Chapter 61: Zhuang Xuejiu
After the Sheng family settled down, Sheng Hong went to the government office to report for his appointment. The eldest lady was busy with her old friends and preparing for Hualan's marriage. The two heads of the Sheng family were so busy that they were not seen in the house all day. Mingxi took the responsibility of teaching the girls. However, Mingxi could take the girls to class, but Changbai and Changfeng's schoolwork could not be delayed. At this time, Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu took some time out from their busy schedule to discuss inviting Zhuang Xuejiu.
In the evening, Sheng Hong rested in the main courtyard. After washing, the two of them were finally able to lie down and rest. Sheng Hong said to the eldest lady, "Tomorrow is a day off. You and I will prepare generous gifts to invite Scholar Zhuang to our house. We have agreed on it before, but we were busy with the affairs after arriving in Bianjing, and we delayed this matter. As a result, Bai'er and Feng'er have neglected their studies for dozens of days. The matter of inviting Scholar Zhuang is urgent and must not be delayed any longer."
"That's right, and it's also my fault. I was busy with Hua'er's marriage, and thinking that we had just arrived in Bianjing and should visit relatives and friends, so I forgot about this important matter." The eldest lady also regretted that she had really delayed Changbai's studies.
"Okay, it's settled. Just go and invite him early tomorrow. You're really tired today, so go and get some rest." Sheng Hong patted the lady's hand and went to sleep. The lady wanted to chat with him about other things at home, but when she saw Sheng Hong lying down, she muttered, "You fall asleep as soon as you come to my place," and turned off the lights and went to sleep.
On the second day, the two packed up early and went to Zhuang Xuejiu to invite someone. Because Sheng Hong saved Zhuang Xuejiu's mother from an unjust imprisonment, Zhuang Xuejiu had already agreed to sit in the Sheng Mansion. He heard a few days ago that the Sheng family had already arrived in Bianjing, and they had not come to invite him. Zhuang Xuejiu was a little dissatisfied. He was afraid that the academic atmosphere in the Sheng Mansion was not right. After a few days, the two sons who were going to take the imperial examinations had not yet entered the school. How could the students afford to delay their time? But today, Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu put their attitudes very low, and explained the recent situation, and Zhuang Xuejiu was slightly relieved.
"Mr. Zhuang, I have another unwelcome request. Although I have three sons, my youngest son is still in his infancy. I would like to ask Mr. Zhuang to teach my two sons who are going to take the imperial examination. In addition, I have four daughters. My eldest daughter is going to get married soon, so I won't mention her. I would like Mr. Zhuang to teach the other three daughters. Although they are girls, the most precious thing in life is to be educated. Although women live in the inner chambers, they should also be talented and virtuous. In ancient times, there were Xie Daoyin and Zhuo Wenjun, both of whom were able to pass down poetry and calligraphy from generation to generation. They played the zither. He is proficient in chess, calligraphy and painting. In today's world, culture is flourishing and education is universal. Girls should cherish this opportunity and study hard. Further study can not only enhance talents, but also cultivate one's character, so that one can cultivate both inside and outside, and become the pride of the family and the pillar of society. So I hope that my daughter can also study hard, live up to her youth, and bring honor to the family with her talents and virtues, and be no less than boys. "
After listening to Sheng Hong's generous speech, Zhuang Xuejiu changed his view of him. Teaching two is teaching, and teaching five is also teaching. Zhuang Xuejiu will certainly agree.
Zhuang Xuejiao agreed readily, and Sheng Hong was secretly delighted, but there was one more thing he needed to inform Mr. Zhuang in advance. "There is one more thing I want to discuss with you. Your knowledge is as vast as the ocean and as profound as the boundless. You have read all the classics, history, and literature, and you are truly a genius of the time. Therefore, your name has long been known to the world. Whether in the court or in the rivers and lakes, everyone respects you and regards you as a role model. There are also countless students who are looking forward to your success. , they all longed to become Mr.’s disciples, and they all thought that they would benefit from Mr.’s teachings for the rest of their lives. So if the news that Mr. is going to teach in my house gets out, I’m afraid that the doorstep of my house will be trampled. I wonder if Mr. is still willing to teach a few more students? "
Mr. Zhuang also knew his own reputation, and many dignitaries came to invite him to teach in their houses, but the character of a scholar is to maintain a sense of detachment and indifference, not moved by vanity, and not tempted by power. The way of learning lies in the purity of the heart and the lofty ambitions, which cannot be measured by worldly power and fame. Therefore, he rejected all of them and was willing to teach in Sheng Mansion because Sheng Mansion was not a high-class family, and there were not so many red tapes. Mr. Zhuang also wanted to teach one or two students to reach the heights of the temple, and Sheng Mansion was just right.
"If there are talented students, it's okay to teach a few, but I like quietness. Too many students will inevitably make noise, so I'd better do it within my ability!" After all, Zhuang Xuejiu was going to teach, not to open an academy. He would feel annoyed if there were too many people, but the Sheng family only had two sons who had to take the imperial examinations, so it was not enough. It would not be a problem to have a few more to accompany them.
Sheng Hong thought about Zhuang Xuejiu's words in his heart and roughly understood what he meant. After the teaching was settled, Sheng Hong went to Lao Anren to pick up his eldest lady and took her back to the mansion.
The first thing Sheng Hong did when he returned home was to call his two sons and give them instructions, asking them to go back and review their lessons well. They should prepare well for the tomorrow when Master Zhuang will come to teach them. Master Zhuang will probably test their lessons, so they should leave a good impression on Master Zhuang so that he will be more motivated to teach.
As Sheng Hong expected, the news that Zhuang Xuejiu came to Sheng Mansion to teach spread as soon as he left Zhuang's house. Not long after Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu returned to Sheng Mansion, and when Sheng Hong was still testing his two sons, someone came to visit. Sheng Hong went to the front hall to greet the guest. Before the first guest left, another guest came, one after another. He was busy here, and the eldest lady was not idle either. The ladies of other families also wanted to engage in ladies' diplomacy, and they all came to the eldest lady to sound out the situation, wanting to send their own sons and nephews to study in the Sheng family.
It was the first time that the eldest lady felt being praised and flattered by so many ladies. She liked to hear compliments, but the requests they made gave her a headache. If the master had not informed her in advance that Mr. Zhuang loved quietness and was unwilling to accept more students, she would have wanted to agree to all the requests of these noble ladies. They were from the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis' Mansion, and any of them who could make friends with them would be a help to the master. But now she could only refuse. The eldest lady felt that being flattered was not a good thing.
The eldest lady moved her stiff smile slightly, then continued to smile. After listening to what the ladies had said, she found an opportunity to speak, "We invited this scholar Zhuang to teach in our house because the official helped save Mr. Zhuang's mother by coincidence, and Mr. Zhuang wanted to repay the favor. Our children are lucky to be taught by Mr. Zhuang, and we really cannot repay him. Mr. Zhuang is also a scholar, who likes elegance and does not like to be mediocre. He likes to make noise, so he may not be able to accept so many disciples, but he also said that if he accepts two more disciples, they can keep each other company. I am afraid that they need to be tested on their studies and win the favor of the master. We cannot decide this. "The lady was also very nervous after saying these words. She was dealing with these high-ranking ladies, and she was really panicked when she rejected them right away. These words were all said to her by Sheng Hong one by one, and she used them immediately.