Yu Ge'er successfully coaxed Niu Niu into eating breakfast.
The family can finally go out.
The carriage swayed slowly towards Xiangguo Temple.
Four children, big and small, were about to flip the roof off the car.
Through the carriage, Gu Ji could hear all kinds of noise coming from the carriage next door.
Sometimes they laugh, sometimes they cry, sometimes they yell, and sometimes they are very affectionate...
Gu Jiu felt a headache.
"From this distance, I feel like I'm being killed by the noise. Just keep an eye on your child."
She kicked Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao was holding a book and reading seriously.
"No matter what they do, kids are like that, sometimes good, sometimes bad. If they weren't making noise, you'd be worried again."
The truth about Liu Zhao was revealed.
If the children were quiet, Gu Jiu would become suspicious, thinking that the children might be sick or psychologically traumatized... and other such messy thoughts.
Gu Jiu sighed, "Raising a child is so tiring."
Liu Zhao laughed heartily, "That's why I said four children are enough. One more would be unbearable."
Gu Jiu rolled his eyes at him.
We wandered all the way to Xiangguo Temple.
As parents, we finally found something serious to do.
Bring four children to burn incense and make wishes.
I don’t know if Niu Niu had a bad sense of balance, but when she was kneeling on the cushion and kowtowed, she fell headfirst and rolled twice on the ground.
She got up by herself and sat on the ground, looking confused.
Niu Niu doesn’t know why she rolled off the futon!
The naughty boy Heng Ge'er laughed, but Liu Zhao glared at him and he immediately became obedient.
Yu Ge'er touched Heng Ge'er's head and whispered, "Niuniu is a girl and she cares about her reputation. We, as her brothers, cannot laugh at her."
Heng Ge'er imitated Yu Ge'er and asked quietly, "Can I laugh at my fourth brother? He's even dumber than Niuniu."
Yu Ge'er nodded and whispered, "Brother Yu is a boy, with a thick skin and a thick heart. You can laugh at him once or twice occasionally. But you can't laugh at him every time. He is also a child with dignity."
When Brother Yan heard his two brothers mention his name, he turned his little face and looked at them. His big eyes, with distinct black and white, looked particularly innocent, and his eyelashes fluttered like a palm-leaf fan, making him look particularly innocent and cute.
Heng'er's heart softened immediately. He pulled Yu'er's sleeve and whispered, "I won't laugh at Yu'er anymore. He's so pitiful."
Yu Ge'er looked at Xun Ge'er, then at Heng Ge'er, blinking his eyes, as if he had discovered the truth.
After burning the incense, the family went to the backyard to rest.
Yu Ge'er came close to Gu Jiu and acted coquettishly, "Mother, mother, I found something incredible."
"What's the matter?" Gu Jiu asked casually.
Yu Ge'er whispered, "My son has discovered that Heng Ge'er is a bit dumb and easily deceived. Fourth brother, Xun Ge'er, is playing the pig to eat the tiger, appearing foolish despite his great wisdom."
Gu Jiu laughed heartily, very happy.
She rubbed Yu Ge'er's little head and asked, "How did you find out?"
Yu Ge'er told Gu Jiu what happened in the hall.
Gu Jiu asked with a smile: "Are you sure that Brother Yan is just pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger? Or is he just innocent and cute?"
Yu Ge'er hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Yu is indeed very innocent and cute, but when he was burning incense in the main hall, I felt that he was acting deliberately. He is not so cute on ordinary days. But he seemed especially cute at that time. When my son saw him, his heart softened.
I was thinking, just because Heng Ge'er is young doesn't mean he doesn't have his own ideas. He was always bullied by Niu Niu before, maybe he was just letting Niu Niu go. I think he's smarter than Niu Niu. He only showed weakness when he heard Heng Ge'er say he was going to laugh at him.
Gu Jiu scratched Yu Ge'er's nose and said, "Yu Ge'er might be a clever kid, just like you analyzed, with great wisdom but a foolish appearance. The only thing your mother asks of you is to remember that they are all your brothers and sisters, your brothers and sisters, and your blood relatives. Don't over-speculate about their thoughts."
Yu Ge'er didn't understand, "Why? Mother always said that when encountering problems, we should think more and more, and also said that we should see the essence through the phenomenon."
Gu Jiu hugged him and whispered, "Because human nature cannot be guessed. Before you try to guess their thoughts, you must first remind yourself that they are all your brothers and sisters, your blood relatives. You must also learn to restrain yourself towards your own relatives."
Yu Ge'er wrinkled his nose, these words were too profound for him.
Gu Jiu didn't want to talk about human nature with Yu Ge'er so early.
But since it involved several children, Gu Jiu had to advance the teaching plan.
"Whether or not Brother Xun is truly wise and foolish, it's clear that his lovable innocence has neutralized Brother Heng's desire to laugh at him. That's good, isn't it?"
Yu Ge'er nodded and asked again: "Mother just said that we should learn to restrain ourselves towards our relatives. Can you tell us more about it?"
Gu Jiu pinched his cheek and said, "You have to remember one word: distance."
Yu Ge'er was a little confused.
Gu Jiu didn't say much. "Have fun today and don't think about these things. Regarding the restraint and distance between relatives, mother will give you half a month to think about it slowly. You can also ask Mr. Ren, maybe he has a different opinion."
"My son, I'll remember that."
"Go play."
After sending Yu Ge'er away, Gu Ji was still a little worried.
Children are neither young nor old, and it is the age for them to establish their three views.
Sometimes she worries that her educational methods may teach her children in a wrong way or be inappropriate.
After all, some of her ideas are inappropriate for this era.
What suits you is the best.
Gu Jiu also often reminds himself that he must never educate his children by rote memorization and according to the standards of future generations.
It is important to adapt to local conditions and the times.
"Madam is sighing again, but is she worried about the young masters?" The maid Aqing put the teacup on the small table, squatted down, and massaged Gu Jiu's legs.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "How can I not worry? Every child has his or her own temper. Sometimes I also have doubts and worry that I have taught them bad things."
"Madam, you're worrying for no reason. Let's not talk about Niuniu and Xun'er, just the eldest and second sons. Everyone would say that Madam has taught them very well. They are smart, sensible, and caring."
"Blind praise makes me more and more frightened. Everything has two sides. Don't just talk about the good things, talk about the shortcomings."
Ah Qing looked embarrassed, "My humble knowledge is limited, I really can't see any shortcomings."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Then you are just finding fault with everything."
A Qing thought for a moment and said, "If I really want to talk about shortcomings, I am a little worried that the two young masters will not be able to adapt to royal life in the future. It can be said that the two young masters grew up in Shanhe Academy. After all, Shanhe Academy is different from the royal education. Shanhe Academy is an excellent place for ordinary students, but it may not be really suitable for the two young masters."
Gu Jiu nodded, "Your concerns are reasonable."
Ah Qing looked up at Gu Jiu and said, "This servant just said it casually, Madam, please don't take it seriously."
Gu Jiu laughed and said, "Don't worry, I've been thinking about what's suitable for children lately."
"Madam, are you going to send the two young masters to the palace to study?"
Gu Jiu hadn't made up his mind yet, "Let me think about it."
She wanted to discuss with Liu Zhao whether she should give the children more royal education.
In fact, Gu Jiu had not seen it with his own eyes, so he was not very clear about the specific content of royal education.
Back then, when Yu Ge'er was in the palace, he only learned common sense and had not yet touched upon advanced things.
Liu Zhao knows the most about this matter.
He has received a complete royal education, so he has the most say.
…
Liu Zhao came to the back mountain of Xiangguo Temple and met with the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li.
The first thing Lord Li said was, "You're late!"
"I have to accompany my wife and children to burn incense, so it's inevitable that I'll be late."
Liu Zhao was particularly self-righteous, and Lord Li really wanted to complain about him.
After thinking about his purpose today, Lord Li suppressed the urge to complain.
He got straight to the point, "The Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet is just the beginning. If I don't understand, His Majesty will definitely double down on targeting me later."
Liu Zhao smiled and asked bluntly, "What does Lord Li want? To continue to sit in that position, or to be an official in another place?"
"Change to another position?" Lord Li sneered. "Where else can I change to? Am I supposed to retire from being the Minister of the Central Secretariat and return to being the Minister of the Imperial Court?"
“That’s not a bad idea!”
"Absurd! There is no precedent for this in the court, and Your Majesty will not set such a precedent."
"Master Li can take up a position in the local area."
The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, frowned. "Your Highness, do you know what you are saying? I have already reached the top of the civil service, and now you want me to serve in the provincial government? This is simply absurd! It would be better for me to stay in the capital, at least there is respectability."
Liu Zhao looked at Master Li with a half-smile, "Master, do you mean to stay in the capital and make a dignified exit?"
"Of course we have to leave in a dignified manner." Lord Li said as a matter of course.
Liu Zhao slowly shook his head, "There's no way to exit gracefully!"
"What do you mean, Your Highness?"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
I was visiting relatives over the weekend, and I didn't expect it would take up two days of my time. The few drafts I had were all used up in just two days. Today's update will be a little late, thank you for your understanding.
Yuanbao works hard to update and save drafts.
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