EBE Chapter 66 Is my image in your heart already so precarious?
Chapter 66 Is my image in your heart already so precarious?
This trip to Yichun Garden had a significant impact on Yinzhuo, mainly due to the young girl Ihana.
Although Yinzhi had only met his little niece for the first time yesterday, he already knew the child's ultimate fate. Historically, Yinzhi's first daughter was born in the 27th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign and married Dorji Sereng, a Taiji of the Khorchin, in March of the 45th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. She passed away just five years later.
Those familiar with Qing Dynasty history know that being Kangxi's son was miserable, but being his daughter or granddaughter was even worse. Princes, regardless of their favor with the emperor, had to study in the Imperial Study when they reached a certain age. Only through hard work could they have a chance to earn their way in the future. But princesses were different. Because of the saying "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent," while they weren't completely illiterate, they mostly learned music, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and other traditional crafts. If they were favored, they might have a chance to stay in the capital; otherwise, they were all destined to marry into the grasslands to pacify the Mongols. And how well could these defenseless princesses fare on the grasslands? Most died young, barely lasting a few years.
Yinzhuo knew all too well that the cries of women, those voices of resentment, were destined to be ignored in any era. After returning from Yichun Garden, he had also thought about it, after all, it was better to do less trouble than more trouble. He thought that this was not his responsibility, how could he, so insignificant, possibly fight against the torrent of the times? Let it be ignored, and he would forget about it in time...
But once these thoughts arose, they were like a deep wound in his heart. He couldn't shake them off, and they even became deeply ingrained. In the end, he couldn't bear it and decided to mention them to Emperor Kangxi. Yinzhu thought that no matter whether he succeeded in the end, at least he had tried. Just like Teacher Luo said, do what you think is right, but also accept that things may not go as planned.
"Father, your beloved son has come to see you again today..."
Well, just by hearing this commotion, you can tell how thick-skinned this person must be. After all, who would call themselves someone's precious son?
"Oh, how come I didn't know? When did I have such a shameless son like you? Liang Jiugong, quickly bring a basin of cold water over so this kid can wash his face and wake up. Is he still dreaming or not?"
Liang Jiugong knew, of course, that His Majesty was just teasing Yinzhi, but he still responded in kind and turned around as if to fetch water. Yinzhi quickly reached out and grabbed Liang Jiugong, then walked quickly to Kangxi's side.
“Father, how can you say that? Your words hurt your son so much. If you don’t cherish me, you’ll easily lose your son. Besides, I came to see you today to talk about serious matters.”
Upon hearing Yinzhuo's words, Kangxi immediately became alert. After all, the last time Yinzhuo had spoken so earnestly about discussing serious matters with him, he had ended up taking a 30% cut of his profits for free.
"What serious business could you possibly have? You're either fishing and catching shrimp every day, or taking Yinzhen and the others around. Have you gotten into some trouble again and come to me to clean up your mess?"
Yinzhuo looked at his father in disbelief. No, is my image in your eyes really that precarious? Can't I have something serious to discuss with you?
"Father, your son has come to see you today to discuss the education of these princesses."
Kangxi clearly hadn't expected that Yinzhuo would come to see him today for this matter. He also couldn't understand what had gotten into him about the education of the princesses.
"How did this get into the issue of princesses' education? Where did you see or hear this?"
Although Emperor Kangxi wouldn't keep a close eye on where Yinzhuo was and what he was doing every moment, he still knew his general whereabouts every day. But there seemed to be nothing wrong with his schedule these past few days, so Emperor Kangxi really couldn't figure out where he came up with this idea.
"Sigh, it's all because my son went to my older brother's Yichun Garden a few days ago and met his daughter, Ihana. That little girl is nice, lively, cheerful, and has a likable personality. Most importantly, she's just as thick-skinned as my son. You wouldn't believe how much she hesitated when she called someone around his age, thirteen or fourteen, 'uncle'..."
Yinzhuo's words left Kangxi confused. So what? What does this have to do with what you wanted to discuss with me today? Yinzhuo knew what Kangxi meant as soon as he saw the look in his eyes. What's the rush? The important point is coming soon.
"I found that little girl endearing, and since she was about the same age as Yinxiang and Yinzhen, I asked my elder brother if she went to school and what she learned. What I found out was quite surprising. It turns out that the princesses and princes learn so much more than the princes and princesses. When the princes and princesses reach a certain age, they can study in the Imperial Study and learn riding and archery at the Arrow Pavilion, while the princesses can only learn some basic introductory books. What they learn most are things like music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and other 'easy' things. After returning home, I thought about it for a long time and felt that this was very inappropriate. In the end, I decided to come and talk to Father about this issue."
Kangxi initially thought that the princess's education had always been like this over the years, and there had been nothing wrong with it. However, recalling Yinzhuo's previous remarks on Confucianism, he knew that Yinzhuo had his own unique insights into things. So he simply invited him to sit down next to him and gestured for him to explain in detail.
"Father, you should know that most of the princesses of our Great Qing Dynasty will marry into the grasslands in the future. After I came back, I made a special trip to find out about my aunts and elders who married into the grasslands. I found that, apart from a very few who were able to adapt to the grassland environment and were doing relatively well, most of them died after only a few years on the grasslands."
Yinzhu first told Kangxi what he knew before he began to express his own thoughts.
"I think our Qing princesses should have more options in their education. Compared to the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, which are not very useful on the grasslands, they could learn more about governing the country and maintaining peace. They could also learn riding and archery like the princes. When you go hunting or tour the border regions every year, you can take a few of them to the grasslands to let them get used to the environment. That way, even if they go to the grasslands one day, they won't wither away like my aunts once they leave the capital, like flowers that have been cut short in a greenhouse. Moreover, learning about governing the country and maintaining peace will give them more in common with their husbands, making it easier for them to participate in the management of the Mongolian tribes in the future. Isn't this the ultimate goal that Father Khan wants the princesses to achieve by pacifying the Mongols?"
If none of what Yinzhi said before could sway Kangxi, then his last sentence did indeed move Kangxi. Just as Yinzhi said, Kangxi sent princesses to pacify the Mongols in order to allow them to participate in the management of the Mongol tribes to the greatest extent possible, but so far the results have been minimal.
"What Yinzhuo said seems feasible to me. I will gather everyone to discuss it later. If everyone agrees that it is feasible, I will arrange some special courses for them to study."