Gao Qingyun happened to hear this, and he turned his head to look in Zhu Youjian's direction.
"Xiao Zhu, you've come at the perfect time."
"These kids in your village are too naughty! How could they joke with me like that!"
Zhu Youjian was still pondering Gao Qingyun's words, so he didn't reply for the time being.
It was Wang Chengen, who was standing next to him, who reacted quickly.
Wang Chengen said with a smile, "Master Gao, you've misunderstood."
“They weren’t joking, they were…”
"But we're afraid you won't recognize them."
Now it was Gao Qingyun's turn to be puzzled.
What do you mean by that?
Wang Chengen first winked at the girls, signaling them not to interrupt.
Then he started spouting nonsense.
"Well, they knew your eyesight wasn't very good, so they said their real names right away because they were afraid you wouldn't be able to tell them apart."
"That's why we specifically chose these names so that they're easy for you to remember."
After hearing this, Gao Qingyun believed it for a moment.
"In that case, I misunderstood them."
He smiled and turned to the group of girls, saying:
"So this was all your good intention."
"Alright, since that's the case, I'll call you by these names from now on."
Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen quietly raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
If he hadn't managed to fool Gao Qingyun, he wouldn't know what to do.
He was slightly smug and turned to look at Zhu Youjian.
Hopefully, this emperor will be satisfied.
But before he could turn his head, he heard Zhu Youjian ask Gao Qingyun a question.
"Master Gao, you just said that Zhu Youjian and Wu Sangui were fighting over a woman. What's the story behind that?"
Upon hearing this, Gao Qingyun shook his head helplessly.
"Ah, it turns out that your knowledge is really not as good as these girls in your village, Xiao Zhu!"
"They all know how to use these pseudonyms, but how come you don't even know this historical allusion?"
Upon hearing Gao Qingyun's words, the expressions on Wang Chengen and the others instantly changed.
They all became frightened.
This is blaming the emperor in public!
Wang Chengen cautiously turned his head to observe Zhu Youjian's expression.
However, as he expected, the young emperor's face did not show much emotion.
Wang Chengen was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.
After all, Gao Qingyun had even directly stated a few days ago when the Ming Dynasty would end.
So what I just said doesn't seem like... too much?
However, in any case, the affairs of Wu Sangui and Chen Yuanyuan could very well involve the current emperor's privacy in the future.
Wang Chengen dared not listen to random things.
He quickly walked to the side and left with the girls.
Gao Qingyun heard the commotion but did not stop them.
Instead, he nodded to himself: "Old Wang is quite clever. Those young girls might not even know the details of what I'm saying."
"It's really not good to let them listen in like this."
So he kept quiet and waited until Wang Chengen and his men had gone far away before telling Zhu Youjian this part of history.
After Gao Qingyun finished speaking, he tried to make amends by saying a few words.
"However, this story of a man who would risk his life for a woman may not necessarily be true."
"It's also possible that the Jurchens fabricated this story after entering the pass in order to discredit Emperor Chongzhen!"
As a teacher, he can't just make things up.
He can tell stories, but he can't guarantee their authenticity.
However, to Zhu Youjian, Gao Qingyun's last two sentences were as good as nothing at all.
In his heart, the story itself was all he could think about.
"What? The future Emperor, Wu Sangui, and Li Zicheng will fight over a woman?"
"Would Chen Yuanyuan have led Wu Sangui to surrender to the Jurchens?"
According to Gao Qingyun, Zhu Youjian might actually be quite innocent.
But Zhu Youjian felt a sense of apprehension.
He sighed, "The ancients said that beautiful women are a source of trouble, and they were right!"
Upon hearing this, Gao Qingyun was displeased.
"Little Zhu, why are you so old-fashioned?"
"In the end, the overall situation of the world was ruined by the kings, nobles, generals, ministers, civil and military officials, as well as local officials and gentry."
"How much influence can one woman have?"
"Um... unless it's someone like Wu Zetian!"
Zhu Youjian outwardly nodded in acknowledgment of his mistake.
"What Master Gao said is indeed a great truth, and Xiao Zhu will remember it."
But in his heart, he had already made up his mind.
"To prevent the Ming Dynasty from ending up like Master Gao did in seventeen years, I must stay away from women from now on!"
After making up his mind, Zhu Youjian put the matter aside.
He got down to business with Gao Qingyun.
He took out the pencil in his hand and said to Gao Qingyun:
"Master Gao, what's going on with this pencil?"
"There's no lead in this pen, so why is it called that?"
After spending these past few days together, Zhu Youjian's trust and reliance on Gao Qingyun have increased significantly.
Not only did she verbally call him "Master," but she also gradually came to acknowledge him in her heart.
So if there's anything I don't understand, I'll just ask directly.
Gao Qingyun, on the other hand, was quite helpless.
"No, Xiao Zhu, don't tell me that your Dahe Village has never even seen a pencil!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian knew that this pencil would likely become an extremely common item in the future.
It would be rather strange if I said I didn't know him.
So he quickly said, "I'm actually just curious about the origin of this pencil's name."
This time, Gao Qingyun nodded in agreement.
"That's the principle, so I understand why you have this question."
"This pencil was originally invented by Westerners. In fact, a proper pencil should have graphite lead."
"Westerners call graphite black lead, which is why it is called pencil."
Zhu Youjian kept these things in mind.
After hearing the last part, he nodded and said, "These Westerners do indeed have some strange and ingenious skills."
"They actually managed to make these things."
Gao Qingyun shook his head.
"Little Zhu, I told you you were old-fashioned, and it seems I was right."
"In this day and age, why are you still talking about strange skills and tricks?"
"Science and technology are productive forces!"
Zhu Youjian knew that his question about the pencil had already aroused Gao Qingyun's suspicion.
If we continue to ask questions now, such as about science and technology...
Gao Qingyun would be even more confused.
So he suppressed the thought and took his leave.
After Zhu Youjian went out, he saw Wang Chengen lecturing the girls.
They should listen more and speak less in front of Gao Qingyun in the future.
Don't let it slip.
He walked over slowly and instructed Wang Chengen, "This pencil is very useful."
"Once it is promoted, it will surely spread education."
"After I reinstated Wei Zhongxian, there was a lot of criticism from both the court and the public. If we can promote the use of pencils, it will shut up a lot of people."
Wang Chengen smiled bitterly to himself: "It's not just a few complaints, it's practically a complete uproar."
But he dared not say these things outwardly.
He simply bowed and said, "Your Majesty is quite right."
Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction, then, remembering something, he continued, "..."
"Master Gao's existence cannot be easily exposed."
"However, I also feel somewhat apologetic about this."
"Since the name of this pencil comes from Westerners, it's not a good idea to just keep using it."
"How about... we call it Gao Gongbi?"
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