"Father, if I want to accompany my son to read, not only can I ask my father's permission?"
Zhenbeihou, who received the request of his youngest daughter for the first time, was a little surprised. He looked at his young daughter, saw her serious appearance, and asked again, "Do you really want to read to the prince's companion?"
Zhong Lishuo nodded and said, "I want to go. The eldest son is young, and although Mr. Hua has taught him, the entry is either Xin or Geng. Most of the teenagers of his age are still at the age of playfulness. I think your majesty will order the lord to enter Hongwenguan wants his son to be taught by our Qing Kingdom. Therefore, an older companion would be more suitable. And I have a little knowledge of barbarian language during this period, and I would like to study more."
"What's more, my father and eldest sister are both important officials in the court and serve the country and the people. My son also wants to do something to help my father, and I hope my father will allow me to report my name."
The boy who was no more than sixteen years old finished his story one by one in a clear and coherent manner. After listening to it, the Marquis of Zhenbei agreed to her request without hesitation. Therefore, Zhong Lishuo took the lead in reporting his name when the Hongwen Museum asked the students to volunteer to be the son's companions.
But she didn't expect that being a companion to the son of the world requires more than just being able to speak savagely. The matter of civil and military affairs is also a condition for selecting the son's companion to study.
In terms of literature and history, Zhong Lishuo didn't need to worry, but riding and shooting would give her a lot of headaches. Subei is a horse race, specializing in riding and archery. In order to demonstrate my national prestige in Daqing, the people who accompany the prince must be both civil and military.
People who are too good will only make people look up to them, which will lead to the idea of not daring to climb. This is exactly what the queen had in mind, to train the prince to be a person who knows how to be polite and fearful.
The reported noble children will be selected after ten days. In order to make progress in riding and archery after ten days, Zhong Lishuo has been practicing hard on the school grounds after class.
She left school early on three afternoons out of seven days, and in her spare time, she could practice her riding and archery well. It's just that as the selection time is getting closer and closer, Zhong Lishuo feels that he is not ready yet, so he hopes that he will have more practice time.
It is very important to explain the meaning of the scriptures to the queen, but if you don't choose to go to the world, you will lose more opportunities to get in touch with the queen. After all, the prince's companion can enter the palace, but explaining the meaning of the scriptures cannot.
Zhong Lishuo weighed it over and over again, and after explaining the meaning of the scriptures to the empress on this day, he reluctantly said, "Your Majesty, I have something to ask Your Majesty."
"What's the matter?" Xuan Jingchen looked at the young man who was looking at him very seriously, with a puzzled expression. She had been listening to Le Zhengsu explaining the meaning of the scriptures for ten days, and when she got along, she realized that the other party was indeed a sincere person, and those doubts that were caused by being too similar had slowly dissipated.
Xu Shi's peculiar liveliness and vigor in young people are very contagious, and Xuan Jingchen felt very at ease with her for ten days. Because of this, this boring time of lecturing also became interesting in the young man's loud voice.
It is undeniable that Le Zhengsu is a child who can make people feel at ease. Therefore, when she opened her mouth to ask Xuan Jingchen to ask for something, Her Majesty the Queen became a little curious.
Zhong Lishuo looked at the queen's gentle face, thinking about not being able to see each other again in the next few days, and his tone was very regretful: "In three days, I will have a riding and archery exam, the gentleman is very strict, and I have never been good at riding and shooting, and I am worried that I will not be able to take the exam. It has passed. Therefore, I have come here to ask Your Majesty for a few days off. In these few days, I hope Your Majesty will allow me to practice, and can I come back to give a lecture to His Majesty after the examination?”
Seeing her serious expression, Xuan Jingchen thought that what the other party was asking for should be a big deal, but hearing that he felt extremely cute. She chuckled lightly and said, "This is an important matter, and I will naturally allow you. You can teach me about the scriptures every day, but there is only one exam. I hope the little gentleman can pass the exam well."
She looked at Zhong Lishuo with encouraging eyes, and was stimulated by the sentence that he could speak the scriptures every day, so Zhong Lishuo was very happy and responded with joy.
Xuan Jingchen thought about her saying that riding and shooting is not good, and asked with concern: "If you have difficulty practicing, I can help you find someone to teach you. It may not be many in a short period of time, but the assessment should be able to already."
Zhong Lishuo shook his head, declined Xuan Jingchen's kindness, and said earnestly, "I am not good at archery, so I invited Lord Yang Yuting for this. The Hongwen Museum will not be open for two days after tomorrow, so I asked him to teach me and work hard. It's been a struggle."
When Xuan Jingchen heard the words, he nodded and said, "Yang Yuting's archery skills are very high, and he will definitely be able to teach you."
Zhong Lishuo lowered his head and replied, "Yes."
The matter was settled like this. The next day, Zhong Lishuo changed into Taiyimen's blue warrior uniform and went to the golden robe guard school that he had made an appointment with Yang Yuting to practice hard in order to pass the selection of the prince's companion.
Yang Yuting led Zhong Lishuo to stand in the bow and arrow field in a strong suit. He carried a bow and arrow, pointed at a target a hundred paces away from the school field and said to Zhong Lishuo, "You already know the selection rules, you can draw a crossbow. , if six out of ten arrows hit the target, it is considered over, and then according to the number of arrow feathers and the degree of hitting the target, the A, B, C, Ding and good are evaluated.”
After Yang Yuting finished speaking, he turned his head and glanced at the young man wearing a bun, reached out and patted her shoulder, and sighed: "Now that you can pull a crossbow, we don't need to be good, we can pass it." Anyway, according to the family background of the Marquis of Zhenbei, if the young master works harder, he will definitely be selected.
"Yeah." After Zhong Lishuo nodded in response, Yang Yuting looked at her calloused hand and sighed, "Look at what your hands have been ruined, there are not many children as studious as you this year. Now. Bring your protective gear, I'm afraid you will suffer more in these two days."
As Yang Yuting said, the next two days were two hard days after Zhong Lishuo woke up. Yang Yuting is a very strict coach. He doesn't show any affection during training, and he has extremely high requirements for standard posture. Zhong Lishuo's previous studies were not very good, so he would inevitably reprimand him.
After two days of tossing, Zhong Lishuo achieved gratifying results, the older the better. But at the same time, the price to pay is very high. Due to the postures and movements that have been maintained for a long time, it is a trivial matter that the waist and knees are sore and weak, and there are many blisters and scars on the hands and feet.
Just two days of hard work made Mrs. Le Zheng feel distressed. He sighs that this is a sinful thing, and there is a tendency for a loving mother to have more spoiled children, so Zhong Lishuo will not be allowed to study.
But Zhenbeihou was very happy. He thought about his little daughter being pampered, but he didn't want to be a child who could suffer like this. With such a heart, no matter what you do in the future, you can make your parents feel at ease.
As for the client Zhong Lishuo, he only felt that riding and shooting in this area was so hard, and he didn't know how tired the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty were. With admiration in her heart, she became more and more serious in her studies. Seeing her enthusiasm, Yang Yuting, who had only promised to teach her for two days, couldn't help teaching her until the day before the selection.
They all knew why Her Majesty the Queen chose a companion for her son. Compared with martial arts, the Queen paid more attention to the character and literature of companions. The little boy has a good temperament, and his knowledge is decent, not to mention his family background. Seeing her working so hard, even if the little boy misses one of his ten arrows, he can let the little boy pass.
The rather corrupt Yang Yuting did not tell the young master that he was one of the golden-robed guard commanders who assessed their riding and shooting. Therefore, when Zhong Lishuo rested restlessly for a night before the assessment, Yang Yuting appeared very leisurely in the school grounds of Hongwen Hall.
On this day, the aristocratic teenagers of Hongwenguan lined up in an orderly line, waiting to be inspected by the golden robe. Zhong Lishuo was in the middle, looking at the young man standing in front of the archery target in the school field, feeling very nervous.
She is already a young man in her twenties, and now she is standing on the field with a group of teenagers waiting for the assessment, but she really thinks that she is only sixteen years old. She glanced at the little boy who was shorter than herself standing beside her, and couldn't help but chuckle.
This experience is no longer interesting. Thinking like this, Zhong Lishuo, who was nervous because he was concerned about the outcome of this matter, gradually relaxed.
"Okay! Second Young Master is good at archery. A hundred paces through Yang, there are no false hairs." There were shouts of young people in the crowd. Zhong Lishuo turned his head and saw that the group of applauded and applauded young people were very familiar, but it was not that day. The etiquette, insulting the teacher's fart child.
Zhong Lishuo followed their gaze to the field, and saw a young man wearing a jade crown and a blue robe standing in the field, bending a bow and shooting an arrow, and each time he slammed the arrow a hundred paces away. on the target. Zhong Lishuo looked at the seriousness on his immature face, and his smooth and comfortable posture, and couldn't help but call out a good arrow.
She knew that the young man was Xu Renqing's younger brother, Xu Renli.
Zhong Lishuo saw the heroic appearance of the young man, and thought that since ancient times a hero has produced a young man. This sentence should describe him.
With such thoughts in mind, Zhong Lishuo ushered in his own assessment. Zhong Lishuo, who had rarely passed the riding and archery test, took a deep breath, grabbed the longbow in his hand, and shot the arrow at the opposite archery target.
The arrow feathers shuttled through the air and nailed to the target, only the arrow feathers trembled in the wind. The guard who recognized the target shouted loudly, "In!" Zhong Lishuo's mind gradually became calm, and he set up the arrow feathers one by one and shot them steadily.
Seven arrows hit the target, passed the assessment, and Zhong Lishuo's heart was completely settled. Pressing her pounding heart, she walked towards the racecourse and rushed to her next exam room.
As the main examiner, Yang Yuting heard the news that Zhong Lishuo had passed the examination, and couldn't help but waved his fist and praised: "Good boy!" His excited expression attracted the attention of the examiner beside him, and the golden-robed guard turned his head to look at him. Glancing at him, it was like frost.
After passing the exam at the racecourse, Zhong Lishuo finally breathed a sigh of relief. She left the exam room with the other students, went to the entrance of Hongwen Hall, and went to meet Ah Sheng who came to pick her up.
The team of Jinpaowei passed by in front of Hongwen Hall, and the leaders walked in front. Yang Yuting, who was riding on the horse, saw Zhong Lishuo standing at the door from a distance, so he rode his horse and walked towards her.
The sound of the horse's hooves gradually approached. Zhong Lishuo raised his head and saw Yang Yuting, who was wearing a crimson samurai uniform, looking at her with a smile: "Have you passed the exam, are you happy?"
"Yeah." Zhong Lishuo nodded and smiled at Yang Yuting, "I'll invite you to have a drink tomorrow to thank you for your kindness."
Hearing this, Yang Yuting said happily: "How old are you, please invite me to a drink, don't say thank you, it's not a big deal. Besides, if you really go to drink with you, your sister will kill me." Yang Yuting said, putting his hand across his neck, making a gesture of suicide, exaggeratingly made a trembling and fearful appearance.
Zhong Lishuo lowered his head and smiled, and then raised his head to look at Yang Yuting. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a Jinpao Wei Commander who was wearing the same clothes as Yang Yuting not far away.
It was an extremely handsome young man, with a white face and no beards, and the corners of his eyes and brows were as gentle as an amorous son. It's just that his eyes are frosty and snowy, and he looks unapproachable, which gives him a bit of the majesty of a military general.
The young man was staring at her, and Zhong Lishuo, who was looking at her a little uncomfortable, only thought that this person was quite familiar. Being looked at with such eyes, it would be rude to ignore him, so Zhong Lishuo turned his head and asked Yang Yuting, "Master Yang, I don't know what the name of that Jinpaowei Master is?"
Yang Yuting followed her gaze and replied, "Oh, that's Mr. Qian Cheng from the North Gate, what's wrong?"
Zhong Lishuo shook his head and said, "It's nothing, I just think that this gentleman has a face like spring water, but has a cold expression, which is a pity."
Hearing Zhong Lishuo's comments, Yang Yuting sighed and said, "No, Mr. Qian really has a good appearance. He was not like this before, and he still smiled very well to people. It's just that he looks too good. It was provocative, and the little girls cried and shouted to marry him, so he changed his face later, saying it was scary." He approached Zhong Lishuo and said in a low voice, "But don't be afraid, He's fake and deceived, and when our Commander Su gets cold, it's scary."
When Zhong Lishuo heard the words, she smiled and dismissed them. She nodded and said goodbye to Yang Yuting. Seeing him riding back into the distance, she led the golden robe guard away. Yang Yuting, who returned to his colleague, smiled happily, thinking in his heart that he had taught Le Zhengsu for a few days, how to blackmail Le Zhengying for compensation.
Just as he was thinking, the gentle voice of a man came from his ear: "Yuting, whose child is that little son? From the Lezheng family?"
Yang Yuting turned his head and said with a smile, "Why don't you know, isn't he the youngest son of the Marquis of Zhenbei, his name is Asu."
"Is that the young master who looked for someone in the office and then spread the word about Jinpaowei?" Qian Cheng asked again, his words were soft, which made people feel like a spring breeze.
Yang Yuting nodded and replied, "It's her, and it was passed on in Jinpaowei for a while."
Qian Cheng nodded and answered, and then heard Yang Yuting ask again, "Why are you suddenly curious about that child?"
Qian Cheng rode his horse and shook his head gently, "It's nothing, it's just this child, I seem to have seen another person." Qian Cheng sighed, turned to look at Yang Yuting, and asked him, "I was on duty in the West Palace back then. Have you ever met Emperor Zhao?"
"Xigong, you mean when we first entered the Jinpaowei?" Yang Yuting shook his head and said, "You and I are still small guards at the gate. How can we see Emperor Zhao in the deep palace."
When Qian Cheng heard this, he smiled slightly and said, "I have seen it."
Yang Yuting followed in surprise and asked curiously, "How come you have seen it before, and I have never heard of you."
Qian Cheng turned his head and glanced at him, his eyes were gentle, but he didn't smile. He said softly: "I only saw her once from a distance, and I remembered her appearance only once. And the young master just now is very much like the late Emperor Zhao."
No, not just once. Few people knew that starting that summer, Emperor Zhao would take the Empress through the long West Palace school grounds every day and return to the deep palace. He waited for a long time, and finally, in that busy winter, he waited for a day when the emperor and empress were not there, and bumped into the front of Emperor Zhao.
Zhong Lishuo, a person whose name indicates imperfection, is a pity that he is fragile.
With a smile on the corner of his mouth, Qian Cheng led the horse forward slowly. If someone touches his hand at this moment, they will find that it is a warm spring day, and there is still a bone-biting coldness on this elegant warrior.
He seemed to have come from the Ruins of Return, and even the gentleness of the spring water could not cover up the more and more gloomy cold air.
Zhong Lishuo, who successfully passed the assessment, was relieved after the results of the two subjects of civil and martial arts. She knew that as long as she was qualified and had the protection of her parents, she would definitely be selected. So when she saw the queen again the next day, she smiled very happily.
"But you passed the exam?" Seeing her undisguised happy expression, Xuan Jingchen also asked in a good mood.
"Yes." Zhong Lishuo nodded, opened the Taiben Chronicle with one hand, and said to the Queen, "I am very grateful for the vacation that Your Majesty gave me, and I will slowly make up for your Majesty's lectures in the future. ." She was a former emperor, but she didn't feel uncomfortable calling Xuan Jingchen your majesty.
Perhaps, when the order came out in the year when the Emperor was seriously ill, she felt that Xuan Jingchen, who had such a destiny, was a blessing to the people of Chu. If possible, Zhong Lishuo would never want to be the ruler of a country. Such a burden was too heavy, and she felt that she could not carry the subjects of a country with her weak body.
She sincerely believed that the Queen was her monarch, so she also showed some respect when she taught the class, and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, we finished the chapter on prayer earlier, and today we are going to study the chapter on karma. In my humble opinion. If emperors and emperors study the Taiyiji, they should focus on the chapter on cause and effect."
"The scriptures and meanings in the book allow me to explain them one by one for His Majesty. The so-called cause and effect is a constant cycle and never ends. The scriptures and meanings written by Taiben Ji in the chapter on cause and effect are to teach people to be kind, and for the king, they are How to be a wise emperor."
"The emperor is the ruler of a country. In the astrolabe of the Eastern Emperor, he is the head of the stars. The star head occupies a very important position in the astrolabe. Her every move will affect the trend of the entire astrolabe. In other words, It will affect the fate of most people."
"Although I am very heavy on calculations, I use the astrolabe to push the destiny, thinking that the human astrolabe falls on the palm. The astrolabe in the palm is not only the direction of destiny, but also the grasp of manpower. The free life posture influenced by cause and effect is the The kindness bestowed by the Eastern Emperor."
"A person's life can completely follow the direction he chooses, but some people's choices will have a lot of influence on others. The king is such a person. This is the cause and effect caused by the objective. As a king, you have to pity the people, so you should be familiar with the cause and effect. It is very important to reflect on yourself.”
The young people talked freely, mature and sophisticated as if they were not people of this age. Xuan Jingchen originally thought that she would prefer biographies and legends, but never thought that it would involve the king. For the emperor's business, when she accompanied Emperor Zhao, she had already mastered the skills. Xuan Jingchen, who had never learned the way of being a king, listened carefully to the teachings of a 16-year-old boy when he was about to reach his 30s.
Zhong Lishuoli left the "Tai Yi Ji", starting from the story of the first emperor of the Chu Kingdom, Jin Dong, and after finishing the brief life of the first emperor, he closed the textbook. After she finished the class, she saw Xuan Jingchen nodded approvingly: "I didn't expect you to be familiar with Shiji at such a young age. I really listened to a good class today and was taught."
From this moment on, Xuan Jingchen felt that he should not treat the boy in front of him as a child. It would be great if such a learned person could serve the people well.
Zhong Lishuo felt a little embarrassed by her praise. Her mother had been taught by the great Confucian scholars in the state of Chu, and she was a very talented master. She was in the cold palace when she was a child, and she taught her only a lot of things. It's not Zhong Lishuo's boasting, she does have the ability to remember people, but she has never been very good at recognizing people.
Looking at her young appearance, Xuan Jingchen asked in a warm voice, "I heard your elder sister say that you are studying Geng now. With your erudite ability, I am afraid that if you read history, you will be able to read a few grades earlier, why not? What about the cross-level assessment?"
Zhong Lishuo pondered for a while, and said, "Please don't joke, Your Majesty, I read Geng because I get along with the younger classmates more comfortably. And the schoolwork is not so busy, so I can read more things."
Xuan Jingchen couldn't help laughing when she heard the words, but when she looked mature, she was still a young man after all, and said warmly, "Other aristocratic teenagers have already planned a way out at your age, but you are still studying in Hongwen Hall, why? Do you still want to be in Hongwen Hall in the future, do you have no plans to become an official?"
Zhong Lishuo shook his head, sat up straight and looked at Xuan Jingchen and said seriously: "Yes, what I want is to always be by the emperor's side, to be able to record her every move and write a history book for her. Please, Your Majesty, don't laugh at me for not being self-sufficient, I'm going to give it a try for the Privy Council assessment in the autumn."
The meaning in the dark eyes of the young man made Xuan Jingchen's heart tremble. When she heard the sentence that was always by the side of the emperor, she was a little confused. Saying this with this face that looks like Emperor Zhao, she will feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, Le Zhengsu is not Zhong Lishuo, but Xuan Jingchen is indeed a good king. She heard the words and encouraged her: "My little gentleman makes this wish, I am so happy, why would I laugh at you."
Zhong Lishuo nodded with satisfaction, looked at Xuan Jingchen and said, "Your Majesty is a British Lord, if I can write a history book for Your Majesty, it will be my lifelong wish. Your Majesty, it is getting late, and today's scriptures have not been copied, let me I'll polish the ink for His Majesty."
As Zhong Lishuo said that, he took down the "Tai Yi Ji" on the case, and pulled the sleeves of his robe to study ink for Xuan Jingchen. The boy's white and tender hand was now bandaged, Xuan Jingchen frowned as he looked at the scarred hand that had been hidden under the case before.