Chapter 179 What a sharp tongue!
The imperial procession from Kunning Palace stopped outside the gate of the Imperial Study, instantly enveloping this once tranquil place, where only the sound of reading could be heard.
Chang Shun loudly proclaimed "Yes!"
"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
The sound reached them, and the once lively study room fell silent instantly.
All the instructors, the royal children studying, and the accompanying children were stunned.
They looked at each other, their faces filled with surprise and uncertainty.
Erhe, who was sitting obediently reading, looked puzzled. Had the Empress Dowager come? Was she here to see him?
Jiang Nan, supporting Chunlan's hand, slowly walked into the main hall of the Imperial Study.
The bright yellow empress's everyday dress stood out dazzlingly in the slightly dim hall.
Her gaze swept calmly across the hall.
Several tutors dressed in official robes led the royal family members, including Erhe.
They stood silently with their hands at their sides.
Jiang Nan walked straight to the head seat and sat down calmly.
"Your humble servants/sons/slave kowtow to Your Majesty the Empress, may Your Majesty live a thousand years and be well!"
Everyone knelt down in unison to pay their respects, their voices trembling slightly.
Jiang Nan waved her hand casually, her voice cool and aloof.
"Get up, everyone."
After everyone stood up, Jiang Nan spoke slowly and deliberately.
The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
"Today, I have come to the Imperial Study not to inspect the lessons, but because I have some questions that I would like to ask a teacher in person."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the several masters with lightning speed.
The image finally settled on a middle-aged official with a slightly pale face and shifty eyes.
"Who was it that whispered to the eldest prince, Erhe, after class yesterday?"
The masters inside the hall exchanged glances subconsciously, their eyes filled with tension.
The master whose face was locked onto by Jiang Nan's gaze instantly became even more stiff and ugly.
Fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead.
He steeled himself, stepped forward, bowed deeply, and his voice was somewhat hoarse.
"Your Majesty, it was a dream of your humble servant, Shu Mulu Yuan."
Jiang Nan nodded slightly and carefully examined him.
This person appears refined and scholarly, but a hint of shrewdness and calculation is hidden deep in his eyes.
She stopped looking at him and instead gave the order.
"Zhao is triumphant."
"Your servant is here," Zhao Deyi replied, bowing.
"Take the eldest prince and all the princes out first. Today, the study will be temporarily suspended."
"Yes, sir!"
Zhao Deyi immediately accepted the order and stepped forward to gently guide Erhe and the other bewildered children out of the study.
Erkh glanced back at the man with concern.
He followed Zhao Deyi away, turning back every few steps.
Once the children's footsteps faded away, only a few masters and Jiang Nan's group remained in the hall.
The atmosphere suddenly became oppressive and tense.
Jiang Nan picked up the tea that Chunlan offered, took a sip, and then slowly put the teacup down.
His gaze returned to Shumulu, his tone calm yet carrying an invisible pressure.
"Master Shumulu, I heard that you privately praised the eldest prince yesterday, saying he is exceptionally intelligent and will surely have a great future, perhaps even... be able to rule the country?"
Although Shumulu was uneasy, she was afraid that the Empress might suddenly give her a severe beating or something, which was not in accordance with common sense.
Hearing that Jiang Nan did not make trouble, he felt a little relieved.
Having spent many years immersed in officialdom and among intellectuals, he forced himself to remain calm and bowed in reply.
"Your Majesty, the First Prince is exceptionally intelligent and diligent in his studies. As his teacher, I am delighted to see such a promising talent and have offered him words of encouragement, hoping that he will aspire to great things, share the burdens of his father, and serve the country. This is the duty of a subject and the natural sentiment of a teacher. Perhaps... Your Majesty, you feel there is something wrong with hoping that the prince will become successful?"
His words were impeccable, even subtly implying a rhetorical question, thus placing the heavy burden of expecting the prince to succeed on him.
Jiang Nan chuckled softly upon hearing this, but there was no warmth in her laughter.
"Oh? A subject's duty? A teacher's natural inclination? That sounds quite noble. Then I'd like to ask you, if these are words of encouragement meant to be upright and honorable, why did you speak them in private behind everyone's back? Or... do you know that your intentions are despicable, and that your words are inappropriate and cannot be brought to light?"
Shumulu cursed Jiang Nan's cunning in her heart, but on the surface she became even more respectful, quoting classics as she spoke.
"Your Majesty is wise. Teaching should be tailored to individual students and take into account their temperament. The eldest prince is still young and his temperament is not yet settled. I fear that if he receives such praise in public, he may become arrogant and conceited. Therefore, I privately advised him to guard against arrogance and impetuosity and to study steadily. Moreover, the Book of Rites says: 'Teaching and learning complement each other.' It is also a matter of ancient etiquette for teachers and students to occasionally ask each other questions and discuss knowledge privately. It is not something shameful."
"Oh!"
Jiang Nan seemed to have heard a huge joke, and the sarcasm in her tone was undisguised.
"What a fine example of teaching according to aptitude, what a fine ancient etiquette! Let me ask you again, you taught him that in this deep palace, he must be wary of others and can only trust the emperor, parents, and teachers. Is this also written in the Book of Rites, or is it the essence of teaching that you, Mr. Shumulu, have come up with yourself?"
Shumulu paused slightly when asked the question, then straightened her back and spoke righteously and sternly.
“Your Majesty, people in the palace are not all simple. As your teacher, it is my duty to remind my students to distinguish right from wrong and to know the difference between close and distant relatives.”
"Moreover, Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teachers are the fundamental principles of human relations. What is wrong with my reminder to the First Prince to be close to a trustworthy ruler and to respect his teachers? Does Your Majesty perhaps believe that princes should not be close to the Emperor or respect their teachers?"
He cleverly steered the conversation toward the moral high ground of filial piety and respect for teachers, attempting to turn the tables on him.
Jiang Nan was somewhat surprised; this person was very eloquent and adept at wielding the moral cudgel.
She had to admit that those chosen by Emperor Kangxi to be tutors to the princes were indeed quite capable.
If it were an ordinary concubine in the imperial harem, she would probably have been rendered speechless by such profound reasoning.
But Jiang Nan was no ordinary concubine.
She was an empress, but also a person who never played by the rules and had no morals.
She did not come here today to debate right and wrong.
She glanced around at the other masters, who were all silent with fear.
Although she didn't know most of them, those who stood here were all respected figures in the literary world or even those who would be remembered in history.
She couldn't stop everyone from having those restless desires, so today, she's here to make an example of them!
She stopped looking at Shumulu and seemed to be talking to herself, or perhaps to everyone.
"Alright, Mr. Shumulu, put away your high-sounding rhetoric. I'm not here today to lecture you on sage principles or teacherly sentiments."
Her voice suddenly turned sharp, and her gaze pierced Shumulu like a blade.
"I'm here to pick a fight with you. Do you think I can't see through your tricks? You're just trying to imitate Lü Buwei's strategy of hoarding rare goods. You've got your eye on the eldest prince's status, so you're betting in advance and trying every means to win him over. Aren't you just hoping to one day become the Grand Chancellor or the Imperial Tutor?"
"Your Majesty, I am innocent!"
Upon hearing this, Shumulu's face turned deathly pale.
He knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice filled with the shock of his secret being exposed and the feigned grievance.
“My actions were entirely selfless, for the sake of the Qing Dynasty and the princes’ future success. Your Majesty… how can you slander my loyalty and patriotism? How can the scholars and the people of the Qing Dynasty view you? I am utterly disheartened and have no face to stand in the court any longer. I can only resign to Your Majesty to prove my innocence!”
He once again resorted to the tactic of manipulating public opinion as a means of strategic retreat.
Jiang Nan saw that he was still playing mind games and trying to coerce her by threatening the scholars of the world and his resignation.
The anger that had been building up inside me, fueled by moral blackmail, finally began to boil over.
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