amaotonovel Chapter 197 Imperial Study
Chapter 197 Imperial Study
The next morning, Jiang Ruyin heard that Mrs. Zhong had given birth to a son the previous night.
I stared at myself in the bronze mirror. The distant mountains were dark blue and beautiful, and I almost forgot what my eyebrows looked like before.
With a sigh, Jiang Ruyin said quietly, "This child came at the wrong time."
Suochun gently sprayed osmanthus oil on him, tucking his hair into place as she answered, "I heard the emperor was quite pleased and gave him the name Yongshen on the spot. But not long after, Su Peisheng arrived and discovered that he was Zhong's son, not Dong'e's. The emperor was furious and punished Xiao Dongzi with a beating."
Shu Dong added, "A few days ago, during the Empress Dowager's funeral, Su Peisheng was busy running around, and it was Xiao Xiazi and Xiao Dongzi who served the Emperor. The Emperor even praised Xiao Dongzi for her thoughtfulness."
Jiang Ruyin chuckled in an ambiguous manner, "Prepare the ointment. We can't send it on our own initiative, but if we have the chance to send it, we can't fail to prepare it."
"Empress, Xiao Xiazi is here." Yuan Beishan appeared in front of the main hall.
Shu Dong and Suo Chun looked at each other: Speak of the devil and he will appear.
After putting on the last hairpin, Jiang Ruyin took Suochun's hand and went to the outer room.
Xiao Xiazi was already waiting respectfully.
"Eunuch Xia came so early, but does the emperor have any instructions?" Jiang Ruyin said gently.
He bowed and said with an apologetic smile, "I don't deserve it. The Emperor and the Empress are planning to go to the Imperial Study in three days to test the princes' knowledge. Although the Sixth Prince hasn't entered the Imperial Study yet, he will be there next year. So the Emperor has ordered me to tell the Empress to bring the Sixth Prince along in three days. Of course, the Seventh Prince will go as well."
Will Hongning go too? "Your Majesty, please treat everyone equally. I bow down to you." Jiang Ruyin said.
"It was indeed discussed by the Emperor and the Empress." Xiao Xiazi bowed again.
Jiang Ruyin nodded, and Shu Dong stuffed a purse into his hand.
"Thank you for taking this trip. I heard that Xiao Dongzi was punished. Please give him this Ice Skin Cream. It would be difficult to serve the emperor without being able to get up."
Xiao Xiazi's smile was even more sincere, and he said gratefully: "Thank you, Madam Fang, for your concern. With a kind master like Madam Fang, the servants will definitely put in their utmost effort to serve the emperor and the masters."
Recalling Xiao Dongzi's expression when he was dragged away in the morning, Xiao Xiazi smiled knowingly.
He understood it even earlier than Xiao Dongzi, several years ago when Yu Ying'er asked him to peel walnuts with his bare hands.
No matter how intimate the master is, he is still a servant; no matter how unattainable the concubines are, they are still masters. The Forbidden City has always been a place that respects hierarchy.
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The third day arrived as scheduled. Jiang Ruyin brought Hongxuan and An Lingrong brought Hongning, and the two met outside the imperial study.
Concubine Qi and Hongshi chose a seat near the inside. Concubine Qi held a book in her hand and pulled Hongshi's sleeve with a look of disappointment.
Hongli and Hongzhou sat side by side, with Concubine Yu standing beside them. Not far away, Concubine Duan sat to the right of the Master, leisurely sipping tea.
Seeing Jiang Ruyin and the other three come in, the Master and Concubine Yu bowed to her and then went about their own business.
"I thought I came early enough, but I forgot that my sisters are also very concerned about the child. Has the emperor not arrived yet?" Jiang Ruyin asked Xiao Dongzi who was guarding the door.
Xiao Dongzi bowed deeply with gratitude, "The Emperor went to Jingren Palace first, and then came here with the Empress."
Because he was temporarily unable to walk, he was told to come and guard first.
Jiang Ruyin nodded in understanding.
"Where do you want to sit?" Hongxuan asked Hongning in a low voice.
Hongning looked around and finally pointed to the center.
In fact, they had no choice. Hongshi sat on the inside, Hongli and Hongzhou sat on the outside, and only the two middle rows were left.
The emperor arrived soon, and he and the empress stood on one side and the other on the other. Upon closer inspection, they really looked like an ordinary middle-aged couple.
"Your humble servant pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Empress."
There was a loud sound of salutes, and the emperor waved his hand. The five princes in front of him, some adults, some half-grown, and some still children, were all his descendants.
Compared to the few kittens he had when he first ascended the throne, the emperor was very satisfied. But when he thought of the other prince being kept in the prince's residence, he couldn't help but sigh and decided not to mention it.
"Please sit down!" The emperor waved his hand and sat down on the armchair that the young eunuch had just brought to the front.
The Queen sat beside him, smiling kindly, "Your Majesty has many children and a new grandson. I am thinking of testing the knowledge of the princes with Your Majesty to fulfill your earnest expectations."
Hongshi could still smile when he first heard it, but the more he listened, the more worried he became.
The emperor nodded and looked at Hongshi. "Hongshi, you are the eldest son and you have already started a family. You should start with me."
On the desk were books such as the Four Books and Five Classics, Thousand Character Classic, Three Character Classic, etc. Jiang Ruyin guessed that these were the books that the princes must learn in the imperial study.
More than a dozen books were stacked into two piles, almost as tall as the teacher.
The emperor picked up a book at random, flipped through a few pages, and put it back. He then asked, "Tell me about the Way of the University."
Hongshi stood up tremblingly. "Uh, the way of the university, the way of the university, um... the way of the university is to manifest the bright virtue, to be close to the people, to stop at goodness, no, to stop at the highest good."
He looked cautiously at the emperor, who nodded, and finally managed to get the answer out, despite his hesitation. Wouldn't it be ridiculous for a married prince to be unable to answer even these questions?
The emperor then asked three more questions, and Hongshi only answered one. The white-bearded teacher was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at the emperor behind him.
"We have learned these a long time ago. We need to review them in order to learn new things." The emperor said unhappily.
Concubine Qi smiled wryly, "It's not Hongshi's fault. He has been busy lately, so it's possible that he forgot for a moment."
The Queen consoled him, "I examine myself three times a day. Hongshi is indeed a filial son, but he must not neglect his studies."
The emperor looked at the Hongli brothers. Concubine Yu knew about Hongli's academic performance and patted Hongli's shoulder soothingly.
"Which four books and five classics are the Four Books and Five Classics?"
Hongli said almost without hesitation, "The Four Books? They include The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius, and Mencius. The Five Classics? They include The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Changes, and The Spring and Autumn Annals."
“What is the concept of the book Mencius?”
"The Mencius records the words and deeds of Mencius and his disciples, emphasizing the concepts of benevolence, righteousness, and the inherent goodness of human nature."
"Yes, that's good. What about 'University'?"
"The Great Learning was originally a chapter in the Book of Rites, emphasizing 'investigating things to acquire knowledge' and 'being sincere and upright in one's heart'."
"Not bad," the emperor clapped his hands in approval. He had assumed that Hongli and the other boy would naturally fall behind academically in the garden, and that his questions would be simpler. Hongli's answers were fluent, and the emperor's opinion of him changed significantly.