plumnovel Chapter 30 The Main Hall, the Place Where the Princes Were Instructed
Chapter 30 The Main Hall, the Place Where the Princes Were Instructed
The Zhu family has two daughters.
Two little girls, one from Anqing and the other from Ningguo, with their mushroom-shaped haircuts, stood perfectly still, their bright eyes sparkling as they listened intently to Song Lian's lecture.
Listen and take notes as you go.
After a class that lasted for more than an hour, the books I brought had been filled with notes for several pages.
Upon seeing this, Ma Wenxiang felt quite ashamed of his own inferiority.
After Song Lian left, in the main hall, apart from Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Fourth Prince Zhu Di, who were deep in thought reviewing their lessons, the rest of the young princes were left.
Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, Zhu Su—even Zhu Su, who was usually extremely focused on medical books, gradually relaxed his tense little face.
Compared to them, Xiao'anqing and Xiao'ningguo are definitely exceptionally outstanding.
"Did you understand?"
Ma Wenxiang asked softly.
Little Anqing raised her head, her bright eyes sparkling, and answered in a clear voice, "Mother, the old gentleman spoke very well."
Xiao Ningguo was engrossed in his book, clearly taking the art of governance and personnel management very seriously.
Clutching her pen and holding the book, she silently memorized each word. Hearing their conversation, she still spoke without looking up, "It's much better than what the ladies-in-waiting in the palace and my sisters say."
"The old gentleman truly deserves to be a member of the Hanlin Academy."
Although Xiao Anqing and Xiao Ningguo are young, most people in ancient times matured early. Moreover, they were princesses who received education in the palace from an early age. Although they were young, they knew that the future was not easy and did not want to miss any opportunity to grow.
Not to mention that under Ma Wenxiang's guidance, the two little girls have changed beyond recognition.
"The royal army is indeed inferior to Song Lian."
Ma Wenxiang thought to himself, "That makes sense."
One was a scholar with the title of Xiucai (a lower-level scholar in the imperial examination system), while the other was a Hanlin scholar whose name is mentioned in later textbooks. The difference between the two was enormous, so the quality of their teaching was naturally worlds apart.
After Song Lian left, Anqing and Ningguo did not slack off. They sat down at the desk in the hall and continued to do the homework that Song Lian had left behind.
Just as Ma Wenxiang calmed down and sat down next to Anqing and Ningguo, he heard the noisy sounds of desks and chairs clattering and falling over, which made him feel inexplicably angry.
With a loud "bang!"
He slammed his fist on the table, making a loud noise, and then roared angrily, "Quiet!"
Ma Wenxiang shouted, and the entire hall fell silent.
Zhu Biao, Zhu Su, Anqing, Ningguo, and others who were copying their lessons couldn't help but look at their mother; the princes who had been making a ruckus also stopped what they were doing and dared not act recklessly anymore.
"The Grand Hall is a place for education within the palace, not a place for amusement!"
Ma Wenxiang looked around, his face stern, exuding an extremely powerful aura.
Although his tone was calm, his words were unusually sharp and incisive, no longer as gentle as before, but full of authority: "From today onwards, those who do not wish to study at the main hall need not come anymore."
He was genuinely angry this time.
Being of imperial lineage is not wrong, but being ignorant of rules and etiquette, and acting recklessly, is a grave mistake.
If Ma Wenxiang were merely a commoner, he would have no right to discipline them. But now, as the birth mother of these princes, he should naturally do his part.
"Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, Zhu Su, the three of you, get out."
"You no longer need to come to the Great Hall, nor to the Kunning Palace to pay respects to your mother."
Ma Wenxiang's words were firm and resolute: "Since you are unwilling to learn, then continue to play around in this palace and do whatever you want. There is only one rule: you are not allowed to beat the palace maids or eunuchs. Anyone who dares to cause any harm..."
"For example, you, my son, hit a palace servant before, and no one in the palace dared to fight back. If you do it again in the future, your father, the Emperor, will deal with you personally."
"Now, get out!"
Ma Wenxiang suppressed his anger and spat out each word slowly and deliberately.
Drowning a child is like killing a child.
Apart from Xiao Anqing, Xiao Ningguo, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Di, the other princes had major personality flaws.
For example, Zhu Shuang, the future Prince of Qin who was just mentioned, was tyrannical and killed countless people in his fiefdom; and Zhu Gang, the Prince of Jin, was no better.
The two brothers usually hung out together and became known as the "twin little tyrants" in the palace. Their behavior was not just childish mischief; they were actually capable of hurting people.
Even Zhu Su, who was fond of medicine, was only slightly better than the other two. Historical records state that he later left his fiefdom without permission, disregarding the law and showing no regard for the laws of the country.
Such behavior was only befitting of a prince during the Hongwu reign, the founding dynasty of the Zhu family.
If this had happened in other periods of the Ming Dynasty, it would certainly have been a serious crime.
Empress Ma can't control this, but today Ma Wenxiang is really going to take charge.
Seeing that Zhu Shuang, Zhu Gang, and Zhu Su were frozen in place, not moving an inch, Ma Wenxiang showed no mercy and continued to shout, "Biao'er, Xiao Si, drag these good-for-nothings out. Then you can come back and study the lessons left by Scholar Song properly, without making any mistakes."
"Yes, Mother."
Zhu Biao stood up and bowed, took a deep breath, his face solemn, and he understood Ma Wenxiang's good intentions.
He had previously expressed some dissatisfaction with his brothers' behavior.
Although he was the eldest brother, he was still young, but under the arrangement of his father, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, he had already been involved in political affairs. Now, he was able to come to the main hall less and less, and had less and less contact with his other younger brothers, so there was no way to talk about strict discipline.
His mother's stern punishment at this moment was exactly what he wanted.
At this moment, Zhu Di was completely Zhu Biao's little follower. With the order from his mother, Ma Wenxiang, he immediately stood up with full confidence and dragged Zhu Shuang and the other two, who were standing in different positions in the main hall, out.
After finishing all this, he didn't dare to say anything more to the three of them and hurriedly returned to the main hall to calm down and continue copying his lessons.
For a moment, silence returned to the main hall.
All that could be heard was the rustling sound of paper turning, which was exceptionally calming.
……
Outside the main hall, in the long corridor under the eaves, Zhu Shuang remained unruly. After a moment of silence, he said without remorse, "Fine, let's go. This is what Mother Empress herself said."
Zhu Gang was frightened by Ma Wenxiang's appearance earlier, so he shrank back and eventually left with Zhu Shuang.
Only Zhu Su was somewhat well-behaved, but he lacked strict discipline, which made him seem unruly and irresponsible.
He was intimidated by Ma Wenxiang's words.
He stood quietly outside the main hall like a well-behaved child, awaiting the next punishment.
There's still hope.
Half an hour later, Zhu Biao and Zhu Di finished their homework and handed it to Ma Wenxiang, asking him for some guidance.
Looking at the articles in the book, Ma Wenxiang nodded frequently, pretending to assess their level, and then wrote down a comment.
And Anqing and Ningguo's studies are almost over.
Compared to...
His mother was actually somewhat lacking.