Chapter 32: How Can Elders Refuse Juniors? Seeking Monthly Tickets
Inside a study hall in the Eastern Palace.
The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.
Zhu Yunwen, dressed in plain white mourning clothes, sat upright on a stool, his hands clasped respectfully in front of him. His back was as straight as a pine, and his face was expressionless, though in the depths of his eyes, occasional flickers of numbness and fatigue crossed.
Opposite him was Zhu Yunteng, a year younger than him.
Although also wearing mourning clothes, Zhu Yunteng’s build was clearly sturdier than Zhu Yunwen’s.
Moreover, compared to Zhu Yunwen’s neat and tidy attire, his mourning clothes were full of wrinkles and stains.
This was not because Consort Lü was harsh on him, but because he himself did not care about getting them dirty.
“Your Highness Yunteng!”
Huang Zicheng, an attendant to the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, spoke not loudly, but with a voice like metal striking stone, instantly piercing the silence of the study hall: “Regarding what I just taught, ‘A gentleman seeks not to be satisfied in his eating, nor to be at ease in his dwelling; he is diligent in affairs and cautious in speech,’ what is the meaning of this sentence? And what is its deeper significance?”
Zhu Yunteng flinched violently and looked up blankly: “Ah? Oh! Greetings, Teacher.”
His eyes darted frantically across the book page, then glanced pleadingly at Zhu Yunwen opposite him.
But Zhu Yunwen kept his gaze straight ahead, as if he hadn’t seen his younger brother’s predicament.
“Hmm?”
Huang Zicheng’s brows furrowed into a knot, and he lightly tapped his ruler against his palm, producing a heart-stopping “tap, tap” sound.
Zhu Yunteng swallowed and, bracing himself, stammered out his recitation: “A gentleman’s eating… not seeking to be full, a place to live not seeking comfort… being diligent in affairs… speaking… speaking cautiously.”
He managed to recite the literal meaning, but his tone was stiff and showed no understanding.
“Superficial!”
Huang Zicheng struck the desk heavily with his ruler, producing a crisp “crack” that made Zhu Yunteng shrink back in fright.
“This is the foundation for a gentleman to cultivate himself, temper his will, and sharpen his aspirations! How can it be explained so crudely based on the literal words?!”
His gaze was piercing as he stared at Zhu Yunteng: “Your Highness! I ask you, why does a gentleman not seek to be satisfied or at ease? What is the deeper meaning? And how does it relate to ‘following the Way and being upright’?”
This barrage of questions completely bewildered Zhu Yunteng.
He opened his mouth, his eyes growing more lost and helpless, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
For him to understand the deeper meaning of the Sages?
It would be easier for him to count how many crickets were in his room!
“Learning without thought is futile! Thought without learning is perilous!”
Huang Zicheng looked at Zhu Yunteng’s unteachable demeanor and said with grief-stricken anguish: “Your Highness Yunteng, being so lazy, how can you be worthy of the Crown Prince’s spirit in heaven? How can you bear the responsibility of an Imperial Grandson? If you are not severely punished today, how can the academic atmosphere be rectified?!”
Saying this, he raised his ruler and pointed it at Zhu Yunteng’s palm: “Extend your hand!”
Zhu Yunteng’s face turned pale with fright, and he looked pleadingly towards the doorway.
Just as the ruler was about to descend, a gentle yet authoritative voice came from the doorway: “Master Huang, wait a moment!”
Consort Lü appeared at the study hall door in time.
She was still in her mourning clothes, her face adorned with a perfectly measured, gently disapproving smile.
She walked in unhurriedly, her gaze first falling on Zhu Yunwen. Seeing that he was still sitting upright and appeared focused, a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes, before she turned her attention to Zhu Yunteng, who looked as if he had been granted a reprieve, and Huang Zicheng, who held the ruler.
“Mr. Huang’s teachings are rigorous and his intentions are good; I am well aware of that. However…”
Consort Lü looked at Huang Zicheng, her tone earnest, filled with the helplessness and tolerance of a loving mother:
“Yunteng is still young, his character not yet formed, and it is natural for him to be a bit mischievous and boisterous. The Sages themselves said: ‘He who guides skillfully makes people love to learn.’ Mr. Huang, as a renowned scholar of our time, possessing profound knowledge, should also deeply understand that the way of education lies in teaching according to aptitude, like spring breezes and gentle rain, rather than solely resorting to harsh discipline and corporal punishment, which only breeds defiance and defeats the original purpose of education, wouldn’t that be a loss outweighing any gain?”
Her words, quoting classics and delivered earnestly, were perfectly reasonable. She elevated Huang Zicheng’s strictness to the level of ‘losing the original intent of education,’ which made Huang Zicheng’s face turn pale, his hand holding the ruler frozen in mid-air, neither able to strike nor to lower it.
Consort Lü, however, no longer looked at Huang Zicheng. She turned her head to look at Zhu Yunteng, who was still trembling but already showing a hint of glee in his eyes. Her tone became even gentler:
“Yunteng, since today’s lesson seems difficult, there is no need to force yourself. The Way of the Sages is about gradual assimilation, not a task accomplished in a single day.”
“Thank you, Imperial Consort, for your teaching!”
Zhu Yunteng exclaimed almost joyfully, showing no trace of his previous fear.
Then he chuckled sheepishly: “Imperial Consort, when I came into the study hall earlier, I heard some young eunuchs in the palace talking about a ‘Pig’s Head Meat Ancestor.’ Is pig’s head meat delicious?”
Upon hearing this, Consort Lü’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly, then she quickly regained her dignified and gentle demeanor, smiling: “Does Yunteng want to eat it?”
“Yes!” Zhu Yunteng replied without hesitation, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he hesitantly asked, with a touch of fear: “Can I?”
“Of course.”
Consort Lü continued to smile: “How can elders refuse their juniors? Yunteng, whatever you want to eat in the future, just tell Imperial Consort!”
“Imperial Consort, may you live ten thousand years!”
Zhu Yunteng excitedly stood up, gave a hasty bow to Huang Zicheng and Zhu Yunwen, and then, like a bird released from its cage, dashed out of the Hall Door without looking back. His excited calls to the eunuchs could still be vaguely heard: “Quick! Quickly get me some pig’s head meat to eat too!”
……
Inside the study hall, the atmosphere became even more awkward.
Huang Zicheng’s face was ashen, his chest heaving, clearly furious, but unable to vent his anger due to Consort Lü’s status and her eloquent words.
Zhu Yunwen remained seated, as if none of the surrounding events concerned him.
However, the moment Zhu Yunteng cheered and rushed out of the study hall, his lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, and the fingers gripping the edge of his scroll turned slightly white from excessive force.
Consort Lü acted as if she hadn’t noticed Huang Zicheng’s embarrassment or Zhu Yunwen’s subtle anomaly.
She turned to Huang Zicheng, her face resuming a composed smile: “Mr. Huang, you have worked hard. Wen’er has good aptitude and is willing to study diligently. I hope you will continue to guide him strictly, and not let the affairs of others hinder his progress.”
She deliberately emphasized the words ‘guide him strictly,’ her gaze resting on Zhu Yunwen, full of expectation.
“Yes, Empress.”
Huang Zicheng took a deep breath, suppressed the knot in his chest, and bowed to Consort Lü.
He looked at Zhu Yunwen, his gaze becoming stern and focused again: “Your Highness Yunwen, let us continue. We were discussing ‘diligent in affairs and cautious in speech.’ This sentence is inherently connected to ‘a gentleman wishes to be slow in speech but quick in action.’ Your Highness should deeply ponder this principle and put it into practice.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Zhu Yunwen immediately straightened his back, gathered his thoughts, and responded loudly, as if the previous farce had never happened.
Consort Lü nodded with satisfaction, said no more, and departed with graceful bearing.
As she walked out of the study hall, she paused briefly under the corridor. Listening to Zhu Yunteng’s distant, elated laughter from deep within the garden, the corner of her mouth curved into a cold, determined arc.
Indulgence was the most effective and most subtle weapon for destroying a person.
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