Chapter 1564 Extra: Mandarin Ducks Weave a Pair for Flight (Part 2)
Shen De's judgment was correct.
Before dawn, He Wu was arrested and taken back.
The three of them looked at their daughter, whose face was full of defiance, feeling both angry and amused. He Xin suppressed the urge to scold her harshly and tried to reason with her: "When you ran away from home, did you think about the dangers lurking outside? What if someone is deliberately watching to harm you?"
He Wu puffed out her cheeks, sulking, and didn't answer.
Her parents, at her age, did far more outrageous things than she did.
Why are they allowed to do it, but she gets watched just because she did it? This isn't allowed, that isn't allowed—what's there to be afraid of if someone tries to assassinate her? She's not someone to be trifled with; she has the ability to protect herself. It's not that she can't listen to her parents' advice, she just doesn't like being treated like a porcelain doll.
He Shu saw through her awkward thoughts at a glance.
He sighed, "Times have changed."
How many years is the average lifespan during times of chaos?
Even literary figures, if unlucky, come and go in a hurry, their lives lasting only thirty years or so. Because everyone knows they don't live long, everyone feels a sense of urgency, rushing to start a family, build a career, and have children.
In a life of just over thirty years, a twelve or thirteen-year-old is already an adult capable of taking charge of their own household. He Wu cannot judge the past by her current circumstances. Back then, the twelve or thirteen-year-old He Shu and his brothers were seen as a pillar of the family by outsiders; now, at fourteen or fifteen, He Wu is still a child in her parents' eyes, and every time she goes out, her heart tugs at their heartstrings…
In their eyes, He Wu is a child.
In the eyes of her political enemies, He Wu was a naive prey.
From a rational perspective, the prosperity of a family depends on talented and perceptive descendants. Killing He Wu would be far more painful for He Shu and his siblings than killing their other children. From an emotional perspective, He Wu was the child who grew up under their care the longest, and the more affection they invested in her, the deeper their bond would be. If anything were to happen to her, the blow would be immense.
He Wu pouted, still unconvinced.
The mother, who hadn't spoken until now, said something completely unrelated: "The Imperial Academy's study tour is scheduled for Ganzhou this year. Would you like to go, A-Wu? There lives an elder there whom I admire and have studied and emulated for many years. If you go, please give her my regards."
He Wu's attention was drawn to it.
"Mother's elders?"
The lady smiled and said, "Yes."
He Wu glanced at her two fathers' expressions out of the corner of her eye, then snuggled closer to her mother's arms: "I'm going on this study tour."
Seeing He Wu's childish behavior, the three of them couldn't help but laugh.
They brought their child, who had run away from home less than two hours earlier, back home. Dawn was already breaking outside the window, and the couple had no desire to sleep. The lady immediately instructed the steward to write a visiting card and send it to the Grand Tutor's residence. He Shu leaned over to look at what she had written: "What do you want with that scoundrel Qi Yuanliang?"
There's no need to rush into entrusting it to the art academy.
The lady stepped aside to make room for him, and He Shu naturally moved closer.
She said, "Ah Wu's matter makes me a little uneasy."
He Shudao said, "It was my and Hao Gu's actions that were inadequate."
He shouldn't have given his target any breathing room.
Only when the other party's entire family is completely wiped out can there be true peace.
The lady didn't want to hear these things: "Awu is a talented child, but compared to you and Haogu, she is still a step behind. Her temperament is not settled yet... Although you two have paved the way for her and made her the heir apparent, with this affection, her future prospects, even if she doesn't reach a high position, can still maintain the glory of her ancestors... However, some things are ultimately beyond human calculation."
He Shu has offended far too many new and old powerful figures.
Things don't always go exactly as the brothers planned.
She felt something was missing.
He Xin heard this and came over as well.
"What does this have to do with Qi Yuanliang?"
Qi Shan is indeed skilled in painting, but he holds an important position in the court and is often distracted. When he's busy, he's practically running himself ragged, so he can't spare much energy for the painting academy. The Lady and Qi Shan mostly interact during their days off, when they happen to bump into each other at folk art and poetry gatherings in the capital. He Xin wonders what the Lady's intentions are in seeking out Qi Yuanliang.
"Ask him to make the connection."
Qi Shan never expected that she would have to connect with Yu Hai through her.
Yu Hai disliked the frequent brawls in the royal court. He had been working in local government since the second year of Yanhuang's reign, and was transferred to other places as soon as his term ended. He only set foot in the capital when it came to performance reviews: "May I ask why the chief minister is looking for Yu Guilong?"
The lady only asked, "Is there a temple for painters within the temple?"
With the unification of the four continents and the recovery of the population and economy, a qualitative change also occurred in culture. The Temple of Medicine and the Temple of Mohism became widely known, and the common people and artisans began to have other ideas—among the temples of the Hundred Schools, were there other temples still shrouded in dust?
If the temple can be opened...
In the future, all the common people who join that temple will respectfully address me as their sage teacher, and my status will be comparable to that of Dong Dao of the Mohist school and the Northern Chiu Medical School.
Qi Shan guessed her plan as soon as she heard the question.
He immediately clapped his hands and exclaimed, "...Madam, what ambition you have!"
A very bold and imaginative idea.
But some things you only know if they can succeed after you've done them.
However, let me preface this with some discouraging words: "Even my literary skills [exquisite brushwork] cannot open the door to the temple of painters. If you wish to accomplish this great feat, Madam, the task ahead is arduous and the road is long."
Yu Hai often sneaks into the sacred land of mountains and seas.
Qi Shan also extracted a considerable amount of information about the Mountain and Sea Holy Land from him. Only a handful of the temples were open; the vast majority remained closed. How to open the temples remained a mystery. However, it seemed that the opening requirements for each temple were different. The Mo Family Temple was relatively undemanding, while the Medical Family Temple was notoriously difficult to open—Gongyang Yongye had already fought three battles against it.
The difficulty of the Painter's Temple is probably not small either—the Mountain and Sea Holy Land has existed for more than two hundred years, and there is no shortage of extraordinary talents in the world. If even these have not satisfied the temple, you can imagine how difficult it is.
For example, praying for good deeds.
He always felt that one day the temple of painters would be opened, and that it would be opened by his own hands. Was his painting skill not exquisite enough?
He has perfected the art of painting and calligraphy.
Qi Shan helped her write a letter.
"With this letter in hand, Yu Guilong will definitely help."
It's okay if they refuse to help; Qi Shan still has a backup plan.
The lady thanked her, saying, "Thank you very much."
Qi Shan: "Between you and me, there is no need for thanks."
Time flew by, and the day arrived for the Imperial Academy to depart for its study tour.
Destination: Ganzhou.
The students of the Imperial Academy are the future pillars of the Kang State. When they traveled for their studies, the royal court directly dispatched troops to escort them. When the students saw General Gongxi Chou appear at the same time, they cheered instantly.
“\Gong Xi Chou/\Gong Xi Chou/\Gong Xi Chou/”
"\General\General\General\General"
Gong Xichou rode a tall horse slowly towards them.
He, who usually only wore half a suit of armor, surprisingly chose to be fully armed this time. Apart from his face shield, his handsome, mature, and angular face was revealed. With a wooden stick in his mouth, he calmly waved to the three or four thousand students who were shouting, and rode past on horseback.
"General, let me have your babies!"
One of the male students got so excited he wanted to jump up.
"A trousers! General, give me your trousers!"
Gong Xichou, who was displaying his peacock-like plumage: "..."
Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?
He blinked, then slunk away to the front of the line.
The other students didn't react as strongly, but when they realized that Gongxi Chou, as the Grand General of Kang, had been sent to escort them on their study tour, they were immediately moved to tears. What did this show? It showed that the lord valued them! He truly regarded them as the future pillars of Kang! Of course, some students felt that Gongxi Chou's appearance was mostly related to Prince Ru Gui being in the group.
However, this viewpoint is not very tenable.
Shen De was released from confinement at the last minute, while the troops escorting them had begun their journey several days in advance. Gong Xichou did not intervene in these disputes. His task was to treat these students as soldiers on a march and escort them all the way to Ganzhou.
Once you reach Ganzhou, the mission is complete.
The students were initially full of energy and enthusiasm.
They were engrossed in admiring the scenery along the official road, chattering excitedly with their classmates. However, the monotonous landscape could become tedious, and they gradually quieted down, focusing on their journey. This official road had been laid by martial artists who first leveled the ground with gravel, then transported clay and sand to slab and compact it. In some areas where sand was insufficient, stones were broken up and used to pave the road… Compared to the dilapidated roads of the chaotic era, it was relatively smooth, and the carriages wouldn't feel too bumpy. But for these students, born at the end of the chaotic era or after the change of reign title, it was truly a torment. After traveling for most of the day, their legs were numb and felt like they didn't belong to them anymore.
After two days, some people's shoe soles were worn out.
On the third day, more than half of the students had blisters on their feet.
They wanted to complain and rest, but faced with the calm and solemn faces of the escorting soldiers, they swallowed their words back.
"...How far is Ganzhou...?"
"Shouldn't study tours be conducted by horse-drawn carriage?"
Last year's study tour involved traveling by carriage, and aside from the discomfort on their backsides, they could tolerate the other conditions. This year's tour, however, seems to be a gradual journey to Ganzhou, with countless hardships awaiting them. Ironically, even the Crown Princess Shen De received no preferential treatment, making their complaints seem all the more pretentious.
Gongxi Chou rode up on horseback: "Are you all tired?"
The students sitting by the roadside seeking shade nodded vigorously.
"Mmm, I'm tired."
Gongxi Chou, in a fit of pity, said: "Alright, if that's the case, you'll be allowed to use the power of words to assist you during the midday march. You were all carefully selected from within Kang State to join the Imperial Academy, surely you can't even do this much? How you cooperate is up to you."
The students: "..."
They pointed to themselves.
The students of the Imperial Academy included scholars, warriors, physicians, and members of the Mohist school.
Overall, the majority of them were still literary scholars.
Wenxin Wenshi's physique was weaker than even the most ordinary soldiers, but he was more resilient than the average person.
Traveling on two legs while also using incantations for assistance...
A student raised his hand: "General, I have a question."
Gong Xichou said, "Ask away."
Student: "When the general marched on the battlefield, did his strategists and advisors also walk on foot? They must have had warhorses, right..."
They had never been on the battlefield, but they knew that a Martial Warrior could use his martial energy to create soldiers and warhorses, forming a small, fully-fledged fighting force. They didn't expect Gongxi Chou to have his martial energy soldiers carry them, but surely he could at least have them carried by warhorses.
“We certainly have warhorses, but you are not strategists.”
The students: "..."
Gongxi Chou didn't hide his sarcasm: "This study tour is for physical training and willpower building, not a group of nobles going on a trip and having people serve them hand and foot. If you can't even endure this little hardship, what can Kangguo rely on if there really is a war in the future?"
The student muttered, "Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, all is Kang land... Will we be fighting sea monsters in the future?"
From the very beginning of their education in the courtyard, the instructors repeatedly instilled in them the concept that Kangguo was a unified entity. Subconsciously, they didn't believe that their own people would fight each other. If there were to be a war, the enemy would be an outsider, not one of their own.
What are you muttering about?
"No, the student didn't say anything."
Gongyang Yongye was not afraid of medical disputes, nor was Gongxi Chou afraid of "military mutiny." Once these students fell into his hands, they naturally became like Sun Wukong in the Buddha's hands, unable to escape the Five Finger Mountain. At first, the coordination was not good, but as time went on, the students' use of the Word Spirit Army Formation became more and more flexible, and the distance they covered in one day was more than they had covered in seven or eight days before.
Upon seeing the boundary marker of Ganzhou, some students burst into tears of joy.
"Waaaaah, we're finally here..."
"Ah, it's not easy, I'm about to rot..." Gong Xichou only allowed his students five hours a day to eat and sleep, and the other seven hours had to be spent traveling. This left the students with no time to clean themselves, and the weather made them all smell worse than the last.
Not only did they smell bad, but they were also disheveled and tanned dark, looking like refugees. Shen De was no exception.
Lu Jue, who was notified to pick up the student, was speechless.
He was completely stunned.
Gongxi Chouchong waved to his students.
He called out, "Go wash in the river, don't drown."
Thousands of students rushed into the water, but Shen De was a step too slow. She watched helplessly as the clear river water visibly changed color under the combined splashing of the crowd, and she forced herself to stop. Lü Jue stepped forward and bowed to her: "Your Highness, the study camp is ready."
Students of the Imperial Academy were to be transferred by him during their time in Ganzhou.
Shen De nodded: "I'll trouble General Lü."
In the thirteenth year of Yanhuang, Lü Jue took up his post in Ganzhou.
Shen De hadn't met him often, only knowing that this general was his mother's former subordinate, having served her in battles from a young age. After several encounters, he also knew that he was a steady and reliable person, and one very convincing point was that Lü Jue rarely participated in any full-blown martial arts contests between civil and military officials.
Unlike Gong Xichou's strict discipline, the Ganzhou camp was much more lenient, and Lü Jue gave the students seven days of free time.
"Your Highness, I have heard that the atmosphere of valuing learning is very strong in Ganzhou. In addition to the three academies established by the royal court, there are also quite a few private schools in the community..." Xingning recovered his spirits after resting for two days. Before he could even review his lessons, Wei Sheng and the others dragged him over to find Shen De.
Since we're here for study tours, we should have a good exchange of ideas.
Shen De could tell what his friends were up to with just a glance.
It was ostensibly an exchange, but in reality, it was a challenge.
She hesitated, "This...isn't this inappropriate?"
Even though Ganzhou has a strong academic atmosphere, its educational resources are far inferior to those of the Imperial Academy. These students going to seek exchanges with others—isn't that blatant bullying? Besides, the lecturers haven't announced the upcoming study tour arrangements; it wouldn't be good for them to offend someone rashly.
Xingning also advised, "I also think it's not a good idea."
Upon hearing this, the group had no choice but to give up.
I never expected this—
They didn't cause trouble; trouble came knocking on their door first.
|ω`)
(End of this chapter)
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