Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 263: Children's Words Are Not Guarded
When this not-so-long court meeting ended, the ministers filed out of the Fengtian Hall, and there was no one around Wang Jie, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture. Even though Wang Jie was a close friend of Ge Yong, Ge's disciples, such as Chen Shang, the Minister of Revenue, usually kept their distance from Wang, who was stubborn and unyielding, and it was even more so now.
Who could take lightly a third-rank official who just killed five imperial censors at a court meeting?
Zhang Shou wanted to talk to Wang Jie - after all, he was called here by the Shuntian prefect today. However, Wang Jie was much higher in rank than him, and he left on his own, so he couldn't chase him. However, not long after he left the Fengtian Hall, he suddenly heard two childish voices from the side.
“Teacher, teacher!”
"Fourth brother, please speak softly. There are so many people here. Don't cause trouble for the teacher!"
He stopped and looked sideways, only to see that it was the Fourth Prince running ahead, followed closely by the Third Prince. Both of them were short-legged and chubby, one in red and the other in green, with their jackets tightly wrapped around them, as if they were the children in the New Year paintings who had come to the human world. He couldn't help laughing, and simply ignored the looks of the others around him and went straight to meet them.
"Why did the two princes come to the front of Fengtian Palace?"
"We originally wanted to leave the palace on the first day of the first lunar month, but our father didn't agree. It's already the Lantern Festival, and my third brother and I haven't even greeted our teacher yet!" The fourth prince stopped panting, and then began to tidy up his crown and clothes seriously. Finally, he bowed deeply to Zhang Shou and said, "Teacher, I am here to pay my respects. I wish you a happy new year!"
"I wish the teacher a happy and healthy new year!" The third prince did not bother to blame the fourth prince, and hurriedly followed suit, straightening his clothes and bowing deeply.
Zhang Shou had not expected that the two brothers would greet each other in public like this as disciples. After a moment of hesitation, he quickly stepped forward and helped them up one by one. Then he stepped back, smiled and bowed in return, saying, "You are so thoughtful. I have never greeted you during this New Year. I wish the two princes a happy new year and all their wishes come true!"
The four words "wish come true" immediately hit the heart of the Fourth Prince. He burst into a happy voice and thanked the teacher. Then he immediately stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Shou's sleeve and whispered, "Teacher, we have finished the homework you assigned to me and my third brother. We also practiced a lot of calligraphy and never slacked off! Can you tell my father to let my third brother and I go to Xingtai with Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu?"
The words that sounded like a report on the holiday, the more Zhang Shou listened, the more they sounded like a child trying to please before asking for candy. Sure enough, the fourth prince's incredible requests soon followed. He laughed and asked directly, "Why do you want to go to Xingtai?"
The reason why it was "you" instead of "you all" was that he found that the Third Prince was eagerly dragging the Fourth Prince from behind, but the one in front ignored him. At this time, facing his question, the Fourth Prince held his head high and said confidently: "Because I recommended Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu to Xingtai!"
Zhang Shou initially thought that these words were just a child's boasting, but when he saw the Fourth Prince looking up calmly and looking directly into his eyes, and the Third Prince hesitated for a moment and actually nodded slightly when he was stared at, he realized that these words that sounded incredible were actually true!
Although the plan he had submitted to the emperor before was to gradually expand from the capital to the entire northern Zhili, at the same time, he wanted to send his most capable people to Jiangnan to look for excellent overseas cotton varieties among maritime merchants while expanding the business through the weaving and dyeing bureau. However, the eldest prince suddenly volunteered to go to Jiangnan, but the emperor sent people to Cangzhou. This was indeed beyond his expectations.
Therefore, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu, who were supposed to be responsible for the promotion of the capital, went to Xingtai. When he heard the news, he was a little surprised, but thinking about the eldest prince, it seemed natural. But in the end, these two people were actually recommended by the fourth prince!
He glanced at the other officials who had already gone far away, and saw that apart from the palace servants, there were only the three of them, the teacher and the student, left in the empty square. He looked at the Fourth Prince and asked solemnly, "So, what does the Fourth Prince want to do in Xingtai?"
"It's not me, it's also my third brother!" The fourth prince dragged the third prince forward, not caring that the latter was about to cry, but he said word by word, "I also made a request to the emperor, but the emperor told me to think about it carefully, because it means going against my eldest brother... But now I have figured it out, if my eldest brother does well, no one can steal his limelight!"
"But if he doesn't do well, then why should he be jealous of those who do well! I'm not trying to steal the limelight from Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu. I just want to see with my third brother what the world outside the capital is like and what kind of life the people in the world live! I don't want to be like Emperor Hui of Jin, who heard that the hungry people had no food to eat, but actually asked why they didn't eat minced meat!"
Zhang Shou remembered that this was a story he had told in Banshan Hall not long ago, but the reactions of the nobles were completely different. For example, Zhang Chen, who seemed unruly but was actually open-minded, ridiculed Emperor Hui of Jin for not knowing the suffering of the people. As for some wealthy idlers who were willing to live a life of idleness and wait for death, they didn't care at all. If the sky fell, there would be someone taller to hold it up. What did they have to do with it?
But the Fourth Prince remembered it firmly. It was indeed rare for someone of his background and age. Therefore, Zhang Shou could not help but carefully look at the prince who was only seven years old after the New Year, and suddenly an idea came to his mind.
No wonder Emperor Taizu was unwilling to establish the eldest son as the heir, but preferred to establish the virtuous one; no wonder many emperors would establish the youngest or the one they loved... At least for him, he must have felt that the Fourth Prince was much more sensible than the eldest and second princes. Moreover, after being the Fourth Prince's teacher for several months, he was sure that this was not someone's teaching behind the scenes, but a natural talent.
However, when he saw the King of England, his eyes lit up and he prostrated himself in worship. He was an ancient man of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. For him, who had experienced an era of contempt, suspicion and even overthrow of authority and was accustomed to doubting everything, after the initial surprise passed, he found the Fourth Prince very normal.
Hasn’t he seen enough little geniuses who are smart but not smart enough?
He raised his lips and showed a warm smile: "It's good that the Fourth Prince has such thoughts, but if you want to leave the capital, you can proceed step by step. It's too ambitious to want to go to a place as far away as Xingtai for the first time out of the capital. Besides, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu are going to do things. If you and the Third Prince follow them, it will easily distract them."
"No, no, no, my third brother and I can help him attract other people's attention. This is a covert attack!"
Seeing the Fourth Prince's confident words, Zhang Shou secretly laughed, but then he put away his smile and put on a serious face: "Fourth Prince, do you think that you can really attract other people's attention by coming here in person as a prince? But have you ever thought about it, apart from the identity of a prince, what else can you do to attract their attention? Plowing the field yourself? Encouraging agriculture and sericulture? Or inspecting the people?"
His tone suddenly turned stern: "Have you ever thought about whether these things are suitable for a prince who has just been enlightened and does not even have a title? You are so obsessed with going to Xingtai. In the eyes of others, you are not only competing with your eldest brother for the limelight, but also competing with him for the East Palace. Let me ask you, are you ready and determined for this?"
The Fourth Prince turned pale at Zhang Shou's question, but the Third Prince was even more frightened. He dragged the Fourth Prince behind him, swallowed hard, and tried to explain: "Teacher, don't listen to Fourth Prince. He just wants to play and see the outside world. He definitely doesn't have any bad intentions. Don't misunderstand his meaning..."
Seeing the Third Prince opening his arms to block the Fourth Prince, Zhang Shou remembered what Zhu Ying had told him, that the two brothers were only a few months apart in age, had grown up together, and had a very good relationship, and that the Emperor often brought them up to play with them but did not teach them government affairs, so they were raised to be quite spoiled and naive. Unconsciously, he put away his serious expression and simply squatted down in front of the two men.
"Whether it's Xingtai or Cangzhou, these places that are about to have big turmoil are where the adults will compete with each other in wits and courage. You are still young and don't know how to deal with the hostility of those adults. So, don't get yourself into a mud pit because of your curiosity."
Seeing that the Fourth Prince was biting his lip and keeping silent, he said in a friendly manner, "If the Fourth Prince just wants to get out of the capital and see how the common people live, then I can help you. For example, go to Rongshui Village where I grew up, and go to Cuiyun Room where Teacher Ge once lived in seclusion. Look at peace first, then look at disputes. This is just like reading a book, you have to proceed step by step."
Hearing this, the Third Prince finally felt relieved. He immediately bowed solemnly and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Teacher. I will definitely keep a close eye on my Fourth Brother and stop letting him talk nonsense! Last time, he rashly recommended Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu to the Emperor, and the Emperor almost got angry. That was already dangerous. I didn't expect that he still didn't know how to change!"
As he spoke, he turned his body and glared at the Fourth Prince. This was a very rare move for him, who had always been shy and cowardly. Seeing that the Fourth Prince was still a little unconvinced, he whispered, "You just said this to the teacher. If you told it to outsiders, do you know how much trouble it would cause?"
"Of course I only told the teacher. How would I know what other people's bad intentions are!" The Fourth Prince was reprimanded by Zhang Shou and scolded by the Third Prince. This time it was his turn to burst into tears.
When Zhang Shou took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, he hesitated for a moment, but finally took it and wiped the corners of his eyes. However, he felt his nose blocked and astringent, and he couldn't help but use it to blow his nose again. Coincidentally, the third prince asked a question in a low voice at this time.
"Teacher, this wasn't given to you by Sister Yingying?"
The fourth prince's eyes and nose were all red. Hearing what the third prince said, he couldn't help but immediately lower his head to look at the wrinkled and messy handkerchief, and then he was stunned. Could this really be a token of love that Sister Yingying gave to the teacher? If so, would he be beaten to death by Sister Yingying?
Just as he was feeling anxious and uneasy, he saw Zhang Shou suddenly burst into laughter, then the hand stretched out and rubbed his head hard several times. Immediately afterwards, the Third Prince, who had just spoken, was flicked on the forehead by a finger.
After doing these two actions instinctively, Zhang Shou just remembered that the two boys in front of him were not the boys from the neighborhood, but the princes of extraordinary status! But he had already done it, and seeing that the two brothers looked like fools , he simply coughed and said as if nothing had happened: "Okay, go back and review your lessons. After the Lantern Festival, the Imperial College will resume classes."
"If you want to go out, please ask Yingying to go to the emperor and the queen mother to negotiate. You will have plenty of opportunities on the rest day."
At this point, Zhang Shou said no more, nodded slightly, turned around and walked out. As for the handkerchief that he had just used to wipe the tears and snot of the Fourth Prince... Hehe, there was no way he would ask for it back. In this era without tissue paper, since he had money, he had asked Ah Liu to buy these handkerchiefs in dozen. Oh, there should be no counting unit of "dozen" in those days...
As for Zhu Ying’s token of love…the young lady doesn’t know how to embroider a handkerchief, let alone sew a delicate little thing like !
Speaking of which, they often traveled together as an engaged couple, but Zhu Ying never gave him anything, and he never gave Zhu Ying anything. On the contrary, the various clothes and accessories given to him by the Zhu family of the Duke of Zhao's Mansion were so numerous that the cabinets at home could not hold them all. He was really soft-hearted and felt a little embarrassed when he thought about it... He was a bit unqualified as a fiancé.
Therefore, there is no such thing as marriage fraud. It is rare to find such an easy-to-talk-to Yue family in the world!
The fourth prince looked at the messy handkerchief in his hand, then looked at the third prince who was covering his forehead, and suddenly grabbed his third brother with his free hand and left. As he walked, he whispered, "It seems that Sister Yingying also came to the palace to see Grandmother today. Let's go back and wash this handkerchief first, and then go to Qingning Palace to ask. If it was really given by Sister Yingying to the teacher..."
The Third Prince sighed: "The teacher is smiling like that, it's obviously not the case."
"But what if it is?" The fourth prince said unconvincedly, but then he said with a twinkling look in his eyes, "Besides, I also want to know what Sister Yingying has given to the teacher... I can tell Second Sister about it later for reference! Third brother, let's go!"
When Zhu Ying was blocked by the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince at Qingning Gate, she couldn't help but feel extremely surprised.
The two little guys were the emperor's favorite happy pills, but the empress dowager's attitude towards the two little grandsons was just average, so they didn't often come to Qingning Palace except to greet them. It was almost noon now, and she declined the empress dowager's invitation to stay for dinner. What were the two brothers doing here?
However, as soon as the Fourth Prince opened his mouth, she was stunned: "Sister Yingying, my third brother and I want to ask you, have you ever given the teacher a handkerchief or something like that?"
The Third Prince was so frightened that his soul flew out of his body. If you want to die, why do you drag me into this? How can you ask such a straightforward question?
However, Zhu Ying was not angry. She clapped her fist as if she had suddenly realized something, and said in great annoyance: "Yes, I haven't given Ah Shou many gifts... Ah Shou did give me an oil-paper umbrella!"
