Zhou Beichen paused, turned around and walked back. There was a hint of embarrassment on the empress dowager's face. She first looked at Zhou Zhaonuan, then looked at Zhou Beichen, and asked again.
"Nuannuan, I want to ask you, did you really lead troops to surround the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
Zhou Zhaonuan nodded, and the little guy immediately lowered his head in shame. Zhou Beichen looked like he was enjoying the show.
The Queen Mother asked again without giving up.
"Did you really talk back to your father?"
Zhou Zhaonuan thought about it and nodded again.
The Queen Mother fell backwards and almost fell down. Zhou Zhaonuan quickly supported the Queen Mother with a look of concern on her face.
"Grandma Queen Mother, are you okay?"
The Queen Mother straightened her back and shook her head.
"I'm fine, but you, Nuannuan, you know that throughout the dynasties, no woman has ever learned literature and then martial arts like you. Even the princesses of the past dynasties only learned literature. No one would even do something like showing their faces in public. Nuannuan, if you keep doing this, I'm afraid that one day you will hurt yourself."
The empress dowager looked at the increasingly pretty girl in front of her, and thought that the husband is the head of the wife, and no matter what, a girl will eventually get married. Instead of learning these things, it would be better for her to learn some women's work and needlework, which would be more practical.
The empress dowager has been the empress dowager for ten years. She no longer has the hostility and cruelty she had when she was a concubine. She grew up in an environment where women are considered virtuous even without talent. Even as the empress dowager, she never asked about the affairs of the court.
In her opinion, women should spend their whole lives in the harem. Showing up in public is what men should do. Even a princess should stay in the palace before getting married instead of wandering around.
She initially thought Zhou Beichen was going to hit Zhou Zhaonuan because she had done something petty and noisy.
Now, looking at his granddaughter who is only ten years old, she has already made her debut at such a young age. The emperor even often lets her in and out of the Xuanzheng Hall, and he allows her to read memorials at will. She does not need to learn women's work or needlework. She can wield swords and guns, learn martial arts, and ride horses at any time. Which of these things can't be done by a man?
On the contrary, Zhou Zhaonuan has not done anything that girls do in all these years.
The more the empress dowager thought about it, the more she felt that this was not a good idea. She had once told Zhou Beichen to let Nuannuan learn things that girls should learn. At that time, her son had said that girls should be strong. Now, seeing this incident, the empress dowager felt that Zhou Zhaonuan should not be allowed to be raised like this. She had to be restrained by the palace rules. No matter what, she could not show up in public again. As for martial arts, the empress dowager wanted Zhou Beichen to stop her.
What's the point of a girl learning those things?
"Nuannuan, I originally thought your father wanted to punish you for some trivial quarrel, but I didn't expect it was because you secretly surrounded and attacked the Prime Minister's Mansion. If I had known this, I shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter. You really deserve to be punished."
Zhou Zhaonuan: “…”
The little girl's expression did not change, but her heart trembled violently. She raised her head in pain and shook the empress dowager's arm.
"Grandmother, Nuannuan didn't mean it. After Daddy lectured me, Nuannuan already knew she was wrong. And I promised Daddy that from now on, I will never again send mercenaries to surround the Prime Minister's Mansion."
Shen Nian'an listened beside her, her eyes becoming more and more profound. She walked a few steps forward, touched her daughter's little head, and smiled slightly.
"Queen Mother, Nuannuan always has her own way. She's just a child, so just teach her a lesson."
The Queen Mother immediately frowned, glared at Shen Nian'an, and then said leisurely.
"Noble Concubine Hui, as Nuannuan's biological mother, you naturally know that this woman, no matter what dynasty, should not show her face in public. Like Nuannuan, leading troops to encircle and suppress them, how can it be considered shameful?"
Shen Nian'an was inexplicably stunned. She looked up, her expression constantly changing. Thinking that the Queen Mother was doing this for Nuan Nuan's own good, she finally smiled.
"The Queen Mother taught me this, and I will definitely pay attention to it in the future. I will try my best to let Nuannuan learn more about women's work and needlework, and learn more about things that women should learn."
Shen Nian'an has selfish motives. Her selfish motive is that she wants her daughter to live a peaceful and stable life, not like now.
The Queen Mother nodded with satisfaction, "That's very good!"
Zhou Beichen frowned as he listened.
The Queen Mother deliberately glanced at her son's forbearing expression and thought to herself that the matter was almost halfway done and she had to keep trying.
So, everyone saw the Queen Mother kindly taking Nuan Nuan's hand, with a kind look on her face, speaking with great earnestness.
"Nuannuan, listen to what the Empress Dowager said. You're a girl. Since ancient times, women have been mainly engaged in needlework. Showing our faces in public, wielding swords and spears, and making decisions about state affairs are what men should do. From now on, you should not leave the palace casually. Let's stay in the palace and only go in and out of the Shangshu Room. Also, it's better for you to chat and laugh with your sisters instead of running out of the palace every day."
Seeing Nuannuan's embarrassed look, the Queen Mother couldn't help but patted Zhou Zhaonuan's hand and continued speaking.
"Don't blame the Imperial Grandmother for being cruel. She's doing this for your own good. Be obedient and tell your father that you really don't like wielding swords and guns, riding horses and shooting arrows, and you really don't like leaving the palace. In a few days, the Imperial Grandmother will find you some good embroiderers and have them teach you how to embroider, okay?"
"As for leaving the palace, don't go out so casually in the future. Since ancient times, have you ever seen a princess like you who runs away at the slightest provocation?"
The Queen Mother was so kind and gentle that Nuannuan felt her whole body tingle. If she had been raised like this since she was a child, she might be able to accept it. However, she had not been raised like this since she was a child.
Thinking of what the Empress Dowager said and how she almost got beaten by her father just now, Nuannuan felt more aggrieved. She looked at her mother who agreed with the matter and her father with a gloomy face. She stretched out her little hand, rubbed her slightly red eyes, saluted the empress dowager, and ran to Zhou Beichen. The little girl opened her arms, hugged Zhou Beichen's waist, and sobbed silently.
"Dad... Dad, you said it before, you said it before, that Nuannuan is a princess of the Heavenly Family, she's exceptionally noble, and even as a daughter, we don't have to care too much about those things. You said Nuannuan can learn whatever she wants, that as long as Nuannuan wants to learn, women can also ride horses and shoot arrows, can show off their prowess on horseback, and become heroines on the battlefield. You said that daughters can be spoiled, but they must have their own pride. You said that being your daughter, Zhou Beichen, I can't be a coward, I can't be a cowardly wife in the backyard my whole life, never seeing the light of day."
Zhou Zhaonuan's last words were sonorous, powerful, and decisive, shocking Shen Nian'an and the Queen Mother to the core.
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