You don't know that the palace is always short of food for dinner. If you come earlier in the morning, there will often be leftovers for breakfast."
Zhu Hao not only encouraged Gongsun Yi to stay in the palace for dinner, but also implied that you should not be polite for three meals a day.
Jinghong had some opinions.
In the past, there was often not enough food in the cafeteria at night. Now there is one more mouth out of nowhere, and he is a guy with a big appetite. So in the future, a lot of his and Zhu Hao’s food will definitely be taken away by Gongsun Yi, and it will be even more difficult to eat your fill.
Gongsun Yi was quite moved after hearing this.
One knows his own business. Being a teacher in the palace may seem good, but it is not a stable job. Once the palace invites a high-level teacher, he will be driven away. Eight cents of silver per month may seem a lot, but how long he can earn it is a question. It may be over in less than a month...
This is free food, it would be a waste if you don't eat it.
After dinner, seeing that people were still coming in one after another and there was still food left in the cafeteria, Zhu Hao went to get another bowl of rice, ran back to the west courtyard dormitory to get the lunch box, packed the food and asked Gongsun Yi to take it back. Although there was not much food, it was enough for his elderly mother and wife at home to have a meal.
"This...I'm afraid it's inappropriate."
Gongsun Yi said one thing and meant another. Although she said no, she had already picked up the food box.
Zhu Hao smiled and said, "Wouldn't it be good to save some food for the family? I came to the palace to study, which actually saved a lot of food for the family."
Jing Hong immediately looked at him with a look that said "Who are you kidding?"
Is it your family, Zhu Hao's, that is short of food?
The candles were brought to the palace in baskets, and the pies were filled with meat. It seems that you are not hungry yourself, but are generous to others. You know that I have little dry food with me, and you plan to keep me hungry at night, right?
Gongsun Yi was very happy, nodded, and looked at Zhu Hao with gratitude.
After knowing each other for less than a day, Gongsun Yi felt that Zhu Hao was a good student. It seemed that speaking to Zhu Hao from the heart at noon was rewarding. Didn't Zhu Hao bring him here to eat for free as a veteran? Others had connections in the court to get a job, but he had connections in the palace to get food and gifts.
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After seeing Gongsun Yi off, the sky had already darkened.
Jing Hong was very angry, but he didn't want to speak up because of the conflict with Zhu Hao. After returning to the dormitory, Zhu Hao asked slowly, "Would you like to go out of the palace to listen to a book tonight?"
When he heard that they were going to listen to a book, Jinghong's anger instantly subsided.
But he still didn't want to pay attention to Zhu Hao.
"There's a new story, so forget it." Zhu Hao said.
Jing Hong finally couldn't help but said, "Go!"
If he just went to listen to "Shuo Yue", perhaps he would have to consider whether to forgive Zhu Hao, but when he heard that there was a new textbook, he could put aside the grudge between him and Zhu Hao for the time being.
The two of them left the palace gate earlier this time, and after coming out, Zhu Hao clearly felt that someone was following him.
These people who were following were obviously novices. They didn't know how to use the terrain to hide their bodies. They walked evasively, thinking that they would not be discovered. But in fact, Zhu Hao would be careful every time he went out. At least he wanted to know the current attitude of the palace towards him. If he was following...
I'm afraid it mainly depends on whether he will meet with the insider in the palace to see who the contact person is.
On the way to the bookstore, Zhu Hao was thinking: "Those guards are obviously not in the city. Will the palace be worried about me meeting with the palace's insiders? Or is it just because the palace found out that I was going to meet with Lin Baihu's informant on behalf of the Zhu family, so the level of vigilance against me has also increased accordingly?"
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The story told on that day was "Journey to the West".
This is the second script Zhu Hao has written. As it is the first day, he doesn’t know how the public base will be, so Zhu Hao wants to come and see how the “premiere” goes.
Jing Hong had no idea how wonderful "Journey to the West" was, and he immediately felt a little regretful. He thought he had come out to listen to "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and could not help but glare at Zhu Hao hatefully.
But Zhu Hao seemed to have known that he had something wrong. When he glared at him, he turned his head and their eyes met in the air.
"If we really tell you the story of Guo Jing, you've heard it before, so you wouldn't want to hear it a second time, right?" Zhu Hao was like a worm in Jing Hong's stomach, and he knew everything he wanted to say.
Jinghong thought about it carefully and agreed. Wouldn’t it be nice to listen to a new story?
But the problem is that none of the stories he heard recently had an ending. They were all half-finished. He only heard the beginning and then nothing happened... It made people feel itchy and they couldn't help but want to know what would happen next.
The lecture had already started on the stage.
Zhu Hao sat there, eating melon seeds and drinking tea, acting like a real young master. This made things very hard for the two palace guards who were following him. They had to stand in the crowd in the northwest wind and keep an eye on him all the time to avoid missing the important moment when Zhu Hao was meeting someone.
The audience was very enthusiastic about the first reading of Journey to the West. This was because of the previous mass base, and everyone came with great expectations.
The previous "The Story of Yue Fei" was so good that it attracted many loyal listeners. In addition, "Journey to the West" is one of the four great masterpieces of China and of course it has its own unique features. Stories about gods and monsters are more popular among the people. Before the first chapter was finished, the storyteller had been interrupted several times by cheers and applause.
"It's getting late, we should go back."
Before the second watch, Zhu Hao asked Jing Hong to leave.
Jing Hong frowned: "I haven't finished talking yet, why are you in such a hurry?"
Zhu Hao said, "I'll tell you when we get back. The palace has tightened its security these days. If we can't get back, it will be troublesome. Where will we sleep on such a cold night? Don't cause trouble for the guards. They might trip us up."
Jinghong seemed to understand, but when Zhu Hao said he would explain it to him privately when he got back, he gladly accepted it.
When he returned to the palace, he truly felt Zhu Hao's "foresight".
I knocked on the door for a long time, but no one opened it.
There was clearly a shadow moving inside, but no one responded. They were deliberately left waiting , which made Jing Hong feel inexplicably nervous...
If I can't enter the palace and my family finds out, I'll be in big trouble.
Fortunately, Zhu Hao offered bribes and promised to pay for the drinks, and finally someone couldn't help but open the door.
"Guard brothers, if you want to drink, tell me later. Why do you have to do this? If you don't want us to go out, you can tell us in advance. I just can't stand the loneliness and want to go out and listen to a book..."
Zhu Hao stuffed a dozen coins into the guard's pocket, then said with a look of grievance.
Even the guard asked, "Didn't you say your mother was sick?"
Zhu Hao said, "You can't be sick every day... I went out to listen to a book, it was just an excuse, do you take it seriously?"
"Hahaha……"
A group of guards burst into laughter.
These people are just a bunch of vulgar men, with little education, greedy for money and lustful, who like to watch the fun and make a fuss.
"You little bastard, I know you have bad intentions, get out of here!"
Even as the guard cursed, he was weighing the copper coins he had just received.
Zhu Hao and Jing Hong returned to the house, and Jing Hong couldn't help asking, "How did you know that the guards would cause trouble today?"
Zhu Hao said: "I read the fortune before I came out, and the fortune said it would be like this... Do you believe it?"
In the past, Jing Hong would definitely say, "I don't trust you, you fool." But this time, he asked in astonishment, "You... you really know the art of geomancy?"
"Jinghong, why are you so weird? Isn't it obvious? The officials in charge of the palace have been away recently. These little devils are harder to deal with than the King of Hell. If they have a chance to exploit us, they will take action. They let us out today when it went smoothly, and they are obviously planning to cause trouble for us when they come back... Alas, you are still not observant enough!"
Zhu Hao's words made Jing Hong fall into deep thought.
He thought about it and realized that when he followed Zhu Hao out of the palace, everything was indeed too smooth. Those people were whispering at the time, as if they were discussing some conspiracy.
Isn't the biggest plan against the two of them to make sure they can leave but not come back?
"Zhu Hao, I didn't expect you to be able to see through people and things so accurately. It seems that I still have a lot to learn from you in the future."
Jinghong further realized his shortcomings.
