Emperor of the Red Chamber

Chapter 137 Empress Dowager He's Instructions
With a bitter face, Jia Baoyu recited "Mencius" in front of Jia Zhu.

After memorizing a few hundred words, he suddenly stopped.

Jia Zhu frowned: "Why did you stop?"

Jia Baoyu looked worried: "I have memorized only this part, but not the rest."

Scholars taking the imperial examinations in this era were required to memorize the Four Books and Five Classics and study them in depth.

The Four Books refer to "The Great Learning", "The Analects of Confucius", "Mencius" and "The Doctrine of the Mean".

The Five Classics refer to the Book of Changes, the Book of History, the Book of Songs, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Book of Rites.

Generally, the Four Books are studied first and then the Five Classics, with the Four Books serving as the ladder to the Five Classics.

Among the Four Books, "The Great Learning" is regarded as "the gateway to virtue for beginners". People first study "The Great Learning", followed by "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius", and finally "The Doctrine of the Mean".

Before Jia Baoyu entered Xian'an Palace, he had already had some exposure to the Four Books and Five Classics, but he had not memorized any of them, let alone studied any of them in depth.

After Jia Baoyu entered Xian'an Palace, although he was still not focused on his studies, he had to devote himself to the Four Books and Five Classics due to the discipline of the official school in Xian'an Palace and the supervision of Jia Zhu.

Over the past six months, he has memorized "The Great Learning" and "The Analects of Confucius" and has studied them in depth. In the past month, he has been reciting "Mencius".

However, a month later, he could only recite a few hundred words from Mencius.

Jia Zhu noticed that Jia Baoyu had been lazy again this month. Otherwise, with his intelligence, even if he could not memorize the entire book of Mencius in a month, he should at least be able to memorize several thousand words.

Jia Zhu could not help but rebuke him: "In terms of academic ability, you are no less than me. You are already thirteen, almost fourteen, and you should be working hard to study and make the most of your youth."

"You have only been studying Mencius, and it took you more than a month to memorize just a few hundred words. If you continue to slack off like this, you will fail the emperor's special favor and your father's earnest expectations!"

Jia Baoyu lowered his head in embarrassment, not daring to look directly at his elder brother who was like a strict father to him.

Jia Zhu believed that Jia Baoyu's academic talent was no less than his, and he had passed the imperial examination and became a scholar at the age of fourteen. In contrast, Jia Baoyu was indeed inferior to him.

Jia Zhu suddenly stood up and said, "Come with me, I will take you back to Xian'an Palace."

Seeing this, Jia Baoyu was dumbfounded again, shocked and immediately realized that the situation was getting worse.

The situation became such that he skipped classes and left school, where he was reprimanded by his stern elder brother Jia Zhu, and had to be sent back to school by this elder brother, who was also the immediate superior of the school administrators.

Although the student quota of the Xian'an Palace Official School was only one hundred, it had a complex management system, including the Minister of Administrative Affairs, the Assistant Minister of Affairs, the President, the General Manager, the Civil and Military Instructors, the Brush-Teller, and so on.

The Xian'an Palace Official School was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department. Jia Zhu, who was the Minister in Charge of the Imperial Household Department, was also specially appointed as the Minister of Administrative Affairs of the Xian'an Palace Official School.

Jia Baoyu stammered in fear: "I...I can go back to Xian'an Palace by myself. I dare not...I dare not trouble my elder brother to see me off."

Jia Zhu did not agree with Jia Baoyu and led Jia Baoyu out of the General Administration of Internal Affairs Office and walked to the official school of Xian'an Palace on the west road of the inner court. Many management personnel in the school greeted Jia Zhu respectfully when they saw him in person.

There is more than one president in the official school, and today a president named Cheng Shi is on duty.

Cheng Shi was over forty years old. He was a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy and was appointed as the president of the official school in Xian'an Palace. In terms of seniority, he was both Jia Zhu's predecessor in the imperial examination and Jia Zhu's superior when he was in the Hanlin Academy.

Although Jia Zhu is now in a higher position than Cheng Shi, he does not take advantage of his status and does not act superior in front of Cheng Shi. After some courtesy, he earnestly asks Cheng Shi to strictly discipline Jia Baoyu in the future and not allow Jia Baoyu to skip classes and leave school without permission.

Jia Zhu asked again, "Today, Baoyu skipped classes and left Xian'an Palace without permission. What should be his punishment according to the rules?"

When Jia Baoyu heard this, he was frightened and pale.

Cheng Shi saw through Jia Zhu's intention and wanted to punish Jia Baoyu, but he didn't dare to punish him too harshly, so he said: "According to the rules, he should be caned ten times, but considering that Baoyu really missed his grandmother and mother today and didn't leave the palace, he only went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to find your brother, so you can be lenient and only give him five canes."

Jia Zhu said, "There is no need to be lenient. Just follow the rules and punish him with ten strokes of the cane."

Jia Baoyu was terrified when he heard this and looked at Jia Zhu with pleading eyes, but Jia Zhu didn't take it seriously.

Immediately, Jia Baoyu lay on a spring stool, and the servants of the official school started beating him with big boards.

The official school of Xian'an Palace usually does not punish students too harshly with canes. Today, Jia Zhu was present, and the president Cheng Shi also quietly instructed the servants not to be too harsh.

After being beaten with these ten boards, Jia Baoyu did not suffer serious injuries, but he still suffered some pain, which was also a very embarrassing thing.

Jia Zhu looked at Jia Baoyu who was being beaten and sighed in his heart: "I am the eldest brother, how difficult it is!"

Jia Zhu will tell Lady Jia, Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang the truth about what happened to Jia Baoyu today when he gets home from work.

Jia Zhu expected that Jia Zheng would agree with his approach, while Jia Mu and Mrs. Wang would inevitably be dissatisfied, and Jia Mu might even blame him.

……

……

The days are short in winter, and dusk falls at the hour of You.

The You hour was the time when Yuan Qingbai's concubines would pay their respects to Empress Dowager He and Queen Yuanchun.

Yuan Qingbai deliberately waited until 3:15 pm, when it was already dark, and arrived at Jingren Palace where Empress Dowager He lived. Empress Dowager He had already had dinner, and Yuanchun and other concubines were not around.

But there was an unexpected person here, she was Ruo Qing.

Yuan Qingbai was surprised.

Ruoqing was the concubine of Emperor Chengtai and was given the title of Noble Lady Chu.

According to the rules of the imperial palace, the concubines of the previous dynasty and the successor emperor could only meet each other after they were over 50 years old to prevent immoral affairs. Although this rule was not an iron law, Empress Dowager He never violated it.

Yuan Qingbai had been on the throne for more than half a year, and he had only met Emperor Chengtai's young concubines once.

In September this year, he met Ruoqing in Yuanzhao Garden. It was Ruoqing who did it on purpose.

Unexpectedly, I saw Ruoqing again today, and it was in front of Empress Dowager He.

This is strange.

Yuan Qingbai was surprised, but he greeted Empress Dowager He as if nothing had happened. After Empress Dowager He asked him to sit down, she said to him, "I have two things to discuss with the Emperor."

Yuan Qingbai said, "Mother, please let me know if you have anything to say."

Empress Dowager He said, "The first matter involves Concubine Chu."

Empress Dowager He glanced at Yan Ruoqing and continued to say to Yuan Qingbai: "In the past, your grandmother loved her very much and gave her to your father. She couldn't bear to let her leave the palace to marry. If she followed your father, she could stay in the palace to serve your grandmother. But she didn't expect that your father would be so anxious to ascend the throne."

"Ruoqing is twenty-five years old this year, only one year older than you, and has no relatives to rely on. She lives in seclusion in the palace all day long. It's really pitiful. I like her very much, and she is talented and experienced, so I want to let her serve by my side. What do you think?"

This matter is not a big deal, but it violates the rules of the palace.

The fact that Empress Dowager He actually wanted to do this shows that she really likes Ruoqing.

Not surprising.

Ruoqing was gentle, virtuous, and good at serving, and had always been loved by Empress Dowager He.

Moreover, speaking of the past, Ruoqing was grateful to Empress Dowager He and had helped her live in harmony with the former Empress Dowager Wang.

Yuan Qingbai responded with a smile without hesitation: "This is out of kindness from my mother, how can I be unwilling? Besides, the matter of the emperor's concubines should be decided by my mother. I think my grandmother's spirit in heaven would also smile in her grave when she sees how kind my mother is to Concubine Chu."

Empress Dowager He smiled with relief.

Ruoqing was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly knelt down in front of Empress Dowager He and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. From now on, I will serve you wholeheartedly."

Empress Dowager He asked Ruo Qingping to stand behind her, and Yuan Qingbai asked her, "What else does your mother want to tell her son today?"

Empress Dowager He sighed, "I dreamed of your father last night."

Yuan Qingbai was moved when he heard this, and asked, "Could it be that the Emperor left some instructions in his dream, and asked my mother to tell me to do it?"

Empress Dowager He said: "It can't be considered a will."

"Your father and I both worship Buddha. Last night in my dream, your father blamed me. Ever since he ascended the throne, my devotion to Buddha has not been as pious as before. This is unacceptable."

"I was shocked to find that his accusation was correct. Since I have converted to Buddhism, I should remain committed to it and devote my whole life to it. I thought that the great blessing I have in this life is also given by the Buddha and Bodhisattva."

"I want to decorate the small Buddhist hall in Jingren Palace and the small Buddhist hall in Changchun Xianguan in Yuanzhao Garden so that they can be used for my daily practice."

"In addition, there is a 'Ritian Linyu' built in Yuanzhao Garden. This large Buddhist hall has been vacant for a long time. We invited a group of nuns to live in it so that it will no longer be vacant. It will also be convenient for me to come here often to worship Buddha."

"In the future, I will practice Buddhism devoutly, and pray for you, the emperor, and for the great Zhou. As a woman, I cannot share the burden of state affairs with you. This act of praying is just a token of my gratitude as a mother."

People of this era generally believed in Buddhism, and so did the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Less than a hundred years after the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there have been two emperors who worshipped Buddhism. One was Emperor Chengtai, and the other was Emperor Chengtai’s grandfather. Although Emperor Jing’an, who was in between, was not a worshipper of Buddhism, he also believed in Buddhism.

Among the empresses and concubines of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were few who did not believe in Buddhism, and Empress Dowager He was a devout Buddhist.

Yuan Qingbai didn't believe in Buddhism very much, but when he heard what Empress Dowager He said, he couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

He hoped that Empress Dowager He would practice Buddhism devoutly, so that she would be more compassionate and focus more on Buddhist matters, and less on other things.

In addition, Empress Dowager He's decree made things easier for Yuan Qingbai.

"Originally I was still thinking about how to place Miaoyu. Now, I can take this opportunity to place Miaoyu in the 'Ritian Linyu' in Yuanzhao Garden."

Yuan Qingbai thought quietly and said, "This is also a good thing. How could my son not want to do it? I will do my best to arrange it."

Empress Dowager He was delighted when she heard this: "Well done, well done."

Yuan Qingbai readily agreed to both of her requests today, which made her happy from the bottom of her heart and she felt that this was a manifestation of Yuan Qingbai's filial piety towards her.

After giving two instructions, Empress Dowager He asked Yuan Qingbai to leave.

As soon as Yuan Qingbai left, Empress Dowager He said to Ruoqing, "I allow you to serve by my side, but I have one thing to warn you."

Ruo Qing had guessed what was going on, and hurriedly knelt down and said, "Please give me some advice, Queen Mother."

Empress Dowager He said: "You will inevitably see the emperor often in the future. You must remember that you are the concubine of the previous emperor and you must not have any private relationship with the emperor, otherwise I will not forgive you."

Ruoqing said: "How dare Ruoqing? The Queen Mother's words must be obeyed in my heart."

She felt a little disappointed, but more than that she was happy.

She had long admired Yuan Qingbai, and from now on she would be able to often see the emperor's beloved. For her, this was a great joy and comfort that came from heaven.

She didn't dare to dream of having an affair with Yuan Qingbai, as that would be insatiable and lead to her own death.

(End of this chapter)