Chapter 21 Storytelling

The Wencui Building was no longer overcrowded. In the big hall downstairs there were two or three scholars who seemed to be composing poems and flaunting it at each other. On the second floor, only Guan Suyi's and Qin Lingyun's table were left.

In her previous life, Guan Suyi was not an orthodox Confucian scholar. To be more precise, she liked to extract the essence from the hundreds school of thought, and removed the dross that did not conform to her own ideas, even the contradicting world's view. However, due to filial piety, she never revealed her true inner thoughts, and was forced to hold back for two lifetimes.

It felt really uncomfortable to accumulate words for two lifetimes and couldn't tell them, especially since she also carried a huge secret that needed to be guarded day and night. Therefore, when she suddenly encountered someone with indifference relationship but could talk to, she changed from being reticent to a chatter, pulling the two of them to talk endlessly.

At first she just said it to Qin Lingyun, but then she noticed that his personal guards were more interested in her topic and had a little knowledge of the history of Central Plains, so the addiction of being a teacher naturally appeared, and the talk became more ups and downs and unrestrained.

After revealing the truth about the renunciation system, she drank the hot tea handed over by the tall man, and continued, "In fact, there is no need to verify from elsewhere. Just based on the records in the 'Classic of History', you can see many contradictory details, so as to deduce the local style at that time. Before he took the throne, Shun was persecuted in every way by his father, stepmother, and the son of the stepmother Xiang. Since they didn't like Shun, then just live separately, why did the three of them want to force him into a dead end? Why don't you guessed the inside story?"

The tall man didn't know much about the history of Central Plains, and he thought about it for a moment and said, "Is it to fight for family property?" Most people would think this way.

"It's half right," Guan Suyi smiled lightly, "both for family property, but also for status and power. To be precise, Yao at the time was not the God Emperor, but the leader elected by many small tribes. Gusou was the chieftain of one of the small tribes. At that time, there was already a hereditary system, and it stands to reason that the position of the chief must be passed on to the eldest son. Shun was the eldest son, and he is popular among the people and had a high prestige. It would be impossible for him to pass the position of the chieftain to the incompetent and unworthy Xiang, unless Shun died accidentally. So you see, even the position of a small tribal chief were obtained by killing, and it was still a biological father who killed his child. So why would Yao be willing to practice the system of renunciation? He had long established Danzhu as the crown prince, and he was also his only di son."

"This is the reason!" The tall man was convinced.

Guan Suyi pushed the tea cup in front of him, tapped her very delicately manicured nails, he then immediately served tea with a courteous attitude.

Guan Suyi was not in a hurry to sip, she held it in her palm and turned it around twice, saying, "It's recorded in the 'Classic of History: Canon of Shun', after Shun ascended the throne, he selected and appointed worthy people, used 'eight kai' and 'eight yuan' to govern civil affairs, exiled the 'Four Evils', appointed Yu to control the floods, complete Yao's unfinished business, and support Emperor Yao to the end of his life. As long as the order of this sentence is reversed, the truth of history will be revealed. According to my great ancestor's textual research, Shun selected the "Eight Kai" and "Eight Yuan" before his succession, and the exile of the "Four Evils" was also before his succession. Only the appointment of Yu to control the floods was after his succession. When you think about it, what mystery hidden here?"

The tall man scratched his head and smiled, "What is the seniority of great ancestor?"

Qin Lingyun was choked by his unexpected answer, and Guan Suyi couldn't help but chuckle. She smiled and tapped the belly of the teapot with her fingertips, making a crisp sound.

The tall man stretched out his hands and kneaded his earlobes, smiling even more foolishly.

"The great ancestor is my Great Great Great Great Great Grandfather." Guan Suyi stretched out a palm, bending a finger every time she said the word 'Great', just like oriole's beautiful voice that was full of joy and lightness. This man of the Jiuli tribe was both studious and honest, really interesting.

"So that's it!" The man suddenly realized, and asked, "What is the mystery?"

This topic was too jumpy, one moment turned to the horizon, the next moment turned back instantly, if it weren't for Guan Suyi's quick thinking, afraid she would really be confused by him. She pointed at the man and shook her head and laughed. "The mystery is to suppress, more precisely, to kill Shun, who has a high degree of merit. Emperor Yao ordered him to remove the "Four Evils" in the hope that both would lose. Unexpectedly Shun was unscathed, and still fulfilling his mission. After his safe return, he became wary of Yao, so he began to cultivate trusted aides with the intention of usurping the throne. 'Eight Kai' and 'Eight Yuan' had noble blood but no real power, and they had been ignored by Yao for a long time, and they became the first target he wanted to win over. After taking the throne under the recommendation of many aides, he first imprisoned Yao, then exiled and forced the crown prince Danzhu to death. When he was old, he saw the prestigious Yu, and naturally thought of the past. So he also imitated Yao and sent Yu to control the floods, trying to kill people with other's knife. So you see, the same things, arranged in a different order, can come to the completely opposite conclusion."

This was the first time the tall man heard of such an ingenious remarks, and he was a little silly when he thought about it repeatedly.

Guan Suyi chuckled and sighed, "History is written by humans, so it's inevitable to bring the will of the writer. As the so-called "winner become the king and loser become the bandit", the winners will leave a good reputation forever, the losers will be stinking for thousands of years. But the real history, who can tell exactly what it looks like? Maybe these "truths" that I explained to you are nothing more than malicious speculations of future generations. But the fascinating part of history lies in this, the diligent pursuit of the truth and the unexplained doubts about it can only be a little satisfied in the midnight dream."

The tall man pondered her words carefully, and he found it interesting, he couldn't help but agree. "But I think your statement is more credible and more in line with common sense. Really worthy of Zuo Boxiong's descendant, indeed very knowledgeable."

Guan Suyi smiled without saying a word, raised the slightly cool tea to her lips and drank it, got up and said goodbye, "It's getting late, and Guan will leave first."

"Just now we talked about Yao, Shun and Yu, then let's talk about Xia, Qi, Shang and Zhou that happened next." The tall man immediately urged her to stay, his eyes full of meaning.

"If you want to know what happened next, please listen to the next breakdown." Guan Suyi picked up the small tea lid and patted it on the table lightly.

The tall man was startled at first, and then laughed loudly, but then he saw her walking a few steps and turned around, raised an index finger at Qin Lingyun, and hushed, "Today's conversation, I hope Lord Marquis Zhenxi will keep it secret for me. "

Qin Lingyun nodded slightly, and saw her flung her wide sleeves and walked along the winding stairs. The cold wind outside the window lifted a corner of the black veil, revealing a slender snow-white neck and half a small exquisite chin, a strand of dark black hair was swept into the crimson lips by the wind, gently holding it, and the tip of the pink tongue slightly exposed a little clove, as if to push it out. Only this startling glance, the ordinary details, was already touched the heart and intrigued the soul.

The tall man's simple and honest expression stiffened for a moment, and when he returned to his senses, the person had already left. Several guards hurriedly waved to shop assistant to erect the removed screen again, isolating the world.

"Guan Suyi, it turns out that this is the real Guan Suyi!" At this time, the man still had a Jiuli accent, but he spoke mandarin more fluently than the native Yanjing. He sat down with a golden sword, raised his teacup and drank, his domineering phoenix eyes slightly squinted.

If Guan Suyi was still here, afraid she would be shocked by his sudden change.

"Didn't you say before that Old Master Guan's granddaughter is just like him, also full of mouths, all the traditional virtues and sour teeth? Why the real person is not like that at all?" Qin Lingyun took out a Buddhist bead and threw it into the teacup, smiling gleefully. Even though he already had someone in his heart, he had to admit that Guan Suyi was a wonderful person who was well-informed, brilliantly knowledgeable, and very witty. It was very enjoyable and relaxing to get along with her. And this person in front of him was most fond of Han learning, and also loved to discuss Han learning with others, but unknowingly, he actually given up the considerate flower that suits him the most to others. Should he regret it now?

The tall man, that was the Emperor Sheng Yuan in the white dragon fish suit, was indeed in a subtle mood. But he was used to be tyrannical and didn't know what "regret" was. Only felt something blocking his heart for a while before returned to normal.

"I think because of filial piety, she didn't dare to speak her mind directly. Listening to what she said, she seemed to disagree with Confucianism. Guan Qiguang's granddaughter didn't like Confucianism, so funny, really funny!" Emperor Sheng Yuan wanted to laugh again and again. He was in a good mood, and ordered the guards to bring two jars of spirits and slapped the clay stopper to drink.

Qin Lingyun laughed too, and asked the shop assistant for a big bowl, slowly filling it up.

The two of them sat for a while, and suddenly saw Emperor Sheng Yuan patted the table and sighed, "No, I just forgot to invite her to come again tomorrow. If she doesn't come, when will I be able to hear the next breakdown. When you go back later, you send her a post in the name of Marquis Zhenxi, and you must invite her out."

Qin Lingyun endured and endured, but finally could not hold back, and pointed out, "Your Majesty, who are you visiting in plain clothes for? Shouldn't you have forgotten it by now?" After speaking he reluctantly took out a Buddhist bead.

"I haven't forgotten, wait until nine days later." Emperor Sheng Yuan remembered Guan Suyi's evaluation of Xu Guangzhi, and his originally not very eager to solicit intention, had faded eight or nine points. Since the Guan family had been promoted, there was no need to set another benchmark.

After the two had eaten and drunk to their heart's content they quietly return and parted ways in front of the palace gate. Emperor Sheng Yuan stepped into Weiyang Palace, ripped off his beard, revealing a resolute and stern face, Baifu and others hurriedly went up to undress him and wiped the dust off.

He quickly changed into his regular clothes and ordered someone to bring the box with the history books over. He planned to use the lamp to read at night, but after only reading two pages he found it uninteresting, it was not as exciting as Guan Suyi's dictation. In a daze, scenes of chatting with that person began to emerge in his mind, and many of the neglected details became extremely clear at this time, and they were also extremely touching.

Although he couldn't see her appearance due to the veil hat, how did she chuckle gently; how she held the teacup slowly in her palm; how she stretched out her jade-white index finger, pressed it against her lips through the black veil, and pressed it into a small indentation; and at that time when half her face was revealed by the cold wind was magnified over and over again by concentrated memories, and tasted over and over again.

Emperor Sheng Yuan unconsciously fell into fascination, but at this moment he heard a sharp voice from outside the palace, "Your Majesty, Ye Jieyu is outside asking to see you."

All the pictures that were both hidden and full of brilliant color were shattered into pieces in an flash. The empty eyes of Emperor Sheng Yuan quickly focused, and he said solemnly, "Let her come in." Then, he put aside this unfamiliar and momentarily throbbing, as if the previous indulgence and absentmindedness had never happened.

Translator's note:

The characters above, Yao, Shun and Yu, are mythological rulers or deities in very ancient China, we're talking about 2000 something BCE, that's more than four millenniums ago. All the books/records mention above are real, Classic of History or Book of Documents were credited to Confucius and his disciples, Records of the Grand Historian, Bamboo Annals, all of them were published hundreds of years Before Current Era, and they were talking about figures two millenniums older than them, which I found particularly mind-blowing. Chinese's history are profound but more than that it's well-preserved, you can find text of those thousands years old book online.

'eight kai' and 'eight yuan': according to legend it is sixteen kind, docile, and virtuous minister in ancient times.

Four Evils: 4 fierce gods in Chinese mythology, it was mentioned in several records but the contains are not the same, but it is possible the 4 evils are the chiefs of 4 tribes.

Chapter 22 Talented Woman

After Ye Zhen walked slowly into the palace, she was helped by Emperor Sheng Yuan before she could salute, and said warmly, "It's a cold day, why you don't stay in Ganquan Palace but come out instead? Be careful of catching cold."

Ye Zhen waved her hand and was about to say a few words, but suddenly coughed, and her pale cheeks were stained with a layer of crimson, which looked really pitiful. Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly pulled her onto the couch and ordered Baifu to add another brazier. After coughing for a long time, Ye Zhen finally regained her breath, saw the box placed at his feet, and smiled, "Your Majesty, are you reading a book? The candlelight is dim at night, which is not good for your eyes. Why don't this concubine help you read a few paragraphs."

"Aren't you afraid the candle light will hurt Zhen's eyes, so are you not afraid of hurting your eyes? Besides, you've been coughing for a while, you should protect your throat." Emperor Sheng Yuan took the cloak from Baifu's hand, draped it over Ye Zhen's shoulders, and put a heater into her arms.

Under the meticulous care of this person, Ye Zhen's heart was as sweet as honey, and her voice became softer, "Your Majesty has been reviewing memorials all day, and his eyes are very tired. This concubine is lying down everyday, and it seems like a crippled person, so she should study and keep her mind active. Your majesty, don't worry, if this concubines's throat is uncomfortable, she will stop."

Emperor Sheng Yuan felt sorry for her frail body and worried about her, felt it would be helpful to find something for her to do. So he handed over the 'Bamboo Annals' in his hand, "Well, just read these two pages. If you feel depressed and unhappy on weekdays, you can call your mother into the palace to talk, don't just lie down and thinking about nothing."

"Thank you Your Majesty for your compassion." Ye Zhen smiled extremely sweetly. After receiving the book, she looked at it and said in surprise, "What kind of book is this? I have never heard of it before."

"A history book, seems relatively obscure." If Guan Suyi didn't mention it, Emperor Sheng Yuan didn't know that there was such a history book. If he wanted to study history, the Central Plains scholars around him would only recommend 'Classic of History' or 'Records of Grand Historian', as if these two books were the orthodox books.

"Why doesn't Your Majesty read 'Classic of History'?" Ye Zhen only mentioned it casually, and soon opened the pages of the book to read, "Yao's last year, his virtue decline, and he was imprisoned by Shun…" After reading only a short paragraph, she shook her head and laughed, "Your Majesty, it's no wonder that this history book is so obscure, it actually distorted history."

"How do you know it distorted history? Who can tell the real history was?" Emperor Sheng Yuan asked in a deep voice.

"This is the first time that this concubine has seen such a comment in a history book. In the ancient times, resources were scarce and life was difficult. From the common people to the chief, they all had to slash and burn and drink blood to survive. What's more, the chief also needs to set an example and take the lead, life was even more difficult. The harvested food and the prey were evenly distributed according to the population, and no one would have more or less. Therefore, the world only knows what is collectively owned, and not private, and so the system of renunciation came into being. The 'Records of Grand Historian: The Chronicle of The Five Emperors' stated: 'The world's virtuous virtue all began with Emperor Yu.' This shows that in the ancient times, there were fewer disputes and practiced virtuous governance, and such a well-know thing through the ages was slandered into such an unbearable appearance, it's really annoying and hateful." Ye Zhen put down the book and sighed, "Your Majesty, the writing of historians are different from ordinary scholars. If there is a slight error or omission, they will kill the glorious years and the cognition of our ancestors for the future generations."

Emperor Sheng Yuan fixedly looked at her for a while, then smiled, "No wonder when you were in Liaodong, all the generals in the army praised you as the number one talented woman in the Central Plains. As expected, you are very knowledgeable."

Ye Zhen waved her hands to humbled herself, put the 'Bamboo Annals' into the box, and then took out a copy of 'Classic of History' to read. When she thought about it, His Majesty who advocating Confucianism, would definitely favor the works of Confucius more, and she could also make comments and show off her talents while reading. Wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone? These days, she hasn't been idle at all. All the books related to Confucianism have been thoroughly studied over and over again, she was not afraid to having nothing to talk about with His Majesty. Talking and talking, maybe she could stay in Weiyang Palace and truly become His Majesty's woman.

However, she imagined it very beautifully, but the reality was just the opposite. After only a quarter of an hour, Emperor Sheng Yuan waved his hand and said, "Zhen is tired, you go down." After the words fell he put his hand on his forehead, looking very tired.

Ye Zhen's breathing was stagnant, her expression changed into shock, but it returned to normal in just an instant, she stood up and said goodbye graciously. Walking the long way out, her mind was still reconstructing the meeting in Weiyang Palace, broke apart every word she said and shattered it into pieces. After careful consideration, she didn't find any mistakes, so she felt relieved.

At the same time, Emperor Sheng Yuan picked up the 'Bamboo Annals' she had dropped, turned to the previous page, and smiled inexplicably.

Baifu saw that His Majesty never called to lie down with concubines, even Ye Jieyu, the most beloved, could not stay overnight. Seeing that he was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, almost thirty but without heirs, he couldn't help being a little anxious, but he didn't dare to persuade him. Just euphemistically said, "Ye Jieyu deserves to be the number one talented woman in the Central Plains. This slave just didn't understand a word of what she said. Counting all over the palace, she is the only one who can converse with His Majesty, relieve fatigue and save you from being overwork and hurting your body."

Emperor Sheng Yuan turned a page and pondered, "The culture of Central Plains is extensive and profound, even the market slang reveals mystery within mystery of life wisdom. What is that saying? A bucket of water, half a bucket of water…"

Baifu said with a smile, "Enlighten Your Majesty, 'A bucket of water doesn't make a sound, half a bucket of water jingles'."

Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded, "It's exactly this sentence." At the end, there were no other words.

Bai Fu waited for a long time but there was no follow-up. He couldn't help but look up, and saw that His Majesty was focused, his face was cold, and there was no sign of being pleased. Only then did he realize later that the phrase just now was a subtle mockery of Ye Jieyu for being a half-assed talented woman.

Baifu quietly wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead, wondering to himself, did he thought wrong? How could the emperor look down on Ye Jieyu? In the whole palace, only Ye Jieyu has the most beautiful appearance, the most talented, has gentle and supple temperament, and heart as pure as orchid. If the emperor even look down on her, who else would he look up to?

While speculating wildly, he heard a lazy voice from above, "Back then, my Jiuli tribe was defeated by the Huaxia tribe. All the tribesmen were imprisoned as slaves. They shed blood and sweat only to survive. The food they planted and the prey they brought were used to worship the leaders of the Huaxia tribe. I don't know the history of your Han people, but I know the history of the Jiuli. Slaves has appear since ancient times. The tribe leaders have the most slaves, so how can they work by themselves? When the common people saved some money, the first thing that comes to mind is to buy a slave as a livestock servitude. The so-called "only know as collectively owned and not as private" has been a joke since ancient times, but some historians use their own ideas to forcibly distort history and cover up the ugly, get rid of the rotten ones, and leaving only what they think is beautiful. The so-called "winner become the king, loser become the bandit" is made aptly. History is often compiled by victors, and losers become thieves and bandits, even death cannot wipe out their crimes. "

Baifu didn't dare to speak, and the cold sweat that had just been wiped off came out again. No wonder His Majesty would ridicule Ye Jieyu, it was her words that stabbed His Majesty's sore spot. Just as the hall fell into a deadly silence, there was a burst of light laughter from the top, "What Zhen said to you, you wouldn't understand. Search the works of the Zuo family, Zhen want to look."

"The Zuo family?" Bai Fu was frightened just now, his mind couldn't turn around for a while.

"Zuo Boxiong that Zuo family." Emperor Sheng Yuan's tone was slightly impatient.

"Ah, Zuo! Zuo from a family of historians!" Bai Fu suddenly realized, and hurriedly stick out his butt to rummaged the box.

Guan Suyi returned to the Marquis Mansion to catch up with dinner. After Mingfang set the dishes, she said mysteriously, "Miss, just after you left the mansion, the next moment Liu shi came here. First, she went to see the injured young master, she bawl a lot, and then brought lord marquis to the side to talk. This servant did not dare to approach, just vaguely heard a few words, saying something like 'sister-in-law', 'taking concubine', 'dowry', 'don't worry' and so on. Miss, does the Ye family want to send a daughter in here to be a concubine for lord marquis?"

Mingfang was not stupid, on the contrary, she was too smart, so her heart would become bigger and bigger. Guan Suyi glanced at her appreciatively and smiled, "Take concubine then just take concubine, I will accept them all."

Mingfang looked shocked, however just when she was about to give strong advise, she heard the voice of little maid from outside, saying Lord marquis and the eldest miss were here, and they wanted to have a meal with madam. Guan Suyi hurriedly asked Mingfang to go to the kitchen to pass a few more dishes, and repeatedly told her to cook a pot of turtle soup.

Mingfang couldn't compute, so she had to go with head full of thoughts.

The dishes were quickly prepared, and the three of them put on a happy appearance of persuading each other to eat. After a long talk, Zhao Luli came to the point, "I heard from my mother, she has given you the dowry left by Zhen…my late wife? Xi'er will soon started discussing marriage, why don't you give the dowry to her? So that she can practice her hands early."

Of course it could be handed over to Zhao Chunxi, but it couldn't be too straightforward, lest Zhao Chunxi would come and cry to ask for help in the future because of her poor management, and it would not end well, but instead, like in her previous life she would be accused of unwarranted crimes. How to deal with this dowry, Guan Suyi already had rules in mind, so she smiled, "The dowry belongs to Xi'er, so she should take care of it herself. But mother left it to me to take care of it, and she trusted my performance. If something goes wrong, I will not be able to explain it even with ten thousand mouths. I can give Xi'er the dowry list first. If she is not at ease, she can take someone to the warehouse for inspection now. However, before the official handover, I have to take the liberty to ask, does she know how to do arithmetic, how to look at the accounts, examine the accounts, and how to manage subordinates? Does she know how to inspect the quality of goods, measure the price difference of goods in various places, and estimate the profit and loss?"

Zhao Luli didn't understand it, so how could his daughter? For the treatment of this child, who was eight point similar to Ye Zhen, it could be said that he devoted everything he could to cultivate according to Ye Zhen's model. Therefore, when she was thirteen years old, she only knew zither, chess, calligraphy and painting, and knew nothing about common affairs. His cheeks flushed, his eyes wandered, and he was speechless for a while.

Zhao Chunxi was very unconvinced, and was about to refute, when Guan Suyi brought out an exquisite little abacus, and slowly said, "One plus one, plus two, plus three, add up to ninety-nine, you can calculate it for me. If you can calculate correctly, I will immediately asked people to carry the dowry to your courtyard. If added wrongly, from today onwards you will follow me to learn about management and central feeder. This dowry list, the old madam has a copy, your maternal family should have a copy. Now I will make three more copies, and we will each have one. So you can rest assured that I will not take any advantage of your Ye family."

Zhao Luli was embarrassed by her frank remarks, and hurriedly explained. "Madam misunderstood…" And Zhao Chunxi was holding the abacus, her fingertips trembled.

Guan Suyi raised her hand to interrupt the other person, with a very cautious tone, "Don't secretly complain that I take the belly of a gentleman with the mind of villain. I am not a villain, but I'm also afraid of being misunderstood, especially his kind of terrible misunderstanding of coveting the previous madam's dowry. I am the second wife, originally has to walk with difficulty, if I make a mistake, I will be criticized in the Marquis Mansion, furthermore the Guan family will also be discredited. Guan family is now the example of morality and learning of the world, a model of virtue, the white jade without flaw, and cannot be defiled. Therefore, I care about my words and actions more than you, and I understand the principles of self-denial and courtesy, and being kind to others."

Zhao Luli became more ashamed and couldn't even lift his head.

Guan Suyi didn't look at him, tapped on the table, and whispered, "Let's start the calculations."

Zhao Chunxi deeply felt that every time she came to Guan Suyi, she was humiliating herself. She determined she would be fully prepared the next time she come.

central feeder: it has 3 meanings:1- manage all matters of the family's meals, 2- to manage daily necessities including daily expenses, 3- is to manage the concubines and maids in the house.

I take the belly of a gentleman with the mind of villain: to use the despicable thoughts to speculate the mind of decent people.

Chapter 23 Merchant Woman

The Qin Dynasty destroyed six states and unified the world. What they pursued was Legalism ideology, and Legalism emphasized on agriculture and massive military force, but suppressed the development of business. Furthermore Confucian scholars, school of diplomacy, sword-wielding people, deserted soldiers and business people, these five categories were called five beetles, and the Legalist were extremely capable of despising and suppressing them.

After the demise of the Qin state, it experienced hundreds of years of disputes. The feudal states all followed the example of the first emperor, intending to reform the law and strengthen the army, then unify the world, so they also pursued the militarist idea of emphasizing agriculture and heavy military. Gradually, the merchants who were originally low-ranking, turned into the lowest existence of Nine Streams, and sometimes, even inferior to the servants of other noble families.

The Ye family accumulated a lot of wealth by reselling war materials, and they wanted to take a shortcut and quickly squeeze into the upper class. It was obviously not feasible for their descendant to marry women from noble families, but there was still some hope for their daughters or granddaughters to marry into high gate families. Therefore, whenever there was a beautiful woman in the clan, the head of Ye family would spend great efforts to cultivate them, hoping to hoard it like Lu Buwei, and sell it at a price.

Ye Zhen had won the favor of the head of the family with her beautiful appearance, and since she was a child, she had been prepared to marry into a high family. In terms of scheming, means, and talents, she was not lacking in everything. However, the merchant family had limited vision after all. They only knew how to teach zither, chess, calligraphy, painting and seduction methods. They didn't know that the only thing a real noble family mistress should learn was to take charge of central feed, and the rest were just embellishments, not essential.

The daughter of Ye family could only become a concubine, female entertainer, or even fell into prostitution was like fish back in the water. But Zhao Luli liked that kind of woman, and didn't notice anything wrong, so he taught his daughter to be another Ye Zhen.

At this time Guan Suyi was supporting her cheek with one hand and smilingly stared at Zhao Chunxi who was at a loss. She wanted to know, without her guidance and correction in this life, what kind of path would Zhao Chunxi open up? Was it still possible to obtain the title Lady of the Third Rank, with income of five thousand households? Could she still marry into the imperial clan, with the same impressive condition?

Zhao Chunxi had never touched such a thing as an abacus, and had absolutely no idea what the beads on top and the beads on the bottom represented. But she didn't want to admit defeat, and she didn't want to show her timidity, so she had to bite the bullet, but only push until "plus three" and couldn't continue.

At this time, the world was beginning to settle. After hundreds of years of war and plight, people's only thought was to survive. Where would they be in the mood to attend school and learn to read, let alone study arithmetic. Even those merchant giants who have been traveling doing business outside all year round, their ability to settle accounts was limited to a small amount, and a little more, such as counting the number of arrows, horses, army provisions, etc., would need to call dozens or even hundreds accountants who were proficient in this matter, could only be determined by reviewing it day and night.

From one to ninety-nine, not only was it an unimaginable number for Zhao Chunxi, but even if the head of Ye family was brought over, afraid wouldn't be able to calculate it in a short while. She repeatedly scratched the beads, her expression gradually changed from pretending to be calm to grievance and pain, her eyes were red, and she seemed to be about to cry. It's too hard, it's really too hard, Guan Suyi is deliberately making her look ugly!

Zhao Luli's heart was so painful that he was about to open his mouth to intercede, but then Dou shi, Zhao Chunxi's wet nurse that was standing by the side, said indignantly, "Madam, this servant came from Ye family and has a lot of knowledge. Our Ye family's shop are spreads all over the world and the money exchanges is very huge, even then there is no need to count such a huge number in one day. Naturally, there will be accountants below. Our miss will marry into high gate family in the future, there will be a group of servants bellow, and there will be efficient stewards working outside, there is no need to bother with these mundane affairs. If you don't want to return the dowry, just say it, why bother to humiliate her."

Zhao Chunxi burst into tears, looking at Guan Suyi with disbelief and aggrieved eyes, as if silently complained that she harbored unfathomable motives like the wet nurse said.

Zhao Luli was secretly angry with Guan Suyi when he heard that even his father-in-law didn't need to touch this damn abacus.

Guan Suyi glanced at Dou shi, and said calmly, "The Ye family is indeed a family of merchants, and the vision is really…" She paused and sighed, "let's not say it. Comparing a family of merchants and family of officials, it's no wonder that the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion has been chaotic and stormy in the past. They said that the subordinates follow the example of their superiors, but your Marquis Mansion is very interesting, it actually doing the opposite. Instead of imitating the legacy of famous scholars and noble qualities, on the contrary bent over and succumbed to the lowest of the nine streams. I said why Xi'er and Wangshu are so old and still don't understand anything, turns out the root cause is here."

Zhao Chunxi and Dou shi were most afraid of others talking about the Ye family's status, they couldn't help but look at each other. Zhao Luli was also respected his wife family very much, at this time, he was also very angry, and said sternly, "Guan Suyi, you must have some morals! Before, who said that we should get rid of the prejudice of blood and caste, and get along in harmony. And who has repeatedly humiliated the Ye family for this reason? That is Xier's maternal family and my late wife's family. It's not the lowest of the nine streams as you say."

"Whether or not it's the lowest of the nine streams, what I say doesn't count, what you say doesn't count, it's what the world says that count. You can get out of the mansion's gate, grab a common man on the street, and ask to see if the merchant is the lowest of the nine streams. If he says I'm wrong, I will go to Ye Mansion to apologize immediately."

Guan Suyi slowly blew the hot tea and said in a soft voice, "For you, The face of your late wife and Ye Mansion is very important, but to me, the future of the two children is the most important. You follow Ye Mansion in everything, but I cannot agree. Ye Mansion is very rich, Ye Mansion has shops all over the world, Ye Mansion has no shortage of accountants, I know all these things, but it belongs to Ye Mansion. Does it have anything to do with Xi'er? Yes, Xi'er is indeed going to marry a high-ranking family in the future, and there must be a lot of servants and stewards to serve. But then you can sit back and relax and enjoy the wealth of your life? High-ranking womenfolk, it's not as simple as you think."

She lowered her eyes and sighed, "Xi'er probably has not learned anything except the Four Arts over the years. Speak too deeply and thoroughly she also doesn't understand it. And lord marquis is a the dignified man who doesn't know the internal affairs of the house. I will give a simple example, it was said that the former dynasty court official Ji Xiang was not defeated in the court battle, rather in his madam's hand. Do you know the inside story?"

"Only vaguely heard of it, but doesn't know the inside story." Zhao Luli was so irritated by her unhurried, neither too fast not too slow attitude, that he could only reply in a muffled voice.

Zhao Chunxi wanted to rush over and cover Guan Suyi's mouth, but had to hold back desperately. As long as she opened her mouth, all the plan of others would be in vain, which seemed to have become a norm.

Guan Suyi chuckled inexplicably and said, "Ji Xiang was fascinated by a beautiful merchant's daughter, so he divorced his original wife and married the merchant woman. After the original wife left, the steward who was loyal to her fiddled with Ji Mansion's accounts to take revenge on the merchant woman. Consistently, a dignitary family has a routine to follow in human relations, who is close and who is alienated, which one on top that should be flattered, and which subordinates that should be roped in. How many red envelopes, antiques, jewelry and jade artifacts should be given to someone during the New Year's Festival, and they can't be added or changed at will, let alone cut it out. The steward presented the account book as usual after the madam passed the door, but it was actually altered. Those who should be given generous gifts become thin gifts, and those who should be given thin gifts were directly erased. And that merchant woman, because of her "family background", was used to digging the money and haggle over every ounce, she actually made assertion to reduce the gift list, which was already much thinner, by 30%. So without Ji Xiang's knowledge, he offended his relatives, superiors, and subordinates at the same time. His relatives secretly blamed him for being unfilial, his superiors secretly blamed him for being disrespectful, and his subordinates secretly blamed him for being ruthless. The result, even I don't say it, you should know."

Ji Xiang was a poor man, he worked hard to become the deputy prime minister, and was finally impeached by his subordinates for 36 counts of dereliction of duty, embezzlement, treason, etc. None of his relatives and superiors stood up for him, and all his subordinates throw the stones at him, to the point that Ji Xiang, who was not guilty of death, was sentenced to be beheaded. His rise and fall had become hot topics among people at the time. Before his death, he cursed his second wife incessantly, bluntly said that he would never marry a merchant woman in the next life, which also added a bit of legend to this tragedy. So later generations speculated that the reason why he ended up in a different place should be related to that second wife, but the specific details were unknown.

After that issue, the merchant women were few and far between, and they were always criticized. Fortunately, the previous dynasty perished and the war began.

Guan's family always kept their hands clean and did not like to talk about bad things, but Guan Suyi's grandmother, Zuo Dingxiang, was a historian and especially loved to explore the urban legends. Under her careful teaching and immersion, not to mention the old news of the previous dynasty, even the palace secrets that went back for thousands of years, Guan Suyi also knew a lot about it.

As soon as she said the word "Ji Xiang", Zhao Chunxi thought of the man's scolding towards the merchant woman, and her already ugly face became paler. Zhao Luli glimpsed many arcane truth from it, and couldn't help but ponder.

Guan Suyi tapped the tabletop with her fingertips, making a regular tapping sound, looked left and right at the expressions of the father and daughter, and continued, "A little trick in the back house is enough to overthrow a powerful official, so there is the ancestor's legacy that say 'marry a wife, marry a virtuous person', there is also a market slang saying 'to marry a virtuous wife, the husband have few misfortune, and the son is filial to his father'. Looking at the accounts, examine the accounts, settle the accounts, dealing with human relations are the skills that the mistress and the matriarch need to master. Of course, you can drive your servants to do it, but how can you guarantee that you will not make mistakes and not be fooled when you yourself only know a little? If you think that by letting you learn arithmetic and central feed, I have tarnished your loftiness and damaged your pride, then I will return the dowry to you immediately, and you can just take care of it yourself."

As she spoke, she took the abacus from Zhao Chunxi's hand and fiddled with it quickly. In the whole room there was only a crisp sound of beads hitting each other, but after a while, could hear her say, "From one to ninety-nine, the answer is four thousand nine hundred and fifty, is it difficult to count? Besides, there is an easier way, add the two numbers, multiply by ninety-nine and then halve the number…" After writing the deduction process one by one on the paper, she circled the answer with a brush, and sighed earnestly, "Zither, chess, calligraphy and painting can only be used to cultivate sentiment. To really run the family, you also have to learn some strong skills. The matriarch and mistress, internally must be able to teach their children, serve their parents-in-law, and take care of common affairs; externally, they should assist their husbands and participate in social functions. The matter of inviting pampering and flattery, only lowly concubines will do things like that. Those people, which of them is not proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy and painting? Wouldn't it be self-defeating to compare with them?"

Looking at Zhao Luli being embarrassed and Zhao Chunxi dying of shame, Guan Suyi made a concluding remark, "I always think about the two children, but I didn't expect that in lord marquis' eyes, I became a person with ulterior motives. I don't mean to look down on the Ye family, but it's better not to bring the Ye family's education into the Marquis Mansion. People come, push Dou shi down and give her fifty rods, to teach her what respecting superiors means. When the mistress spoke, she as a servant dare to point finger and slandering out of thin air. What if she follow the eldest miss to her husband's house in the future? I am the madam of Zhao's family, and I can still tolerate one or two, but how can others be merciful? At that time, people will not say it, but secretly remember the eldest miss in their hearts. Over time, the relationship between husband and wife, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and children's relationship will be damaged. How can there be a happy life at all."

The rough old woman outside the house ran in immediately and pushed the frightened Dou shi down.

Zhao Chunxi was still immersed in Guan Suyi's seemingly earnest teachings, but in fact, extremely derogatory words, when she came back to her senses, she heard her father shout sharply, "Almost ruined Xi'er's life, fifty is not enough, add thirty! After listening to madam's words, I am really enlightened. If you don't tell me, I really don't know what will happen to Xi'er when she gets married in the future. I don't know the inner house affairs, my mother is old and frail, and her energy is limited, in the future still need madam to take trouble. I was the one who made a blunder before, madam please do not blame. To be able to marry madam, indeed is my blessing of three lifetime, and it's also Xi'er and Wangshu's deep fortune…"

Zhao Chunxi could no longer hear the following words of sincere apology, because the emotions of shame, anger, powerlessness, fear, and unwillingness were violently churning in her heart. Even if she hated the sharp-tongued Guan Suyi, she had to admit that what the other person said made sense. She almost, just a little bit, wasted her whole life by her daddy's teaching. Of course, she couldn't agree with all of Guan Suyi's point of views. Who said that only a lowly concubine would do it? Didn't my mom climb to high position of Jieyu with those skills? In the future, who will be noble and who will be low, and who will lose and who will win, is still unknown.

Guan Suyi only glanced at Zhao Chunxi and could guess what she was thinking, probably took Ye Zhen's bad things to comfort herself. That's right, Ye Zhen really got ahead, but so what? Jieyu was just a concubine after all. Zhao Luli was so dedicated and infatuated with her, and became a good Marquis madam would not do, but ran to compete with hundreds of women for a man, indeed has water in the brain.

However, everyone has their own aspirations. Guan Suyi would not care about Zhao Chunxi's actions or mistakes in this life, if she couldn't be happy and liked to toss around, just let her go. Anyway, what should be said had been said, what should be done had been done, and the reputation of virtuous character had also been earned, that was enough.

Nine Streams: emperors, sages, hermits, immortals, scholars, warriors, farmers, workers, merchants.

Lu Buwei: a merchant in qin state during warring states period, through bribes and machinations succeeded in helping king Zhuang xiang become the heir apparent to the qin throne.

Chapter 24 Until We Meet Again

Zhao Chunxi originally came to ask for a dowry, but didn't expect she would be belittled by her stepmother. How could she be happy? She seldom mentioned her mom in front of her daddy, but because she was really angry in her heart, after thinking about it and thinking about it, she still retorted, "Mother don't look down on my maternal family, now Jieyu niangniang who is in charge of the sixth palace has surname Ye, and she is the sister from the same mother of my mom.

Zhao Luli thought that his daughter knew nothing about his wife's identity. Hearing her mention Ye Zhen in a proud tone, his heart ached.

Guan Suyi picked up a thin porcelain bowl the size of a palm, slowly scooped the turtle soup, she said slowly, "Your aunt have saved the emperor's life, this is her good fortune, otherwise, based on the Ye family's status, she will never be able to enter the palace. Such good luck is rare, you just have to look at it, don't take it seriously. Let's discuss our marriage and married in an upright manner, don't covet those undeserved wealth and honor." When the words fell, she handed the bowl to Zhao Luli, and said softly, "Lord Marquis, drink the soup. "

"Thank you madam. "Zhao Luli's voice was hoarse and his face was gloomy, obviously stabbed in his sore spot. Yes, if it wasn't for his father and mother coveting the undeserved wealth, how could he and Zhen'er have separated? If his daughter was fascinated by the power of the imperial family, and determined to plant herself in, how would their mother and daughter get along in the future?

Clenching his fist hard, Zhao Luli said sternly, "Don't talk about your aunt. Your aunt married into the palace, that is the blessing of your aunt and the Ye family, and has nothing to do with us. All you have to do is follow your mother to learn how to run the family, in the future, you can find a steady and reliable husband from the right household and live a steady life."

Zhao Chunxi rarely saw his father's stern expression, so she couldn't help being frightened, and nodded quickly in agreement, her eyes were slightly red.

Guan Suyi tucked the falling hair on her cheek to the back of her ear, as if affectionate, "Okay, don't be sad, I'm just saying a few words for your own good, otherwise I might as well not mention anything and let your daddy make a mess. Your dad doesn't understand anything, and it almost delayed your future. If you follow me in the future, I will teach you. The world's requirements for women are inherently harsh, not to mention the mistress and matriarch who are responsible for the family's reproduction and prosperity. Among virtue, speech, performance, and appearance. Virtue ranks first, it means being upright and establishing the foundation; speech and performance, one is to be cautious in words and deeds, and the other is the way of running a family, which also includes the husband and the children, serving the elders, increasing income and reducing expenditure and so on; appearance ranked last, but it does not mean beautiful appearance and good looks, but more dignified and sophisticated, calm and broad. So you see, there are so many things you need to observe here, and there is enough for you to learn before you get married."

Zhao Chunxi felt her whole body numb from her cool fingertips, but she couldn't evade in front of her father. Those words were all for her own good. If she showed any disgust or grievance, it would seem that she didn't know what was good for her, so she could only bite the bullet and expressed her gratitude.

Zhao Luli saw that the two of them were "get-along" well together, and his gloomy expression was gradually replaced by relief. At this moment, Zhao Wangshu walked in reluctantly and said in a muffled voice, "Mother, are you looking for me?"

"School is over?" Guan Suyi waved at him, "Come and have dinner together."

Zhao Wangshu hesitated for a moment, and finally sat down beside his sister.

Guan Suyi personally served him a bowl of rice and smiled, "In the future you will come to me after school to have meal. After dinner, I will help check your homework and practice calligraphy with you. You can rest after two hours."

"What? Practice calligraphy for two hours?" Zhao Wangshu cried out in fear, when he met his father's sharp eyes, he hurriedly swallowed all the words of protest, his face turned blue.

"Madam is willing to teach you personally, that's your good fortune. Follow along in the future, don't be lazy. I'm ashamed to say, if it wasn't for Madam to wake me up, I would have educate you badly, but fortunately it's not too late to correct it now. Madam, in the future, they will trouble you to tune and teach, if any one is disobedient, directly give the family law and no need to ask me." Nowadays Zhao Luli calling the word madam very smoothly, and even felt very happy and fearful in his heart. If Guan Suyi hadn't married into the Marquis Mansion, in a few years Xi'er would get married, and Wangshu would become adults, but didn't know where the road ahead lead them.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt gratitude and admiration for Guan Suyi, and he gradually became more obedient.

Guan Suyi hurriedly waved her hand to deny, said that the two children were not bad by nature, with smart minds, and they would have great potential in the future.

Zhao Chunxi and Zhao Wangshu were extremely aggrieved in their hearts, but they did not dare to disobey, had no choice but to agree. After dinner, the few people went to the study together, there was one who practiced calligraphy, there was on who painted, there was one who watched from the sidelines. They looked happy and harmonious. But when it was time to go to sleep, Zhao Luli left with the excuse to send the two children, and in the end hid himself, making Guan Suyi very satisfied.

"Miss, why doesn't lord marquis ever consummate marriage with you? Is he have any hidden disease? How about this servant help you to inquire?" Mingfang said with a blushing face as they walked away.

"How are you going to inquire?" Guan Suyi soaked the used brush in the brush tub, and watched the ink balls change shape in the water. Minglan glared at Mingfang behind her back, and silently scolded "sassy wench" with her mouth, which made Guan Suyi chuckled.

"This servant is thinking…" Mingfang was about to fool her mistress, but she heard the voice of steward woman from outside, "Madam, just now Marquis Zhenxi Mansion deliver a post, please take a look."

"Marquis Zhenxi Mansion?" Guan Suyi took the post and glanced at it a few times. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. It was actually sent by Qin Lingyun's sister-in-law, Li shi, who invited her to gather at Wencui Building tomorrow. Guan Suyi felt pity for this woman who had fate worse than her, and if possible, wanted to help her get rid of the tragedy of the previous life. Of course, she wouldn't get involved with the other people's emotional drama, just tell her to stay away from her clansmen.

After writing a reply and changing into her bedclothes, she occupied the large bed with peace of mind and fell asleep.

The next day, the Wencui Building was still full of guests. Qin Lingyun and his sister-in-law, Li shi, sat in the original position, looking forward to it. Emperor Sheng Yuan was still dressed as a bodyguard. His height of nearly nine feet tall and strong figure made him stand out among the weak scholars.

"She said she would definitely come today?" The deep and rich voice suppressed the surrounding noise.

Qin Lingyun squeezed the purse around his waist, his expression melancholy. Li shi gave him a distressed look and answered on his behalf, "Madam marquis replied yesterday and said that she will definitely come. The Guan family made a heavy promise and will never break it."

Emperor Sheng Yuan responded faintly, walked to the railing and looked down. Xu Guangzhi was sitting and talking with the Jiuli noble who sponsored him to hold the Ten Days Battle of Words. Old Master Guan and Father Guan had not yet arrived, they might be delayed by something.

He paced back and forth a few steps, and seemed a little anxious. He was about to order the dark guard to go to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion to inquire some news, when he saw a slim figure walking in slowly. The goose-yellow ruqun was covered with plain white cotton coat. The wide sleeves were embellished with raw edge circles, which revealed a bit of playfulness and agility in the elegant. A veil hat was covering her face, and after being blown by the wind the black gauze was tightly attached to the face, outlining a few delicate and beautiful arcs.

From the graceful ups and downs, it was not difficult to see the smooth forehead, the upturned nose bridge and the soft lips, and it was precisely because of this vaguely visible mysterious feeling that made people want to see more and more. Emperor Sheng Yuan's pupils shrank slightly, and after watching for a while, he suddenly came back to his senses, walked behind Qin Lingyun and stood still, pretending that he was just a bodyguard.

Guan Suyi went up the stairs, smiled and greeted Marquis Zhenxi and Li shi, and was about to take off the veil hat, but Minglan, who was disguised in a man clothes, tugged her sleeves twice, and reminded in a low voice, "Miss, Old Master and Master are here!"

The black veil that was lifted immediately dropped down again, not only that, but Guan Suyi also swiftly walked around behind the strong man of the Jiuli tribe and said with a smile, "Help blocking me, I don't know how angry my family will be if they see me hanging out with your lord marquis."

At this time the Legalists and the Confucians were fighting fiercely, and Marquis Zhenxi was the leader of the Legalism scholars, so it stands to reason that Guan Suyi should not be involved with him.

Emperor Sheng Yuan felt an unfamiliar aura approaching, and the vigilance developed over the years from the battles made him straighten his back immediately and gripped the handle of his knife. Then there was a feeling similar to thorns on the back, but there was no sense of crisis, it slowly seeping into the pores to the depths of the bone marrow, making the skin on the side close to the woman felt numb. Vaguely, he smelled a fragrance, not the precious spices used by concubines in the harem, but a faint smell that could only be acquire by immersing in pen and ink and books all year round. It was easily overlooked, but once caught, you would indulge involuntarily.

He secretly took a deep breath, but when Old Master Guan and Father Guan looked over, he took the initiative to shift a step, covering the woman behind him even more tightly. The two did not recognize him, and soon joined a group of famous scholars to converse.

Guan Suyi hid for a while, and asked in a low voice, "Did they not find me?"

"No, Madam, please sit down." Emperor Sheng Yuan's voice was a little hoarse. After she sat, he released the grip on the knife and stroked his itchy back with his backhand. The faint aroma was gone, leaving his mind blank for a moment, but this moment was too short, without noticing it was forgotten.

In big hall on the first floor, Xu Guangzhi and a Legalist walked up to the high platform together, and each picked up a brush and wrote two lines of characters—human nature is inherently good, and human nature is inherently evil. Legalism and Confucianism these two school were opposed with each other in many points of view, as if they were natural enemies and incompatible with each other. The good or evil of human nature was another highly controversial argument, and it was also a difficult problem for scholars from both Legalism and Confucianism to argue for hundreds of years, but they still could not decide the winner or loser.

Despite deliberately pretending to be a pitiful in front of his sister-in-law, when Qin Lingyun saw this topic, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Xu Guangzhi is so brave!" He frowned and took out a Buddhist bead from his purse.

"Is this question difficult?" Li shi, who was from the countryside, only roughly knew a few characters. She could read accounts and manage the household, beside that not a single character.

"It's very difficult. From ancient times to the present, scholars of the two schools have never determined the winner. Even if I go up, I'm not sure I can refute Xu Guangzhi. Of course, it would be difficult for him to refute me too. Legalism understands the evil of human nature best, and Confucianism understands the goodness of human nature best. We can cite hundreds of arguments at will, so we can never distinguish which one superior or inferior." Qin Lingyun took out three Buddha beads and put them into the tray placed by the side.

Guan Suyi shook her head and sighed, "This is a false proposition, what's there to argue about? It's really a waste of time." She got up, intending to leave.

"Madam, why do you say this is a false proposition? Please advise." The Jiuli man standing behind Marquis Zhenxi asked in stammering (ancient) mandarin, his deep eyes flashing with the look of seeking knowledge.

Guan Suyi was nurtured by old master Guan, and since childhood, she was infected with the problem of being a "good teacher". She couldn't stand this expression the most. She tilted her head to think about it, and sat back again. When she bent her white fingertip and flicked the rim of the cup, the meaning was self-evident. The Jiuli man hurriedly walked over to serve tea, his every move was well coordinated, and there was even a faint smile in his eyes.

Translator rambling: in historical Chinese novel I often find the height of the male character to be nine-feet long, if we use the modern measurement then it will be extremely tall, turns out the length of 'foot' in each dynasty can be different, but I think in most case nine feet tall should be 2 meters tall.

Chapter 25 Pick-up Treasure

A nine-foot-tall man standing right across from you, staring with eyes full of curiosity, especially his pupils are still light blue, which looks very distant and pure. This picture made Guan Suyi's heart softened. The Guan family was a family of literary giants and also an educational family. They had always adhered to the principle of teaching without distinction. As long as have a heart of eagerness to learn and seek truth, they were willing to teach others regardless of their status.

Therefore, in the face of this rough man who was almost reaching thirties, but couldn't even speak Han language very smoothly, Guan Suyi was also willing to exchange knowledge with him, and even share everything she knew. She raised her eyebrows pondering, trying to find the easiest way to express her opinion.

Emperor Sheng Yuan held the teapot and leaned slightly to look. His focused eyes seemed to want to penetrate the thin black veil to see the true face of the beauty. Qin Lingyun coughed first, seeing that he couldn't call back His Majesty's mind, he had to wink at his sister-in-law.

Li shi said with a smile, "Hunnar, don't block Madam's sight, sit down."

"Thanking Madam." Emperor Sheng Yuan saluted in a dignified manner, then sat down in reserved manner, and still looked restlessly at Guan Suyi.

Guan Suyi raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "Hunnar, the light of the temple. It's a good name, your parents must have high expectations for you."

Qin Lingyun showed a surprised expression, and even Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned for a moment. Asked, "Do you know Jiuli language?"

"My grandmother is Zuo Dingxiang." Guan Suyi replied politely.

Emperor Sheng Yuan suddenly said, "If we're talking about knowledgeable people, no one in this world can compare to historians."

"Yes, no matter which school, which great man, which book, as long as they leave a trace in history, they all will be like enumerating one's family treasure." Guan Suyi smiled heartily, obviously liked the indirect compliments of the Jiuli strong man for her grandmother. She pointed out at the topic board downstairs with her fingertips and continued, "Didn't you just ask me why today's proposition is a false proposition?"

"Yes, I think human nature should be evil. Otherwise, why is it easy to learn bad things, but difficult to be good? Why do we always have to use severe punishments and laws to restrain people's behavior, and once the legal system is in chaos, the social atmosphere will also be in chaos." Emperor Sheng Yuan looked over with a burning gaze. He highly praised Legalism thought, and naturally also agreed with the view that "human nature is inherently evil". He was curious how Guan Suyi would answer.

Qin Lingyun also looked serious and waited solemnly.

Guan Suyi was worried that Hunnar wouldn't understand too profound Han language, so she asked the shop assistant for a few white papers and a set of four treasures of the study, unhurriedly spread them out .

She picked up a blank piece of paper and said slowly, "People don't understand anything when they were just born, their brains are like this blank piece of paper, completely empty, it's the simplest and most harmless thing. At this time, they do not distinguish between good and bad, so there is no good or evil in human nature. In the process of growing up, children will come into contact with different people and different environments, some are comfortable, some are sinister, so they are painted with various kind of color and become a variety of people. Good people have dark thoughts, evil people have bright sides, and most people are neither good nor bad, just somewhere between them. In fact, what is the nature of human beings, Confucius and Gaozi have already answered."

As she spoke, she drew on two sheets of paper, and with just a few strokes, she vividly drew the Rakshasa evil spirit and the smiling face Bodhisattva. Just as she said, white paper was white paper, and only because it was painted by human that it could make people feel hate and joy.

Emperor Sheng Yuan stared at her exposed jade-white wrist in a trance, and didn't speak for a long time. In the end, Qin Lingyun couldn't stand it any longer and asked, "Didn't you say that human nature does not distinguish between good and evil, it's just a blank piece of paper? So why make a note of human nature?"

Guan Suyi put down the brush, slowly dried the ink, and whispered, "Confucius said in the "Book of Rites": 'food and drink, men and women (relationship), are people's great desires to survive' ,Gaozi also said: 'Appetite and lust are only natural'. It can be seen from this that human nature cannot be without these two words "food" and "sex". Food is for survival, and sex is for reproduction, which are the most basic needs of human beings. In order to survive, no matter how kind people are, they will do evil things like exchange children for food when they are extremely hungry; In order to reproduce, even the most vicious people will give up hope of life and use their lives to protect the safety of their children. One eats their children, and the other sacrifices their lives to save their children. The choice between the great evil and the great good is that the former takes their own survival more seriously, the latter take reproduction of their clan more seriously. It can be seen that the motivation that really drives a person to do good and evil is always unrivaled. In a peaceful and prosperous world, when the people are well fed, warmly clothed, and live well, there are naturally many people who do good deeds; In the midst of raging war, people didn't know when they ate their last meal, and in order to survive, there are many people who burn and loot, escape into the woods to become bandits. The purpose of Legalist and Confucian on labeling human nature as good and evil is to tame the people, and guide them to live in an orderly manner without jeopardizing the rights of others to live. Legalists use severe punishments to deter others, and Confucians use broad benevolence to persuade them. None of them can afford to feed and clothe people, and let them live in peace and contentment. Wouldn't you say it will be much easier to teach them to respect the law and do good deeds when they no longer have to worry about their lives."

"Yes! You are so right!" Emperor Sheng Yuan kept clasping his hands, his deep eyes were full of admiration. He never thought that Guan Suyi could extend from the essence of human nature to the causes of good and evil, and from the causes of good and evil to the way of governing the people. Her mind was like a sky, boundless, far and wide, made people always want to explore more and learn more.

Qin Lingyun pondered for a moment, and his heart was full of admiration.

Guan Suyi pointed to the two scholars who were already quarreling below, shook her head and said, "Therefore, the emperor's top priority is to quickly make the people's lives stable and prosperous, and recruit these scholars, what's the use of arguing all day long."

Qin Ling Yun coughed, then squinted to take a look at His Majesty's expression. Li shi uneasily tugged her brother-in-law's sleeve, implying that he should help mediate for Marquis Zhenbei madam. Although she didn't quite understand the previous words, the last few sentences were deeply touching. Yes, if you can live a good life, who wants to be a wicked person? If he hadn't been forced to a dead end, her brother-in-law wouldn't have fled to the border and became the executioner for His Majesty.

Emperor Sheng Yuan was not angry, but laughed out loud, "Does Madam also think these scholars are annoying? The emperor wants to invite talented people from all over the world to serve the country, reform the tax, distribute the land, drill the army, choose administrator, and so on. All need to be done by people who are proficient in the area. He only has one head, no three heads and six arms, so he is very busy. Indulging and even exalting these scholars is just to show his attitude."

"South gate standing wood, Thousand gold to buys bones." Guan Suyi nodded to Old Master Guan and Father Guan who were sitting below, and said sassily, "Aren't my grandfather and father two most valuable horse bones?"

Emperor Sheng Yuan was stunned. For a while, he didn't know how to answer, but Guan Suyi had already stood up and bent her knees to say goodbye. After listening to the most of it, she could already guess the outcome of this debate. When people have just obtained a stable and peaceful life, they naturally prefer the doctrine of doing good deeds. From the very beginning the battle of words that Xu Guangzhi provoked had taken advantage of the right time, the right place, and the right people, how could he not win?

When she walked to the stairs, she suddenly remembered something and turned back, "Hunnar is very eager to learn. When he is not on duty, you should let him to read more."

Qin Lingyun replied with a smile, "You don't need to explain this. Usually when there was time, I asked him to study, and even invited the most famous master to teach him. Unfortunately, he disliked the master for being a sour scholar, who chewed on words all day long, which made him had a headache when he heard it, and fled every time he saw the opportunity."

"Then give him a flexible master, or let him read the books he likes, doesn't necessarily need a master." As Guan Suyi walked downstairs, she shook her head and chuckled, "So old and still skipping school, just like my stepson."

Li shi was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she hurriedly stepped forward to pretend to send her off, but in fact tried to turn the topic away. Watching the two walk out of the building, Qin Lingyun pressed his fist to his lips and burst out laughing. If one day, Guan Suyi knew that the sour scholar in his mouth was Old Master Guan, didn't know what kind of expression she would show.

Emperor Sheng Yuan stood by the railing and watched, waiting for the carriage of Marquis Zhenbei Mansion to drive out some distance before putting away his simple and honest expression, sat at the table and ordered, "Serve the wine."

The guard immediately went to call the shop assistant. He picked up the two sketches and looked at them for a long time, then carefully folded them and put them in his sleeve, his meaning was unclear, then said, "As expected of Guan Qiguang's granddaughter, she is a good teacher, and teach without looking at the background, even take care a little guard like this." After a pause, he asked, "What does her stepson look like?"

"I heard that his temperament is very naughty. At the age of ten, he still doesn't understand anything, and often used as a gunman by others. Didn't someone come to report a few days ago that Prince Cheng's Shizi was smashed in the head and almost died? He did it. Others wanted to test your attitude towards your brothers, but they didn't dare to stretch out their hand themselves, so they pushed him out." Qin Lingyun reluctantly took out the Buddhist beads.

"Oh? Zhao Luli didn't even care? He was known as the think tank in the army, how could he teach his son like this?" Emperor Sheng Yuan was greatly surprised.

"He thought of his 'dead wife' all day long, where he have the mind to disciplined his son, and the children are the flesh and blood left by his 'dead wife', he regard them as his life, and reluctant to move a hair of them. Being able to marry Guan Suyi is like he pick-up a treasure. No matter how naughty the children are, Guan Suyi can educate them very well. I heard that Zhao Luli finally beat Zhao Wangshu two days ago, and now he is detained at home studying! Guan Suyi is not like Old Master Guan, who don't know how to be flexible and always adhere to old ideas. She is extremely good at guiding others. Just see, Zhao Wangshu will definitely be able to benefit in the future." The words ended with a few beads.

Emperor Sheng Yuan nodded with deep feeling, but for some reason, he was very concerned about the phrase "can marry Guan Suyi is like he pick-up a treasure". After thinking about it, it took root and became a thorn in his heart, which made him in very bad mood.

Qin Lingyun didn't notice his slightly gloomy expression, and continued, "She said that Old Master Guan and Guan Yunqi are the two most expensive horse bones. This brain, this vision, actually penetrated to this point. If I am compared with her, afraid I'm still not good enough."

Emperor Sheng Yuan did not respond to his words, he sat for a while with a calm face, and suddenly got up and left, not caring about the outcome of this debate.

Translator's note:

Ladies and gentlemen, let me present you the most bonehead of all male lead!

like enumerating one's family treasure: to be very familiar with the matter.

four treasures of the study: brush, ink, paper and inkstone.

"South gate standing wood, Thousand gold to buys bones.": the monarch wanted to buy fine steeds with thousand of gold bud could not get it, in the end a courtier bought a pile of horse bone for 500 gold, the king was furious but the courtier explained: "your majesty, if the news spreads that you are willing to spend a lot of money on the bones of fine steed, would not the horse be easily obtained?, sure enough the news spread and the fine steeds came in droves.