The pageboy obeyed and went out.
The page knocked on the door of the next private room and went in, saying, "Our master asked me to ask if you know any of the gossipy women on the street. If you don't, why do you imitate them so well? Also, you should avoid gossiping in front of people; it's an insult to the refinement of scholars."
These words were hardly pleasant to hear, and the expressions of the two people in the private room changed upon hearing them.
"How dare you talk like that?"
The pageboy was astonished that this person was so shameless, talking about others behind their backs with such righteous indignation. He was truly too arrogant: "I'm just giving you a heads-up. After all, talking about others with such righteous indignation is not the behavior of a gentleman."
Before the man could say anything more, another person in the private room spoke up: "Chengzhi, stop talking."
Then he said to the page, "My brother here has had too much to drink and speaks without thinking. But who is your master?" Actually, he had some guesses in his mind.
The pageboy said, "The master's surname is Tong."
Wang Linyu wasn't too surprised to hear this, after all, these days it's rare to find someone willing to stand up for others.
"We are truly sorry for what happened today."
Upon hearing this, the pageboy said something and went back, then recounted the entire conversation.
After saying that, the page added, "The young master who spoke later is different from the one who spoke recklessly earlier."
Tong Cheng'er scoffed, "Actually, there's not much difference. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Since the two of them can get together, it means they are kindred spirits. If there is any difference, it can only be that the latter person is more cautious in his words than the former person who spoke without restraint."
If it were truly different, then the person who spoke first should have refuted it, instead of casually saying "be careful what you say" and then falling silent.
Tong Xuewen: "What my sister said is right. Since they intend to settle things peacefully, let's just let this matter rest."
As for the imperial examination that the two men mentioned earlier, he was naturally not afraid.
At the same time, in another private room in Wangyue Tower, Kangxi asked his sons, "You all heard what was said just now. What are your thoughts?"
The eldest prince spoke first: "That person speaks ill of others behind their backs, and his words reveal jealousy. Such jealousy of virtuous people makes one unfit to be an official."
The eldest prince now works in the Ministry of War and detests such backstabbing and gossip. In his opinion, such people should be stripped of their official titles and their families should be barred from taking the imperial examinations for three generations.
Kangxi did not respond to what the eldest prince had said, and then asked the crown prince, "What does the crown prince think?"
“Your subject thinks that what elder brother said is right. Such a person who is jealous of the virtuous and makes underhanded moves behind their back should indeed be punished. People who are easily jealous of others are selfish and prone to having ulterior motives. If they become officials in the future, they will be more likely to spread slander. It is not an exaggeration to strip such people of their official titles.”
Kangxi nodded slowly. What the Crown Prince and the First Prince said wasn't wrong, but it still missed the point.
"Yinzhen, what are your thoughts?"
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