Light Dance Jiajing

Zai Ji had been dormant for a long time, watching Mian'er's rise to fame. Humph, when the sun is full, it will overflow. He had been waiting for the opportunity. Seeing that the two princes were becoming increasingly unwilling, Zai Ji finally found a breakthrough. He would never let it go if he could. Within a few days, a minister drafted a memorial, saying that since the eldest prince had returned to the palace, he should go to the upper study with other princes to receive the teachings of sages. The emperor did not know about the feud between Zai Ji and Mian'er, and he approved this little thing without thinking much. So when Zai Hou saw Zai Ji in the upper study, it was like a sudden blow.

Zaiji had been depressed for a long time and his health was indeed not very good. Zai'an and Zaizhen looked down on Zaiji because of his weak scholar-like appearance. In addition, he was out of favor, so they only said a few words to him when they first met and then ignored him. Zaiji seemed indifferent and didn't care at all. Only Zaihou looked at him with hatred and caution. Over time, Zai'an and Zaizhen seemed to have seen through the incompatibility between the two, and gradually became close to Zaiji and the other two. Zai'an and Zaizhen no longer called Zaiji a waste behind his back, and finally called him big brother. Only Zaihou never spoke a word to Zaiji. It was so clear-cut and his hatred did not need to be concealed.

The lecturer today is the Prime Minister Xia Yan. He is a serious person and never smiles. The four students never dare to slack off in his class. Several Taifu and Shijiang scholars are well-educated and basically do not read from the textbook. Xia Yan is the same. He has been lecturing on history these days and has brought up allusions from the Book of Jin. At this time, he asked, "Speaking of the Book of Jin, we have to talk about the literati of the Two Jin Dynasties, such as Zhang Hua, Fu Xuan, Lu Ji, Lu Yun, Pan Yue, Zuo Si of the Western Jin Dynasty, Guo Pu at the turn of the Two Jin Dynasties, Sun Chuo and Xu Xun of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and Tao Yuanming and Xie Lingyun who spanned the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasty Liu Song. Let's put the politics of the Two Jin Dynasties aside for now. Today we will only talk about poetry and prose. Your Highnesses can choose the characters you admire to comment on."

Logically, Zai Ji should have spoken first, but Zai Ji had been in the cold palace for many years, so there was no one to teach him carefully. The White Lotus Sect only took advantage of Zai Ji's status as the eldest son of the emperor, but had no intention of cultivating his literary and martial arts. Therefore, Zai Ji was in torture every day in this study. At this time, Xia Yan looked over, and he lowered his head and remained silent. Are you kidding? He had never even heard of the names that Xia Yan read out. Seeing that he was silent, Xia Yan naturally knew that he was ignorant. Every time he did this, everyone was used to it. Zai Hou sneered over, and only then did he feel deeply for Meng'er's good intentions. Although he was in the cold palace at that time, Meng'er urged him to recite books all day long. Even if he didn't understand something, Meng'er would force him to memorize it and slowly understand it. At this time, there would not be much difference between him and Zai Xian and Zai Zhen.

Zai Jian said: "Although Zhang Hua was born in the lower class, he became a meritorious official in the unification of the Western Jin Dynasty. His "Records of Natural History" is comprehensive, vivid and interesting. His poems are also quite colorful. "The breeze moves the curtains, and the morning moon shines on the quiet room." Although it is more about love and less about the wind and clouds, I like this kind of authenticity."

Zaihou said: "I prefer Fu Xuan's style. He borrowed the works of Cao Cao and Cao Pi with the same theme to rewrite the narrative. His Yuefu poems often talk about women, but they are not about love. They just lament the fate. Men have a hard time in troubled times, and women have an even harder time. Fu Xuan is good at Yuefu, but not at regulated verse. His words are implicit and gentle, without any fierce expression."

It was Zaizhen's turn. He listened to his two brothers talking for a long time. They both picked the kind of literati who were indifferent to the world. Didn't he understand what they meant? The children of the royal family all had a keen mind. As they grew up, there were constant calls for the establishment of a crown prince in the court. Their father became more and more afraid of them. The ministers who called for the establishment of a crown prince were all sent far away from the central government. The emperor's usual alienation and vigilance against them was even more obvious. Although it was just classroom gossip, it might be heard by his father and changed its meaning. So Zaizhen said tactfully: "What the two brothers said is very true, but I admire Tao Yuanming more, 'The boat sails far away, and the wind blows my clothes.' Farming and weaving for a living, the tiredness of the countryside, is really enviable. Historically, poetry and prose are all about persuasion and satire. Some people say that he is just like that, but I think this is a misunderstanding. Who would want to come out if they really enter the Peach Blossom Spring?"

Xia Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was just a casual conversation, but these kids were really cautious. It was a good thing to be like this. He was somewhat afraid of the emperor's suspicion. This emperor was indeed very suspicious.

After class, Zaihou said goodbye to his two brothers, and left with his followers without even looking at Zaiji. Zaizhen looked at Zaihou and said sourly, "We are done with get out of class, but they still have teachers to teach them." Zaihou snorted. He was calmer after all. Although he was jealous, he was not as unable to hold back as Zaizhen. Seeing the jealousy of the two of them, Zaiji wanted to laugh in his heart, but his face showed that he felt very unfair for them and said, "Although my third brother is both civil and military, he is not better than you. How did he catch the eye of the emperor?"

Zai Zhen said sarcastically: "It's because I have a good sister."

Zai Ji seemed puzzled and said, "It's understandable that the emperor dotes on his daughter, but why is it that even the concubines are alienated from him? This is really strange."

Zai'an's heart moved. What Zai Ji said was interesting. His father, who was lustful and unfaithful in the past, has now become a monk. But what does this have to do with Meng'er? Could it be that... His heart skipped a beat. Incest is a taboo. His father wouldn't have any unfaithful thoughts about Meng'er, right? Thinking about it this way, he was suspicious everywhere. No wonder Meng'er could live in the West Warm Pavilion, no wonder his father sent everyone away as soon as Meng'er went there, no wonder his father only took Meng'er with him every time he left the palace. Thinking carefully about the look his father gave Mian'er, Zai'an's face turned pale and blue. He was already thirteen years old and not an ignorant boy. He had just tasted the forbidden fruit and knew the feeling of sex between men and women. He couldn't help but become more and more suspicious that there was something unusual between his father and Mian'er. Even if he thought about it, he couldn't say it. He took a deep breath and said to Zai Ji and Zai Zhen, "Okay, let's all go. Why talk about this? If you have nothing to do, you might as well read more books." After he said that, he left with a dark face.