Chapter 75: The Responsibility of Upbringing
The warm autumn sun cast bright spots of light through the half-open sliding window onto the polished gold-brick floor of the study. The air was filled with the distinctive scent of pine soot from grinding ink, mingled with the faint bitter aroma of late-blooming chrysanthemums outside the window.
Su Wanrou sat upright behind her desk, holding a ledger in her hands, but she didn't look at it closely. Her gaze fell gently on the small figure not far away.
Five-year-old Gu Mingxuan, dressed in a royal blue brocade robe, sat upright at a small desk specially made for him, carefully copying calligraphy stroke by stroke. He was focused, his little brows slightly furrowed, and his pen-holding posture was already quite good, though occasionally his penmanship was lacking, and his handwriting was still a bit immature.
The tutor, surnamed Du, was a scholar with a refined appearance, around forty years old. He was standing by with his hands at his sides. When he saw Su Wanrou's questioning gaze, he bowed slightly and said in a low voice, "Madam, the young master is very intelligent. He can already recite the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames. Now he is learning the Thousand Character Classic and practices calligraphy ten times a day. His progress is excellent."
Su Wanrou nodded slightly, put down the ledger, and said softly, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Du." She stood up, walked lightly to Mingxuan's side, and leaned down to look at him.
Although the characters on the Xuan paper were still somewhat immature in terms of strokes and structure, each stroke revealed seriousness. She noticed that Mingxuan was practicing the most basic regular script, and the characters were neat and upright, which showed that the teacher had taught him well and had not been impatient for him to achieve success just because he was the heir of the Duke's mansion.
"Xuan'er wrote very well." Su Wanrou encouraged softly, her fingertip lightly touching a slightly crooked "Yu" character. "This stroke, the beginning of the stroke could be a little more steady, like this..." She did not directly hold the pen to correct it, but instead used her finger to imitate the stroke in the air.
Mingxuan looked up at his mother, his eyes sparkling: "Mother, can you write too?"
Su Wanrou smiled, took a blank sheet of bamboo paper, picked up a mixed-hair brush, dipped it in ink, and calmly wrote the two characters "Mingxuan". Her handwriting was not the small regular script commonly seen in boudoirs, but rather a semi-cursive script with a touch of elegance and grace. Although it lacked the vigorous strength of her husband Gu Yangui's brushstrokes, it was still well-proportioned and showed early signs of elegance.
"Wow!" Mingxuan exclaimed softly, looking at his name on the paper with admiration. "Mother's handwriting is so beautiful! Even better than Mr. Du's!"
Mr. Du stroked his beard and smiled, showing no displeasure. Su Wanrou quickly said with a smile, "Don't talk nonsense. Mr. Du is a proper scholar with a title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations at the county level), and his knowledge is profound. How can my meager skills compare to his? You must learn from him properly, not only by learning to write, but also by understanding the principles behind the characters."
She turned to Mr. Du and said humbly, "Mr. Du, while knowledge is fundamental for a child's early education, I believe that character and upbringing are even more important. I hope that when you teach, you can tell us more stories about the words and deeds of sages, loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness, so that Xuan'er can know propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame from a young age, and distinguish right from wrong."
Mr. Du's eyes flashed with approval, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "What you say is absolutely right, Madam. In teaching and nurturing students, character comes first. I will certainly keep this in mind, and strive to make learning fun by incorporating principles into stories and anecdotes."
"Then I'll trouble you, sir." Su Wanrou smiled and returned the greeting, then asked Mingxuan, "Xuan'er, have you finished your homework for today?"
"Mother, I still need two more calligraphy practice sheets. I've already memorized the section of the Thousand Character Classic that Mr. Du assigned me to recite!" Mingxuan puffed out his little chest, a little proud of himself.
"Oh? How about reciting it to your mother?"
Mingxuan immediately slid off the chair, stood up straight, cleared his throat, and recited the passage in a childish voice, word for word. Mr. Du nodded slightly during the recitation, clearly quite satisfied.
Su Wanrou listened attentively, then clapped her hands in praise: "Excellent recitation, not a single word wrong. Our Xuan'er is truly clever." She then changed the subject gently, asking, "Does Xuan'er know the meaning of the lines 'Kong Huai brothers, of the same breath and connected branches'?"
Mingxuan blinked his big eyes, trying hard to recall what Mr. Du had said in class: "It means that... brothers should love each other, just like branches on a tree."
“That’s right.” Su Wanrou squatted down to Mingxuan’s eye level and gently guided him, “Brothers and sisters are connected by blood and should support each other and share weal and woe. This not only refers to blood brothers, but also to your classmates and friends in the future. You should treat them with sincerity, be loyal and righteous, and not bully the weak, understand?”
Mingxuan seemed to understand, but looking at his mother's gentle yet earnest eyes, he nodded vigorously: "Mingxuan understands. We should be friendly and not bully others."
"Good boy." Su Wanrou patted his head, her smile filled with satisfaction. She knew all too well that children from high-ranking families, especially Mingxuan, who was the sole heir of the Duke's mansion, could easily develop an arrogant and domineering nature if left unguided. Her husband had entrusted the child to her care, and she absolutely could not fail in her duty.
Just then, a faint sound of arguing and sobbing came from outside. Su Wanrou frowned slightly and gestured for Yunbin to go out and see what was going on. A moment later, Yunbin returned, followed by a frightened old woman and a sobbing little maid who looked about seven or eight years old. The little maid had a red handprint on her face.
“Madam, it’s Granny Zhang, who’s in charge of cleaning the back garden, and her little maid, Liu’er. Granny Zhang said that Liu’er broke a porcelain basin that the old lady had given her, but Liu’er said that Granny Zhang broke it by accident and blamed it on her, and even hit her.” Yunbin reported in a low voice.
Granny Zhang immediately knelt down and cried out her innocence: "Madam, please be wise! I have served in this household for many years, how could I have done such a thing? It was clearly this girl who was clumsy and broke the flowerpot, and she was still stubborn and refused to admit her mistake. I was so angry that I gave her a light scolding..."
Liu'er was so frightened that she trembled all over and could only sob and cry, unable to speak clearly.
Normally, such a trivial matter would be handled by the housekeeper. But today, Su Wanrou had a sudden thought. She glanced at Mingxuan beside her, whose little face was tilted up, filled with curiosity and a hint of unease, and decided to use this matter as an opportunity.
She did not immediately make a judgment, but gently said to the crying maid, "Liu'er, don't be afraid, tell me slowly what happened. If you tell the truth, I will stand up for you; if you lie, I will not let you off easily."
Her voice had a strangely comforting power. Liu'er raised her tearful eyes, looking at the gentle-faced, clear-eyed lady, and mustered her courage to say haltingly, "Replying to...replying to Madam...it was Granny Zhang who wasn't holding the flowerpot properly when she was moving it, and it fell and broke...she was afraid of being fined, so she...she said it was me who hit her...and she even hit me..."
Granny Zhang immediately retorted in a shrill voice, "You're talking nonsense! Madam, don't listen to this brat's slander!"
Su Wanrou remained impassive, her gaze sweeping over the two of them before settling on the pile of broken porcelain shards and scattered dirt in the corner of the courtyard. She noticed dark marks clinging to the broken porcelain shards, resembling years of accumulated grime.
“Granny Zhang,” Su Wanrou said calmly, “you said that Liu’er broke the flowerpot. When did that happen? Where did it happen?”
Granny Zhang was taken aback and hurriedly said, "It was...it was about half an hour ago, by the pebble path in the back garden."
"Oh?" Su Wanrou said to Yunbin, "Go and fetch the largest few pieces of broken porcelain, and also bring a basin of water."
Yunbin did as she was told. A hint of panic flashed across Granny Zhang's face.
The broken porcelain shards were taken and rinsed briefly in clean water. The dark marks became even more pronounced, and their rough edges indicated they were not fresh. Su Wanrou then had Yunbin examine the soles of Liu'er's and Granny Zhang's shoes. Liu'er's soles were clean, with only ordinary dust; while Granny Zhang's soles were covered in a similar dark, damp mud to the broken porcelain shards.
The matter was now clear. Su Wanrou did not speak harshly, but looked at Granny Zhang and said calmly, "Granny Zhang, how do you explain the old grime on this porcelain shard and the special wet mud on the soles of your shoes? The pebble path in the back garden is dry and clean, how could it be covered in such mud? Could it be that this flowerpot was accidentally broken in a damp, shady corner?"
Granny Zhang's face turned deathly pale instantly, cold sweat pouring down her back. Unable to deny it any longer, she collapsed to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "Madam, please forgive me! Madam, please forgive me! It was my foolishness! I was blinded by greed, please have mercy, Madam!"
Su Wanrou ignored her cries and pleas, and instead looked down at Mingxuan, asking softly, "Xuan'er, do you think Mother handled this matter fairly?"
Mingxuan nodded vigorously, his little face full of seriousness: "Fairness! Granny Zhang did something wrong and then blamed it on others. Hitting people is wrong! Sister Liu'er is right to tell the truth!"
“Yes, Xuan’er is right.” Su Wanrou nodded approvingly, then said seriously, “In dealing with people, the most important thing is integrity. If you do something wrong, you may be forgiven if you are brave enough to take responsibility; but if you lie, frame others, or bully the weak, you are making things worse and you should never be let off lightly.”
Her words were both a lecture and a verdict to Mingxuan. Turning to the ashen-faced Granny Zhang, her tone turned cold: "Granny Zhang, as an elder, you not only accidentally damaged property, but also falsely accused others and physically assaulted them. For all your wrongdoings, you are to be punished. Considering your many years in the household, I will spare you this beating for now. Effective immediately, you are dismissed from your position as steward, your three months' wages are confiscated, and you are transferred to the laundry room to do menial work. Do you have any objections?"
Granny Zhang dared not object. She was already extremely fortunate to be spared physical pain. She kowtowed repeatedly to express her gratitude and was led away by the two old women.
Su Wanrou then looked at the still-shaken maid Liu'er, her tone softening: "Liu'er, you've been wronged and frightened. It's good that you dared to speak out today. I'll reward you with five hundred coins and grant you two days of rest. If anyone bullies you again without cause, you can report it directly to me or Steward Gu, understand?"
Liu'er could hardly believe her ears. From hell to heaven in the blink of an eye, she was overwhelmed with gratitude and knelt down, kowtowing several times: "Thank you, Madam! Thank you, Madam, for standing up for me!"
After dealing with the incident, Su Wanrou led Mingxuan back to the study. Looking at the child's seemingly enlightened face, she softly asked, "Xuan'er, what have you learned from today's events?"
Mingxuan thought for a moment and said seriously, "I understand. I can't lie or bully others. I must be an honest and brave person, like my mother, protecting those who are bullied."
Comforted, Su Wanrou embraced Mingxuan and said softly, "Yes, but not entirely. Not only should we refrain from doing bad things ourselves, but we should also stand up for justice when we see injustice, if it is within our power. This is the responsibility of a true man. Your father is at the border, protecting the greater justice of the nation and the world; we at home must also uphold the smaller justice around us. Do you understand?"
Mingxuan nestled in his mother's arms, feeling the strength and warmth in her words, and nodded emphatically: "Mingxuan understands! Mingxuan will be like Father and Mother from now on!"
The autumn wind blew outside the window as usual, but the study was warm and inviting. Su Wanrou knew that raising a child was far more complex than simply supervising homework and checking calligraphy. Every little word and action, every repeated guidance on right and wrong, was like spring rain nourishing the earth, truly shaping a child's character and outlook.
The word "mother" carries a weight heavier than gold. And she accepts it with sweetness.
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