bookcurios Chapter 146: Scholars
Chapter 146: Scholars
Inside the Baohe Hall.
Liu Rusi avoided many hardships because of her sudden intoxication with fragrance, but Concubine Xian disdainfully removed the extinguished incense burner for her, and the palace was still filled with such a strong fragrance!
What Concubine Xian didn't know was that Liu Rusi actually recovered in a moment or so - one gets used to the smell after smelling it for a long time, and she found that being "drunk" like this, it seemed as if she didn't have to worry about any troubles!
So she just lay on the table for a long time and then fell asleep...
And inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The emperor attended the ceremony and sat firmly on the main seat, while everyone knelt and bowed...
After a process that demonstrated the harmony between the monarch and his subjects, the emperor's first words were directed at Chu Shiyu.
"Yu'er, why didn't you let Qin Hao go to Baohedian? He doesn't have any playmates here."
Chu Shiyu sat up straighter and said calmly, "If I hadn't remembered what my father said last time that he was comfortable to watch, I wouldn't have brought him here this time."
"Yuer is thoughtful. I'm just afraid that if things are too serious, he'll feel bored. Boy, do you want to sit here or go to Baohedian to find your mother?" the emperor asked in an ambiguous tone.
Little Qin Hao felt that there was something meaningful in this question, but he couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he threw the question back: "I want to be with my adoptive father, but if the emperor grandfather lets me go find my mother, I will also be happy to do so."
"Hehehe."
The emperor smiled without saying anything, picking up dishes with jade chopsticks, which meant that the banquet was about to begin.
The kings, princes, generals, ministers and officials all picked up their chopsticks and began to clink glasses.
The seats in the hall are divided into two rows, in order of status. Only those in lower positions will stand up to toast those in higher positions. Some will leave their seats to toast to show respect, but if they are far away, they usually won't toast - the status difference is too great and there is no need to toast.
After more than a moment of joy.
An old man with white hair and beard stood up from the front seat, raised his glass to Chu Shiyu, and waited for the young pair of auspicious phoenix eyes to look at him...
"Your Highness Prince Duan, let me first drink a glass of apology wine with you!" The old man's voice was as loud as a bell, and after he finished speaking, he drank the wine in the glass!
Everyone in the front of the hall looked forward, and those who couldn't see clearly behind fell silent inexplicably.
"Master, why are you asking for forgiveness?"
Chu Shiyu spoke respectfully, but he sighed in his heart. Trouble had come, and the one who came was the most troublesome person. However, the Grand Tutor was already very old and hardly concerned with worldly affairs. How could he attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet?
The Grand Tutor, the Grand Preceptor, and the Grand Guardian, collectively known as the Three Dukes, had no real power in Daxia, but had an exclusive status because they were nominally the emperor's teachers.
Upon closer examination, the Grand Tutor is the head of the Three Dukes, but for Chu Shiyu, the Grand Tutor is the one he least wants to meet! Because the Grand Tutor is responsible for educating the heirs of the throne, Chu Shiyu has been taught by him for many years. Even if the status of teacher and student in the royal family is not as strict as that in the common people, he should be respected.
"I heard that Your Highness was rescued by a widow in the southwest. Regardless of her wishes, Your Highness brought her back to the capital and has been clinging to her ever since. Is this true?" The Grand Tutor spoke sharply.
Chu Shiyu paused for a moment. This was indeed the case, and the words used by the Grand Tutor made Liu Rusi an innocent person, so he nodded and said, "It's true."
The Grand Tutor asked solemnly, "Your Highness has studied the Four Books and Five Classics to great depth, so you should know what propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame are! Why do you insist on your own opinion and do such shameless things?!"
The whole hall was filled with exciting looks. This reprimand was not a light one at all! Although a few scoldings were actually insignificant to the powerful Prince Duan, no one liked to be scolded!
Chu Shiyu naturally didn't like being scolded, but he didn't know how to refute for a moment, because he knew that what he did was despicable. He had already admitted to Liu Rusi and her son that he was a villain!
If it were someone else, he could have answered like this, but in front of a great scholar like the Grand Master, he would be scolded to death if he said it...
Little Qin Hao stood up and bowed, and said in a clear voice: "Grandpa, my adoptive father said he would take me to the capital to go to school, so mother came with him."
Chu Shiyu's expression eased slightly. If he spoke, no matter what he said, it would be wrong. But Qin Hao was different...
It was impossible to be too strict with a five-year-old child. The Master put away his slightly harsh expression, but still asked with a straight face, "Is your mother willing to come?"
"Mother doesn't want to." Qin Hao said truthfully.
Chu Shiyu's face suddenly turned black! This kid!
"But I want to come." Qin Hao expressed his wish again.
Chu Shiyu's face brightened again. It turned out that the child wanted to protect his mother first.
The Master's expression changed twice, and he frowned and said, "Since your mother doesn't want to, how can you go against her wishes and obey others?"
"I didn't go against my mother's wishes. I even tried to persuade my adoptive father... he was still my uncle at that time, but my adoptive father insisted that he must go, and my mother had no choice, so I did as she wished." Qin Hao stated.
Chu Shiyu narrowed his eyes and looked at the child who stood up and was the same height as him when he was sitting. What on earth did this kid want to do? !
"So what do you want to say?" The Master was also full of doubts.
"I want to ask, women have three obediences: obey their fathers before marriage, obey their husbands after marriage, and obey their sons after their husbands die, but they should also abide by filial piety."
Qin Hao asked seriously: "After my father passed away at a young age, there are only my mother and I left at home. I am willing to go with my adoptive father, but my mother is unwilling. So who should I listen to?"
The atmosphere in the hall was disturbed. Some people were laughing and talking to each other. Many people looked at the child who was in the hall but was so generous and spoke without restraint with a puzzled look.
Among them was a burly, tall, middle-aged general with a gleaming gaze, drinking one glass of wine after another...
"Filial piety is the most important virtue. You should respect your mother's wishes! Moreover, filial piety means not only being filial to the living, but also to your deceased father! Why let your mother follow a man with evil intentions, and what will happen to your father?!" the tutor said sternly.
"In other words, filial piety is more important than the three obediences. Thank you, Grandpa Tutor, for clearing up my doubts." Qin Hao nodded thoughtfully, bowed to express his gratitude, and then sat down.
“Hahaha…” A suppressed laugh came from the seat on the upper left. It could be heard clearly in the empty hall. It was King Kang who couldn't help laughing. This kid really is looking for knowledge wherever he goes.
Chu Shiyu was speechless. After all this time, Qin Hao just wanted to ask a question? !
However, the child's interruption made the Grand Tutor relax his severity a little, and he turned to admonish Chu Shiyu earnestly: "Your Highness has acted upright and upright before, and has always been known as a gentleman. How can you fall into selfish desires and disregard benevolence and righteousness?"
"I have selfish desires, but they are also out of benevolence and righteousness. Madam Liu wants to raise her young son and work hard every day to save up tuition. I can't bear it, and I sincerely help my lifesaver to achieve his wish."
Chu Shiyu was once again glad that he had chosen to take her away. She resisted so fiercely in the dream probably because she lacked this reasonable excuse... and now this excuse can be used to cover up his selfish motives.
"If Your Highness only helps the young son of your benefactor to become a talented person, it is naturally a great kindness and can even be regarded as a good thing!"
The Grand Tutor's eyebrows became sharp again: "But I heard that Your Highness first trapped people in the palace, and Liu asked Your Majesty to grant her a place to live before she was able to move out. But Your Highness still followed her closely and lingered every day. Is this true?!"
Chu Shiyu frowned slightly. Although his whereabouts were not hidden, the Grand Tutor lived in seclusion and did not like gossip. How could he know about his affairs?
However, before he could answer, someone else stood up in the hall. It was the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, who bowed to Prince Duan first.
"I don't know much about the other things, but Liu's residence is right on my way to and from the Censorate every day. Whenever I pass by, day or night, I will see the guards of Prince Duan around the residence."
The Left Imperial Censor asked solemnly, "Your Highness Prince Duan, is this a prisoner?"
A pair of finely wrinkled auspicious phoenix eyes looked up imperceptibly. The emperor had been sitting in the center watching his son's show. However, he was not the one who arranged the Grand Tutor, nor was he the Left Censor-in-Chief...
The emperor had some doubts about whether Chu Shiyu was colluding with the Censorate, but this situation was hard to understand. If his feelings for Liu were true, then the Left Censor-in-Chief's actions were definitely not what Chu Shiyu wanted, but if his feelings were false...
"It's protection, not imprisonment." Chu Shiyu retorted with a frown. The term imprisonment was treating her as a plaything. He had never viewed her like that from the beginning to the end, even though Liu Rusi had once doubted his motives.
"Let alone a weak woman who doesn't like to fight with the world, why does she need a dozen people to guard her day and night?" The Left Imperial Censor asked coldly, "May I ask Your Highness, can Liu come in and out freely?"
"As long as Madam Liu brings enough guards and maids, she can go out."
Chu Shiyu answered calmly, but he felt strange in his heart. These imperial censors were almost all old-fashioned civil officials who could not tolerate any injustice. It was not surprising that they would intervene when they heard about the injustice, but the question was how did the injustice get into their eyes? Just by seeing the guards around, they would make such a guess?
"Liu is in her own home, but her comings and goings are restricted by Your Highness. Doesn't Your Highness think this is house arrest?"
The tone of the Taifu's reply was more of an inquiry than the initial rebuke. For this prince whom he had taught for more than ten years, the Taifu was more focused on teaching him a mindset, hoping that the student could walk the right path.
"I said, it's for protection. Madam Liu is young and beautiful. If she goes out alone, I'm afraid some ignorant scoundrels will offend her. I brought Madam Liu to the capital, so I naturally have to take good care of her."
Chu Shiyu was impatient, but how could others know that he was not only guarding against man-made disasters, but was also always worried that God would suddenly cause an accident and take her away... This concern may have come from Qin Lie's feelings, but he also felt it was necessary. He allowed her to go out with the guards, and he thought about it for a long time before compromising!
"Lecher? Isn't it His Highness who is harassing you now?" The Left Censor-in-Chief said sarcastically.
"I didn't know that the Left Censor-in-Chief is such a gossip and likes to talk behind people's backs?!" Chu Shiyu's face was cold. He was polite to the Grand Tutor, but that didn't mean he could be polite to everyone!
But the duty of the Imperial Censor is to speak out boldly. Even if the emperor does something wrong, they will advise or even reprimand him! The fierce power of Prince Duan cannot scare the Left Imperial Censor-in-Chief!
"Your Highness Prince Duan has exposed many people who pervert the law. This is a good deed, and I sincerely admire you!"
The Left Censor-in-Chief said, "But I think Your Highness should be familiar with the laws of Daxia. Do you know that it is a crime to take someone else's wife without permission?"
"What do you mean by taking without permission?! Her husband is dead! The laws of Daxia do not forbid marrying a widow!"
Chu Shiyu couldn't help but glance at the emperor in the center who was full of interest. If it weren't for his father's tacit approval and connivance, how could the scholars be allowed to argue endlessly at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet?
The Imperial Tutor looked surprised and asked, "Your Highness, do you know how precious a woman's chastity is? Such thoughts are against ethical principles! Welcoming Liu into the house will undermine the dignity of the royal family!"
"Absurd! The dignity of the royal family lies in maintaining peace and stability in the country, making the world peaceful and the country prosperous and the people strong! Can marriage damage the dignity of the royal family? This dignity is too frivolous!"
Regarding her future, Chu Shiyu bluntly refuted: "On the contrary, a virtuous and virtuous daughter does not matter her birth! In ancient times, the mother of Emperor Wu of Han was a daughter who married twice. Dare to ask the Grand Master, can the prosperous era of Emperor Wu of Han be called majestic?!"
"The dignity of Emperor Wu of Han was based on his own actions. What does it have to do with his mother?" another Hanlin scholar spoke up.
Chu Shiyu sneered: "Since the prosperous times have nothing to do with women, then what does the so-called majesty have to do with women's chastity?"
"You are making farfetched arguments! The royal family is a role model for the world. If Your Highness disregards etiquette, won't the world learn this corrupt trend? People's hearts are no longer as they used to be. How can we talk about a prosperous age when rites and music have collapsed?!" the Grand Tutor scolded.
"Ritual music? In ancient times, there were many examples of widows marrying twice. Empress Dowager Liu E of Song also married twice. Have you ever heard of her reputation?"
Chu Shiyu scolded coldly: "A woman's chastity is precious, but what is chastity for? She should be chaste before marriage and loyal to her family after marriage! Asking a woman to remain a widow for her deceased husband? It is obviously an overreaction by later generations!"
"Your Highness, what you said is wrong! Starving to death is a minor matter while losing one's chastity is a major one! It does not mean that widows cannot remarry, but women who are willing to remain chaste should be respected and praised by the world!" Another civil official joined the debate.
"This is the key to this matter! At the welcoming banquet for His Royal Highness Prince Duan that day, although Liu's words were euphemistic, she had already shown her loyalty!"
The Left Censor immediately spoke up: "According to the Great Xia Law, forcing a widow to marry a second time is a crime! Your Highness insisted on taking her by force, this is a crime!"
Chu Shiyu was extremely annoyed. He could not communicate with a group of pedantic officials at all, but with the help of the Grand Tutor and the support of his father, he had to deal with it...
"The phoenix is flying high, and the four seas are seeking it." Little Qin Hao suddenly stood up and said, "If foster father doesn't try to get close to her, how can he make mother change her mind?"
Chu Shiyu's irritability eased a little. After all, little Qin Hao was on his side. In fact, among all the people in the hall, only this child's opinion was important.
A group of people immediately looked at the child in shame. How could he help others marry his own mother? ! However, everyone thought that the child was just a little kid, so it was understandable that he was ignorant of the world.
"When a phoenix seeks a phoenix, it's about seeking, not snatching! If a man takes a fancy to a woman and forcibly puts her under house arrest, wouldn't the world be in chaos?!"
The Grand Tutor first admonished, then taught: "It is common sense for a man to like a woman, but he should be polite and moderate! First ask for the permission of the parents, then ask for the words of the matchmaker, and complete the three letters and six ceremonies. This is also a respect for the woman. This is the way to ask for marriage!"
Little Qin Hao blinked his big eyes, then turned his head and said to Chu Shiyu thoughtfully: "Foster father, I think what Grandpa Taifu said makes sense..."
Chu Shiyu narrowed his eyes and glanced at the child coldly. It turned out that he was really a fence-sitter! The wind blows on both sides, right? He was easily convinced? !
"The rules passed down through the ages naturally have their reasons!"
The Grand Tutor said solemnly, "My boy, since you respect His Royal Highness Prince Duan as your adoptive father, you should treat him like a filial son. When you find that your adoptive father has made a mistake, you should advise him respectfully!"
Little Qin Hao nodded, and advised Chu Shiyu in a friendly manner: "Foster father, I think your feelings for mother are sincere, but foster father should not treat it in a tough way. You should choose to follow the etiquette as Grandpa Taifu said."
Chu Shiyu was speechless at first...
Followed by.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to me...
In the dream, when Liu Rusi faked her death, the entire operation was almost entirely led by Qin Hao! If it weren't for the others revealing their flaws, he wouldn't have been able to detect the flaws!
In other words, Qin Hao is very good at disguise!
It seems reasonable that he switched sides to the side of the Grand Tutor so smoothly, but it seems that there is something fishy going on!
And the Taifu and his group never said anything unfavorable to Liu Rusi and her son from beginning to end. What they were appealing for was what Liu Rusi had been fighting for!
Looking at the child's pair of phoenix eyes gradually taking on a piercing look, could it be that Qin Hao was colluding with others in this verbal battle? !
If so, is it possible that it was planned by Qin Hao... or Liu Rusi? !