Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 393: Teaching and Learning, the Mansion is Full of Women

In the school of Shangshufang,
Three young men sat side by side, two of them holding the text that their teacher had just taught them, pondering silently and making a few notes on the book.

The one in the middle is more lively and active, tilting his head to look out the window.

"Big brother, third brother, there is someone outside the window. Aren't you curious about who it is? Father and mother have said that when we are studying, no outsiders are allowed to disturb us."

The eldest prince put away his pen, tilted his head and looked out the door, saying, "That's right. This is really a bit rare today."

The Third Prince smiled faintly, without raising his eyebrows, only concentrating on his current affairs, and echoed: "Maybe he came to see the teacher, it definitely has nothing to do with us. Second brother, why don't you read the text again, the teacher will definitely test you later, be careful of the beating."

Hearing his third brother say this, the second prince became discouraged, leaning back on the chair and letting out a long sigh, "What kind of textbook is this? Your Highness can't understand it. Just beat me. This is not the first time."

The third prince shook his head and said nothing.

Not long after, the gentleman came back. Not only did he walk into the door alone, but there was another person following him, and it was not the eunuch who came to take the princes back to the palace.

The man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and he was imposing. Although he did not grow a beard, his heroic spirit seemed unmatched. His tight crimson official uniform could not hide his agile figure and strong arms, making him look like a military commander rather than a civil official.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold, she immediately attracted the attention of the Second Prince, who sat up straighter.

Upon hearing the voice, the eldest prince and the third prince slowly put down their pens, sat up straight, and folded their hands in front of them.

But neither of them looked up, still paying attention to the contents of the textbook.

Tang Xiao stood on the podium, cleared his throat, and called out, "Your Highnesses, please put down your books first. Allow me to introduce you. This is the Great Chang War God An Jing Hou. He just returned to the capital from Jiangnan today and entered the palace to meet the emperor."

"You three have often asked about Marquis Anjing's deeds. I am here today. If you have any questions, you can take this opportunity to learn from him in person."

Yue Ling smiled awkwardly, feeling somewhat helpless about the title Tang Xiao had rashly given him, as if it was some kind of drama about the return of the Dragon King.

"I greet your highnesses."

He bowed, causing the other two princes to look up in surprise and completely put down what they were doing.

The second prince even jumped up excitedly, threw away the book, stood up and asked, "Marquis Anjing? It's really you! You've returned to the capital!"

"Could it be that Father is going to change our professor? It just so happens that I'm tired of reading these books. How about teaching me martial arts and military tactics, Lord Marquis?"

Yue Ling turned around and looked at Tang Xiao, only to see that he also looked very embarrassed.

Tang Xiao rubbed his nose helplessly and said, "Second Prince, have you forgotten the etiquette you learned? The Queen Mother values ​​this the most, how can you be so rude in front of the Marquis? Why don't you go back to your seat quickly?"

The second prince also stopped in his tracks when he heard this. The teacher's majesty should not be offended, otherwise his father and mother would not forgive him. He had no choice but to return in anger and found an excuse, saying, "I was a little excited, I hope the professor will forgive me. When I was young, I met the Marquis of Anjing. Since that day, I have made up my mind to learn martial arts and lead troops to protect the country like my father and the Marquis. What kind of article is this? I don't understand it."

Tang Xiao was also quite troubled by this student. He was extremely irritable and could not concentrate. On the contrary, he was stronger than his peers and looked like a good candidate for martial arts training. He should be disciplined by Yue Ling.

But as a royal family member, martial arts is ultimately a minor art and he still needs to study.

"My Lord, this is the Second Prince. He has been obsessed with martial arts since he was young. He is lively and active. His academic performance is poor, but his physique is quite good. As the sages say, teach students in accordance with their aptitude, but I really cannot teach you martial arts, so it is time for you to let Your Highness receive your guidance."

Tang Xiao made way for Yue Ling, and the other two princes also looked over, expecting Yue Ling to talk to them.

Yue Ling could not refuse the invitation, so he coughed lightly and continued, "Your Highness the Second Prince is a good model for martial arts, and he has great ambitions. But I have one question to ask, the Second Prince is practicing martial arts, and wants to lead troops to fight, is it to defend the country or to establish meritorious service?"

The second prince thought for a moment and immediately answered, "Of course, it is to make great achievements. Father and the Marquis have both made great achievements and are respected by the people. Your Highness also wants to do the same."

Yue Ling smiled and shook his head, "I don't dare to accomplish great deeds. However, before you do that, Your Highness needs to study hard. As the saying goes, a general's success is built on the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers. Behind all the glorious deeds are piles of bones."

"Your Highness is still too old to leave the palace, so you must have never seen bones exposed in the wild, or roosters crowing for thousands of miles. If the dynasty was not threatened, the foundation of the country was about to be shaken, and the people could not live in peace, Your Majesty and I would rather give up our achievements in exchange for peace and prosperity."

"The Art of War also says that those who are good at fighting do not have great achievements. I hope Your Highness can comprehend this sentence, understand the true meaning, and resolve your doubts in the book."

The Second Prince gradually calmed down from his excitement, and turned into deep thought, thinking seriously.

Tang Xiao was pleased and nodded to Yue Ling to show his approval.

As a scholar who is well-versed in ancient and modern times and familiar with the theories of various schools of thought, Tang Xiao is not unaware of these principles. It's just that his words are not as convincing as those of Yue Ling.

Yue Ling sighed softly, walked forward a few steps, came to the eldest prince who was sitting on the left, and asked: "This is His Royal Highness the eldest prince, right? Does His Royal Highness have anything to ask me?"

The eldest prince's voice was not as loud as the second prince's, and he slowly lowered his head, as if he did not have much confidence.

"Uh... the Marquis is different from what I imagined."

Yue Ling smiled and asked, "Why do you say that, Your Highness?"

The eldest prince continued, "It is rumored that the Marquis commanded the three armies at the young age of twenty and became the Grand Commander of the capital. The nine camps and three battalions with 200,000 soldiers were all under the Marquis' control. Even the generals of the nobles and relatives of the clan put aside their prejudices and obeyed the Marquis' orders."

"I originally thought that the Marquis would be domineering, because he has this ability, but I didn't expect him to be so warm and gentle."

The eldest prince's voice was quite soft, more like he was talking to himself.

As he spoke, he picked up the book and found a sentence in it to ask for advice: "My Lord, I do have a question right now. As for what you just said, 'Wealth comes from the art of numbers, not from hard work; profit comes from a position of power, not from hard work in the fields', I am a little confused about the meaning of this sentence."

"When I was reading classics, I learned the four words 'emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce', which means putting the people first and keeping wealth in the hands of the people. The country should also attach great importance to farmland. But you just said, 'profit comes from being in a position, not from working hard'. Isn't that contradictory?"

While listening to the eldest prince's speech, Yue Ling unconsciously moved closer, nodding as he listened.

As the eldest son, the eldest prince would be the candidate for the crown prince if nothing unexpected happened. Yue Ling couldn't help but be more cautious when answering his questions.

Moreover, he was diligent in thinking and eager to learn how to govern a country. Yue Ling would of course analyze the matter with him in more detail to make him understand what he and his father were doing and what its significance was, and whether he could instill this governing method in him after he ascended the throne one day.

You have to know that reform, especially in the Song Dynasty, was a classic. As soon as a new emperor ascended the throne, he would overturn the reforms of the previous dynasty. Political and legal systems changed frequently, resulting in some new laws lasting a long time and not bringing immediate benefits, thus losing the benefits they were supposed to produce.

Wang Anshi was the prime minister at the time, and the baojia system was the most controversial law. However, after the Jingkang Incident, Song Gaozong Zhao Gou was able to recruit soldiers with the help of this system and barely resist the iron hoofs of the Jin army. Isn't it a joke?

Fortunately, when he lived with Lin Daiyu, they often read at night, and Yue Ling's knowledge reserve was richer than when he first came to this world. Lin Daiyu was curious, and her questions were more in-depth than these superficial ones, which often inspired Yue Ling. When he answered these questions, he seemed to be able to do it easily.

"I am grateful to have Sister Lin to accompany me in my studies. I have learned a lot from teaching her. I wonder if she is doing well in Rongguo Mansion now. If she has caused any trouble, I will have to deal with the matter here as soon as possible and rush back to see her."

Yue Ling raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling a little unhappy when he thought of Rongguo Mansion.

The eldest prince looked up and happened to see Yue Ling frowning, so he said, "Uh... I just asked casually. If the Marquis doesn't want to answer, I can ask the master and the queen mother."

Yue Ling shook his head and said, "No, no, I was just about to answer."

Yue Ling stood up straight and said, "To answer this question, we have to start with 'Sang Hongyang's Three Questions'."

"Where does the state's finances come from? How is the border defense guaranteed? How is disaster relief implemented? These three problems were evident in the Han Dynasty, but they also appear in Dachang today."

"The Jurchens in Liaodong are eyeing them covetously. Expenditure on the nine frontiers is increasing. The national treasury is in deficit. Floods in the Yellow River in Shandong are frequent."

"Maintaining stability, for example, when a new dynasty is established, emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce can restore production faster and get out of trouble, but we are not at this stage now. This may be the reason why you are studying "Salt and Iron Theory"."

"Wealth from the country can benefit the people, and prosperity from industry and commerce can benefit farmers. This is your majesty's deep intention."

The eldest prince bowed as a student and said, "Thank you, my Lord, for teaching me and clearing my doubts. I will remember this forever."

Yue Ling smiled and returned the greeting, "Your Highness is too modest."

Having said that, Yue Ling turned to the third table.

As soon as he lowered his head, Yue Ling noticed the difference. There were no complicated textures on the table. The inkstone and graphite were different from those used by the other two. Even the brush was made of common wolf hair instead of the more scarce purple hair in the palace.

The third prince lived a very simple life and had a very fair face, as if he inherited more from the queen.

After the ceremony, he also asked a question that Yue Ling had not expected, "May I ask what An Jinghou thinks of this? In self-cultivation, the sage said, 'The best way to cultivate the mind is to have few desires.' People can only move forward if they have desires. If they have no desires and no contention, how can they become rich and powerful?"

"I heard that the Marquis has more women in his mansion than maids in the palace. Even a hero like the Marquis has desires. Who can be without desires?"

"Ok?"

Yue Ling's eyes widened as he looked at the three people. He secretly complained in his heart: "Where did these rumors come from? How could they even enter the palace? The girls in my house are less than the number of the palms of my hand. How can they be better than the maids in the palace?"

"What's more, I haven't even married yet. I've only had sex with Qin Keqing and a few others, not even with Sister Lin. How can you seem to be unsatisfied?"

Yue Ling opened his mouth and asked, "How many maids serve the three princes?"

The eldest prince shyly replied, "I am the oldest. My mother wants to arrange marriage for me and has selected four palace maids to serve me. Therefore, I have the most palace maids among all the princes, eight in total."

The second prince raised his hand and answered, "I have four."

The third prince replied briefly: "Two people."

Yue Ling counted on his fingers and thought to himself, "Xueyan, Zijuan... Ruizhu, Baozhu... Qingwen, hey, I really have nine people, really more than them?!"

Scratching his head, Yue Ling smiled awkwardly and said firmly: "The Analects of Confucius says that when you are young, your blood is not yet stable, so you should be careful about sex."

"Your Majesty, this is probably also your consideration. There are not many maids in your palace."

"But as for self-cultivation, abstinence is a must. This marquis has also studied this path in depth. He has a clear mind and few desires, so that he can strengthen his muscles and bones and not indulge in wine and sex."

"During this trip south, I saw many officials who were very active when they took office and were good officials, but they were too greedy and were blinded by power, money and sex, and lost their original intentions. For this reason, it is not wrong to be less greedy."

"Besides, rumors in the streets cannot be taken seriously. It must be that some villain has framed me. This marquis has always been a clean man and does not value beauty. The mansion is far from being as decadent as the rumors say. There are just some maids who serve by my side on a daily basis. It cannot be generalized."

"I am not a lecher, and I don't have any female relatives in my mansion..."

……

At this moment, the inner curtains of Marquis Anjing's mansion were already filled with girls. All the women were blocking the hall, chirping and making noises non-stop, like sparrows gathering in summer.

There were too many people in the room, more than forty in total, and they were just young girls, not including the maids in the room.

Lin Daiyu had no choice but to stand high above the table so that everyone could hear her speak.

"Everyone, please be quiet and listen to Sister Lin!"

Qin Keqing held onto the table below and raised her voice to shout something, which gradually dissipated the noise in the hall and made it quiet.

Lin Daiyu chuckled and said to the other girls, "I know you've been away from the capital for a long time, and everyone is a little excited. We'll have plenty of time to chat later, so let's first arrange everyone's accommodation today."

"With the arrival of the sisters from the Jia family, there are even more people in this room. The courtyard we prepared earlier can hardly accommodate them all. Let's all squeeze in today, and we can move to a bigger mansion tomorrow."

"Master Miaoyu, Sister Xiuyan and your two masters should go to the hut next to the Buddhist temple to rest."

"Lingguan, Fangguan, there are twelve of you in total. Three of you can squeeze into one room. The remaining room will be given to the new Siqi, Shishu, and Ruhua."

"Xueyan, Zijuan, Qingwen, Xiangling, live in my room."

"Sister Bao, Sister Ke'er, Ying'er, Ruizhu, and Baozhu live in the side room and ear room on Brother Yue's side."

"Sister Yun, Second Sister, Third Sister, Fourth Sister, please live with me in Brother Yue's room. It just so happens that we sisters haven't seen each other for a long time, and we have a lot to talk about."

Tanchun opened her mouth in surprise and asked, "Where will the Marquis sleep when he comes back?"

Lin Daiyu looked at the sky outside the door. The sun was setting in the sky. She smiled and said, "It's already this hour. He probably won't be back. Let's go clean up the house and prepare dinner."

(End of this chapter)