The Empress Dowager said that the Ministry of Revenue was already making arrangements, and Hongli should know about this, but he hadn't mentioned it to her yet. She could guess Hongli's attitude, but she didn't say it explicitly.
"You'll have to ask the Emperor, since the selection of officials is his business."
Yunfang pouted slightly, "How dare I ask the Emperor! What if he gets displeased and fines me my monthly allowance?"
"If he dares to punish you, I'll punish Li Yu."
Yunfang thought about it carefully and realized something was wrong! "If Li Yu is punished, he won't have any money to give me."
Chang Yue covered her mouth and laughed, "We really are family, we still have to protect each other."
Su Yushan laughed and changed her mind, "Then let's punish Wang Jinbao!"
The master and servants chatted and laughed, and soon returned to Jingren Palace.
This year, Rongyu has turned six years old. The princess also needs to study and learn riding and archery. Hongli specially brought several princesses from the Prince's Mansion into the palace so that they could accompany the princess to study in Shou Kang Palace.
With his older siblings already in school, four-year-old Yongzhang, not wanting to fall behind, also pestered his mother to teach him to write.
Su Yushan planned to start with the simple things, but he insisted on writing his own name. Hongli said that they should not rush things and that he must practice the strokes first.
Once the Emperor spoke, he dared not object and obediently began practicing his calligraphy.
As soon as Su Yushan returned to the palace, she saw Yongzhang holding a writing brush, his small mouth tightly pursed, his eyes lowered as he earnestly wrote something on the paper.
Su Yushan walked closer and saw that he was writing the character "十" (ten). Although it looked similar, the strokes were crooked and not straight.
However, Yongzhang thought he could already write it and couldn't wait to ask, "Mother, I can write the character '十' now. When can I learn my own name?"
Pointing to the characters written by Hongli beside her, Su Yushan told him to compare them himself, "Which 'ten' looks better?"
Yongzhang looked at it carefully, blinked, and said, "It seems about the same!"
With a slight shake of her head, Su Yushan corrected, "Horizontal and vertical strokes must be straight, and every stroke must be standardized. If you can't write neatly, your teacher won't be so lenient when you go to school. He doesn't care about being too good or too bad. If you don't write neatly, he will hit your palm with a ruler until you write neatly."
Yongzhang had heard his elder brother say that during the years he had been enrolled in school, his master had slapped his palms three times. The slaps were very painful, and each time it took five or six days to recover.
His mother's warning made him a little scared. "I don't want to hit your palm. I'm afraid of the pain."
Gently stroking his little head, Su Yushan coaxed softly, "Then write carefully and seriously. Practicing calligraphy is not something that can be accomplished overnight, and there is no shortcut. You must practice diligently. Once you learn the strokes, it will be easy to learn any character in the future."
Yongzhang nodded as if he understood, "Your subject will remember. Your subject will write it a few more times and try to write it as beautifully as Father Emperor's handwriting."
"That's a good boy!" Su Yushan gave her son a reward kiss on the cheek. This scene was witnessed by Hongli, who had just entered the room. Hongli coughed and Yongzhang immediately put down his pen and bowed to his father.
The palace maid removed the emperor's cloak, and Su Yushan handed him a hand warmer. Hongli took it without hesitation, then walked to the table, glanced at his son's handwriting, frowned, and shook his head.
"It's not written correctly, it doesn't look like a 'ten' at all. Keep practicing this afternoon."
Yongzhang's eyes dimmed as he was criticized by his father.
Seeing Yongzhang looking dejected, Su Yushan chuckled and interrupted, "Your father means that you've improved since yesterday, but it's still not up to standard. With a few more days, you'll definitely be able to write even better."
Then Su Yushan asked the nanny to take him out first, let him wash his hands, have some pastries, and rest.
After her son left, Su Yushan couldn't help but remind Hongli, "You can't be so strict with your child. You have to encourage him, not discourage him."
"I'm telling the truth, it really is ugly, and I'm not allowed to say it? If it's poorly written, it has to be revised." Hongli believed he was right, but Su Yushan had a different opinion.
“I know his writing isn’t standard, but could you change your tone? Don’t scold him like you’re reprimanding a subject. He’s your son. He may be young, but he has his pride.”
Hongli emphasized solemnly, "If my son cannot even withstand this much criticism, what right does he have to be a prince?"
His voice rose slightly, and his expression was unusually serious. Su Yushan couldn't understand it. "What does this have to do with whether he's a prince or not? I just asked you to speak more politely, why are you being so fierce!"
Hongli felt wronged. "How could I have been harsh with you? I was talking about the child."
“I’m also talking about children,” Su Yushan always believed that there was a difference between the imperial court and the harem. “You have to have the dignity of an emperor in front of your ministers. I can’t control that, and I won’t control it. But in front of your children, you are a father.”
The same sentence, spoken harshly, is like a stone hitting someone; spoken tactfully, it's like a gem falling into your hand. Which do you think is easier for people to accept?
Hongli, however, believed that as a father, he had the right to educate his children and did not need to worry too much. "I am only patient with you."
“Yongzhang is our child, can’t you be a little more patient with him?”
“You said you shouldn’t spoil children. Didn’t you tell me before that we shouldn’t indulge Yonghuang? Why has your attitude changed when it comes to Yongzhang?”
“This isn’t spoiling the child; it’s just considering the child’s feelings and trying a different approach to education.” After trying to explain for a while without getting a clear answer, Su Yushan turned away in anger, not wanting to talk to him anymore.
Hongli suddenly felt wronged, so he walked closer to her, softened his tone, and said gently, "I didn't yell at you, so why are you giving me that attitude?"
“You scolded my son. Children need encouragement. Constantly reprimanding him will only deepen the conflict between you and your son. How would you feel if the late Emperor had reprimanded you like this?”
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