Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 23 The Concerns of the Emperor's Disciples

Mi Mengshang had been the emperor's "disciple" for almost half a month. Compared to the newly minted Jinshi who passed the imperial examination and took the palace examination, she was a real student taught by the emperor himself, a disciple of the emperor himself.

But she wasn't happy at all. The emperor and she had a respectful, platonic relationship. After dinner, she was taken to the Qianqing Palace by Wang An, the newly appointed eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. Then, class, dismissal, and the teacher's visit would repeat the same cycle the next day.

Teacher Zhu thoughtfully prepared a separate classroom for her class. Inside was a large, smooth, gray-black slate. During each class, Zhu would write and draw on it with a white plaster stick. Whenever her attention wandered, Zhu would tap the slate with a ruler to remind her to stop daydreaming and "look at the blackboard."

But in Mi Mengshang's opinion, this stone is not that black, strictly speaking it can be regarded as a "gray board".

It must be said that using a blackboard for teaching is very intuitive, but its drawbacks are also very obvious. With this damn stone, Teacher Zhu no longer needs to stand next to the students and look down at the words on the paper like a traditional private school teacher. This also reduces the opportunities for close contact between the two.

The intuitive teaching method was highly effective, and since Mr. Zhu provided specialized elementary math instruction, not the Four Books and Five Classics, Mi Mengshang quickly mastered the symbols she called "Arabic numerals" and the four arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

After learning the most basic numbers and arithmetic, Teacher Zhu explained many other concepts to her, such as fractions, negative numbers, the conversion between jin and liang, how many copper coins one liang of silver is equal to this year, what can be bought with it, and so on.

She knew some concepts but not others, but every time Teacher Zhu asked her if she understood a new concept, she would say no. Mi Mengshang pessimistically speculated that once the class was over, Teacher Zhu would never see her again.

Mi Mengshang found some comfort in the fact that, despite the Emperor not touching her during this period, she remained as pure as ever. Fortunately, he hadn't visited any other concubines either. Wang Zhangyin secretly encouraged her, urging her to keep working hard. He said that Court Sergeant Liu was very annoying, and every day when he came into the palace, he would advise the Emperor to be calm and composed, and to rest and recuperate.

Wang Zhangyin also said that after the emperor has recovered, his beastly nature will definitely return. No! His true nature will definitely return.

But how could she possibly work so hard? She changed her outfit every day, thinking there would be one that would suit her, but Mr. Zhu refused to admit that he hadn't, as if triangles and plaster rods were his concubines.

Could it be that those classes taught by the Jiaofangsi, which claim to showcase the primal charm of women, are all a lie? Is it that I simply lack charm? Every day after class, Mi Mengshang would feel a genuine sense of failure.

To keep herself in the classroom as long as possible, Mi Mengshang cunningly controlled the time it took her to "learn" each topic, limiting it to just the right amount. If she learned quickly, she'd graduate quickly. But if she graduated and Teacher Zhu hadn't gotten over her "pure-hearted" phase, wouldn't her entire class be a waste? But if she learned slowly, Teacher Zhu would undoubtedly deem her a fool and dismiss her, replacing her with a brighter student.

"Okay, that's all for today's class. I know you're studious, which is good. But you can't digest too much at once, so go back and digest it." Zhu Changluo put away the teaching aids and nodded in encouragement.

What the hell! What you teach is not difficult at all. Mi Mengshang stuck out her tongue at Zhu Changluo in her heart, but she still had to say: "I am stupid and have caused the emperor trouble."

"Don't worry. As long as you can put this knowledge to good use and complete the task I've assigned you, my efforts will not be in vain." Zhu Changluo actually enjoyed this tireless teaching. "Of course, if you do a good job, I will reward you handsomely." Today, for the first time, he gently rubbed Mi Mengshang's head. This was the first time she had had physical contact with this man since Concubine Zheng sent her here.

"I thank the emperor first." Mi Mengshang's eyes lit up and she smiled a very seductive smile. But Zhu Changluo was thinking about something else at the time, his eyes were looking elsewhere, and unfortunately he didn't see it.

"Hmph!" Mi Mengshang snorted imperceptibly and bowed before leaving. She had learned from Wang Zhangyin that one must be tactful. Wang An was a high-ranking official, with no room for advancement, yet he treated his concubines with the dignity of a servant, never arrogant. This was true even when facing the disgraced Consort Li.

Mi Mengshang had already guessed what Zhu Changluo was about to assign her. Why did she need to learn arithmetic and measurement? What jobs best matched these two skills? It was probably engineering and accounting. The emperor wouldn't have the luxury of assigning palace servants to work as craftsmen. So, her next job would likely be checking the accounts.

Whose accounts are they checking? Zhu Changluo once said that what she had to do was household chores. What are household chores? Generally speaking, all the affairs of the world are the emperor's household chores. More specifically, the emperor's home is the palace, so household chores are the affairs of the palace.

Mi Mengshang's thinking was clear. The emperor wanted to investigate the palace's accounts, so he couldn't allow anyone in the palace who was waiting to be investigated to get involved. However, he couldn't allow the censors from the Censorate to come to the palace to cause trouble. Naturally, he could only find someone in the palace with no foundation and no vested interests to preside over this matter.

She didn't mind being the knife in Zhu Changluo's hand at all, because even if the person being stabbed hated it, the person holding the knife would still hold it tightly in his hand.

Mi Mengshang, the daughter of a criminal official who had the good fortune to enter the palace before being forced to betray herself for the first time and was lucky enough to be chosen by the emperor, needed a sense of security very much.

Back in the bedroom, Mi Mengshang took off her beautiful but cumbersome clothes with the help of other beauties and changed into casual clothes that were easier to move in.

Why not go see the emperor tomorrow? Mi Mengshang suddenly thought.

She was often personally escorted in and out of the Qianqing Palace by the eunuch in charge of the seal, which significantly improved her status. Everyone treated her with courtesy. There were even eunuchs and palace maids who, unbeknownst to her, started betting on when she would become pregnant.

A gentle breeze swept across the Taiye Lake, piercing through the layers of palace walls, bringing the autumn twilight to Mi Mengshang. She couldn't help but feel sad about the passing of time and the impermanence of life. However, she quickly cheered up and dispelled this self-pity.

Wang Zhangyin said that the emperor was a revivalist comparable to Taizu and Chengzu, a man of immense talent and strategy. He wouldn't be interested in those who only knew how to play the piano, chess, calligraphy, and poetry. Therefore, Mi Mengshang wanted to transform herself into a soaring, proud, and independent white crane. She would learn whatever the emperor learned.

Mi Mengshang picked up a book titled "Yiken Order" by Xu Guangqi.

After half an hour, she was distracted again. She began to imagine herself as the queen, accompanied by hundreds of officials to participate in the spring plowing ceremony with the emperor.
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(End of this chapter)