The aftermath of the imperial lecture in the morning had not yet subsided, and the news of this new disturbance in the Imperial College naturally spread throughout the capital in a short time. The emperor was teaching the third prince with "New Edition of Ge's Mathematics" when Chu Kuan, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, came in person to report the matter. Faced with this news, he threw down the book in his hand with some annoyance and then rubbed his eyebrows.
"Zhang... Why is Jiuzhang so prone to causing trouble?"
Considering that the Third Prince, who was about to become the Crown Prince, was right beside him, and that he was talking about a teacher whom the Third Prince respected very much, the Emperor changed the two characters Zhang Shou that were on his lips to Zhang Shou's courtesy name. But even so, his emotion still attracted the Third Prince's objection: "Father, the teacher never likes to stir up trouble, it's just that others always dislike him!"
Chu Kuan glanced at the serious Third Prince, and said with a warm smile: "Third Prince, if you don't attract jealousy, you are a mediocre person. Moreover, Dr. Zhang is too young. If it were someone else, he would not even be able to wear an adult cap. But he has become your teacher, and he is also a lecturer in the Eastern Palace, with a group of students. Who can imagine what he will be like in ten or twenty years?"
"By that time, he will have great power in the court and even rely on himself as your teacher to suppress the younger generations of the current court officials. This is unpredictable."
"Ten or twenty years later, the teacher will not change." The third prince's answer seemed natural. Even when the emperor looked at him with a look of surprise and scrutiny, he did not flinch at all. "A teacher is someone who imparts knowledge and resolves doubts. This is what the teacher often says. Now he doesn't even teach in Banshan Hall, but only concentrates on Jiuzhang Hall. What does this mean?"
"Banshan Hall is full of students from high-ranking officials, while Jiuzhang Hall has poor students with mathematical talents, merchants' children, and scholars who prefer mathematics to the imperial examinations. But in general, none of them seem to be able to become high-ranking officials such as prime ministers and ministers. Few of these students can repay their teachers, but many need their teachers to help them and give them opportunities."
"Even Senior Brother Lu, the reason why he was praised by the Emperor and has the reputation of being a prodigal who has turned over a new leaf is not because the teacher has a keen eye for talent. As for Lu Jijiu, wasn't he also very dismissive of the teacher at first? But what about now? Lu Jijiu has put aside the gains and losses of the moment and has acted much more generously than before!"
The Third Prince spoke his mind in one breath, and even spoke incoherently at the end. Seeing that the Emperor and Chu Kuan were staring at him intently, he began to feel a little uneasy, and the shy and cautious nature of his character took over again. He lowered his head uneasily and whispered, "Father, I was in a hurry and spoke without thinking..."
"No, you've obviously been holding back your words for a long time, and you've been thinking about them over and over again." The emperor laughed, pulled the third prince over to sit beside him, and then looked at Chu Kuan and said, "Sanlang's progress is obvious to all. From this point of view alone, Zhang Jiuzhang is a better teacher than me as a father! It's just that I'm partial to him, and Sanlang is even more partial to him."
Chu Kuan agreed very much with the emperor's last sentence, but he was sure that if he really agreed with it, the emperor might get angry out of shame.