Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 296 Leisure Anecdotes
Outside, the spring was bright and beautiful, the grass was green, unknown birds were chirping, and from time to time one could hear Zhu Ying's clear laughter. However, the Fourth Prince was restless and the more he looked at the questions on the paper, the more furious he became. In the end, he stood up and wanted to throw his pen away in anger. But before he could do anything, he saw his brother looking up and looking at him angrily.
At this moment, he immediately sat back down, muttering unconvincedly: "The teacher is too much. It's a rare opportunity for us to go out of the city. If we make mistakes, he can teach us. Why does he give us so many questions? He is really scarier than a ghost!"
The Third Prince also agreed with the Fourth Prince's assessment. Compared with being spanked with a ruler and copying books, the punishment of doing exercises was too torturous. Copying books did not require thinking, but doing exercises did. Especially after finally leaving the palace and the city and living in such a large and fun Zhao Garden, he was forced to do exercises in the room. Even though he had much better patience than the Fourth Prince, he could not stand it.
But he still managed to cheer himself up and scolded: "Once a teacher, always a father. How can you criticize the teacher behind his back?"
"But..." The Fourth Prince blurted out two words in a depressed tone, and was glared back by the Third Prince.
"Yesterday, you saw the beautiful koi in the pond, so you wanted to go down and catch them, and ended up dragging me into the water with you!" The Third Prince slapped the table with his left hand, acting like a brother, "If anything happens to the two of us, have you ever thought about what will happen to our mothers? Besides, what will happen to those who protect us? Will the teacher and Sister Yingying also be in trouble?"
"Also, what if there's no hot water in the hot spring at Daoxiang Village and we get sick from the cold? Do you want to stay in bed for a few months?" Although he couldn't think of the word death, the Third Prince still listed many consequences. Seeing the Fourth Prince's face gradually turn pale, he frowned like a little adult and then sighed.
"Hurry up and finish the questions, then go and apologize to the teacher and Sister Yingying!"
Zhang Shou, who was standing silently outside the door, heard the Fourth Prince finally say "oh" softly, which was considered as an agreement. He couldn't help but smile slightly. Of course, he could talk a lot of truths to the two of them, but to be honest, the effect might not be as good as the two little guys' active reflection. Moreover, although the Third Prince, as the older brother, is not as outstanding as the Fourth Prince most of the time, he sometimes really has the posture of a big brother.
However, although he knew that the two brothers had finally managed to leave Beijing, Zhang Shou did not go in, but waved his hand to reduce the punishment. Going back on one's word is not a good habit, and what's more, he also wanted to temper the two of them so that they would not get into trouble again. You know, the brothers falling into the water this time and Zhu Ying kicking down the grape racks that year are essentially the same level of danger.
He didn't want to be partial to one brother and blame the poor second brother Zhu like Big Brother Zhu did!
One hundred equations may sound like a lot, but in fact most of them are simple addition and subtraction. Only a dozen or twenty involve multiplication and division, and only three involve fractions. But for the third prince, who has a good talent for mathematics, he worked hard and finally solved them in about two quarters of an hour.
The impatient Fourth Prince took a much longer time than the Third Prince, especially when he saw his brother had finished early and was waiting there. He twisted his butt back and forth, and when he was done, he breathed a sigh of relief and immediately jumped up from the stool.
"Third brother, we're done. Let's go give it to the teacher!"
In the courtyard in front of Daoxiang Village, when the Fourth Prince almost dragged the Third Prince over, Zhang Shou, who was sitting outside reading, couldn't help but laugh. Under the Fourth Prince's expectant gaze, he glanced at it casually, and quickly used his fingernails to pinch out the seven wrong answers on the Fourth Prince's paper at the top, then threw the paper back and started reading the Third Prince's paper again.
This time, after reading it, he nodded approvingly and said, "The Third Prince did everything right, not bad."
The fourth prince, who had been hanging his head, became even more depressed, and his heart was in turmoil, especially worried that Zhang Shou would punish him to copy questions. At this time, he heard the third prince say: "Teacher, the fourth brother was just not careful for a moment, after all, it's rare to go out of the city..."
"Is it because it's so rare to leave the city that you just went straight into the water?" Zhang Shou interrupted the Third Prince. Seeing that the elder brother also lowered his head this time, he smiled and said, "Everyone has been naughty at times, even your sister Yingying, who once knocked over a grape trellis. I wasn't much better when I was a child. I punished you to do 100 equations so that you will remember the lesson."
"You know, a son of a wealthy family cannot sit still in the hall. You can play around, but you must not forget the danger. Do you understand?"
Seeing the Fourth Prince nodding his head like a chicken pecking at rice, Zhang Shou looked at the Third Prince again. Seeing him nodding seriously, he smiled and said, "Okay, while the sun is still up, call your sister Yingying and let's go out on horseback to take a look, so that you won't say you're still staying in this mansion after leaving the city!"
Zhu Ying, who was coming in from outside, heard Zhang Shou start to mutter about the grape rack falling down again, and she was immediately furious - of course, she was most angry because she herself had told the story of kicking down the grape rack. But how could she know at that time that Zhang Shou would actually make up such a story? What's more, he took advantage of her!
I didn't expect that he is not a gentleman at all!
Thinking this in her mind, when the group really went out to ride horses, when Zhang Shou smiled and pointed out the scenery while beginning to recite Tang poetry to the third and fourth princes, she gradually forgot her initial embarrassment and began to listen with great interest.
"When I was teaching you about the White Horse Disaster in the late Tang Dynasty in my first class at Banshan Hall, I also mentioned the imperial examinations during the Tang Dynasty. Although Emperor Taizong of Tang, who created the Zhenguan Reign, was once very proud of himself, thinking that all the talents in the world were within his grasp, the imperial examinations did originate in the Tang Dynasty, but the system during that time was extremely incomplete, and many talented people suffered in vain. That's why Meng Jiao wrote the poem "After Passing the Imperial Examination"."
"My past filthiness is not worth boasting about, but my present unbridled thoughts are limitless. I am riding a horse at full speed in the spring breeze, and I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day."
"When you read this poem "After Passing the Imperial Examination", you may think that he is frivolous, but you should know that Meng Jiao was already 46 years old when he passed the imperial examination. In the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination was held once a year. How did it feel to stay in the capital year after year, unable to return home? That's why he wrote the more famous "Song of the Wandering Son"."
"A loving mother sews clothes for her son. She sews them tightly before he leaves, fearing that he will come back late. Who says that a son's love can repay his parents' kindness? Listen to it, it's all sincere and genuine. How could you hear even a hint of frivolity? Therefore, in the "Three Hundred Tang Poems" personally selected by Emperor Taizu, there is only Meng Jiao's "Song of a Wandering Son", but not "After Passing the Imperial Examination."
Zhang Shou was talking to the third and fourth princes, when he suddenly looked up at the sun in the sky. Seeing that it was about to set, he raised his hand and said, "It's almost dusk. Do you still remember the poem about the sunset in "Three Hundred Tang Poems"... ?"
Unexpectedly, Zhang Shou kept giving lectures during his outing. Although Zhu Ying was very interested, she couldn't help but wonder in her heart, how could she feel that Zhang Shou was so funny when he told jokes just now under the grape trellis? He was obviously a wooden man who didn't understand romance!
Then she saw the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince nodding their heads as if they were listening to a lecture in class while looking at the magnificent scenery of the setting sun . Zhu Ying gazed at the sunset from afar, and because of Zhang Shou's explanation, she couldn't help but think of a poem - well, it was written by our ancestors.
"I feel uncomfortable in the evening, so I drive to the ancient plain. The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it is almost yellow..."
Before she could even utter the word "dizzy", the Fourth Prince suddenly muttered, "Father said this poem is good, but it's a little uninspiring. Father also said that most of Li Yishan's poems are delicate and obscure, but this one is very good, but it still carries a hint of inexplicable emotion. He also said that we children shouldn't read too much, because if we don't understand it, we'll get stuck in a dead end."
Zhang Shou had not expected that the emperor would be so insightful in explaining poetry to his son. He could not help but laugh and agree, "That's right. It's the same reason why young people should read Water Margin and old people should read Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
“The students remembered it.”
As soon as he said this, he immediately received two unanimous approvals. Seeing the Third and Fourth Princes' expressions as if they were following an imperial order, he could not help but be a little surprised. Then, he only heard Zhu Ying say thoughtfully: "I heard that in the early years of Taizu's uprising, he specially visited Luo Guanzhong and Shi Naian, not only sharing "Journey to the West" with them, but also asking them to write stories about Liangshanpo in the late Northern Song Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms in the late Han Dynasty."
It has not been a year since Zhang Shou left the village. Although he has tried very hard to find out the various legends about Emperor Taizu, it is impossible for him to know everything. When he heard Zhu Ying say this, he could not help but be stunned.
It turns out that Emperor Taizu not only wrote Journey to the West, but also exchanged ideas with Shi and Luo as an author? Very good and powerful!
However, Zhu Ying did not finish her words: "Emperor Taizu later specially placed them in a safe place. After the capital was established in Beijing, he often sent people to urge them to submit the manuscripts... Well, eventually, Outlaws of the Marsh and Romance of the Three Kingdoms were completed. But Emperor Taizu was not satisfied after reading them, and he personally took up the pen to revise them."
Zhang Shou was numb. Well, he personally revised it...mostly to the version that was popular in later generations. No, he couldn't overestimate the integrity of Emperor Taizu. For example, if people hated to respect Liu and suppress Cao, they might have written Liu Bei as a long-eared thief! Why didn't he think of buying a set of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin" to read?
"By the way, Ah Shou, why do you say that young people should read Water Margin and old people should read Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"
Zhang Shou was stunned for a moment: "Didn't Emperor Taizu say this?"
Seeing the third and fourth princes shaking their heads, Zhang Shou was very surprised. This famous saying of Jin Shengtan has been quoted by countless people in later generations. He thought that after the birth of the three great masterpieces, Emperor Taizu, who wrote "Journey to the West" and built a Grand View Garden but ignored "Dream of Red Mansions", would have left such a saying long ago!
After all, "Water Margin" was said to have been banned in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Could it be that...
Thinking that both Water Margin and Romance of the Three Kingdoms were revised by Emperor Taizu, and he had never read the revised version, Zhang Shou suddenly had a headache. He could only say vaguely, "Young people should read Water Margin because it is full of hot-blooded spirit. Young people are impulsive by nature. If they get into trouble after reading it, that would be bad."
"As for not reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms when you are old, there are so many heroes in the book that when you look back on your first half of life when you are old, most people will inevitably feel depressed. Even heroes will inevitably feel that they are old, so it is not advisable to read it too much."
Zhang Shou just wanted to end the topic quickly, but he saw the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince exchanged glances, as if they were about to ask questions, so he quickly changed the subject and said, "Well, it's not late, let's go back early! I'll send someone to contact a few farmers tomorrow and ask you to go and see how they herd cattle and work in the fields. I don't know if there are any people raising silkworms nearby. If not, you can only go to Rongshui Village later!"
The third and fourth princes then turned their attention from Tang poetry and novels to where to go tomorrow. To them, herding cattle, working in the fields, raising silkworms... that was indeed fun. In addition, they were very curious about where Zhang Shou grew up, so they pestered him and asked him questions non-stop, and even Zhu Ying was led astray by them.
After returning to Zhao Garden and having dinner and taking a walk, Zhang Shou chased the third and fourth princes to sleep. Just like the last time he came to Zhao Garden, he still chose Nuanxiangwu - even though he was kidnapped to another room by someone who had intoxicated him last time. However, after he lay down on the bed with his feet scalded, he suddenly called Ah Liu.
"After we return to the city, buy three more sets of books for my study. Journey to the West, Water Margin, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms."
Ah Liu hummed softly, and didn't ask Zhang Shou what he wanted these books for. However, after closing the gauze curtain, he remembered what Zhang Shou said to Zhu Er in Zhang Yuan's study. Zhang Shou said that in the bamboo house in Cuiyun Room, not only the mathematical classics left by Ge Yong were found, but also a notebook of Emperor Taizu's servant. How come he didn't know anything about it?
Although he thought so, he had no intention of telling anyone - of course, he didn't plan to ask Zhang Shou. Everyone has their own secrets. He has, so it's natural that Zhang Shou has too. When he was tiptoeing to spread the mat on the floor, he suddenly heard Zhang Shou, who was lying on the bed, suddenly speak.
"Why are you lying on the ground instead of sleeping on the couch? Yingying said that the secret passages here that were secretly opened by someone have been destroyed. With your ability, if you didn't leave it open on purpose, how could you be afraid that a thief would sneak in? Go to sleep quickly and stop being paranoid!"
Hearing no reply from outside, Zhang Shou suddenly stood up, pulled the curtain and looked, only to see Ah Liu lying on the bed in front of the bed with a quilt in his arms. He immediately scolded him angrily: "I'm talking to you! You're sleeping here. What if I get up in the middle of the night and step on you? You're not so vigilant at home."
"It's better to be careful." Ah Liu uttered four words in a concise manner, and then immediately closed his eyes. Immediately afterwards, his even snoring, like a robot, immediately sounded, making Zhang Shou, who was pulling the curtains in front of the bed, laugh and cry.
