12. Chapter 12
Tai Chi Push Hands
As soon as Qi You entered the room, he found that the prince was also there. He was slightly startled, but with his usual smile on his face, he stepped forward to greet him.
The prince stood up and returned a half-bow. Looking at the book in Qi You's hand, he asked curiously, "What kind of treasure is that book in your hand, Seventh Brother? Why are you holding it so carefully?"
Qi You handed the book to the prince with both hands and answered crisply, "Brother Crown Prince, this is a book I took out from the library. I planned to borrow it from Khan Ama to read in my room. I was afraid of curling the corners of the book and damaging it, so I held it like this."
The prince glanced at the cover and couldn't help laughing. "This 'Newly Revised Lingtai Yixiang Zhi' isn't some rare or unique piece, so why would you have to work so hard?" He casually took the book and smiled at Kangxi, "Look, Khan, I'm glad your hands aren't tired."
Kangxi only chuckled twice and said, "Give me the book."
The prince hurriedly handed the book to Kangxi with both hands. Kangxi took the book and subconsciously relaxed his grip. He had seen Qi You's textbooks, all covered with covers made of old fine silk cloth. He looked at Qi You with a complicated expression and asked, "Are your hands sore?"
Qi You nodded and replied, "It feels like a thousand pounds, and it does feel a bit sore."
The prince was stunned and couldn't help but glance at Kangxi. Seeing that he looked normal, he felt relieved.
Qi You noticed the prince's expression. In fact, he knew how to answer so that both the emperor and his subjects would be pleased, but he insisted on his own opinion.
For princes and nobles, studying is just a trivial matter. Ordinary people are still worried about having enough food and clothing. Those who can afford to study are already wealthy.
It's just a small book. Perhaps in the eyes of the prince and a group of nobles, it is a bit of an exaggeration, but Qi You doesn't think so.
Fine grains of sand accumulate to form a tower, and every insignificant detail, when piled up, makes you who you are. Qi You cannot be a saint, and he does not want to be a mortal who makes people feel uncomfortable.
Just like in his previous life, he longed to study, to see the outside world, and to take a step forward. To him, these were all extravagant hopes.
Just like the world today, the prince considered this book to be ordinary, and it could only be seen by the nobles. For ordinary people, this book was a rare and unique treasure.
Qi You used to be an ordinary person for many years, but now he has become a superior person. He dare not forget his past desires for a moment.
Kangxi smiled, put the book down, beckoned him to sit next to him, and asked gently, "Do you understand this book?"
Qi You smiled and replied, "I don't understand it, I just feel curious and want to read it." He looked at the "Zizhi Tongjian" on the table and smiled and replied, "Khan Ama, I have finished reading this book."
The prince opened his mouth in surprise, and Kangxi was even more surprised, with his eyebrows raised high. He recently planned to read books such as "Zizhi Tongjian" and "Records of the Grand Historian".
However, due to the busy political affairs and numerous trivial matters, Kangxi only read less than one-third of the book, which has more than three million words and nearly three hundred volumes. He never expected that Qi You would finish the book in just one or two months.
Qi You smiled shyly and said, "I just finished reading it. The principles in the book are too profound and I only have a vague understanding of them. I need to ask Khan Ama and the Crown Prince for guidance before I can understand them."
Kangxi smiled and gently stroked Qi You's head, then flipped open a page at random and said, "Now that you've finished reading, let me test you. How did the title of 'Zizhi Tongjian' come about? Your Highness, please answer the question."
The Crown Prince, who had been reading the book with his teacher Zhang Ying, responded fluently, "Using history as a mirror, Sima Guang once said: 'It is only to recount the rise and fall of nations, to record the lives of the people, so that readers can reflect on their own good and bad deeds, gains and losses, and use it as a warning."
Kangxi nodded in satisfaction and looked at Qi You again, "Why do you think so?"
"My prince is so awesome! He said everything I wanted to say!" Qi You looked at the prince, smiled and pretended to complain, which made the prince laugh.
Then, Qi You smiled, raised his fat hand as if looking in the mirror, and shook his head like he was looking in the mirror. "My idea is the same as that of the Crown Prince. That is to look in the mirror. But when I look in the mirror, I always look more handsome."
The prince thought of Qi You saying he was handsome before, and he laughed out loud again, "Khan Ama, you see I was right, right? The seventh child is only a little boy, and he's already talking about beauty and ugliness."
Previously, Qi You held the book and said it weighed more than a thousand pounds. At that time, Kangxi was still able to consider the prince's face and remained calm.
At this time, Kangxi was holding the book in his hand, which was as heavy as Qi You said, weighing more than a thousand pounds.
As history has shown, everyone thinks they are superior to others. As Qi You said, when you look at yourself, you will always see yourself as more beautiful.
Kangxi was similarly impulsive in his decision to withdraw the Three Feudatories, practically throwing everything at the stake. He fought the Three Feudatories for eight years, and his victory was a pyrrhic one. Isn't it true that the self reflected in the mirror is more beautiful than it actually appears?
"So according to you, reading this book is useless?" asked Kangxi.
Qi You blinked his eyes, scratched his head, and chuckled: "Khan Ama, I'm still young, I just read it for fun. I don't understand the big principles at all."
Kangxi looked at the childish Qi You and laughed out loud, "You are quite confident and justified." He put down the book and asked, "Do you want to read Nan Huairen's book?"
Qi You answered honestly, "I'm just curious. I've never seen a book written by someone with both the author and the book present. If you don't understand, you can ask the author. Not only will it be convenient, but the interpretation will definitely be correct."
Kangxi laughed and tapped Qi You's forehead. "You wish! Nan Huairen is old and very busy. Don't bother him. Besides, you don't understand Western language, so it would be difficult for him to explain it to you."
Qi You then asked, "Khan Ama, can I learn Western languages?"
The prince was completely stunned. From what he knew, Qi You was already learning Manchu, Mongolian and Chinese. Add to that Western languages, as well as classics, history, riding and archery, and how could he possibly learn it all?
Kangxi shared the same idea as the Crown Prince. He frowned and said, "You're still young. There are twelve hours in a day, so how can you have that much time? Don't try to learn a lot, only to find that you haven't mastered any of it by the time you finish your studies."
Qi You was calm and composed, counting on his fingers as he said, "Khan Ama, I get up at the beginning of the Yin hour this morning, spend a quarter of an hour washing up, another quarter of an hour having breakfast, and then review the lessons the teacher taught me the day before yesterday. At the middle of the Yin hour, I start going to school. At the end of the afternoon, I finish riding and archery lessons at Wei hour, and then I start doing the homework assigned by the teacher at Shen hour, which takes half an hour. After that, it's my own time. I can speak Manchu and Chinese well, but Mongolian requires some effort. I'll go to Ukuma Ma's palace to pay my respects, chat with her, and even have a dinner from her."
Kangxi looked at Qi You's cunning eyes and the smile on his face became even more intense.
Qi You smiled and continued to count on his fat fingers, "Then I'll play for half an hour. From the end of the You hour to the middle of the Xu hour, I'll use it to study other lessons. These hours are enough. Khan Ama, I've arranged everything very well. Unless there are special circumstances, it doesn't change every day. Khan Ama, can I study Western languages now?"
Kangxi looked at Qi You in shock. Qi You was so young, yet he managed to plan his day so tightly and systematically. Judging from Qi You's academic performance, he was definitely not lying.
"Nan Huairen will leave the palace at night. How do you have time to study with him during the day?" Kangxi asked after a while.
Qi You's face immediately filled with smiles, and he begged, "Khan Ama, I have already finished the lessons that the teacher taught during the day. Han Ama, can I go and study with Mr. Nan while he is teaching other students?"
Kangxi thought it was a waste. Qi You had already finished reading the Zizhi Tongjian, and he was still studying the Three Character Classic with them in the children's class. He smiled and said, "You can go and study, but if it delays your schoolwork, you must give up Western literature and go back to class to study hard."
Qi You immediately nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice, winked at the prince who was sitting beside him, and answered loudly: "Khan Ama, I will definitely be at the top of the class in every class."
Kangxi pretended to be serious and said, "Don't just focus on studying and exhaust yourself. You need to be healthy to study well. Do you understand?"
Qi You answered yes and said to the prince who was still forcing a smile, "Brother Prince, when I'm playing tonight, if you're free, can we play together?"
The prince's expression brightened a bit, and he smiled and said, "Seventh brother, what do you want to play?"
Qi You cleared his throat and enthusiastically recounted a lot of the fun things Yang Dan had told him about his daily activities: "Playing with bamboo dragonflies, helping ants move, pushing a date mill, etc. There are so many fun things."
The prince listened to the children's games and could no longer hold back his smile. He laughed dryly, "Haha, haha, Seventh Brother, we'll talk about it later."
Kangxi lowered his eyelids and said nothing, but sighed slightly in his heart.
What a pity.
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