The north wind blew hard overnight, and the snow was still falling when I opened the door. Although these two lines are not good poems, they can indeed describe the current scene in the capital.
Even though the first snow has fallen and the weather is freezing, most people in this world cannot sleep until they wake up naturally, and have to get up early to fight for their livelihood or their future. Even those who have no worries about their livelihood and future, some people reluctantly leave their warm beds, struggle to wash and dress, and then go out looking refreshed but actually drowsy.
Among those who got up like this in such a cold weather was Zhang Shou... and of course Zhu Ying.
Zhang Shou was used to going to bed early and getting up early. The only reason he couldn't get up was because it was cold and the day got light late. Moreover, he stayed up late last night to finish writing the memorial for the relocation of Jiuzhangtang to the public school outside the city. Although he, as a doctor of the Imperial College, did not have to attend the morning court today, he planned to rush to the Ministry of Public Administration to submit the memorial, and by the way, watch the excitement at Dong'anmen before coming back, gloating over the scene of Chang court going on a snowy day.
As for Zhu Ying, it was extremely difficult for her to get up, because the eldest lady almost never got up early on weekdays, especially in cold weather. However, she had to ask for an audience before the matter of the girls' school was settled, and then take over the mess from Princess Yongping, so she washed, dressed and ate breakfast as if she was going to a war.
When she went to Qing'an Hall for her morning inspection as if she was going to the market and then left, the entire Zhu family was shocked. It was not even 8 o'clock in the morning, when had Miss Zhu ever left so early
Miss Zhu, who was very active, took a car and took advantage of the early morning and few pedestrians on the road. She arrived at Dong'an Gate in less than two quarters of an hour. As a result, she happened to see from a distance that the court officials who were waiting in line to attend the regular court had blocked the Dong'an Gate. You know, the system had just been changed this year. The big courts such as the first day of the year and the winter solstice and the new moon and full moon courts would go through the left and right gates of Chang'an, but the regular courts would go through the Dong'an Gate.
Zhan Jin and Liu Yin, who were following Zhu Ying, originally thought that the young lady would ride a horse today, but when they finally saw that she decided to take a car when it was snowing, they felt relieved. As for Zhu Ying, she had opened the curtains to look outside and didn't care about the cold wind, which was really a small matter. Seeing Zhu Ying waving at the car window, they just thought that she had met a young lady from a familiar family.
But they soon found out they were wrong, because after Zhu Ying waved, someone suddenly rode towards them on horseback. When the two met, they looked again and realized who else could it be but Zhang Shou
Even Zhan Jin and Liu Yin thought it was a coincidence. The couple looked at each other, laughed in silence, and also thought it was a coincidence. Zhu Ying looked at the court officials who were cowering like quails due to the cold, and chuckled in a very unkind way.
"They say that Grandpa Taizu was kind and pushed the winter court session to the middle of the day. He was really considerate of his subjects. But I think Grandpa Taizu was afraid of the cold and wanted to sleep a little longer. God knows how much effort I put in to get up this morning! Think about it, it's not easy for you, Shou, to be a teacher. You have to get up early like your students every day. Who among the other Imperial College doctors is as hard-working as you!"
"No choice, set an example." Zhang Shou smiled bitterly and shrugged, thinking that there are not so many entertainments these days, and it is not so hard to go to bed early at night and get up early in the morning. But only when you are a teacher, you will feel that teachers have a harder time than students. After all, students have a limited number of years to study, but teachers often have to work for a lifetime... For example, when will he stop being a teacher