Qiao Zhen punched Ye Shangzhou on the head, "Others argue and only exchange a few words, but you're trying to kill someone, don't you know that?"
Ye Shangzhou clutched the spot where he had been hit, thinking to himself that Qiao Zhen was truly ruthless. "I understand."
Qiao Zhen didn't want to argue with him. She simply organized all the books that the Grand Tutor had brought and stuffed them into Ye Shangzhou's arms. "We can't rely entirely on the Grand Tutor. You also need to be self-aware and read more books."
"Um."
Ye Shangzhou's promise was correct, but what he actually accomplished was a completely different story.
The next day.
Having learned from the example of Grand Tutor Liu, Grand Tutor Ma made extensive preparations, which can be described as being on high alert. He lacked Grand Tutor Liu's benevolent smile, displaying only a cold and hard old face. "Today, this humble subject wishes to discuss the way of the gentleman with Your Majesty. Does Your Majesty have any insights?"
Qiao Zhen winked at Ye Shangzhou, frantically signaling him to answer the question seriously.
Ye Shangzhou, with great self-awareness, said, "Young Master is now a gentleman, but I am not."
His straightforwardness left Grand Tutor Ma momentarily stunned. Grand Tutor Ma then asked, "Could Your Majesty elaborate?"
"No." Because he disliked Ye Huaijin so much, how could he possibly praise Ye Huaijin?
When faced with Ma Taifu's gaze, Qiao Zhen responded with a faint, indifferent smile.
Ma Taifu then said, "A gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit. This means that a gentleman values morality, while a petty person values profit. Morality refers to ethical principles, or in simple terms, morality and reason."
Night Sorrow Boat was not in the mood.
Qiao Zhen found this too boring, so she spoke up at the right moment: "Why don't you give me an example?"
Grand Tutor Ma pondered deeply, “A few days ago, Jiangling was flooded, but Governor Yang embezzled the disaster relief funds allocated by the court. This is a morally reprehensible act.”
Ye Shangzhou glanced at him lazily.
Qiao Zhen whispered a reminder, "That's too superficial. Please say something more thought-provoking."
Ma Taifu pondered for a moment longer.
Qiao Zhen reminded her, "Just keep talking."
Grand Tutor Ma pondered for a while, "In the former Qi Kingdom, the son of Princess Suizhu was fed with human blood every day, which led to the indiscriminate killing of innocent people. Do you think this is righteous or unrighteous?"
This statement contains a veiled criticism.
Qiao Zhen looked at Ye Shangzhou expectantly.
Ye Shangzhou initially intended to bluff his way out, but upon seeing the slight glimmer in Qiao Zhen's eyes, he knew he couldn't disappoint her. "To indiscriminately kill the innocent is naturally unjust."
Grand Tutor Ma felt very gratified, "What Your Majesty says is very true. It is unjust to kill the innocent indiscriminately."
Qiao Zhen also breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, a palace maid stepped forward to place tea, but accidentally stepped on Ye Shangzhou's robe.
The palace maid seemed unaware of what she had done, and continued to serve tea with utmost respect.
Ye Shangzhou glanced at the half-footprint on the hem of his robe hanging on the ground, and immediately lost control of his violent temper. He slammed his hands on the table, "Guards! Drag her away and execute her!"
Qiao Zhen was stunned for a moment, then looked at the palace maid. The hall fell silent instantly, with only a few breaths audible.
The palace maid knelt on the ground in terror, trembling violently, but dared not utter a single word of pleading.
Ye Shangzhou just said that it is unjust to kill innocent people indiscriminately, and now he is doing the same thing. Isn't that contradicting himself? What's more, there is also Grand Tutor Ma here.
"Your Majesty?"
Ye Shangzhou glanced at Qiao Zhen, but remained unmoved.
Qiao Zhen spoke up and advised, "Your Majesty, this palace maid has not done anything wrong. Please let her go?"
Ye Shangzhou's gaze pierced Qiao Zhen.
Grand Tutor Ma's face was visibly hard and sour. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your actions just now were contrary to the principles of gentlemanly conduct."
Ye Shangzhou smiled coldly and simply waved for someone to take the palace maid away and deal with her.
Qiao Zhen felt a chill in her heart.
Grand Tutor Ma's enthusiasm had waned, and he seemed somewhat perfunctory. Ye Shangzhou was also uninterested, and the two were merely going through the motions with each other. Finally, Qiao Zhen couldn't bear to watch any longer and said, "I'm not feeling well today. Perhaps we can continue learning tomorrow?"
Ye Shangzhou responded, "Mm."
Grand Tutor Ma took his leave.
Qiao Zhen knelt on the prayer mat, frowning as she looked at the Analects, her feelings complicated. She thought that by exposing Ye Shangzhou to these things, she could make up for the lack of values he had developed in his childhood, but as it turned out, sometimes deeply ingrained ideas are not so easy to change.
Ye Shangzhou felt that the palace maid had neglected him because of his leg ailment, which was why he was so determined to execute her. Besides, he was the emperor, the supreme ruler, and he didn't have to care about other people's opinions when it came to taking a life.
But he felt that this decision might be a mistake.
Because of Qiao Zhen's dejected appearance.
Qiao Zhen rubbed her forehead, closed her eyes, and exhaled a long breath. After a long while, she let out all the pent-up frustration in her heart before opening her eyes again.
Ye Shangzhou felt a little guilty, but then he thought, he's the 95th, what does he have to be guilty about? In an instant, he became confident again, his eyes lowered, without a trace of emotion.
Xiao Ling: [Stay calm, qaq We still have plenty of time, let's try not to mess things up.]
Qiao Zhen: [Don't worry, Ye Shangzhou will only cause trouble for two days. I'm just putting on a show for him.]
Xiao Ling: [Is your dejected look fake?]
Qiao Zhen: [Yeah. I'm going to put on a show of disappointment for him tomorrow. Dealing with a brat like that isn't just about giving him clear affirmations; you also need to give him a clear denial. You have to create a gap between affirmation and negation for him.]
Xiao Ling: [Okay, I was being nosy. I'm leaving now, bye~]
This system is far more legitimate than the one Qiao Zhen knew from the novel.
Qiao Zhen composed herself and continued to take care of Ye Shangzhou as always, carrying him wherever they went. However, it was obvious that she spoke very little and her face was expressionless.
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