in spring

Chapter 269 Teacher and Companion

The second old lady and the second wife were very surprised when they heard this, and the latter hurriedly asked: "Did you say why? Did you invite Brother Dun alone, or did you invite people from the West Mansion together?" He reached out and took the post.

Chunying replied: "People from the palace said that they only invited our fourth young master, it seems that it is for the fourth young master's apprenticeship."

The second old lady and the second wife Zhuo Shi looked at each other, unable to hide the strange look on their faces.

Although Prince Jing's mansion is the son-in-law of the Hou's mansion, they are also the nephew's son-in-law of the Dong mansion, but they are not close to each other.Before Concubine Jing got married, the East Mansion had been serving as an official outside the country almost all the time. Even if they had been close to each other when they were young, they had long since forgotten it. Therefore, the relationship between the two mansions was only a general relationship. When I went to the mansion, I always invited them together with the serious brothers and sisters of the Hou Mansion, but this was the first time I invited them alone, and Zhuo Shi also found out that the person who posted the post was not the concubine, and it was clearly the private seal of Prince Jing Zhu Shunyu himself!She couldn't help feeling a little uneasy, for fear that her 15-year-old son would also be involved in the struggle between the court and China.

The second old lady was very calm: "Since it is King Jing's kindness, it is a great honor to ask for a husband for our Brother Dun, and it is much better than Brother Dun and his uncle. Don't worry about Brother Dun's child. Having seen the world, he will be rude in front of the prince, our mother and daughter have taught him for many years, he can still handle this kind of thing. Chunying, go and invite the fourth young master over."

Chunying responded and went, still thinking on the way, could it be that because the second master made great contributions to the northern border, Prince Jing's mansion also came to win him over?But isn't Prince Jing from the emperor's school?Is this the emperor's intention, or Prince Jing's own decision?Although this world is different from history, the influence of traditional etiquette is still great. The so-called heaven, earth, monarch, relatives and teachers, formally worshiped teachers, are second only to the authority of the king and father, and have a great relationship.The fourth young master is the only son of the second master, and the teacher he worships is not comparable to the masters in the school. For Dongfu, that weight is extraordinary...

After hearing Chunying's words, the fourth young master Li Dun hurried to the main room and saluted his grandmother and mother. Although his face was a little uneasy, he acted calmly: "Dun'er has heard about it, eldest brother-in-law It must be a good thing to invite a gentleman for me, since he specially sent a post to summon me, I will go tomorrow! It’s just uncle’s place..."

This reminded the second wife: "Just ask your mother to tell you, you don't have to worry. When you go out tomorrow, ask your girl to pack your clothes, and the daughter-in-law will choose a few suitable people to serve you, and Brother Dun himself will take care of you." Be more careful, follow the etiquette, and don't be rude!"

The fourth young master obediently agreed, although Zhuo was a little worried, she still took care of things one by one, and early the next morning, she personally sent her son out of the second door, watched him get on the horse and leave, and then came back.

Chunying followed the second old lady this day, and found that she was always absent-minded, knowing that she was probably worried about her grandson, so she said some light and interesting things, or brought her the new summer clothes made by the sewing room for the young masters and ladies Look over to get her attention.The second old lady gradually felt better, and began to be picky about her clothes again. Three of the four new clothes for each of them were sent back for modification.

But after the second wife Zhuo came back from the Hou Mansion, the atmosphere returned to gloomy. Even the fourth lady was a little listless. She didn't want to play with the girls, and she didn't want to talk, so she could only accompany the second old lady silently with her mother.As time went by, the three generations of grandparents began to worry.

Li Dun didn't go home at noon, so he went back home with his attendants to report that it was Princess Jing who had left a meal, after all, they were close siblings of the same family.But after this stay, it was late in the evening, and Li Dun hadn't come back yet.Mrs. Zhuo didn't care about the five or six long-term attendants who followed him. They were all strong men who had practiced boxing and kung fu, and they were close relatives at Prince Jing's mansion. People looked for it along the road, and then heard Chunying coughing lightly there, and saw the worried look on her mother-in-law's face, so she suddenly woke up, sat upright in her seat again, and said in shame: "I made mother a joke, daughter-in-law." As soon as I encountered Brother Dun, I..."

The second old lady smiled and waved her hands: "It doesn't matter, I'm just as worried as you. You can send someone to Prince Jing's mansion to ask, don't keep looking for it on the road, maybe Brother Dun and Prince Jing had a good chat and forgot the time for a while ?”

Zhuo hurriedly called for someone, Chunying caught a glimpse of a pair of lanterns dangling outside the courtyard door, as if they were coming into the courtyard, her heart moved, and she shouted: "It seems that the fourth young master is back!" Zhuo stood up hurriedly upon hearing this. , Qiuyan outside had already opened the curtain and came in, and said with a smile: "The fourth young master is back."

Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief, and in a blink of an eye, the fourth young master Li Dun entered the room, greeted his grandmother and mother first, and then greeted his younger sister. After freshening up, I went to bed as soon as possible, but sent another message to the person who was going out to ask questions.

The entourage replied that the fourth young master stayed in Prince Jing's mansion all morning, took a rest after lunch, and asked Prince Jing to take him with him to meet the new teacher and had dinner at the teacher's house, that's why it took so long time.Now I have already kowtowed in front of the teacher, and I have received a copy of my homework. I will preview it first, and the class will start in two days.

Chunying was still there secretly thinking that the teacher was very efficient, the fourth young master had finished washing, changed into clean clothes, turned around again, and told his grandmother and mother about today's experience.Fourth Miss was young and wanted to be a director. The second old lady sent her to sleep, so she concentrated on listening to her grandson.

It turned out that the teacher the fourth young master worshiped was Liu Likai, but he was not from the empress dowager's clan. He was born in a serious imperial examination. When the mother died, Ding You followed.Now that he has finally finished his filial piety, the Imperial Academy's lecturers and bachelors are full again, so they are temporarily idle.This bachelor is very knowledgeable and full of economics, especially the study of "Shangshu". It is said that he won the "Jieyuan" and "Huiyuan" in the imperial examination when he was young, but the reigning emperor at that time felt that he was too young and needed more After training, he ordered him to be Tanhua, but he was not allowed to achieve the triple rank.This scholar has a calm and modest personality, keeps a low profile, never participates in court disputes, and concentrates on learning. At the beginning of the year, his book "Gujin Shangshu Commentary" was published by the court, which was well received in the literary world and respected by students all over the world.

Such a teacher, the weight is not light.Not to mention that the fourth young master is still a young boy, even the second old lady and the second wife, who have experienced so much in the world, feel that a big pie flew from outside the sky and hit them on their heads, and they don't care to think about whether there is any reason behind Prince Jing's move. What is the meaning, even if it is really meaningful?With such a teacher, if Li Dun wants to take the imperial examination in the future, as long as he is not an idiot, his journey will definitely be bright.

The second old lady immediately ordered her daughter-in-law to prepare for Shuxiu, and repeatedly urged her grandson to study hard.Li Dun nodded obediently, and Chunying caught a glimpse of his face getting more tired, so she whispered to the second old lady: "Old lady, the fourth young master seems to be sleepy, I must be very tired today, and I have to get up early tomorrow." As for the study, let the fourth young master go to rest first. The old lady should also rest earlier, or she will complain of a headache again tomorrow." The second old lady thought it was reasonable, and hurriedly sent her grandson to bed.

Seeing her son gone, Zhuo had to serve her mother-in-law to rest again.The second old lady saw that she seemed a little embarrassed, so she asked, "What's wrong with you? Is this teacher not good?"

Zhuo hurriedly said: "Mother misunderstood, it is a great blessing for Brother Dun to have Xueshi Liu as a teacher, but... the daughter-in-law suddenly thought that with this teacher, the West Mansion..."

The second old lady waved her hand: "Just push it, no matter who he is, can he still be better than Xueshi Liu? Tell people directly, and that gentleman will naturally retreat in spite of the difficulties." Zhuo felt that it was reasonable, and served him respectfully The mother-in-law washes and washes, and is more meticulous and thoughtful than the girls.Seeing Chunying and Bailing, they both nodded secretly, and the latter simply turned to make the bed.

Nothing happened for one night, and the next day, when Zhuo went to the Hou's mansion, he specially sent someone to explain the situation to Hou Ye, and thanked him for his kindness.Hou Ye was not very angry, but after a few days, he suddenly mentioned that he was willing to send someone to read with his nephew.

When Zhuo saw the name of the accompanying reader, she couldn't remember who it was at first. He heard that he was waiting in the study outside the Hou's mansion. She thought it was the nephew of some housekeeper. He thought that his son was going to school and brought two books with him. It is also common for Tong to help with the book and grind the ink. The person recommended by Master Hou should be fine, so he agreed casually.

When she came back and mentioned it to her mother-in-law, the second old lady said, "Isn't this the Zhou family's child?"

Chunying was beating her leg, but upon hearing this, she stopped beating again.

The second old lady was still there and continued: "It's a pity, I lost my parents and relatives at a young age, and I was sent to do hard labor. I heard about it in the south. Brother Dun, his uncle, was thinking about the old friendship and tried every means to make a living. Getting him out means turning the official slave into a domestic slave on the surface, but in fact he is still raised at home as if he is his own nephew. Doesn’t it mean that his family’s case will be vindicated? Why is he still in the Hou’s mansion?”

Zhuo's color changed slightly, and he remembered.My husband used to study and play with Zhou's father when he was a child, but Zhou's father and Hou Ye had a better relationship. At that time, my husband didn't get along with his elder brother, so he also alienated Zhou's father. When he was young and just married, he even complained that his elder brother He treats Zhou Zihong closer than his brother.

It's just that family, but they committed a felony!Regardless of the personal relationship between Li and Zhou's family, Zhou Nian is still an official slave!Zhuo felt a little awkward, and asked an official slave to accompany his son, what if Xueshi Liu found out and became angry?
But if you don't mention Zhou Nian's background, there are some servants in the family who accompany the little master to read, so I'm afraid it won't work if I use this to dismiss Lord Hou.Zhuo said sullenly: "I don't know how knowledgeable this child is? Since he is a companion and the son of an old friend, it is not easy to use him as a book boy. It's just that our Brother Dun has studied for several years and is about to ask Liu The bachelor asks for more advanced knowledge. Since the children of the Zhou family have suffered for many years, do you know how to keep up with the knowledge?"

The second old lady stopped talking when she heard the words, old friendship and so on, after all, is not as important as the grandson's homework and future.

Chunying was a little anxious as she listened. Although Zhou Nian failed to help her escape, for a long time, she used his promise as a pillar and encouraged herself to be patient.She always thought he was a very nice guy.Now that the situation has changed, she no longer has to rely on his help, but when she heard about him, she still couldn't help but want to say a few words for him, so she said: "Young Master Zhou has been in the West Mansion for several years. Some time ago, I heard that there was a rehabilitative lawsuit, which was about to be completed, but then someone interfered with it and made it dirty again. Otherwise, he would have recovered his status. I heard that he is very knowledgeable. I studied poetry and books in elementary school, and I have been studying outside for the past few years, never leaving them behind."

Zhuo's expression slowed down a little, and he asked, "How did you know? Could it be that the Hou Fu publicized his affairs everywhere?"

Chunying smiled and said: "It's not good to spread it everywhere, but there are some rumors. He has a small courtyard in the back street, very close to my house. When I was young, I served in the third young master's courtyard, because the third young master was on good terms with him. He even asked me to clean his house. At that time, I saw that his house was full of books, including poems, songs, and criminal names. You must be a very learned man, right?"

The second old lady said: "Since he has some foundation, I asked him to meet Brother Dun and try it out. If it's really good, it's okay to stay."

Zhuo agreed, and ordered people to go to the West Mansion to pass on Zhou Nian, and asked his son to meet him in the outer study.

Chunying lowered her head to beat the second old lady's legs, but a thought arose in her heart: I don't know how Zhou Nian is doing now?Hou Ye recommended him to study with him in Dongfu, what is his plan?
(End of this chapter)