The prince took it with seemingly little interest, and then casually asked, "Who made this? Why did the Master have to go all the way here?"
The Grand Tutor leaned forward and said, "Your Highness, it's better to read it first before asking."
The prince opened it and took a few glances, then coughed twice. The eunuch standing behind him flicked the whisk in his hand, took a few steps back, and glanced around. All the eunuchs and palace maids in the hall had retreated outside.
"Wonderful!" The prince read it, stood up, paced back and forth a few times, then turned to look at the Grand Tutor, "Who wrote this?"
The Grand Tutor leaned back, stroked his beard, and smiled, "Your Highness, do you still remember Ding Youtian, whom I mentioned?"
"It's an interesting name, of course I remember it." The prince raised his eyebrows, "Could it be that he wrote it?"
"Exactly. I was called last in the college entrance examination."
"Hmph! I think it's time for the Dazhou County Education Commissioner to retire and return home. That old man is becoming increasingly demented and intolerant of even the slightest sound of other voices. If such a person is not kept under the imperial court's watch and is instead suppressed, he will one day be waiting for me..."
He paused, thinking silently, then said, "In your opinion, Grand Master, how should this matter be handled?"
The Grand Tutor smiled slightly and said, "I am old, and it is inevitable that I will not follow the proper etiquette in this palace. Although the Emperor has never blamed me, I am still terrified."
When he mentioned etiquette, the prince understood.
"Ying'er mentioned little Ah Man yesterday, saying she hadn't seen her come to the palace to play for a long time and she missed her very much. I thought Ying'er must be missing her parents. You and your daughter haven't seen each other for a long time. How about I summon Ying'er to come and have a chat with the Grand Tutor?"
After saying that, he clapped his hands a few times.
The chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, Weidong's apprentice, came over with a bow.
"Send it to the Crown Princess."
"yes."
When Crown Princess Huo Jinying heard that the Grand Tutor had arrived, she was already waiting outside the palace. She walked with light lotus steps, her hair full of jewels and jade fluttering slightly. She came in and knelt down to pay her respects to the Crown Prince, then turned to look at the Grand Tutor with a smile.
Since there was no one else in the hall, the Crown Princess said directly, "Greetings, Father." She then asked, "How is Mother these days?"
"Okay, everything is fine at home, don't worry."
After the father and daughter exchanged a few words, the prince handed Ding Youtian's policy paper to Huo Jinying. After she finished reading it and raised her eyes, the prince smiled and said, "The flowers in the palace are now in full bloom, which is very pleasing."
Huo Jinying smiled, stood up and bowed to him. "It has been a long time since I last saw Madam Wei and Tong'er. It has also been a long time since the East Palace has been bustling. I will order preparations to be made for tomorrow's Hundred Flowers Banquet."
After saying that, she bowed to the tutor again and turned away.
Madam Wei is the wife of Lord Fei, the Minister of Rites. Fei Zitong is their eldest daughter and also the close friend of Huo Jinying who grew up together.
The next day, the wives and daughters of the invited officials from the court came to the Hundred Flowers Banquet in their best attire. While touring the garden, the Crown Princess and Fei Zitong, the two sisters, met each other very happily. The Crown Princess held Fei Zitong's hand and they talked about something happy, and the two smiled at each other from time to time.
The next day, the Minister of Rites, Lord Fei, presented a memorial to the Emperor. After reporting on matters related to the Spring Festival, Lord Fei did not rush to leave. He explained that his chess skills had improved recently and that he wanted to compete with the Emperor.
It just so happens that the emperor is also interested.
During the game, Lord Fei made a mistake in making a move. He slapped his forehead and sighed, "I, your humble servant, was so foolish. How could I have made such a bad move?"
He wanted to take back his move, but the Emperor naturally wouldn't allow it. He laughed and said, "No regrets after making a move. I thought you were really making progress, but I didn't expect you to become even more reckless."
"Alas, this old minister is truly confused." Lord Fei raised his thick eyebrows and continued, "Speaking of confusion, this old minister suddenly remembered someone."
"Who is it?" the emperor asked, staring at the chessboard.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember the former magistrate of Jin County, Dazhou Commandery, Magistrate Hu?"
The emperor glanced at him nonchalantly, paused for a moment, and then said, "Did your parents accept bribes and have their entire family executed?"
"Exactly."
The emperor threw away the chess piece in his hand and said, "You old thing, I thought you really wanted to play chess with me, but after all this fuss, it turns out you have other intentions!"
"What's the matter? Tell me quickly, and don't lie."
Lord Fei stood up and knelt, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I wouldn't dare to deceive you even if I had the guts to do so!"
"You are so long-winded. I forgive you. Go ahead and tell me."
Lord Fei stole a glance at the Emperor from the corner of his eye. Seeing that the Emperor showed no displeasure, he said, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. I recently heard that the Emperor personally granted a place in Dingxian Village, a student named Ding Youtian. The Emperor also granted him special permission to meet officials without kneeling."
"Yes, I remember." The emperor nodded and picked up another chess piece. "He developed hybrid grains. His name is quite interesting. He has farmland, so I specially rewarded him with half a hectare of good farmland."
"Why, he is still a scholar?"
Without waiting for Master Fei to respond, the Emperor continued, "Indeed, without some knowledge and intelligence, how could one develop hybrid grains?"
"That's right." The emperor nodded again.
Lord Fei felt relieved. He came before the emperor and privately met with the Grand Tutor. He learned that Ding Youtian had separated from his parents. He first explained the reason for the separation and then continued, "If County Magistrate Hu had resigned after learning about the character of his parents and stopped them from accepting bribes, he would have avoided the disaster that would have brought upon his entire family."
"I believe that this is the truest form of filial piety, fulfilling both the imperial court and one's parents, wife, and children. Simply being a foolish filial son, only obeying one's father's orders without being able to dissuade him, is truly unacceptable."
"This is my humble opinion. What does Your Majesty think?"
The Emperor twirled the chess piece between his fingers, pondered for a moment, and relaxed his brow. "My dear minister, your words make sense. However, for thousands of years, we have been following the order of the emperor and the order of our father. However, there is also a saying: when a general is on the battlefield, he may not obey the orders of the emperor. Opportunities for battle are fleeting. If a general cannot judge the situation, he will surely miss it."
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