Zheng Yuanyuan smiled and said, "Even though Master Zhang said so, we must not be ignorant of the hierarchy. The emperor has given us to you as a reward, so we are your people."
What he said sounded fine on the surface, but when Zhang Shixun heard it, he felt a little uncomfortable.
"Since you are mine, you should listen to me, right?"
"certainly."
"I've made up my mind. I'll marry you off as soon as I find the right families." After washing his face, Zhang Shixun picked up the towel on the edge of the basin and wiped his face dry.
"You said this when you first met us, but have you ever thought about this? The government didn't give us to you to be good people."
Zhang Shixun looked at her in surprise. "Oh? What does it mean that the emperor gave you these as a reward?"
Zheng Yuanyuan bowed slightly, "Sir, the emperor of this dynasty has never rewarded ministers with palace maids. As far as I know, you are the first."
"Never?" Zhang Shixun asked.
"No, as far as I know, only Emperor Renzong once gave a palace maid to a minister. That minister was Song Qi, the Scholar Song."
"Oh! Why did Emperor Renzong reward him with a palace maid?"
Zheng Yuanyuan pursed her lips and smiled, "That's quite interesting to say."
"Then tell me about it." Zhang Shixun was very curious.
"Once, Scholar Song was out and about when he encountered a palace carriage. He respectfully stepped aside, but then someone inside called out, 'Little Song.' He quickly looked up and saw a palace maid raising the curtain to look at him. Their eyes met, and the maid quickly lowered the curtain."
"No need to ask, this palace maid must be very beautiful."
"Yes, when Scholar Song saw her, his heart was moved, and he wrote a poem after returning home." Zheng Yuanyuan said this, slowly chanting: "Painted wheels and carved saddles meet on a narrow road, and a cry breaks my heart through the embroidered curtains. I lack the wings of a phoenix to fly together, but our hearts are connected by a single thought. The house is made of gold, the cage is made of jade, the carriage is like flowing water, and the horse is like a dragon. Liu Lang already hates the distance of Pengshan, but there are still ten thousand mountains between us..."
Zhang Shixun was not very familiar with this poem, but he was very familiar with the line "Although we don't have the wings of a phoenix to fly together, our hearts are connected with each other."
In later generations, almost no one does not know this famous saying.
"As soon as Scholar Song's new lyric came out, it quickly spread throughout the capital. It spread from one place to another, and eventually reached the palace. Emperor Renzong, upon hearing it, summoned Scholar Song to the palace and specifically discussed the matter. Scholar Song was a little apprehensive, thinking he'd gotten into trouble. Unexpectedly, Emperor Renzong laughed and joked, saying, 'Your lyric has the line, 'Liu Lang already hates the distant Pengshan, yet there are still ten thousand layers of Pengshan between us.' Today, I tell you, Pengshan isn't far away; it's right before your eyes.' With that, he summoned the palace maid and bestowed upon Scholar Song the nickname on the spot. From then on, Scholar Song acquired a new nickname: 'Hongxing Shangshu.'"
After listening to Song Yuanyuan's story, Zhang Shixun was deeply moved.
Regarding Emperor Renzong, the evaluation of him by later generations is very contradictory. Some say he is good, while others say he is bad.
Different angles and starting points lead to very different conclusions, but there is one thing that everyone agrees on about Emperor Renzong, and that is: benevolence.
As the History of the Song Dynasty said of him: "As a ruler, he was benevolent, and the emperor was truly worthy of his virtue."
There are many stories passed down about Song Renzong's "benevolence".
Seeing that Zhang Shixun hadn't spoken for a long time, Zheng Yuanyuan asked, "Sir, do you hate us sisters?"
"No, what are you thinking? I don't hate you."
Zheng Yuanyuan choked up and said, "If you don't hate us, why would you marry us off?"
"This is for your own good. Shouldn't women get married?"
"But we are already the young master's people."
faint!
Zhang Shixun was overwhelmed.
We become mine?
"No... I don't understand. What do you mean by saying it's mine?"
"It means: whether you are a maid or a concubine, the master has the final say."
"What if I insist on marrying you off?"
When Zheng Yuanyuan heard this, tears started streaming down her face.
"Don't cry, don't cry!" Zhang Shixun saw this and asked hurriedly, "Wouldn't it be better to find a good family to marry into?"
"We sisters were given to you by the emperor. If we marry them off as you say, the palace will definitely blame us."
"Why?"
Zheng Yuanyuan wiped her tears and said, "It must be our fault. That's why the young master doesn't want us."
"This..." Zhang Shixun scratched his head and cursed the emperor in his heart. Wouldn't it be better to reward him with gold, silver and silk? Why did he reward him with a few living people, even though these living people were very beautiful.
"Young Master, please don't kick us out, okay?" Zheng Yuanyuan raised her head and looked at him, her tone full of pleading.
Plum, orchid, autumn and chrysanthemum came from nowhere.
"Sir, please don't chase us away."
"Sir, please leave us here."
"Sir, please have pity on us."
…
Five palace maids surrounded him, begging bitterly and wiping away tears, each of them with tears in their eyes, which made me feel pity for her.
Zhang Shixun was soft-hearted and hated seeing women cry.
"Alright! Stop crying. I won't kick you out, but I want to make it clear that I don't plan to take a concubine in this lifetime. If you..."
Before he could finish his words, Zheng Yuanyuan hurriedly said, "We don't force you to take us as concubines. As long as you let us stay, we'll do anything."
"Yes! Anything is fine." Mei, Lan, Qiu and Ju echoed.
Zhang Shixun was very helpless, looking at this and then that.
Damn it!
These are not palace maids at all, they are clearly five pieces of oxhide candies that cannot be shaken off.
Having said that, these palace maids are quite beautiful, especially Zheng Yuanyuan, who can be said to be outstanding in both appearance and manners.
"Alas!" Zhang Shixun sighed, "Since neither of you want to get married, then stay here."
When the five palace maids heard this, they cheered, their tears still streaming down their faces.
Zhang Shixun laughed to himself and asked them, "Did you go to the show last night?"
"The master is not at home, so I dare not go out."
Zheng Yuanyuan and the five girls, Mei, Lan, Qiu, and Ju, stay at home all day long, never going out of the front door or the back door. Apart from doing some housework, they spend the rest of their time reading books or embroidering.
If she were an ordinary girl, she would never be able to get used to such a life.
But Zheng Yuanyuan and the others didn't care. Perhaps they had been in the palace since they were young and were used to this kind of life that was almost like confinement.
Although Zhang Shixun agreed to let them stay, he was really worried because it was impossible to take them as concubines, which was inconsistent with his philosophy of life.
It's a bit inappropriate to use them as maids.
The only places in the entire capital that employed palace maids as servants were the Imperial Palace and the Prince's Mansion.
It's like a hot potato that can't be thrown away or used.
After thinking for a long time, Zhang Shixun simply gave up. There was really no other way, so he just kept them as idle people, just like having a few more sisters.
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