Chapter 780

Rongguo Prefecture, Eastern Courtyard.

In the hall of the inner courtyard, after Jia Zheng returned to the mansion, he changed into his home clothes, took the hot tea from Yu Chuan, and was sitting on the Arhat couch drinking slowly.

Seeing the red brocade curtain at the door lifted, his daughter Seeing Tan Chun walked in smiling, wearing a golden chrysanthemum-patterned jacket and a light orange chrysanthemum-patterned horse-face skirt.

Youthful and pretty, lively and charming, with a graceful bearing; seeing this, a smile appeared on Jia Zheng's face.

Although he had two sons, both were dissolute and wasteful, which had always disappointed him.

On the contrary, his concubine-born daughter Seeing Tan Chun was not only outstanding in appearance, but also intelligent, sharp, and generous.

She had read poetry and books since childhood, could write and compose poetry, and had the appearance of a proper talented woman; both his son Baoyu and Jia Huan were not as good as her.

It was just a pity that she was born as a girl; every time Jia Zheng thought of this, he felt regret, otherwise, the second branch would have produced a son who would have made his mark through studies.

Moreover, his daughter Seeing Tan Chun had been fond of literature and learning since childhood, not only reading extensively but also practicing good calligraphy.

She had been close to the talented and hardworking Jia Cong since childhood, and her behavior and interests were quite similar to his own, which could be considered father and daughter being of one mind.

Every time Seeing Tan Chun returned to the Eastern Courtyard, Jia Zheng's mood was always good; although his son was absurd, he at least had a daughter who was pleasing to his heart.

He smiled, "Third girl, why did you think of coming back today?"

Seeing Tan Chun smiled, "Today I wanted to come and see the Master; I have an important matter to discuss with the Master. Just now the Master hadn't returned to the mansion, so I went to see Huan'er's injuries.

He can be considered to have learned a lesson this time; in the future, he will definitely listen to the Master's teachings and will not dare to act rashly and cause trouble again.

Today I brought a copy of the Analects with notes, letting him study hard in the twelfth lunar month, and enter the Imperial Academy to study in the spring, so he will look a bit more like a proper person."

Jia Zheng felt unhappy when he heard Seeing Tan Chun mention his useless son, but he was somewhat astonished when he heard the words about studying at the Imperial Academy.

He asked, "Huan'er is going to study at the Imperial Academy?"

Seeing Tan Chun smiled, "Third Brother has two quotas for the Imperial Academy, one of which was given to Second Brother; he said that brothers should be treated equally, and he wants to give the other one to Huan'er.

Although Huan'er hasn't reached the age to enter the academy, Third Brother will ask for a favor from the Imperial Academy to let Huan'er enter the academy to audit classes first, and be formally enrolled when he reaches the age.

Third Brother said that letting him enter the Imperial Academy earlier can not only provide more restraint but also allow him to receive more influence from poetry and books.

Regardless of whether he can achieve anything in his studies in the future, learning more about the teachings of the sages and the principles of conduct will always be beneficial to Huan'er in the future."

Jia Zheng was moved and happy when he heard this, saying, "Brother Cong's words hit the mark; studying is not just for seeking official rank.

It is even more for receiving the teachings of the sages, correcting one's body and mind, handling affairs and establishing oneself in the world, and not falling into ignorance.

Brother Cong himself has already achieved a career, but he still doesn't forget to pull along his brothers in the family, and whenever he has something good, he doesn't forget to share it with them.

This is the bearing and breadth of mind of a proper scholar; it's just that Baoyu and Huan'er are both lazy, and I am truly worried that they will fail his expectations."

Seeing Tan Chun said, "Then has the Master agreed to let Huan'er enter the academy to study?"

Jia Zheng smiled, "What kind of silly question is that? How could I not agree to such a good thing as studying?

I will send word to the family to have your concubine mother prepare nourishing food, so Huan'er can recover his health early and be more energetic when entering the academy to study, so he doesn't go and lose face for me.

I am busy with official duties and cannot watch over everything; you should also pay more attention to your brother.

If he still acts recklessly, you can beat or scold him as you please; if he refuses to be disciplined, you can come and tell me yourself, and see if I don't peel his skin."

Seeing Tan Chun smiled, "Master, Third Brother said that since ancient times, living conditions change one's spirit and nurturing changes one's body; Huan'er has grown up in a wealthy family since childhood, enjoying wealth without being tempered.

Although this time it is just auditing classes, Third Brother said it is best to let Huan'er live in the academy to study, stay away from home, cut off extravagance, and cultivate his temperament, which is even more important than studying."

Outside the hall, Lady Wang stood at the side of the door, hearing the conversation between the father and daughter clearly.

Just now, she heard that Jia Zheng was drinking tea in the hall, so she also went towards the hall; just as she walked to the door, she heard Seeing Tan Chun and Jia Zheng talking.

She knew that her Master had always valued this concubine-born daughter, which hadn't been very obvious before.

Ever since that kid from the Eastern Prefecture inherited the Rongguo hereditary rank and Baoyu was often slandered with idle gossip, this year had not been smooth.

The Master had become increasingly close to the Third Girl, looking as if she had vaguely overshadowed Baoyu, which made Lady Wang feel unhappy in her heart.

Ever since the Third Girl was punished by her with family law, she had not dared to return to the Eastern Courtyard often.

This time she came at the Master's time of returning from official duties, not knowing what mystery she was trying to stir up; since the father and daughter were talking alone, Lady Wang naturally wanted to find out the bottom line.

After hearing the details clearly, Lady Wang's face changed in anger, and her hands trembled as she held them.

That kid from the Eastern Prefecture actually wanted to send Jia Huan to the Imperial Academy to study; was the Imperial Academy such a noble place that even cats and dogs could enter?

It was one thing for him to give Baoyu an Imperial Academy quota, but Huan-xiaozi was just a concubine-born bastard; what right did he have to be the same as her Baoyu? It was simply against the rules.

Looking at the Third Girl's tone, Brother Cong seemed to be looking at the Third Girl's share, as if he wanted to pull Jia Huan along; he was trying to dismantle her Baoyu's status—it was truly abominable!

Could it be that him giving Baoyu the Imperial Academy quota was a front from beginning to end?

In fact, it was because of the Third Girl that he wanted to pull her brother along.

He was also worried that people in the family would talk, so he gave Baoyu this quota to avoid outsiders talking; this kid was truly treacherous to the extreme.

Only her own Master was honest and kind, actually being deceived by him and still wanting to remember his benefits; this kid's deceitful tricks were truly powerful!

Lady Wang was feeling stifled and uneasy, when she suddenly heard Jia Zheng say inside, "Brother Cong's thinking is still thorough, able to see what ordinary people ignore; no wonder he has his achievements today.

Since ancient times, there has been the saying of 'Mencius's mother moving three times'; letting Huan'er enter the academy to study and correct his mind and behavior is indeed a good idea; I think Baoyu should also be like this."

Hearing this, Lady Wang could no longer stand still; her Baoyu was already afraid of studying and had always been uneasy about entering the Imperial Academy to study.

Just now, that kid from the Eastern Prefecture just deliberately declared that he wanted to point out his book classics and teachings in the Western Prefecture, and Baoyu was so scared that he wanted to move out of the Western Prefecture.

If Baoyu knew that he was to live in the academy to study and could not easily return home from now on, and didn't have maids to serve him, he would be scared into a stupor.

Lady Wang hurriedly walked into the hall and said, "Master, it's fine to let Baoyu enter the Imperial Academy to study.

But you really cannot let him live in the academy and not return; I heard that the dormitory rooms in the Imperial Academy are shared by seven or eight people, narrow and crowded, and miserable.

The food in the dining hall is coarse and unpalatable, and everyone eats together, noisy and chaotic, without any dignity.

Baoyu is the legitimate grandson of the Duke, raised with gold and jade since childhood, and his body has always been delicate; how can he endure such suffering?

If he really lives in the academy and doesn't return, eating poorly and sleeping poorly, and without maids to serve him, I'm afraid he won't succeed in his studies, but will ruin his health first. Master, please think twice!"

Seeing Tan Chun felt somewhat unconvinced when she heard this; even if the food and accommodation in the Imperial Academy were not as comfortable as at home, they were not as miserable as the Mistress said.

It was as if Baoyu living in the academy to study would cost him his life.

Many talented scholars on the list and high officials of the court were from the Imperial Academy, and she hadn't seen anything happen to them.

If one were to talk about someone raised with gold and jade, who in the two Jia mansions could compare to Third Brother? He had suffered so much hardship since childhood, yet he had worked hard and succeeded in everything.

When Third Brother was only fourteen, he went to Liaodong to lead troops, climbing ice and lying in snow, chasing enemies for thousands of miles, eating and living ten times harder than in the Imperial Academy.

And nothing happened to him; he was still fine, and because of this, he was granted a hereditary rank and promoted, becoming famous throughout the world.

It can be seen that a man must endure wind and rain to temper his mind and be forged into talent.

The Mistress blindly pampers Second Brother, not letting him suffer even a fraction of hardship, indulging him into his current personality; even if he had some talent, it would all be wasted.

Third Brother's idea is the most correct; Huan'er cannot be so precious, he must be driven out of the house to be tempered, to suffer in his heart and mind, and to stumble and hit walls.

Even if he cannot succeed in his studies in the future, suffering more hardship and understanding more principles will always be beneficial and harmless for a lifetime.

Jia Zheng frowned and said, "The Imperial Academy is the court's highest public school; poor students want to enter to study but cannot, so how can it be as miserable as you say?

In the past, the Ningguo eldest brother and our Zhu-er also lived in the academy to study, and they were all fine, and I didn't see anything happen to them."

Lady Wang said with tears, "Since the Master mentioned Zhu-er, have you forgotten that Zhu-er ruined his health because he studied too hard, which ruined his foundation?

Otherwise, when he encountered some things that year, why would he have lost his life at such a young age? I only have Baoyu now; Master, please think twice."

Jia Zheng's face turned pale when he heard Lady Wang mention this, and an unspeakable regret appeared in his expression, and he remained silent.

Seeing Tan Chun felt her heart tremble on the side; when Zhu-ge passed away, Seeing Tan Chun was still young, and although she could remember things, children didn't know too many things.

The elders in the family only said that Zhu-ge died of a serious illness, and rarely mentioned other things, as if they were avoiding the subject...

It seemed that this very promising Zhu-ge was highly valued and loved by his parents during his lifetime, so his death at a young age made people feel such heartache...

Lady Wang saw Seeing Tan Chun on the side, and anger couldn't help but rise in her heart; it was all this dead girl who instigated things.

She said, "Third girl, if you want your brother to be promising and successful, and let him live in the academy to suffer, that is your business; why bother the Master's mind?

If Baoyu really goes to live in the academy and ruins his health because of it, or is scared into something bad, neither I nor the Old Lady will agree."

Seeing Tan Chun felt her pretty face turn slightly pale when she heard this, and she couldn't help but feel annoyed; she had only spoken to the Master about Huan'er's matter.