Chapter 101 Teaching Children Cheng Qianyue thought it was something serious; she had never...
Cheng Qianyue wondered what had happened, as she had never seen Hongyan like this before. But when she heard the news, she realized it was because he hadn't done well on his exam.
Well, saying I didn't do well on the test isn't quite accurate. Didn't I come in second?
Cheng Qianyue smiled and pulled Hongyan in front of her, cupping his face and saying, "Second place? Second place is good too."
Even after hearing her words of comfort, Hongyan still pursed her lips as if the sky had fallen.
Cheng Qianyue thought for a moment, and it seemed that her words were a bit perfunctory? So she said again, "What were the exam questions? Do you have the test papers? Let Mother see them."
Hongyan took a roll of paper out of his cloth bag and handed it to her. "The teacher asked us to recite three texts from memory."
Cheng Qianyue opened the book and saw that the first page was written in Chinese characters, which she recognized. However, she couldn't understand the next two pages. These two pages were covered with a series of thin strips interspersed with dots and circles, looking like earthworms with eyes. If she wasn't mistaken, it should be written in Manchu and Mongolian, but she couldn't tell which page contained which.
Cheng Qianyue was a little troubled, but fortunately, one of the pages had a red comment from the teacher, who circled the tadpole-like handwriting, which she guessed was a mistake.
"Isn't this great? You only made one mistake." Cheng Qianyue comforted him, "Go back and write that one wrong one ten or eight times. As long as you remember it, you won't make a mistake next time."
Hongyan drawled, "That's not the reason, Mother, it's not because of that." His voice was full of resentment, and he was so anxious that he almost stomped his feet. "I just, I just..." He stammered for a long time but couldn't get a straight answer out, and his face turned bright red.
Cheng Qianyue put herself in his shoes and asked him, "Is it because you promised your mother you would get first place but you didn't do well, so you're unhappy?"
Hongyan nodded at first, but then quickly said, "It's not just this, there's also..." He finally realized and exclaimed, "There are two people who got it all right, they must have been secretly memorizing it!"
Hongyan felt indignant at the thought. They usually studied and memorized together, and ever since he entered the Imperial Study, many people played with him and praised him. He thought he was the best, but after the quiz, two people got everything right, and many of the others got three questions wrong, one mistake in each lesson. Honestly, it was too much of a coincidence. He suspected they were all just flattering him, secretly studying hard behind his back!
Oh, now Cheng Qianyue understands.
To be honest, she almost laughed. In her eyes, it was a trivial matter; Hongyan was simply unhappy that he hadn't won first place and suspected that others were secretly competing against him. But children have small worlds, and they act like the sky is falling over the smallest things.
Cheng Qianyue said, "Did you agree that you wouldn't study hard behind my back?"
Hongyan was stunned for a moment, then deflated, "No."
Cheng Qianyue patted his head. "Since it doesn't say that you're not allowed to be ambitious in private, isn't it okay for others to secretly memorize and write?" She continued slowly, "Besides, you don't live with them, so how do you know they're secretly studying?"
Hongyan pouted, "But they always praise me, saying I answer the teacher's questions well." He actually believed them! Ugh, how awful!
Seeing him gritting his teeth, Cheng Qianyue asked again, "Are the people who did better than you among those who praised you?"
Hongyan paused for a moment, "It seems...there isn't..." The two who did better than him in the exam were from Prince Yu's family and his seventh uncle's family. It wasn't that they were trying to cause trouble for him, but they were both rather quiet and didn't talk much.
Cheng Qianyue had actually guessed the answer long ago.
Those who could flatter Hongyan were probably all taught at home. Even if their families didn't teach them, some children are naturally quick-witted and know how to read the room when they're in the Imperial Study. So, those who could bypass Hongyan were either not taught at home or were too young to understand these subtleties. Such people would definitely not be among those who flattered Hongyan.
"Hongyan, let me tell you some things that adults should understand." She said gently, "You think you're very good because that's what the people around you tell you, but in reality, the people around you may not be telling you the truth."
Cheng Qianyue used a previous example to tell him, "Do you remember last year when you played musical chairs with everyone?" Only Hongyan, Hongchao, and Moyaqi would fight over each other's chairs, but none of the other eunuchs and palace maids who played together dared to steal their chairs. In fact, when only the palace maids and eunuchs played and Hongyan and his companions were the referees, the ones who won in the end were mostly those who served Hongyan.
This reminded Hongyan of what had happened before. His mother had taught him that the palace maids and eunuchs were definitely stronger than him, and that this was because they were of lower status than him and they were afraid of upsetting him, so they would indulge him and coax him. Therefore, as their master, he had to be understanding of their hardships while also being wary of their sweet words.
But this time is different. Hongyan frowned and said, "Those in the Imperial Study are either grandsons of the emperor or members of the imperial family. They are all brothers from his uncles' or aunts' families." They are masters just like him, so why are they lying to him like servants?
Cheng Qianyue slowly exhaled: "Because you are your father's child, the son of the Crown Prince." Even in modern times, don't many teachers and schools discriminate based on social status? In ancient times, this concept of class and lineage was even more pronounced. Although everyone was a descendant of the royal family, there were still different ranks among them. The most obvious and boastful thing was the title of each family's father.
Hongyan pursed his lips, his brows furrowing even more deeply.
Cheng Qianyue patted his shoulder and continued, "Hongyan, your mother asks you, what would you do if one day someone of higher status than you asked you to hide your talents?"
Hongyan thought and thought, "Mother, there's Father and Grandfather who are older than me." He paused and then said, "My two older brothers seem to be older than me too. But..." He hesitated and said, "But they are all my family. How could they want me to be treated like a servant?" He thought, "Take Father for example. He would definitely want me to be as smart as possible. How could he want me to be stupid?"
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but sigh and asked again, "Then let me give you another example. What if one day, someone among those who support you suddenly becomes someone of higher status than you? For example, you might only be a Beile, but he might be a Junwang or Qinwang. How would you face him?"
Hongyan had never thought about this question before, and now he fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. However, the more he thought about it, the uglier his expression became, and finally he said in a pitiful voice, "Mother, I don't know."
Seeing him like this, Cheng Qianyue felt a pang of heartache and hugged him tightly, gently comforting him, "It's because Mother's example was too harsh." She wondered if it was too early, too much, to say such things at this time.
Hongyan took a few deep breaths, then looked up and asked, "Mother, what do you think we should do?"
Cheng Qianyue pursed her lips. "Hongyan, your mother doesn't really know how to teach you. There are some things you should bow your head to, but there are some things you should never bow your head to, even if it means death. But I can't say for sure which things you should bow your head to and which you shouldn't. You need to read a lot of books and see a lot of things before you can make a decision."
She paused, then continued, "But your mother knows one thing for sure: you must have a high and steady spirit. That way, even if you encounter many problems and difficulties in the future, even if there are things that can break your back, your mother hopes that your heart will always be firm and tenacious. Do you understand?"
This was a principle Cheng Qianyue firmly believed in. She always thought that spirit was the most important thing in the world. For example, take herself as an example. She used to be a servant before the Emperor and before Yinreng. Why? Because if she didn't serve, she would die. Not only would she die, but everyone connected to her might not escape either. But if her "masters" really tormented her, wouldn't she curse them in her heart?
Although this behavior was somewhat self-deceptive and cowardly, it was Cheng Qianyue's only act of stubbornness. Only in this way could she feel that she hadn't become a complete slave. To some extent, this could be considered Cheng Qianyue's spirit. However, Hongyan wouldn't understand this spirit for the time being.
Hongyan nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. But soon his thoughts wandered, and he asked, "Mother, do my cousins also resent me?" He thought that if it were him, he wouldn't resent being praised just because his father's rank wasn't high enough. Thinking this way, those who did better than him suddenly seemed genuinely innocent and unpretentious.
Cheng Qianyue said, "I don't know about that. But those who praise you aren't necessarily good or bad, and those who don't praise you are the same. But as I once told you, relationships are built up over time. You're still young, both students in the Imperial Academy, and cousins. There's nothing you can't overcome." As for the future, whether it's adding flowers to brocade or providing charcoal in snowy weather, we'll have to wait and see.
"So what should I do now? I'm of higher status than them, but I didn't do as well on the exam," he asked.
Cheng Qianyue patted his back and said, "Mother has two suggestions for you. One is that you do better than many others, so that you can deserve their admiration. Actually, you have already achieved this, because there are only two people who do better than you in the exams. It's true that there is a number one in the world, but there is not only a number one. The rest are not as good as you, right?"
She softened her tone: "Another piece of advice is that I hope you can be more tolerant of others. After all, no one is good at everything. So you need to know what you are good at and what you are not good at, and you need to make the most of your strengths and make up for your weaknesses. Thinking about it this way, don't people who do better than you also have things to learn from them? For example, are they more hardworking or more meticulous than others?"
Hongyan understood these words, and a smile finally appeared on his face, his heart filled with clarity. He said, "Mother, I know what to do!"
He thought he would work hard and try his best to recite all the texts correctly in the next quiz. But before that, he would bring some snacks with him, to share with the two who tied for first place, and also to trick the others into showing their true abilities and not trying to fool them.
After talking with Hongyan, the child seemed much happier. During dinner that evening, he even taught Hongchao and Moyaqi to speak Manchu, explaining every single item on the table. After dinner, instead of going back to the east wing to sleep, he went straight to the east wing with Hongchao.
A few days later, Hongyan returned from the Imperial Study. Cheng Qianyue asked him how he was getting along with the others. Hongyan replied, "It feels even better than before." To put it simply, once things were discussed openly, there were fewer barriers between them, and they got along much better.
Seeing him all smiles, Cheng Qianyue realized he got along well with people outside, so she smiled and said, "If you say that, then your mother can rest assured."
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