School.
The get out of class was finally over. Under the awestruck gazes of the four children, Chen Tingjian walked away slowly.
When his figure disappeared, Sanlang ran to Wanyi first and said, "Sister, let's go find Fourth Uncle now. We'll have lunch outside!"
Wanyi was thinking the same thing, and happily took Dalang's hand and said, "Let's go. I heard there are a lot of snack stands on the streets of Beijing. They are more interesting than going to a restaurant!"
Dalang looked at his sister's hand.
In fact, he felt very uncomfortable. He was not as smart as Erlang, and today he made his grandfather angry and disappointed again.
But my sister's hands were warm and she smiled so happily.
After all, Dalang was only seven years old and was a bit playful at heart. Thinking that he would be able to go out with his fourth uncle soon and that his fourth uncle would not attach as much importance to his studies as his grandfather and father did, Dalang's sadness was like dark clouds in the sky, which was gently blown away by the wind.
"Um!"
The four little sisters and brothers flew to Siyi Hall like little sparrows that had finally escaped from a cage.
Huayang and Chen Jingzong sat on the couch in the side room, chatting idly while waiting for lunch to be delivered from the kitchen.
"Princess, the young lady and the others are here, waiting in the front yard."
Chaolu came to report.
Huayang smiled and said, "Bring it here."
After Chaolu left, she looked at Chen Jingzong.
Chen Jingzong was unhappy: "You are the one who wanted to listen to the old man's lecture. I didn't benefit from it at all. Why do you want me to take them out in the end?"
Huayang: "I didn't mean to order you around. Who told me to ask Wanyi what reward she wanted? She just likes going out."
When Huayang went to Wanyi to discuss the plan of tricking his father-in-law into giving lessons, he was ready to reward the children with money, but Wanyi made the decision for her younger brothers and only wanted her fourth uncle to play with her.
Huayang will certainly satisfy the children's simple and honest wishes.
Chen Jingzong: “No.”
Huayang frowned: "You clearly promised me before."
Chen Jingzong: "If you don't treat me as your husband and don't feel sorry for the suffering and anger I endured from the old man when I was young, I will lose my leisure time."
Huayang: "...Okay, I feel sorry for you."
Chen Jingzong: "It's a forced melon, it's not sincere at all."
Huayang gritted his teeth. Through the glazed window, the children's figures had already appeared in the corridor.
"what on earth do you want?"
Chen Jingzong looked out the window, then looked at her, raised his hand and patted the edge of the couch next to him.
He said nothing, and even his face looked serious, but there was a flickering fire in his eyes, which could be felt by Huayang even though he was a dozen feet away.
During the stalemate, the children had already walked under the eaves, and Sanlang's voice was so cheerful.
Huayang glared at him and turned away, which was considered as his agreement.
Chen Jingzong looked at her face which was slightly flushed and the tips of her ears were almost red. He suddenly got off the bed and walked out with big strides.
"Fourth Uncle!"
Erlang and Saburo rushed over together.
Chen Jingzong held down one of their heads with one hand and said to Wanyi and Dalang, who were more quiet and steady, "Let's go, Fourth Uncle will take you to a restaurant."
Wanyi looked inside: "We haven't thanked Fourth Aunt yet."
Now that you're here, it would be rude not to say hello.
Chen Jingzong raised his eyebrows: "I am accompanying you, why should I thank her?"
Wanyi snorted, "If Fourth Aunt hadn't spoken, would Fourth Uncle have thought of us? You've never made arrangements for us before."
Chen Jingzong: …
At this time, Huayang came out. Chen Jingzong turned around and saw that her complexion had basically returned to normal, but she just refused to look him in the eye.
"If you want to go out to eat, let's go now. Otherwise, there will be a lot of diners later and you may have to queue." She said to the children with a smile.
Sanlang: "Aunt Si will go too?"
Huayang smiled and said, "I have other things to do, so I won't accompany you today."
Chen Jingzong: "Okay, let's go. If the old man finds out later, you won't be able to go even if you want to."
The four children did not delay any longer and surrounded their tall uncle from front and back and left.
Huayang stood at the door until Chen Jingzong went up the corridor and looked back. Then she glared at him again and turned to go to the next room.
.
Chunhe Hall.
Mrs. Sun looked at her husband standing in front of the copper basin washing his hands and wondered, "How can you be so worried while teaching the children?"
Chen Tingjian smiled bitterly and said, "There was nothing wrong in the school, but when I came out of the school, I found out that the princess and the fourth child had been eavesdropping outside for a while."
He would not be surprised if the fourth brother did anything absurd. He was puzzled as to why the princess...
If you really want to listen to his lectures, you can just say hello and sit down. Why do you have to observe secretly
When he received the news, Chen Tingjian immediately realized that even his granddaughter's invitation to him to give lectures might have been instructed by the princess or the fourth son.
Chen Tingjian had been an official for more than 30 years. When his colleagues greeted him outside, he would analyze something based on the other person's expression and tone. When he returned home, Chen Tingjian was physically and mentally relaxed. He might guess what his sons were thinking, but he would never guard against his grandchildren setting up a trap for him.
Sun was stunned for a moment, then she looked at her husband's helpless expression because of the plot by his own granddaughter. She suddenly felt very happy and gloated, "Who can I blame? It's because you are too strict. You scared Dalang and made him sick. This is probably the first time the princess has heard of such an unkind grandfather in the world, so she wants to see it with her own eyes."
Chen Tingjian: "Don't talk nonsense, the boss has already explained it. Dalang vomited because of his weak body. It has nothing to do with me."
Sun: "You also know that he is the boss. Can the boss blame you for being too strict? Not to mention Dalang, even if you made me cry, the boss wouldn't dare to say a word against you."
Chen Tingjian: "You are becoming more and more unreasonable."
At this time, the manager of the front yard sent a maid to tell them that the prince consort had gone out with the children.
This directly told Chen Tingjian that the morning class was indeed carefully designed by the children in cooperation with Siyitang.
The question is, who is the one leading all this, the fourth brother or the princess? What are their respective purposes
Sun sat down at the dinner table and guessed, "Princess, you taught the fourth child, how could he not know what you are like?"
Chen Tingjian ate in silence.
Sun: "By the way, you must have lost your temper with the children again today, right? If you knew the princess was eavesdropping outside, would you have restrained yourself?"
Chen Tingjian: "The princess is a precious lady, so of course I have to be careful with my tone so as not to offend her."
Sun: "So, the princess just wants to see your true face as a teacher."
Chen Tingjian had already guessed it, and even thought of the prince in the palace.
The princess is kindhearted and may not understand him, or may not treat him with such courtesy anymore. These are things Chen Tingjian can bear. He cannot just turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of Dalang and Erlang in order to please the princess, as that would harm his grandchildren.
He was not afraid of what the princess might say in front of the emperor and the empress out of concern for the prince. He wanted to be gentler to the prince in the first place, but it was the empress who asked him to be strict.
Chen Tingjian rested for a while with a clear conscience.
After waking up, Chen Tingjian went to the study.
Unconsciously, half an hour had passed, and his wife suddenly came and looked at him with eyes that showed she was waiting for a good show: "The princess is here, waiting in the front hall."
Chen Tingjian immediately put down the book, lowered his head to look at his beard and clothes to make sure that he had not acted impolitely, and then walked quickly to the front yard with his wife.
Huayang was sitting in the main seat in the hall. When she saw the two elders coming, she left with a smile.
"Your Highness greets the Princess." Chen Tingjian was as polite as ever.
Huayang: "Father, please don't be polite. Please take a seat."
Chen Tingjian sat in the guest chair on the left of the princess. There were two guest chairs here, and Sun sat on the other one.
Chen Tingjian slightly tilted his body, looking calmly at the princess' daughter-in-law sitting in the main seat, waiting for the princess to speak.
Huayang smiled and said, "I think father has guessed that I instructed Wanyi to deceive you. Please forgive me for my impoliteness."
She was bold and daring, and her openness made Chen Tingjian smile: "Princess, you are too kind. I am just a little confused and don't understand why you are like this. If you just want to listen to my lectures, I will set up a table for you in the school."
Huayang seemed a little embarrassed. Her slender white jade fingers gently stroked the edge of the tea bowl, and then she explained, "Before, Dalang was ill. I mentioned it to the prince consort. The prince consort said that it was your strict teaching that frightened Dalang. I didn't believe it. The prince consort used the example of his childhood with you as proof. I still didn't believe it. During the argument, I thought of this method, which offended you."
Sun smiled and said, "The fourth son is indeed quite lacking in etiquette, but he disdains to lie. He has not wronged his father at all in this matter. I can also testify to this."
Chen Tingjian looked ashamed and was about to defend himself when he heard the princess say, "A strict teacher produces excellent students. Dalang and the others are still young and don't understand their father's painstaking efforts. When they grow up, they will naturally understand."
Chen Tingjian looked at the princess in surprise. He thought that the princess would disapprove of his severity.
The distance between the two of them was not suitable for the next conversation, so Huayang said sincerely: "I heard that father is good at chess, please teach me a thing or two."
Chen Tingjian was even more surprised.
Sun had already told the maid to get the chessboard.
Soon, the maid placed the chessboard on the table on Huayang's side, and Chen Tingjian naturally sat down opposite Huayang.
Sun asked the maids to leave, and she took a pair of scissors to trim the potted flowers placed by the window. This made it easier for the princess to talk to the elder and also conformed to etiquette. After all, it was somewhat inappropriate for a daughter-in-law to be alone with her father-in-law.
Huayang liked his mother-in-law more and more. Although she came from a small family in Lingzhou, her hospitality was no less than that of the wives of wealthy families.
She started playing chess with her father-in-law, and after a few moves, they naturally started chatting: "Father, I have always had a question. My eldest brother, third brother, and the prince consort are all your children, and they have all been taught by you personally. Why did my eldest brother and third brother all take the imperial examinations and become the top three scholars, but only the prince consort didn't like to study and instead learned martial arts? Could it be that when you taught the prince consort, you didn't teach my eldest brother and third brother to be as dedicated as you did?"
Chen Tingjian looked at the chessboard and replied, "It's not that I didn't try my best, but I'm sorry to make you laugh. I taught my husband the most attentively, but he was born with a rebellious nature and always went against me."
Huayang: "Father, do you think that the Prince Consort is inferior to my eldest and third brothers in terms of talent and qualifications?"
Chen Tingjian was silent for a moment, then said, "In terms of talent, he is just as talented as his two brothers, but he is unwilling to put his heart into studying."
Huayang: "Does the Prince Consort really not like studying? This morning, Erlang was reading, and when he got to the part about 'deaf at sixty', before I could react, the Prince Consort was already laughing. This shows that even though he gave up literature and turned to martial arts at an early age, he still memorized what he learned when he was young. If he really hated studying, how could he remember it so clearly?"
Chen Tingjian was stunned.
Sun, who was pruning the branches, also forgot what to do for a moment.
Huayang continued, "To be honest with you, father, when I first married my husband, I didn't like him because of his vulgar words and deeds. Just take the matter of washing feet before bed. The more I ridiculed him, the more he went against me. During that time, he and I were at loggerheads. The maids around me laughed at me for treating my husband in the same way as you do. I didn't like him at all."
"Later, when there was a flood in the town, the prince consort carried me up and down the mountain, without letting me get dirty. I was touched by his thoughtfulness and stopped being sarcastic. I gave in first, and he changed his bad habits without my persuasion."
At this point, Huayang looked at the elder across from him and asked softly, "Father, have you ever thought that if you had been willing to accommodate the temper of a man like your husband who is soft-hearted and not hard-hearted, he would have felt comfortable and might have followed you to study? And with his intelligence, he would have been able to pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar. With more experience, he would have been able to join the cabinet like you and display more talents for the court?"
Why did Chen Tingjian force his son to study literature
It is because civil servants like him, who hold high positions in the cabinet, feel that being a civil servant has more prospects. Even if the generals outside are good at fighting, they must be restricted and commanded by the court and the cabinet.
Chen Tingjian could be angry at his son for being disobedient, but if someone could make him believe that he could have found a way to let the fourth son take the imperial examination, but because he refused to compromise even a little bit, the fourth son missed the opportunity to become a civil servant and join the cabinet, Chen Tingjian, as a father, would feel guilty.
Chen Tingjian did not put down the chess piece in his hand for a long time.
Huayang looked sincere, "Father, don't blame yourself. In your daughter-in-law's heart, you are already a very good father. You are working in the court, and you must be very busy in the past and now, but you still care about your children at home and are still willing to make time to teach them in person. You are worthy of the emperor and the people in state affairs. You have also taught talents like my eldest brother and third brother at home, and even your son-in-law can stand out among the young military officers..."
"Princess, you are too kind to me. I don't deserve it." Chen Tingjian left the table and bowed deeply to the princess.
Hua Yang smiled and said, "You have done a good job. This is what my father and mother said. You are a good father. This is what your daughter-in-law saw with her own eyes. How can it be considered an exaggeration?"
Sun, who had been listening for a long time, snorted, "Princess, don't think he is modest. He may be very happy in his heart. Just point out his faults to prevent him from getting cocky."
Chen Tingjian: …
Huayang smiled and asked him to sit down, and said with a bit of playfulness: "Then the daughter-in-law will listen to her mother-in-law. Continue to criticize you?"
Chen Tingjian said hurriedly: "Princess, just speak frankly."
Huayang: "My daughter-in-law still says the same thing. You are impeccable in state affairs. I just hope that you can be gentler when teaching Dalang and even the crown prince. If they make a big mistake, you can be strict. If they just misinterpret the meaning, read the wrong word or even play occasionally, you can just remind them in a gentle voice, don't criticize them so harshly. Erlang is lively and likes to laugh. It seems that he is not affected too much, but Dalang is thin-skinned and delicate. If you continue to be so harsh, I am worried that Dalang will not become a big brother, but will learn from his second uncle in the old hometown."
Chen Tingjian: …
Sun turned her back to them and gritted her teeth, "How dare you scare my good grandson like that? I can't live without you in this life, and I definitely don't want to live with you in the next life!"
Chen Tingjian looked at his wife helplessly, thought for a moment, and nodded, "I understand what the princess means. The prince consort was rebellious when he was young, and the eldest son was timid. I should not blame them blindly, but should appropriately follow their temperament."
Huayang breathed a sigh of relief: "That's exactly what my daughter-in-law meant."
Chen Tingjian suddenly raised his eyes, looked directly at her and said, "What about the prince? How would you like me to teach him?"
The fourth brother and the eldest brother are both from the Chen family, so the one the princess really cares about is the crown prince.
Huayang was a noble princess, but she had never participated in any important court affairs. When she suddenly met the prime minister's eyes that could see through people's hearts, Huayang subconsciously chose to avoid him.
Chen Tingjian smiled and said, "Today, the princess and I are just chatting. You can say whatever you want. Once we leave this room, I will not mention this to anyone else."
Huayang calmed himself down, quickly sorted out the words he had prepared before, and said in a voice that even his mother-in-law could not hear: "Father may not know that the prince is actually very much like the prince consort. He is smart and also cares about his reputation. As I said, if he makes a big mistake, you should be strict. If it is just some minor matters, you should be gentler and he will be more likely to listen. Only when father and son are in harmony can you be united in dealing with the outside world. If you and the prince are in harmony, you can be of one mind in the future. If you have any good ideas for governing the country, the prince will be willing to cooperate with you."
Chen Tingjian secretly tightened the chess piece in his hand.
Hua Yang looked at the chess piece on his side and said, "Don't treat the crown prince as your eldest brother or third brother. Treat him as your son-in-law when he was a child. Do you hope that when the crown prince grows up, he will oppose you in everything like your son-in-law did, or will he trust you like his father did and leave the cabinet to you with confidence?"
Chen Tingjian lowered his eyes.
He didn't want a crown prince like the fourth prince who would go against him in everything, nor did he want the crown prince to become the second Emperor Jingshun.
He hoped that the prince would grow up to be a wise ruler, one who could recognize talented people and appoint them to the right positions and was willing to work hard to govern the country!
"Don't worry, Princess. I know what to do."
(End of this chapter)