Snow was falling outside the window again, and diamond-shaped snowflakes fell on the colorful glass panes of the Wenhua Hall, and immediately bloomed like flowers on the glass.
The Forbidden City always looks particularly peaceful when it snows, everything seems silent and the colors are particularly bright.
Although it was snowing, there was still sunshine. The light came in from the outside and fell on Liu Jin's particularly serious face in the study room of the Wenhua Palace.
Wearing a ermine-skin sweater, he stood in front of a huge desk and concentrated on writing in large letters.
In the end, it’s because I’m young and my writing was fine at the beginning, but later on I lost some strength and my handwriting was not very full.
"If Your Highness is tired, take a rest for a while!" Gao Xunzhi, a scholar from Wenhua Palace who teaches calligraphy next to him, said with a smile, "When writing, don't be too hasty. Don't think about finishing it in a while. Take your time. If you are in a hurry, start writing.
It will be chaotic. If the pen is confused, the mind will be confused."
Liujin didn't understand the meaning of "chaotic writing" and "chaotic mind", but he understood what Gao Xueshi said about taking a break when you're tired.
"I wasn't tired at first, but after hearing what the bachelor said, I really felt a little sore in my arms!" As he said this, Liu Jin couldn't wait to put down his pen, but then he looked timidly out of the window and saw the man in the side room opposite.
The figure quickly picked up the pen again.
Gao Xunzhi also looked over and frowned slightly after seeing the figure over there clearly.
Immediately, Gao Xunzhi looked at Liujin again, hesitated and stepped out again and again.
In the outer room of the study room, Yang Song and Zhang Xianzong, who were also in college, were carefully grading Liu Jin's essay. At this time, the expressions of the two learned men were as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and their brows were knitted together.
For them, teaching the crown prince to read is a major responsibility related to the future of the empire and the fate of hundreds of millions of people. It is a heavy responsibility related to the entire world and even a century-old plan.
The sound of Gao Xunzhi's footsteps made the two bachelors look up in surprise.
"Brother Shimin (Zhizi Gao Xunzhi), has His Highness finished writing?" Zhang Xianzong said, looking at the hourglass on the table, "There should be half an hour left, right?"
Gao Xunzhi did not answer, but looked at the side room opposite and said, "The Queen is here again?"
Another great scholar, Yang Song, put down the pen in his hand and said with a smile, "I came here in the morning and sat there for a long time." After saying that, he paused and said, "The queen cares about your highness's studies, she is such a strict mother!"
Zhang Xianzong followed with a smile and said, "This is the blessing of our country! We and our ministers are so lucky!"
Hearing this, Gao Xunzhi shook his head slightly and sighed, "Haste makes waste!"
The other two people didn't hear clearly and asked, "What did Brother Shimin say?"
"Nothing!" Gao Xunzhi struggled for a long time, but gritted his teeth and walked out. Only two bachelors were left in the room, looking at him in confusion.
It was still snowing outside. As soon as Gao Xunzhi went out, the snowflakes fell on his head without an official hat. It was mixed with a few strands of silver on his head and was indistinguishable.
When people in the side room of Wenhua Hall saw him walking out, they also stood up and looked around.
Immediately afterwards, Mei Liangliang, the manager of Kunning Palace, ran out quickly holding an umbrella.
"Sister Gao, please slide slowly!" Mei Liang smiled and raised his umbrella.
"Don't dare bother Mr. Mei!" Gao Xunzhi turned sideways slightly, not daring to accept it.
"What's the trouble? Your Majesty asked the Zajia family to come here!" Mei Liang held the umbrella above Gao Xunzhi's head to block the snowflakes, while half of her body was exposed in the snow. "Has Your Highness the Crown Prince finished writing?"
Gao Xunzhi did not answer, and strode to the door of the side room. He opened the hem of his official robe and knelt down through the thick curtain, "I, Gao Xunzhi, come to see the queen!"
"Get up quickly!" Zhao Ning'er's voice came from inside, "Mei Liangliang, help Bachelor Gao up quickly, and give him a hand stove, it's cold outside!"
Zhao Ning'er was the queen and Gao Xunzhi was the minister. Not only were there differences between men and women, but there was no precedent in the Ming Dynasty for ministers to have free access to the harem. So he stood outside the door and talked to Zhao Ning'er through the curtain.
A palace maid opened the curtain and handed out the hand stove.
Gao Xunzhi did not answer the question, nor did he get up. He continued to kneel, "I... I don't know whether you should say something or not?"
Zhao Ning'er inside seemed to be slightly stunned, and then said, "But the prince is not studying hard anymore? Bachelor Gao, I have told you bachelors a long time ago that you must be strict. The prince has a quick temper. If he is naughty,
Listen to the discipline and just reprimand."
"I'm talking about the prince's study, but it doesn't count as the prince's study!" Gao Xunzhi said sternly, "His Royal Highness is talented and has a pure nature. Although he is a little out of touch, his childish nature is harmless."
Zhao Ning'er inside asked curiously, "Then what do you want to say...?"
"What I want to say is... Queen!" After saying that, Gao Xunzhi kowtowed again.
Zhao Ning'er in the room was silent for a moment again, "Please speak!"
Gao Xunzhi raised his head, with some snow on his forehead, "I know that the Queen cares about His Highness's studies, so I inquired and checked day and night, and strictly controlled her like a strict mother. The Queen is so wise, which is a blessing to the country and the people of the country.
,but....."
"But what?" Zhao Ning'er said with a smile in the palace, "Sister Gao, just say what you want. No need to beat around the bush, I won't blame you!"
"Thank you, Queen!" Gao Xunzhi kowtowed again and raised his head, "His Royal Highness was tired from writing just now, so I asked him to take a rest. His Highness was very happy to hear this, but when he turned around and saw the empress here, he quickly picked up the pen again."
"The same is true when studying on weekdays. Sometimes His Highness gets tired and wants to take a rest, but the Queen is out studying with him, so he can only bite the bullet and continue studying."
"To learn something, you can't just use it too hard. Haste makes waste, but perseverance. Besides, His Highness is just enlightening people now. He who teaches as a teacher should not force teaching but care about teaching. You cannot let His Highness study for the sake of studying, let him
Your Highness knows the joy of reading."
"Only when you start with fun can you understand the importance of studying. Only by taking it step by step and accumulating over time can you achieve success. If you just watch and supervise me, I'm afraid that in the future... Your Highness will get tired of studying!"
There was silence in the palace for a long time, and then Zhao Ning'er's voice came, "Scholar Gao is saying that I am too strict with the prince? Is he too strict?"
"I don't dare!" Gao Xunzhi kowtowed again, "I mean, Queen... you shouldn't put pressure on Your Highness like a light on your back!"
"You..." In the palace, Zhao Ning'er's tone changed, with anger.
"The ministers should be strict as teachers, and the queen should be kind. If there is a strict teacher inside and a strict mother outside, then His Highness the Prince's study will be superficial."
"Your Highness is still young, and many things must be done slowly and with guidance. If you study forcefully to avoid punishment, you will lose the original purpose of reading. Now His Highness is young and has a simple mind. In a few years, His Highness will grow older and may be born.
Boredom."
"It is said that things must be reversed at the extreme. When the time comes, not only will you not be able to study, but you will feel sorry for yourself and worry about gains and losses. You will also care about others and talk about others. This will be detrimental to your highness's studies, and even more detrimental to his character!"
Gao Xunzhi had carefully organized his words. He didn't want to speak too directly, and he was worried that the queen wouldn't understand.
There was silence in the hall. Mei Liang stood aside and stared at Gao Xunzhi.
"Is this plagued scholar blaming the Queen?" He thought to himself, hesitating whether to speak out and scold her for being bold.
After a long while, Zhao Ning'er spoke slowly, "I understand what you mean. The general idea is that His Highness is studying over there and I am watching here, but he can't learn well, right?"
"I ask the queen to forgive me!" Gao Xunzhi kowtowed again.
"Originally, when children study well, you are here to watch them like a Buddha, not to mention that the children and adults are uncomfortable. You are here, and the children's attention is all on you, so how can you focus on the books?"
While kowtowing, Gao Xuzhi secretly said in his heart, "He just thinks about being afraid that you will be unhappy, and his days are like years. How can he learn this book well? Throughout the ages, many princes have failed because of their strict words. They were good seedlings.
, he was treated harshly when he was a child, and he grew up to be rebellious and lawless. He is a prince, and learning is all about governing the country. Studying is to temper one's mind and understand things, so why should he be so demanding?"
"What do you mean..." Zhao Ning'er said again in the palace, "I don't need to come here anymore?"
