Yan Shujin and Yan Qiyu treated Mr. Du with great respect. Only after Mr. Du asked them to sit down did the two of them take their seats.
Mr. Du said, “I have read and marked your homework from yesterday. Miss Yan, you don’t need to practice small regular script anymore. That’s not suitable for you. I’ve selected a few calligraphy models in the Liu style for you. Try copying them and let me see.”
Yan Shujin said, "Yes."
Seeing that Yan Shujin agreed without even asking, Mr. Du smiled and said, "Don't you want to know the reason?"
Yan Shujin thought for a moment and said, "Isn't it because it's not suitable?"
Mr. Du was somewhat speechless, but still explained, "I originally thought that women's handwriting was more dignified and beautiful, so I had you copy small regular script. But now I feel that it is not quite suitable. Liu style is crisp and elegant. You can copy it for a few days and I will see."
Yan Shujin agreed, as she felt that being a teacher was really not easy.
Mr. Du was unaware of Yan Shujin's thoughts. He felt that teaching students like Yan Shujin and Yan Qiyu was both worry-free and exhausting. They were intelligent and eager to learn, but sometimes they were too intelligent: "How have you thought about yesterday's question?"
Yan Qiyu looked at Yan Shujin.
Yan Shujin said, "Sir, you are asking why those men divorce their wives and marry women from prominent families."
Mr. Du nodded.
“I also asked my father about the aristocratic families yesterday.” Yan Shujin didn’t say what she asked, but only said, “I think they are both insecure and arrogant.”
Mr. Du asked, "Isn't it contradictory to be both inferior and arrogant?"
Yan Shujin said, "It's not contradictory. Because they are ashamed of their background, they want to divorce their wives and marry others after they succeed. Secondly, the noble ladies who they never dared to dream of marrying are now willing to marry them. They are full of arrogance and pride, and feel that they have finally made something of themselves."
“They acknowledge the prestige of aristocratic families and desire more outstanding offspring.” Yan Shujin said calmly, “They think that marrying a woman from an aristocratic family can change their social standing. They come from humble backgrounds and want to elevate their social status. How laughable.”
Yan Shujin found it truly laughable. These people had such narrow-minded views. Some of them succeeded by changing their family background, yet they were still ashamed of their origins and used such crooked methods to elevate themselves, unaware that those so-called aristocratic families from generations ago were not necessarily any more noble.
Mr. Du also agreed with Yan Shujin, because it was indeed ridiculous.
Yan Shujin continued, "Moreover, their wives are not young, and because of their poverty in their early years, they are probably not very good-looking. On the other hand, those daughters of noble families have been pampered and spoiled since childhood, and are now young and beautiful. Some men value beauty over affection, so they naturally choose to divorce their wives."
Mr. Du coughed slightly, making a fist. What he said was true, but it was inappropriate to say it like that, since Yan Shujin was still a young girl who had never been married.
Yan Shujin scratched her face. She didn't think anything of it, but thinking of what Aunt Fang had said, she started talking about something else: "The most important thing is interests. Uncle hasn't ascended the throne yet, and they don't have official positions. So these people want to increase their power and gain more authority and status."
"In short, these points all boil down to insatiable greed," Yan Shujin summarized, "and short-sightedness."
After Yan Shujin finished speaking, Mr. Du looked at Yan Qiyu.
Yan Qiyu hadn't really thought that much about it and said, "I don't think they can get too close. They feel that their original wives are no longer good enough for them, and they're just trying to outdo each other and show off. Moreover, they want to leverage power. What they lack is the experience and skills of the court and those connections, while the aristocratic families don't lack those."
Mr. Du nodded, already having made his judgment. In some matters, Yan Qiyu was more insightful than Yan Shujin: "Actually, there's another point. When a new emperor ascends the throne, he often holds special imperial examinations. Compared to ordinary people, ordinary people may naturally have those who excel in knowledge, but they cannot compare to the sons of aristocratic families in terms of information and wealth."
"Leaving aside tuition fees, do you know how much it costs to take the imperial examinations? The provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations—just the cost of food, clothing, lodging, and transportation alone is enough to deter many families," Mr. Du said. "And some travel long distances, or suffer from acclimatization issues; how much does it cost to get sick each time?" Mr. Du continued, "Some fail twice, and their families are already bankrupt."
Mr. Du sighed: "So even in this special imperial examination, most of those who pass are from wealthy or aristocratic families. Those men marry women from aristocratic families so that they can have more power in the court in the future."
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