In the dead winter of the twenty-seventh year, Lu Li sent me to Xiangguang Palace, bowed down and said to me: "The prince is still so young, the young master must teach him well." ”

Boys of seven or eight years old in ordinary people's families have already helped with the work, I thought silently.

Su Yu fell on the steps, and the old man walked down the Danqi with an umbrella, and his figure was rickety.

I stood in front of the red pillar, the seven-fold white jade steps spread out at my feet, and the palace lamps twinkled like stars in the faint skylight. There was a morning bell of the fifth watch in the distance, and at this moment the officials were rushing into the court, and I am afraid that I will not be able to go to the Zhaoyuan Hall again in this life. After the beginning of winter, Concubine Lu Hui died, and now the general promoted me from Shaozhan to a young master, cutting off my way to participate in politics in the court.

According to the law of this dynasty, the prince's army is not allowed to act in the previous dynasty. The palace has always invited the princes to beg for the bones of the world's famous scholars, both have political experience, teaching classes without constraints, the twenty-three-year-old new young master, the limelight, the future is worrying.

Someone told me that when the Eastern Dynasty ascended the throne, I might have the opportunity to re-enter the Hanlin Academy, but I didn't count on his favor.

I really don't like this kid. For example, today is the third day of my class, and at this hour, he has not even arrived at the study.

I walked around the screen and ordered a table full of pastries to be placed, and I waited for someone to read a book.

For some reason, His Majesty entrusted me with most of the affairs in the East Palace, and seemed to trust me quite a lot. The old master was resting at home, and the master was seriously ill by the Eastern Dynasty, and the other people who were gentlemen avoided him.

Anyway, the whip given by the emperor is useless, and today you have to change it to a bamboo board.

I don't know when the rain outside the window stopped, and I looked at the water leak on the side, and it was very good.

The call of the palace maid sounded outside: "Your Highness!"

I waited patiently in my chair for a while, counting in my heart, and when I counted to five, the door of the study "creaked" open.

There was another boy in the open doorway, his plain white clothes lazily draped over his body, his jade-like delicate cheeks a little red from the cold wind, and a pair of eyes looking at me uninhibitedly.

There is only one child in Daqi who is not yet ten years old and does not comb his hair, which is worthy of being stubborn and obedient and famous all over the world, and is spoiled by the Queen Mother and Jinshang. There is only one prince in the forbidden, the grate room is useless, and the yarn left in the bag is saved.

His hair was disheveled, evidently he had just risen from the couch, and when he walked with his head held high, his steps were steady, and he spoke casually:

"Good morning sir. ”

I leaned over him as usual, straightened up, and replied to him with a smile: "Good morning, Your Highness, have you had breakfast?"

His eyes touched more than a dozen snacks of different colors on the table, and lit up for a moment: "Mr. has a heart." ”

I nodded, "Thank you, Your Highness, for the compliment." Then he instructed the maid behind him: "Bring a rope, it must be strong." ”

The palace maid is the old palace man of Yongning Palace, and she muttered:

"Adult ......"

I shouted to the people in the room: "Bring that screen shelf, tie the beam to the rope, and get ready quickly!"

The prince's hand holding the chestnut cake stiffened, and the dim sum fell to the carpet.

"Pick it up. ”

He stared at the corner of the table, standing still.

I couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder, "yes, that's going to be the case later." Then he picked up the fallen pastry and put it in the gargle.

The chamberlain's movements were very fast, and in a short time he fiddled with the tools and asked:

"Do you think so, my lord?"

The shelves were twelve or thirteen feet high, and the intricately embroidered screen that had been installed on it was simply dismantled because it was cut by the prince with a sword. A hemp rope was tied in a huge knot around the beam, and the end of the rope hung down just to the waist, and it was almost tied up.

The prince took a few steps back, opened his big misty eyes, and suddenly raised his immature voice and ordered:

"Who dares to move Lonely! If Lone is missing a hair, don't even think about getting out alive!"

The four or five people below were shocked, and immediately knelt on the ground, and the palace maid frowned and persuaded: "What did Your Highness say......

"What is the difference between speaking ill of a young man and those who are splashing in the market?

I took out the soft whip from the box on the bookshelf, this thing has been in the East Palace for three years, and no one has used it once, and then it is very smooth to plug the mouth of the waiter. The practice of respecting teachers and valuing education has gone through several dynasties and has reached its peak under the rule of the present dynasty, which is a rare benefit.

The subordinates looked at each other and finally made a choice between the annoyed Totocho and the Kanhito Imakami. Two strong eunuchs picked up the prince who wanted to escape, one left and one right, and hung the man on a beam in the blink of an eye, tied his feet and arms, and turned his head down.

"Go out and close the door. I turned my head to the palace maid and said, "Don't worry, Mama, I have measure." ”

She led everyone out of the study, leaving only me and the prince staring at each other.

Raising children is a hard job, not only to rely on the brain, but also to the body, I remember when I was a child, the most direct way for my mother was to smoke a meal, simple and trouble-free.

"Reach out. ”

He gritted his teeth, his black hair covered his eyes, and his small body was like a fish out of water, struggling incessantly, saying that he would not take out his hand for anything.

The whip whistled in the air, and the prince glared at me with great resentment, his eyes almost bursting with fire, for he had never been treated like this.

"Lonely, I will go back today—"

I jerked him on the back, and the prince closed his eyes in pain and snorted. Because he was still in filial piety, he abandoned the five-colored cloud dress with sable sleeves, and only wore a thin plain cotton coat, which could not be beaten.

"The cores are all soft, and they can't hurt anyone, why is Your Highness so squeamish?"

He slowly stretched out his hand, his fist loosened, and he suppressed a whimper: "Only allow the fight!"

As soon as I put down the whip, he shouted nervously, "Don't use anything else!"

As soon as the words fell, the bamboo board knocked down, and there was a very crisp "pop", I guess he was about to cry.

However, he never shed tears, and his palms were swollen high when the three boards went down.

"I'm going back to sue my mother-in-law! Even if my father doesn't like me, and the queen mother likes ......."

The more he spoke, the lower he spoke, and finally his eyes turned red, and his lips trembled and he couldn't speak.

I took out the note in my arms with one hand, unfolded it and shook it in front of his eyes, "Look clearly, this is the Queen Mother's words?"

——Ordering the young master to teach Yunyi, he will not make him as weak and sick as the master and the master. The Eastern Dynasty entrusted Yu Jieyu, and the old woman was at ease.

He froze, "When did my mother-in-law give it to you!"

I didn't answer, "Your Highness has any other backers, let's spread them all out now." ”

These few words are just a few words I asked someone to go to the Evergreen Palace, the Queen Mother is a wise person, knowing that since the death of Concubine Hui, the prince's temperament has changed greatly, and someone needs to change his temperament. Since I have received the errand of His Majesty, although I am reluctant, I must fulfill my responsibilities as a teacher.

He made a desperate statement in a hoarse voice: "Father......"

I opened the drawer and held the edict in both hands, "Your Majesty's order is placed here, and His Highness can look at it at any time." ”

He was like being poured over his head by a basin of cold water, and his face lost blood, "Sure enough, ......"

A tear smashed on the carpet.

After a while, he suddenly said coldly: "And the queen, if the gentleman has the ability, he will be able to get the handwriting of Her Royal Highness the queen!"

I sighed and took out a silver silk edict from another drawer, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never cared about the study, and he doesn't even know what is in the room. ”

The prince gave up the struggle, and the lonely figure hung in front of the desk, his black hair hanging down, and his face haggard.

I sat down peacefully in my chair, came out with a plate, sandwiched a piece of cloud cake and put it in my mouth, and stared at him with a smile:

"Your Highness, do you know why these three things are so easy to get your hands on?"

He was buried in the collar, the placket of his clothes gradually wetted a large piece, and his hair showed confused black eyes, and the corners of his eyes were watery.

"The reason why the Queen Mother gave this note to the minister is out of love for Her Royal Highness. On the one hand, it gives the minister strict authority over His Royal Highness, and on the other hand, it is a warning that the minister should always think of her and make her feel at ease. His Royal Highness will learn to give orders to ministers in this way in the future, and there will be few direct words. Words should be kind and gentle, feelings should be instilled in them, and individual people like ministers should be treated differently. ”

He forgot about his tears and listened in silence, tears sliding down his forehead, which was very funny.

I held up a small mirror and looked at him, but he hurriedly avoided his eyes, his ears reddened.

"In the future, let the minister see His Highness crying, but it is not so simple. Disheveled and ill-described, who can tell that His Highness is a prince?"

He hated and said, "If you want to laugh, you can laugh!"

"The reason why His Majesty gave the edict to his ministers was because he was sorry for His Highness. ”

The prince suddenly said angrily: "Your Majesty apologizes for what? If he apologizes, he won't call you to be my husband!"

I ignored it: "That's why I will order the ministers to govern His Highness's temper, so that His Highness can cultivate himself and become a good monarch in the future." His Royal Highness does not want the minister to be a teacher, and the minister is willing. ”

He was shocked: "You dare to say this!"

"The reason why the queen gave the minister Yi's decree, can His Royal Highness know the reason?"

He frowned and sneered, "Is it possible that she is not trying to follow His Majesty?"

The tea color of Shanggong is mellow, and I drank half a cup to moisten my throat, "Your Highness will be in Canadian dollars in a few years, and you are still so careless." Let me ask Your Highness, do you understand what is the most important thing for the Queen now?"

The crown prince's whole body trembled, and he whispered: "Sir is the lonely minister of His Majesty, so he said this to me?"

"The largest party in the court is headed by the prime minister, and the queen is the eldest daughter of the Yuan family. Your Highness must remember that people cannot live according to others forever, and that the reputation, prestige, and power they want must be earned by themselves. ”

I paused, "Your Highness is still too young, but one day you will understand." ”

The golden silk jujube cake was fragrant and delicious, and I ate three pieces slowly, "Your Highness, are you hungry?" Review yesterday's lesson first, and then have breakfast." ”

He only sat in the study for two hours yesterday, and he never looked around during class, but he was too vain to listen to the explanation. I asked him to memorize Han Fei's five beetles, the article was very long, and he memorized it word for word, and he was depressed and frustrated in a careful manner, and his voice was hoarse in the end.

I said: "'Confucianism uses literature to mess with the law, chivalry uses martial arts to violate the ban, and the master of the man is also courteous, so it is chaotic. Using the viewpoint in "Asking the Field", take this sentence as the main meaning, and make a three-hundred-word policy argument orally. Since you are so proficient in memorization, you should understand the meaning. ”

He was stunned, "I ......"

""Asking Tian" is an article that the minister gave to His Highness on the first day, and he forgot it in two days?"

He dodged my gaze and muttered a few words.

"Speak loudly. ”

He reluctantly said, "I can carry it, Mr. let me think about it." ”

After waiting for a long time, he didn't make it, I finished the food on the plate, walked up to him with a bamboo board, he obediently stretched out his white left hand, closed his eyes and waited for punishment.

I crouched down and touched my palm with the cool board, and he winced.

"Your Highness can memorize, but you don't understand the meaning of the article, so you need to recite it silently from the beginning, and then make a strategy after understanding it on the spot. Is that so?"

"Yes. He replied cleanly.

I had heard about the Eastern Dynasty for a long time, and after a few days, I found that he only imprinted the glyphs in his head, and when he needed to use them, he turned them out like a book. The ups and downs of the tone when I was carrying the beetle were used by him to fool me.

I took back the bamboo board, stuffed a piece of jujube cake into his hand, and walked back to the bookshelf and pulled out the book.

"Tomorrow, I will hand over the strategy to the minister. Starting today on "The Family of Foreign Relatives", His Royal Highness should listen to the lecture carefully. ”

Scattered rains began to fall outside the palace again, drifting into the windows, staining the room with a chill. I closed the curtains, lit the candles, and moved the brazier behind the screen shelf.

There was some warmth on his face, and he said awkwardly, "I'm not cold." ”

"Chen Leng. ”

Before lunch, I finally untied the rope from his feet, and the chamberlain's technique was very good, and the tie was firmly tied without hindering the blood, leaving only a few marks. He sat on the floor and looked at his clothes with disgust, and I went to pull him, and he pulled my sleeve and slowly stood up.

The prince took the mirror and tied his hair. He gave birth to a good skin, and it was a bit ruined to take care of it like this.

I kindly reminded: "Later, Fu Duzhi will come, and ask His Highness what is going on with his hair, how is His Highness going back?"

The crown prince turned around with a bright face, "Do you think it looks good, sir?"

There was a lock of hair on the back of his head that was disobediently curled and untied. I endured it a few times but I couldn't hold back, closed the book and said:

"Come here. ”

He reluctantly moved away from the mirror, and I pulled off the crown of his hair and quickly retied it. What a wickedness.

As soon as I finished finishing it, there was a question outside the door: "Lord Ling, can you come in and clean up?" It's already two o'clock in the afternoon. ”

The palace people rushed in with a large lacquer box, Fu Yu shook his head, and glanced at the golden whip on the table with sharp eyes, "Can the young master go to class today?"

The prince laughed loudly: "Fu Duzhi, Mr. just said that he would be beaten if he couldn't finish his schoolwork, but he was disappointed by loneliness. ”

Fu Yu breathed a sigh of relief, "Your Highness has been smart since he was a child, and he has tired the young master. ”

He ordered everyone to go out, and as soon as the door was closed, he sat down at the table, looking at me with sparkling eyes, waiting for me to move his chopsticks first. I was hungry and was troubled all morning, and at this time I was worn out of breath, and I was flying with my hands in the bowl.

Although he eats quickly, he is very gentle, his eyebrows and eyes are quiet, and his cheeks like white jade move slightly, like an obedient little animal. I don't have any other children at home, and I have a great appetite to watch him pick up vegetables with relish.

During the lunch break, the prince did not return to the dormitory for the first time, so he stayed in the yarn cupboard in the study to take a nap. The palace people cleaned the house, and I was writing and drawing on paper alone, thinking about how to take the afternoon class.

Historically, the children of the Chinese ethnic group have entered the country to study, and there is a study room for the prince to go to school in the forbidden middle school, and the prince is specially employed in the East Palace. His Majesty only has one son, there is no one in the study, and there are still too few teachers, I am afraid that he will be allowed to enter Piyong in the future.

When I was doing editing in the Hanlin Academy, I heard a discussion that there would be no more concubines today, and there was no intention to add more princes, and the Eastern Dynasty was established at birth. If he hadn't loved him so much, how could he have only one child, not even a princess?

But his biological mother, Concubine Hui, did die depressed in the cold palace a few months ago.

When the time came, I went to the cupboard and dragged him off the couch, and he was sleepy-eyed and dazed and tugged at my robe.

…… Your Highness didn't sleep much last night. I remembered Fu Yu's words.

Mao Zheng is in Shen Zheng out, and he will get out of school in a short time, and he must pour the book into his head today.

*

The next day, the prince was not late, and sat down on his knees opposite me as usual.

It was still early, so I watched the strategy he wrote by the lamplight, and his face was full of indifference, but the corners of his mouth were quietly raised, but his mood was revealed. I asked him to write 300 words, and he wrote 1,000 words, so proudly that he waited for me to compliment him.

I gave him back the paper," rewrite now. A few hundred words can explain clearly, why do you have to write a thousand? Wait until you are a few years old and then go to lay out the dictionary. ”

The prince said angrily: "I wrote for an hour and a half last night!"

"Now Your Highness writes again, and it doesn't take a stick of incense. ”

He took the pen and paper with a gloomy face, and put the pen down with a brush.

"By the way, practice calligraphy. I took a small bowl and put it on his wrist, "Write a book, Taifu should have taught you not to use complicated words." ”

His chest heaved and the bowl almost tumbled, and I coldly reminded, "If you make a mistake, you will rewrite it." ”

After yesterday's lesson, he knew that he should pursue the advantages and avoid the disadvantages, so he calmed down and wrote slowly, stroke by stroke.

As he wrote, he slowed down, and it was easy to see his absent-mindedness at the sight of his reddened eyes and dull gaze.