Chapter 43 Doraemon
After seeing Hu Shanwei off, it was the end of the year in a blink of an eye. When Zhu Yuhuan heard from the lecturer that there would be an assessment, he naturally tried his best to get a good result.
After all, she had made a solemn promise in front of Zhu Gaochi, saying that she would concentrate on studying. If she didn't produce some results, wouldn't that be disrespecting Zhu Gaochi?
Zhu Yuhuan was focused on his studies, but Zhu Youtong was a little unhappy. No matter how busy Zhu Yuhuan was on weekdays, he would try his best to take time out to play with her. Now he was busy with studies and practice every day, so he had no time to play with Zhu Youtong. And the little sister Zhu Hanjia was less than one year old and had just learned to crawl. Of course, the two of them could not play together.
Zhu Youtong hadn't had his sister by his side for a long time and missed her very much, so he would run to Zhu Yuhuan from time to time to peek at what his sister was doing.
But seeing that his sister was concentrating on studying, even Zhu Youtong didn't want to disturb her at this time. Every time he did, he would just glance at her from a distance and leave obediently. But today, he spoke out on purpose.
Zhu Yuhuan was concentrating on his work and naturally did not hear Zhu Youtong's voice. However, Zhu Youtong did not leave silently this time. Instead, he walked in with small steps.
Seeing her sister sitting there writing and drawing, Zhu Youtong couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and put her little hands between Zhu Yuhuan and the desk.
Zhu Yuhuan then realized that his sister had come running over. He hurriedly put down his pen and handed the half-finished drawing on the table to the eunuch beside him. Then he said, "Why is Tongtong here?"
Zhu Youtong pouted and said dissatisfiedly, "Sister, you still have the nerve to say that. Ever since those lecturers started pestering me, I've been either reading or writing my thoughts every day, and I don't play with Tongtong much anymore."
Zhu Yuhuan was a bit amused and said, "I asked the lecturers to teach me to read and understand reason, so why are they pestering me now?"
Zhu Youtong put her hands behind her back, looking like a grown-up. She said seriously, "That's right. When I first started attending lectures, I wasn't asked to read through the classics or write a review." As she spoke, she walked over to the table where Zhu Yuhuan had piled his books, gestured at the height of the stack, and said, "Now you're asked to read so many books and write so many reviews. Doesn't that mean the lecturers are pestering you?"
Zhu Youtong was eloquent and clear-minded, and what he said made a lot of sense. Even the palace servants who were serving nearby were surprised that these lecturers actually valued their own princess so much. It was really surprising.
You have to know that these lecturers are all from a scholarly family and they think highly of themselves. Anyone who is looked up to by them must be exceptionally knowledgeable or talented. Otherwise, even if it is the emperor, they will inevitably point fingers at him in private. However, his princess is regarded so highly and has listened to the daily lectures for such a long time without being criticized.
Zhu Yuhuan was amused by her little action, but he tried hard to hold it back. He nodded solemnly and said, "Hearing Tongtong's words, it seems to be true."
Zhu Youtong snorted softly and said, "These lecturers are really mean. They clearly have Daddy as their student, but why do they still pester me? I don't even have time to tell stories to Tongtong."
Zhu Yuhuan touched her head with one hand and asked the palace servants to bring a stool and put it next to the desk with the other hand. Then he said, "This is my fault, sister. I was so busy doing my own things that I ignored Tongtong."
Zhu Youtong looked worried when she heard this. "Sister, you're studying so hard late into the night and you're also busy practicing martial arts. You're so busy that you'll eventually burn out. Not only is Tongtong worried, but mother is worried about you too."
Zhu Yuhuan blinked, then suddenly realized something and said to the palace attendant beside him, "Bring me the bronze mirror."
The palace maid obeyed the order and brought a bronze mirror. Zhu Yuhuan looked at herself in the mirror and found that there was a faint dark blue under her eyes. No wonder even a child like Zhu Youtong could see that she looked distressed.
Thinking of this, Zhu Yuhuan took his sister's hand and said, "I am too impatient. Even though I know these things can't be accomplished overnight, I still can't help it."
Seeing that the day when Hu Shanxiang would be deposed was not far away, Zhu Yuhuan naturally would not pin his hopes on Zhu Zhanji. He could only rely on hard work to gain leverage for himself. At least even if Sun was made queen in the future, she would not dare to treat the three of them harshly.
Zhu Youtong naturally didn't understand Zhu Yuhuan's inner thoughts, and just said seriously: "Tongtong feels that nothing in this world is more important than my sister's health. I don't want to see my sister end up like me, with only bitter medicine to accompany her every day, and no longer able to enter and leave the palace freely and see the scenery outside."
Zhu Yuhuan felt a warm feeling in his heart after hearing his sister's words. He smiled and picked up a few of the books, saying, "Not all of these are assignments from the lecturer. There are also books that I'm interested in. I've put a lot of effort into finding copies and studying them carefully."
Zhu Youtong did start learning to read, but he wasn't as fast as Zhu Yuhuan, who had a lifetime of experience. He only half understood the words on the covers of the books and said, "The words on them are Zhou... Zhou..."
Zhu Yuhuan explained, "It's the Zhou Li. I specifically found a copy and studied it in detail. It records a lot of things."
As for which section she was studying, it was naturally the Kaogongji. Zhu Yuhuan usually felt her brain was becoming stiff from studying these sage books. As soon as she closed her eyes, she would unconsciously confuse herself with profound theories. She would rather read something practical.
"Kaogongji" comes from "Zhouli", which is an important document handed down from the pre-Qin period about production materials such as technology and craftsmanship. Its content involves dozens of trades in six major categories, including carpentry, metalwork, leather, dyeing, scraping, and ceramics. It is also one of the few "classics of ancient sages" that Zhu Yuhuan has found so far that can be used.
There was no other way. The palace did not include any books of all kinds in its collection, and her lecturers were all serious scholars, so they naturally disdained such miscellaneous books. Under many restrictions, Zhu Yuhuan could only find this one book and read it briefly.
Zhu Yuhuan had many things in her mind that she wanted to move from the modern era to the present, but she was not a professional after all. She only had a general idea and did not know how to actually do it. She could only explore on her own by learning from the wisdom of her predecessors.
The current conditions are limited, and Zhu Yuhuan can only do his best.
"Work...? I've only heard of the Ministry of Works. Does that mean my sister is also going to repair the house?"
Zhu Yuhuan was amused by her childish words and said, "I'm not trying to repair the house, I just want to try it for fun."
Zhu Youtong was a little confused about what he meant, but his attention was soon attracted by the wooden stick on Zhu Yuhuan's desk. One end of the stick was black and sharpened. It was the tool Zhu Yuhuan had used to paint.
Zhu Youtong asked curiously, "Sister, were you painting with this little wooden stick just now? What is this?"
Seeing his sister's interest, Zhu Yuhuan patiently explained, "This is called a charcoal pencil. I had graphite crushed into powder, rinsed it repeatedly, and then mixed it with an appropriate amount of rosin. After heating and mixing, it was kneaded into long strips. The outside was made into a wooden shell, which is just right for putting the ink stick in. This way, you don't get your hands dirty when using it."
Zhu Yuhuan basically relied on guesswork to understand the pencil manufacturing process. Fortunately, the technical content was not particularly high, and for her, it didn't matter if it was a little rough. The key point was that it was more convenient to use than a brush. After all, she didn't have the skills to paint with a brush.
Zhu Youtong understood very quickly and immediately realized what was going on. He said, "Isn't that just putting clothes on the ink strip?"
Zhu Yuhuan hadn't expected his sister to be so good at analogies. He was stunned, then couldn't help but applaud and praise, "It's almost exactly what Tongtong said, but the ink sticks are made of deer antler glue, cowhide glue, or something like that, mixed with wood for corrosion protection, while the charcoal pencils use pine resin, a kind of oil."
Zhu Youtong nodded, not quite understanding, and then asked curiously, "So what did Sister draw with the charcoal pencil? Is it still a blue kitten without ears? I remember Sister said that this kitten can take out all kinds of magic weapons from the pocket on its belly."
Hearing her mention Doraemon, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but laugh out loud, but he tried hard to suppress the smile on his face and said, "You'll know when the time is right."
Fortunately, Zhu Yuhuan would occasionally bring out some strange things in front of Zhu Youtong, otherwise, according to the little girl's inquisitive personality, she would definitely dig up everything about Zhu Yuhuan.
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