The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

"Grandma, did the holy monk finally obtain the true scriptures?" Kang Ge'er asked while peeling sweet potatoes.

Song Shengfu held a hand warmer and looked at the heavy snow outside the window. The snow pressed down on the red plum blossoms, the green bricks and jade tiles, which was a unique feeling.

"Of course. Finally, after going through 81 trials and tribulations, Tang Sanzang finally returned the Buddhist scriptures to Chang'an. Tang Sanzang was named the Sandalwood Merit Buddha, Sun Wukong was named the Fighting and Victory Buddha, Zhu Bajie was named the Altar Purifier, Sha Seng was named the Golden Body Arhat, and the White Dragon Horse was named the Eight Heavenly Dragons. Sun Wukong achieved enlightenment, and the golden hoop naturally fell off. From then on, the Five Saints became enlightened and shared in paradise."

Duan Chengkang anxiously took a bite of the steaming sweet potato. His mouth shivered from the burn, but he still said to Su Xia vaguely, "Sister Su Xia, please write everything down. I will go to the palace next spring and tell your brother."

When the first snow fell this year, Concubine Ning, worried that the children would be cold, told Duan Chengkang not to come to the palace for the time being, and to return to the palace at the beginning of spring next year. Therefore, Duan Chengkang now stays at home with Song Shengfu every day, pestering her to tell him stories from "Journey to the West".

Song Shengfu looked at Duan Chengkang's increasingly round face and couldn't help but feel a little disgusted. She poured cold water on him: "You can't even read a single word. Even if I wrote it down, you wouldn't be able to recognize it. And don't be disrespectful. He's the Sixth Prince."

Duan Chengkang didn't take it seriously: "It was your brother who said that. I'm half a year older than him. He calls me Brother Kang and I call him your brother. Even the Imperial Concubine agrees with it."

Since the imperial concubine didn't say anything, Song Shengfu didn't bother to dwell on the title. She just reminded him to use the honorific title in front of outsiders. Duan Chengkang also understood the slightest and nodded.

As for learning to read, it is indeed a bit troublesome. The servant named Chen Tong made a mistake and was driven out by his grandmother. Now there is no one to read to him.

Duan Chengkang thought about it again and again and finally asked Song Shengfu to find him another servant.

Song Shengfu looked at the lazy fat man, her eyes flickering slightly, and she said casually, "I heard that although the Sixth Prince is weak, he is very intelligent. Not only can he recognize many words, he can also read the history book Tongjian on his own."

Then he looked at Duan Chengkang and sighed, "You said the Sixth Prince is so powerful, but what would he do if he knew that the young man he has always admired is actually an illiterate who can't even recognize a few words?"

Duan Chengkang:?! That won't do. He told your younger brother all the new stuff he heard from Grandma when he got to the palace, and he's a huge fan now. He even invited him to read Laozi Jingyi before, but he brushed it off. If your younger brother finds out he can't read, will he look down on him and stop playing with him? Your younger brother is so smart, he'll probably prefer smart friends. What's going on?

He would have to enter the palace at the beginning of next spring, and he couldn't keep it a secret for long. No! He had to catch up now and immediately ask Song Shengfu to find him a tutor.

Duan Chengkang pitifully begged his grandmother to love him and hire a teacher to teach him how to read.

Seeing the fish had taken the bait, Song Shengfu pretended to be embarrassed and said that it was not easy to hire a teacher in the cold winter, so she would have to go in March next year. Duan Chengkang was immediately anxious. What should he do? He was so anxious that he almost cried.

Song Shengfu smiled and gave him a suggestion: "Your father has nothing to do, so go and ask him to teach you."

"Father?" Duan Chengkang's eyes and nose were a little red, and he looked at his grandmother who was sitting there with ill intentions with grievance.

"Father is not a body..." Duan Chengkang said hesitantly. Since he was a child, everyone around him told him not to disturb his father. Now he was told to let his father teach him. Duan Chengkang was actually a little moved in his heart.

Song Shengfu thought about her older son who looked pretty good. He started out only able to practice Tai Chi twice a day, but now he can practice for an hour. His body has become much stronger, and he hasn't been sick in this cold winter.

Someone was sent directly to the front yard to tell Duan Jingzong to let Duan Chengkang go to his yard every time to read and learn to read. Duan Chengkang, who was standing by, felt temporarily relieved when he saw that his grandmother had made the decision, and continued to eat chestnuts happily.

Duan Jingzong received the news in the front yard

"What? Mother asked me to teach Kang Ge'er"

In fact, since Duan Jingzong felt that his health was getting better, he no longer spent the whole day reciting poems and painting. However, he did not dare to joke with his body in the cold winter, and he did nothing every day, feeling that his life was boring.

Upon hearing about teaching his own son, Duan Jingzong's first reaction was a little surprise, but he immediately felt motivated. He had spent very little time with his son before, and although they were much closer now, he still felt a little regretful that he had not taught him personally.

Now that the opportunity had come, Duan Jingzong immediately ordered his subordinates to clean the study and prepare the enlightenment books. He even picked up the Thousand Character Classic, which he had not read for a long time, and thought about how to teach it tomorrow.

The next day, Duan Chengkang arrived at the study in the front yard on time. This was the first time Duan Chengkang entered his father's study.

A morning passed. Based on Kang Ge'er's past experience, Duan Jingzong thought that Kang Ge'er was not good at studying. However, after a morning of teaching, Duan Jingzong was surprised to find that although Kang Ge'er was not very smart, he had a very high level of understanding and a very active mind.

Duan Jingzong was not one for pedantry; his teaching philosophy and methods were innovative and dynamic. For example, when discussing the character for peace, he cleverly explained, "'An' has a roof on top and a 'woman' underneath, signifying a woman's stay at home. This signifies a peaceful and harmonious family and a woman's tranquility and elegance."

(The oracle bone script of the character "安" has a house outside, and a girl sitting in the house facing left, which means peace and comfort. "A woman's room is the center of the house" is "安". The bronze script of "安" also has a girl in the room, which is a pictograph. "安" means the country is stable and peaceful. It is only now that the modern Chinese character "安" is translated.

The oracle bone script for "An" in Shuowen Jiezi (Chinese Characters) represents the gesture of a woman walking from outside to inside, returning home to find peace. The meaning of "An" in Shuowen Jiezi is interpreted from a female perspective, implying protection for women. Later, some people extended the meaning to include restraint. Interested readers can search for the Shuowen Jiezi interpretation of "An"; teachers often explain it more clearly than I do.

As for what some babies said about being restless at home, it refers to the Book of Songs, which means having promiscuous relationships between men and women.

In the early days of ancient times, women weren't particularly harsh, but after the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming dynasties, restrictions on women gradually increased. I think the biggest problem was the over-interpretation of this by some scholars. For example, the common sayings like "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent" and "A lowly wife" are common.

Compared to traditional rote learning, Duan Chengkang clearly favored his father's lively and engaging teaching style. The morning flew by, but Duan Chengkang remained immersed in it, still wanting more.

When Song Shengfu learned about this, she thought that this eldest son had great potential to be a teacher.

Duan Chengkang would go to study every morning, and in the afternoon he would go to Song Shengfu's courtyard to listen to stories or play chess. At first, he felt fresh in the study, but then he gradually began to feel a little lazy and his old ways began to reappear.

But now Lu has no say in Duan Chengkang's education. Previously, Lu felt a little distressed after being severely reprimanded by Song Shengfu, and she dared not mention this matter in front of Song Shengfu again.

Even Duan Jingzong did not agree with Lu's idea. It was rare for them to have a fight with Lu. Lu was afraid that it would upset Duan Jingzong, so she simply stopped caring about the matter.

Seeing that no one at home depended on him, Duan Chengkang gradually got used to reading all day long. He calmed down and began to concentrate on the books without distraction, feeling like a scholar.

Seeing Kang'er's development gradually improve, Lu was filled with indescribable joy. She couldn't help but admire her mother's wisdom and foresight, and she grew more respectful of her mother-in-law. She gradually stopped interfering in Duan Chengkang's affairs.