In the ninth year of the Apocalypse, on the first day of the first lunar month, Zhu Youxiao was busy for another day. With the increase in the number of heirs, the ceremonies on the first day of the first lunar month are more numerous.

"Shuyan is now four years old, and she is always bareheaded, I really can't stand it anymore, so I will start to grow my hair from this year." Zhu Youxiao couldn't stand the habit of shaving the heads of children in the Ming Dynasty.

In the Ming Dynasty, there was a "grate head room" in the palace, and there were more than ten attendants, who were responsible for inviting hair, hair retention, bagging, and plastic surgery for the prince's children. When the prince and the princess are born, they cut their hair in the full moon, and after the name of the hundred days, they will shave their hair on schedule, which is called "please hair".

The royal children, like the children of the people, shaved off all their hair, leaving not a single one, "like the son of a Buddha". The prince usually wears a six-petal round hat made of Xuanqing crepe, called "claw pull hat", and began to grow his hair when he was more than ten years old, and after keeping his hair for a year, he chose an auspicious day to "enter the bag", that is, the hair is always tied at the back of the head, contained in a special bag, and hung behind him. The bag is about two inches wide, more than a long foot, and is made of dark silk in winter and dark yarn in summer. It wasn't until the prince chose to marry and accept a concubine that he chose an auspicious crown ceremony to show his adulthood.

In the palace, the little princess and the little palace maid are different, most of the hair on the head of the little princess or little palace maid is shaved off, only one lock is left on each side of the top of the head, and a pair of small hair mustaches are tied with red whiskers (ribbons). Wear a small headband more than an inch wide every day, start to grow your hair when you are more than ten years old, and after keeping your hair for a year, choose an auspicious day to comb your hair to both sides and tie it into a figure-eight shape, which is called "picking horns". Until there is a horse for the marriage, the ceremony will be held.

Picking up corners, Zhu Youxiao can still accept it. But for the bald head, Zhu Youxiao really can't accept it. At the beginning, Zhu Youxiao's heirs only had one or two bald heads, which were not so dazzling, but with the increase of Zhu Youxiao's heirs, now at a glance, there are several bald heads, especially Zhu Shuxiao, who is still a little bald when she is four years old, and the two little palace maids waiting next to her are also two little bald heads, Zhu Youxiao feels particularly dazzling.

"Your Majesty, this is just a folk custom." Zhang Yan said with a smile.

"Even the customs I can't stand it, such a cute little princess, with a light scoop on her head every day, I really look dazzling." Zhu Youxiao said.

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, the concubines couldn't help laughing, they all came over like this, Zhang Yan said with a smile: "Your Majesty, then let Shuyan grow her hair from this year onwards." ”

"The little palace maids also have to keep their hair, but the princes don't care." Zhu Youxiao emphasized.

"No."

"In addition, it is time for Shu'an to study, and I am going to set up a girls' school." Zhu Youxiao said.

"The emperor's move is bound to be opposed by the people of the world, and the emperor is asked to think twice." Zhang Yan said.

"This move is indeed a bit shocking, I only plan to set up a girls' school in Beijing, and all the students from the husband to the students are women." Zhu Youxiao explained.

"If it's just a matter of Shu's study, the concubine thinks that she can study with the princes in the future." Zhang Yan persuaded him.

"No, in the future, both the prince and the princess will not just lock them up in the palace to study, they must go to schools outside, which is very important to them." Zhu Youxiao said solemnly.

"Your Majesty, this doesn't seem appropriate." Zhang Yan said softly.

"There's nothing wrong with that, no one can stop me in this matter." Zhu Youxiao said firmly. The tone of the speech simply does not allow others to refute it.

Zhu Youxiao's attitude made Zhang Yan no longer insist, "When is the emperor going to establish a girls' school?" ”

"Enrollment starts before September this year, and the school officially starts on September 1. As for the students, I plan to recruit only a hundred students in the first batch, giving priority to recruiting the daughters of the ministers of the court and those with knighthoods. As for the sir, I need you to personally check and recruit a few female gentlemen for me. Zhu Youxiao said.

"No." Zhang Yan saw that she couldn't stop Zhu Youxiao, so she could only help Zhu Youxiao handle this matter properly.

……

On the twentieth day of the first month, the imperial court decreed the rebellion of the three kings. Zuo Guangdou, Xu Zhaokui and others did not want to make too many enemies, except for the four kings, the others only set more than fifty people. However, judging from the information Zhu Youxiao obtained from Jinyiwei and Dongchang, there were more than 200 officials involved in this case, and Zhu Youxiao was greatly dissatisfied with this, "All those who praise, support, praise, and disobey the party must be investigated and punished, and all those who have made meritorious contributions in counterinsurgency will be allowed to be committed for crime and dealt with leniently." ”

"Your Majesty, such a statement would involve hundreds of court officials, which seems to be a bit overkill." Xu Zhaokui said.

"They've all rebelled, do you want to keep them? I am not so merciful, I will not be so merciful, I will not let this happen a second time. Zhu Youxiao said coldly.

"No. The ministers will immediately retry the case. Xu Zhaokui and Zuo Guangdou said together.

"Remember to get rid of evil. The rebellion of the Three Kings has already caused great losses to the Empire, and if I do it again, I don't know what the Empire will become. Zhu Youxiao emphasized.

"No."

"My eldest princess is four years old, I feel that I should send the eldest princess to study, I am ready to prepare for the girls' school, if there are young girls in the family who are willing to study, they can send them to the girls' school to study together." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

As soon as Zhu Youxiao's voice fell, it immediately attracted a voice of opposition, there were various reasons for opposition, and almost no one supported it, but Zhu Youxiao was not moved at all, he said what he told Zhang Yan here again.

"I want you to understand my hard work as a father, and many of you usually ask someone to raise the girls in your family, and now you can send them to the girls' school. I also promised that the girls' school would only run one in Beijing, and this year I also promised that only 100 students would be recruited about five years old, and at the same time, the girls' school would also charge a high amount of bundles, and the daughters, granddaughters or granddaughters of the ministers of the court and those with titles would only need ten taels of silver a year, but if someone else's, the bundles would cost one hundred taels of silver dollars a year. Zhu Youxiao emphasized.

Zhu Youxiao wanted to use this method to reduce the pressure of opposition, and by the way, bring other people in, cultivate a force to support him, and prepare for the popularization of girls' schools in the future.

Although Zhu Youxiao said so sincerely, there are still some opposing voices, but compared with the beginning, the opposition voices are much smaller.

(End of chapter)