"Admonitions for Women" was written by Ban Zhao of the Eastern Han Dynasty, while "Rules for Women" was written by Empress Zhangsun of the Tang Dynasty. Although the history of Dayong took a different turn, the great historians who were meant to appear still did, and their works that were meant to be remembered for eternity were still published.
Zhao Shu stared blankly at the scroll of "Rules for Women" in her hand. She sat with Sun Yun, and Zhang Nushi sat opposite them. Banshu and Luluo were no longer in the same carriage. Each of them held a scroll, their thoughts already wandering off with the swaying carriage.
"Humility and respect, putting others before oneself, and inexplicable friendliness—Does the princess know what the next line is?" Zhang Chu sighed. No wonder the teacher was so angry that he left. This student of the princess's was truly difficult to teach; she had been lost in thought all morning.
Zhao Shu heard it, but pretended not to. Sun Yun also heard it, but instead of asking her, he preferred to avoid trouble.
Helpless, Zhang Chu asked again, "Princess, do you know the next line?"
Zhao Shu thought to herself, "As expected of the Empress Dowager's lady-in-waiting, she's not angry at all. If it were any other lady-in-waiting, she would have been so angry that she would have abandoned her long ago." Zhang Chu was helpless, and she was also helpless. She said, "To suffer injustice without complaint, to endure humiliation and disgrace, and to always be fearful is to be a lowly and weak person." In her previous life, she had memorized these things in order to integrate into the circle of noble ladies.
Upon hearing Zhao Shujing recite it, Sun Yun immediately gave her a thumbs up, saying, "Ah Jun is comparable to Gan Luo, so intelligent."
Zhang Chu initially thought that the Sun family girl must be quiet, virtuous, dignified and intelligent. However, what she saw just now was that the Sun family girl was also in a daze, staring blankly for a whole morning, several hours. Is this the way to respect one's teacher?
If she had remained silent, it would have been fine, but once she spoke, Zhang Chu seized the opportunity and asked Sun Yun, "Sixth Miss Sun comes from a scholarly family, so she must know much more than the Princess. Why don't you tell the Princess about the moral principles of the first chapter of the 'Admonitions for Women'?"
Although she said it as a question, her tone was not at all like she was asking Sun Yun, but rather as if she were asking Sun Yun, in the name of a teacher, to explain the essence of the first chapter of the "Admonitions for Women".
Sun Yun and Zhao Shu exchanged a glance. Zhao Shu shrugged, indicating that she admired and could help. Zhang Chu was now their husband, and it was clear that he wouldn't be so easily driven away.
Thinking that he might be punished by copying books if he couldn't answer, Sun Yun had been punished by his female teacher many times before and knew the bitterness of it. He sniffed and said, "Women should be humble and gentle, always treat others with humility, work hard without complaint, be kind without reason, not boast, not shirk responsibility for wrongdoing, endure humiliation and disgrace, and not argue. Oh, and also, I don't know much about preparing wine and offerings for the ancestors. If I say anything wrong, please supplement and teach me. I am all ears."
As Zhao Shu listened, she thought to herself that Sun Yun was definitely good at being outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant.
Zhang Chu nodded, somewhat satisfied. Instinctively, he trusted the noblewoman more and said to Zhao Shu, "Princess, what the Sixth Miss said is absolutely right. You should learn more from the Sixth Miss in your daily life."
Zhao Shu nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, yes, I will definitely learn from A-Yun and strive to become a virtuous and gentle royal princess. Please rest assured, sir. It's almost time. The Empress Dowager is probably about to have her meal. Although teaching students is of utmost importance, the Empress Dowager's affairs cannot be neglected. What do you think, sir?"
Zhang Chu sighed again, glanced at the sky outside. It was already noon. By this time, the main force had already set up camp and would need to rest for an hour before continuing their journey. It was indeed time to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, so he said, "Princess, you must review your studies."
"Yes, sir, I will never forget your teachings." She behaved extremely obediently, and for a moment, Zhang Chu's opinion of her changed drastically. He even began to doubt whether his previous teachers had been too harsh on the princess, as she was clearly very sensible.
Having already ignored Zhao Shu's deliberate spacing out all morning, he figured it must be because his teaching was too simplistic, and decided to teach the later lessons in the afternoon.
Upon hearing Zhao Shu's words, Sun Yun quickly adopted a respectful demeanor, saying, "Please take your time, sir. I will definitely supervise A-Jun's studies and live up to your expectations. I also ask you to put in a good word for A-Jun before the Empress Dowager. Our A-Jun is truly obedient."
Zhang Chu: ... Stunned, he forced a very serious smile and got off the carriage.
After seeing Zhang Chu off, Green Luo and Ban Shu, who had been waiting outside the carriage, finally dared to speak. Green Luo lifted the curtain and said to Zhao Shu, "Princess, Princess, Physician Peng is looking for you. He brought a treasure with him, but he's so biased. He only showed it to Xing'er and not to me." Green Luo began to complain.
Zhao Shu and Sun Yun stepped out of the carriage. The old imperial physician Peng was not by the carriage. Yan Zelu was waiting to unload the horse next to him. Beside him was an unfamiliar face who walked with a steady gait. He was wielding two swords and looked much more robust than Yan Zelu. He seemed to be a martial arts expert, and much more skilled than Yan Zelu.
"Commander Yan, where is Lord Wei?" Zhao Shu asked. Wei Tingsi had probably gone to Qingzhou, and this unfamiliar person must be the one he left behind.
Yan Zelu bowed first before saying to Zhao Shu, "The Empress Dowager sent an official back to the capital to retrieve the lost items; he departed last night."
Zhao Shu felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this; her grandmother still cared for her.
"Commander Yan, what are you looking at my princess for? Hurry up and lower your head!" Green Luo stood in front of Zhao Shu angrily, but when she realized that even with his head down, Yan Zelu could still look down at Zhao Shu's face, she was so anxious that she jumped up and down.
Looking around, one sees rolling mountains, with early autumn leaves beginning to fall, and the official road already covered with withered leaves. This place happens to be a river beach, and the river is gradually drying up, with only a small tributary flowing downstream.
Several wisps of smoke rose from the hills, adding a touch of life to this remote place. Rows of soldiers, armed with swords and spears, stood ramrod straight in the mountains, and many horses grazed on the sparse grass.
Seeing this scene resembling an autumn outing, Sun Yun was inspired to write poetry and insisted on playing a poetry game with Zhao Shu. However, the old imperial physician Peng walked over from afar, his face glowing, and called out from a distance, "Princess, Princess, it's done! It's done!"
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
