Yan Shiyue had never expected to be tricked by her own father at this moment. She only thought that she couldn't let her brother take the blame, so she said seriously: "Father, this is indeed Fu Yan's superficial opinion."
Immediately, an old man rolled up his sleeves and started to rant: "As a woman, Your Highness should be kind, filial, gentle, respectful, prudent, and abide by your duties. Don't interfere in the affairs of scholars!"
This was said very impolitely, and everyone thought she was going to get angry, but Yan Shiyue said blankly: "Father, didn't you call me here to talk about the memorial? Sir, are you the female, ahem...official invited by the Queen?"
Emperor Ming Yan almost laughed out loud.
To be honest, he felt that his little girl's mouth was so good that she could fight against all the civil and military officials in the court without losing.
The old man's face turned green, but she was right. It was the queen's responsibility to educate the princess, and he couldn't refute it.
Another person stepped forward to help: "Your Highness, the Imperial College is a place for moral education and the cultivation of talents. Your Highness is an outsider after all, so it is better not to interfere."
"Sir," Yan Shiyue said, "is there anything wrong with what I said?"
The man said, "For example, the gall-tasting test, isn't that nonsense? Asking scholars to live among beggars, isn't that a disgrace to society?"
Sure enough, this point attracted the most firepower. Yan Shiyue said: "Sir, I would like to ask you, what will the students of the Imperial College do in the future?"
...
...
They know this question!
All the officials then stood in awe, bowed their hands and said, "Of course we should be loyal to the emperor and serve our country!"
"Yes," Yan Shiyue said, "The students of the Imperial College study to understand reason, to become talented, to enter the government, to be loyal to the emperor, and to serve the country, right?"
"Of course."
"So, all the lords' descendants, regardless of whether they are banished or illegitimate, who wants someone who doesn't think about production, doesn't understand worldly affairs, just lets his family take care of him, looks at flowers and admires the moon, spits blood, and writes some pompous and empty articles about the passing of time? Who wants such a nephew?"
Nonsense, of course no one wants it, who is stupid?
The Imperial College Priest felt that he had something to say: "Your Highness, how can you look down on the students of our Imperial College so much!"
"Why do you say that, sir?" Yan Shiyue said sternly, "My brother, my brothers are all studying in the Imperial Academy. If I looked down on the Imperial Academy, why would I try so hard to get into it?"
The Imperial College Priest nodded solemnly: "If that's the case, why do you say that, Your Highness?"
Yan Shiyue said: "I have always been very impressed by the 'knowledge' of the teachers in the Imperial College, but what else can they do besides knowledge?"
She took out the manuscript she had brought with her and said, "I am not good at poetry or literature, I can only barely read. But a few days ago, I went to the Osmanthus Association with my brother. Since I was working on disaster relief work, I took the opportunity to ask the students for advice..."
She shook her head and sighed deeply: "I originally wanted to ask for help, but I didn't expect that after reading through all the manuscripts, I only found one that was 'usable', that of Gu Xiaolang."
She distributed the manuscripts to everyone: "My Lords, I just want to ask, apart from the 'readable', can you find anything 'usable' in these articles?"
These people circulated it.
Because Xu Wenqu had already read it in advance and there were some circled comments on it, it was easier for these people to read. Yan Shiyue looked at these old men holding the manuscripts far away, and he wanted to promote the magnifying glass at the same time, but he managed to hold back.
After everyone quickly read it, they were speechless for a moment.
Those who saw the articles written by their own children and nephews were speechless, especially Xu Wenqu, whose comments were always sharp and sarcastic. Some wrote directly: "Bullshit!" Even harsher ones were "like a singing girl playing with a knife", which obviously meant that it was both fancy and awkward.
At this time, Emperor Ming Yan made another move lightly. He asked someone to bring the disaster relief outline that Yan Shiyue had given to the prince... and Gu Xiao's article.
Everything is afraid of comparison. From the perspective of "readability", these two articles are nothing, but from the perspective of "usability", other people's articles are really a pile of shit.
Some cunning officials have begun to think deeply. After all, isn't it obvious what kind of article the emperor wants to see?
Yan Shiyue said: "My Lords, you don't want such nephews and nieces, but you let them grow up like this. Isn't it strange? I have always believed that doing things is more important than studying. Even if a person writes well, if he doesn't know how to behave and do things, he is just a nerd."
She paused. "How much manpower, material resources and financial resources does a family need to spend to raise a man? Although parents' love is selfless, children should also think about repaying it. A family with many descendants and talented people is the way for a family to prosper. On the contrary...mediocre ones are fine, but if there is one who is not in tune with the family and is not worry-free, the family head's years of hard work may be buried in his words and deeds..."
Those who came from poor families were not deeply touched by these words, but those who came from wealthy families could really... relate to them. Who hasn't heard of a few unfilial sons? Who hasn't had a few troublesome relatives? Only those who have encountered them know the hardships.
Yan Shiyue then continued, "If jade is not polished, it will not become a useful tool. If people do not learn, they will not know the meaning of morality. If you want to become a talent, you can't just study hard, write two eight-part essays, participate in two literary gatherings, and flatter each other. You must learn in a targeted way to grow."
She put her hands behind her back and talked freely:
"First of all, staying in a room all day reading is not the way to longevity. To strengthen the body, the six arts of a gentleman, such as archery and charioteering, should not be abandoned."
"Secondly, competition can motivate people to grow. For example, the imperial examination was also about selecting the best and eliminating the worst. Why do we have to force ourselves to be in harmony in normal times? Compare more with others and listen to their opinions more, so that we can learn from their strengths and overcome our weaknesses, learn from their mistakes and keep improving ourselves."
"Again, why do they need to observe the world? Because they will definitely have to deal with all kinds of people in the future. Don't they need to know how to judge people? And why do they need to change their positions? Because only by trying it yourself can you deeply realize how much you are just talking on paper. This is more effective than the commander saying it ten thousand times."
She paused, smiled and turned around:
"As for the gall bladder tasting experiment that you strongly oppose... let me put it this way. Putting aside the issue of reputation, if I were a young man and asked to live with beggars for a period of time, I would dare to go and I could do it. Are these young men worse than me?"
"Why? Because no matter if you are a beggar, a hoodlum, a farmer, a craftsman, or a businessman, every class has its own wisdom. You can choose not to do it, but you must understand it. The more you understand, the less likely you are to take detours!
Let me give you a simple example. I have come into contact with gangsters in Qinzhou, and I have learned that there are three things not to stay in a hotel: not a newly opened hotel, not a hotel that has changed owners, and not a brothel. Farmers have "the grain should be sparse, the wheat should be dense, and the cows should lie down in the sorghum field." Even in the past few days, I have heard craftsmen say "carry a thousand catties horizontally and tens of thousands vertically" and so on, and there are many more. "
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