The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Zhuge Yunshu glanced around furtively before whispering in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear:

"In the Han Dynasty government office, there lived a high-ranking official who had ten daughters before finally having a son. After all his children grew up, this official decided to send only his son to school so that he could properly educate him..."

Unexpectedly, his son, who was very bright as a child, only knew how to play after starting school and had no interest in studying at all. This worried the father greatly, but since this son was his only precious child, he couldn't bear to scold or punish him...

Hearing this, Aunt Li nodded in empathy. Zhuge Yunshu glanced at her and continued:

"As the old saying goes, 'Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them.' This man was so worried about his only son that he grew a lot of white hair overnight... So after making inquiries from various places, he was introduced to a very famous scholar in Kyoto and obtained a valuable method for encouraging students to study."

She pronounced the words "precious daughter" with exceptional clarity.

"So expensive?" Aunt Li exclaimed in shock, her mouth agape.

She had seen the fifty taels of gold and fifty taels of silver that Lin Si Niang's family had been rewarded with, yet this one method of encouraging learning was worth a thousand taels of gold.

Thinking of this, Aunt Li's eyes lit up instantly.

The other clansmen surrounding Zhuge Yunshu and the other two were so shocked by this astonishing number that they took a step back.

Even so, we must pay even more attention to what Zhuge Yunshu is about to say.

Zhuge Yunshu looked at the scene before him, nodded in satisfaction, and then continued speaking:

"This method of encouraging learning is so valuable because it is relatively difficult to implement, and most importantly, it must be persisted with for at least three years..."

"So, did this official in the government office manage to hold on?"

"Yes, so what happened? What's the state of the man's son now?"

"..."

People often have this habit: they don't like to know the process of something beforehand, but they are eager to know the result.

The clansmen of Zhuge Village are the best example.

Zhuge Yunshu was well aware of this, and the reason she had laid so much groundwork beforehand was precisely because she was waiting for this moment.

So, he cleared his throat again and said loudly:

"Although this man suffered greatly, he persevered. Three years later, his son saw the error of his ways and passed the imperial examination for the first degree. Three years after that, his son passed the county-level examination for the second degree. And even five years later, his son passed the provincial-level examination for the third degree... This man persisted for more than ten years. Not only did his only son become successful, but all ten of his daughters also became outstanding and became his son's support..."

Actually, this method is both difficult and easy. The most important thing is whether you can change your mindset. Like this official in the government office, because he couldn't accept some of the ideas in this method of encouraging learning, he didn't see any results for a long time. It was only after many years that his son finally became successful...

However, a family that sold steamed buns in Han Dynasty folk songs, whose circumstances were far worse than those of the prefectural magistrate, overheard this valuable method of encouraging education by chance. They quietly made a fortune and implemented it quickly. In just three years, not only did their son pass the imperial examination to become a scholar, but all three of their daughters also passed. A scholar received one tael of silver and ten dou of rice per month. With one son and three daughters, this family could receive four taels of silver and forty dou of rice per month. This was far better than the couple who sold steamed buns, toiling under the sun and wind every day, earning only a few hundred copper coins a month. Moreover, this family even received praise from the prefectural magistrate…”

Zhuge Yunshu spoke at length, trying to make the villagers of Zhuge Village feel a connection to these stories. She went from high-ranking officials and nobles to ordinary merchants and common people. In short, these stories all conveyed one point: as long as this method of encouraging learning is followed, not only can sons study well, but daughters and even the whole family can bring glory to the family.

Aunt Li became increasingly excited as she listened, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, speaking urgently:

"Yun Shu, what exactly is this method of persuading students to study? Tell everyone about it."

Seeing this, the other human beings also pricked up their ears and listened carefully, afraid of missing a single word and thus using the wrong method.

Zhuge Yunshu wouldn't do as they wished so quickly, so he shrugged, looking quite troubled:

"Dear aunts, uncles, and cousins, I've thought about it. Although this method seems simple, it's actually quite complicated to implement. Perhaps you should give up on it, since it's far too difficult for you."

Zhuge Yunshu was very considerate of these clansmen.

But Aunt Li and her fellow clansmen in similar situations were extremely anxious.

"Yun Shu, how could you do this?"

"Yes, you look down on us elders so much that you haven't even said it yet, but you've already condemned us all with one blow."

"Don't you scholars always say that no matter how difficult something is, as long as you put in the effort, it's not difficult?"

"Yun Shu, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly."

"..."

Seeing their anxious expressions, Zhuge Yunshu reluctantly spoke:

"Since all of you aunts, uncles, and cousins ​​insist on this, Yun Shu can't persuade you any further... Actually, this method of persuading him to study is very simple. For example, Aunt Li, your dog doesn't just like playing; he even finds cutting pig feed more interesting than studying. So, you should steel yourself and discuss with the clan school about taking a few years off from school. During these years, he should only do one thing: cut pig feed. Make sure he cuts enough pig feed every day before you feed him..."

He doesn't like studying, right? Then you can send your three older sisters, Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister, and Seventh Sister, to school. Every time these three sisters finish their homework assigned by the clan school teacher, reward them with a fried egg or some other treat. Ideally, these rewards should be things Dog Brother likes. And you should do this in front of him. Remember, don't give in to Dog Brother's tears and give him these treats too...

"With all this stress, your dog is exhausted and hungry every day, and he's even giving his three older sisters, who were previously neglected at home, special treatment instead. Aunt Li, what do you think will happen to your dog if this continues?"

Although Zhuge Yunshu addressed the question to Aunt Li, she didn't give her a chance to speak and continued:

“He will throw a tantrum and make a scene with you. Even after he finds that this method doesn’t work, he will give in to you and promise that he will study hard at the clan school and complete the lessons assigned by the teacher when he gets home. If that happens, what will you do?”

Aunt Li opened her mouth, about to say that she would definitely agree, but Zhuge Yunshu didn't give her a chance to speak.

"That official in the government office was like that. Seeing his son unusually yield, he softened... However, the final result was not as he wished. His son only held out for a few days before reverting to his old ways..."

This is also the most difficult part of this method of persuading students to study. That great scholar said that it must be persisted for at least three years, and during this period, you cannot be soft-hearted...

Not only that, you must continue to be gentle and considerate to your three older sisters and let them continue to study at the clan school. This way, you can make Dog Brother think that the main reason he has fallen out of favor is because he did not study hard. Therefore, in order to gain your favor, he will definitely study hard in time and thus gain your approval.

...Just as that talented scholar from the capital said, in a large family, only when all the children strive for excellence will they work together towards a common goal and make the family better.

As soon as Zhuge Yunshu finished speaking, the clansmen present fell silent. Finally, Aunt Li hesitantly spoke up:

"If all the girls go to the clan school, won't all the chores at home fall on Gouzi's shoulders? He'll be so tired!"

Zhuge Yunshu: "...Sister Wuya, Sister Liuya, and Sister Qiya are so thin and weak, yet they can do these jobs. How come Brother Gouzi, who is so strong, can't do them?"

Besides, "No pain, no gain." If you don't let Gouzi suffer, how will he understand the ease of studying... Aunt Li, have you ever heard the saying, "Spoiling a child is like killing a child..."

Zhuge Yunshu then cited some examples from ancient times to the present, showing how spoiling children ultimately led to their unfortunate ends.

The villagers of Zhuge Village felt that they had heard more stories in one day than they had heard in the first half of their lives. Although there were no scary elements in them, for some reason, they still felt very frightened.

They also learned about many important events throughout history, and their feelings were quite complicated at this moment.

This can be said to have shattered their previous understanding.

It turns out daughters aren't like water spilled from a bowl; they have this other purpose—

Urging my sons to study hard...

It turns out that if you want your son to have a good life, you have to treat your daughters well first.

Even the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital do the same, so it must be true!