"These are all idle chatter after class. It doesn't matter if you understand or not. Don't think too much about it. If we go back to class, there will be many explanations for Zhou Pei's problem. The Book of Filial Piety says … "
After saying that scary theory, Ning Yi went back to the poem "Confucius said" to talk about something more formal. However, everyone's mind was in a mess and they were not in the mood to listen to him. Zhou Pei was also not in the mood to listen to those clichés. Even if she had listened to him, she would have felt that he was being perfunctory and his words were not as good as hers. Of course, she did not doubt Ning Yi's talent since she became his disciple last year.
But talent was one thing, but it was hateful for a teacher to have a bad attitude. Zhou Pei had been influenced by Kang Xian and was unhappy all day long. She also liked to listen to the stories in those classes, but when it came to teaching, she was unhappy. She wanted to pull her younger brother away, but in her heart, she knew that she could learn a lot from this Master, so she was very conflicted. Recently, she was worried about the possibility of having a concubine and growing up. Fortunately, she had strong self-control and did not lose her mind. Instead, she was more determined to correct this teacher.
In the new year, the number of people in the class taught by Ning Yi had increased to more than 20. Zhou Pei was usually outstanding and gentle when interacting with others. Although the boys were too embarrassed to talk to her, she was still loved and admired. This time, she made up her mind and mobilized the crowd, "Although teacher is never serious, we have to act like one."
Because of this, Zhou Pei prepared a long speech before Ning Yi came to class. She talked about how everyone would be the pillars of the country in the future and how they should behave in class. To be honest, Zhou Pei was quite eloquent. Moreover, the atmosphere in all the academies was similar. The teachers were all serious and strict. If it was not for the protection of the mountain elders, Ning Yi would not be able to teach. After hearing what Zhou Pei said, most of the students thought that it made sense and were ready to be stricter in class.
In fact, this was also because of the different perspectives. The masters that Zhou Pei had experienced were all extremely strict. Even though she was a young princess, her master had scolded her with a stern glare. She had even used a ruler to slap her hand and copy the Analects of Confucius as a punishment. If not for that, at the very least, she had to be strict in class and was not allowed to spout nonsense or make jokes. Ning Yi telling stories in class was something that she really disliked. Even other aspects of her class were greatly discounted.
From Ning Yi's point of view, this group of students had become quite obedient after going through his influence. At the beginning, there were a few naughty ones, but now, there were almost no naughty children in the class. Perhaps this was because his reputation in the Su Family was too resounding. No one dared to go against his wishes when he was actually speaking or lecturing. As for telling stories and expounding on various points of view, it was originally for everyone to think about what was interesting, what was funny, and what was worth pondering over. It was just like a gathering, asking a few questions and laughing was something that should be done, so there was no need to stop them.
If Zhou Pei had enough experience, she would probably realize that when she made those suggestions, most of the children felt that what she said was "reasonable" and decided to believe her. It was not good to not have dignity. As students, they had to help their teacher maintain dignity. Although the other students said "Master said it before, it's better to be more relaxed", for a moment, they also went with the flow.
In the following days, when Ning Yi was teaching, a group of students sat upright and still. Occasionally, they would tell a joke. Some people could not help but laugh, and then they would try to make a very serious expression, which made Ning Yi very confused.
However, such spontaneity naturally could not last long under Ning Yi's teasing. At the end of the month, Ning Yi asked with some amusement, "Am I already out of date? Are my jokes no longer funny?" Only then did the students persuade him one after another, saying that their teacher should be stricter with them, so that it would help maintain their teacher's prestige and reputation. They were all like little adults.
Nowadays, not only was Ning Yi respected in the Su family, but his talent was also widely known. From time to time, people who did not understand Ning Yi's personality would come to visit, and the group of students also felt honored. However, his deviant teaching method was always criticized. He had only been teaching for a year, and Yushan Academy had not produced any talents. When the students heard the discussion, they thought of Ning Yi as their teacher. Later, they also learned that it was Zhou Pei who used this reason in her speech that incited the students and made them decide to be more disciplined in class.
At this time, Ning Yi was dumbfounded and didn't know whether to laugh or be moved. Zhou Pei, who had been exposed, stood up in class. The young girl was quite pretty, but she had been in a bad mood these days. At this time, she also had a wooden face. "I acted on my own. Please punish me, teacher." Ning Yi walked between the seats. When he heard the group of children talking, he happened to walk not far in front of Zhou Pei. For a moment, he was dumbfounded. The young girl was strict in her studies. She was forcing him to express his opinion.
Looking at her stubborn expression, Ning Yi found it interesting. After a moment, he couldn't help but laugh. "The important thing is to have your own opinion. You did very well. Why should I punish you?"
The young girl confronted him for a while. Looking at the ruler in Ning Yi's hand that he usually used as a pointer, she closed her eyes and stretched out her palm.
There were only two words and one action between them, but in fact, no one gave way. The other students naturally couldn't hear too much between the lines. Ning Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After a long time, he took the ruler that he hadn't used much and patted the other's palm. Zhou Pei frowned and twitched her eyebrows, but she didn't feel any pain at all. When she opened her eyes, Ning Yi had already turned around with a smile and began to talk about the importance of "understanding" and "drawing inferences about other cases from one instance" in reading.
The young princess pursed her mouth and sat down without saying a word. She didn't listen to much of the lesson. After a while, others couldn't see that her face was bad, but she didn't speak much all morning. At noon, she sent her brother to eat alone. Little Junwu could feel the murderous aura of his sister. He didn't dare to approach her and ran away dejectedly.
She walked around the academy. Several girls greeted her, but she didn't pay much attention to them. In the past, she wouldn't lose her composure like this. She walked to the corner of the bamboo forest in the academy and sat for a while. At this time, there was still snow on the ground. Even though the temperature was higher during the day, the bamboo forest was still cold and no one came over. After sitting for a while, she couldn't help but feel sour in her nose and tears fell down. She reached out to wipe her face and cried.
In fact, she didn't quite understand why she suddenly cried so much. In the past, she wouldn't get angry because of these things. Her master was a capable person. It wasn't that she didn't understand in her heart that his teaching methods might not be useless. In fact, these days, she always felt empty when she thought about the matter of her father choosing a husband for her.
For more than ten years, she just began to understand things and was about to get married. In fact, she hadn't done anything that she wanted to do.
If she was a few years older, perhaps she would feel that the troubles she was feeling right now were really childish. But at this moment, the little girl who was only thirteen years old could only sit by the bamboo forest and cry her heart out, her eyes hazy with tears.
While she was wiping her tears sadly, she saw a figure standing not far away looking at her. She quickly wiped her tears and looked over. She saw that the figure was Ning Yi, who was preparing to leave after school. Zhou Pei's eyes were blurred by tears before, so she didn't notice him. When Ning Yi walked over, he naturally didn't pay attention to her. At this time, the two of them saw each other clearly. The thirteen-year-old girl desperately wanted to stop her tears, but for a moment, she couldn't stop them …
*****
The sun was shining in the afternoon. Although it was still not hot, it always made people feel more cheerful than when it was cloudy.
After a season of cold winter, the tender grass in the small courtyard had already sprouted. Due to the fact that the previous owner had no intention of tidying up the courtyard, the ground in the courtyard was now covered with tender grass. There were even piles of snow that had yet to melt in some places, adding to the exuberant atmosphere of life. When the wind chimes under the eaves rang, a girl in a white and green elegant dress was sitting on the railing, eating the vegetable meat roll in her hand.
In the eyes of this era, the girl in front of her was dressed to the line of an adult. But in fact, no matter how dignified she was and how serious she was, the girl who was only 1.3 meters tall looked just like a little girl who hadn't grown up yet. Her petite figure and the expression that she tried to put on an adult's face, and because of her expensive and exquisite dress, she was more like a porcelain doll that was trying to grow up.
Just now, when her teacher saw her crying in the Academy, Zhou Pei felt embarrassed, sad, perturbed, and all kinds of other feelings mixed together in her heart. At that time, it was hard to say what she was feeling. In the past, she used to think that Ning Yi's teaching methods were interesting. Recently, she felt that she couldn't stand it, but it was just because she was upset. Later, she failed to accomplish these things, and the small setbacks piled up in her heart.
But of course, she couldn't admit these things verbally. She hoped that her teacher could persuade her. It was not good to mention that she was seen crying, but she couldn't pretend that it didn't happen, so she followed Ning Yi all the way. She didn't eat at noon, so she bought a meat roll and ate it in her hand.
But of course, she couldn't understand Ning Yi's thoughts. Ning Yi didn't approve of a girl getting married at the age of 13 or 14, but this was the norm in the Wu dynasty. It was the etiquette. If it wasn't his daughter, it was useless to say it. Zhou Pei thought that she was already an adult, but in fact, she was still a child. He didn't want to teach her to be too mature, but he didn't want to fool her with ways to deal with children. She had to understand and accept life on her own. In fact, she was upset now, but she would naturally be able to accept it after she got married.
The girl sat under the eaves and didn't wait for Ning Yi to enlighten her. She thought that her teacher was doing another experiment, so she took a few bites of the meat roll. Then, the door opened and Ning Yi came out with a long bag on his back. He asked, "Are you still playing with Junwu in the Academy this afternoon?"
Looking at the long bag on his back, Zhou Pei swallowed the food in her mouth and bit her lip. "Where are you going, Teacher?"
"I'm going to the Emperor's Consort's Mansion to see if Uncle Lu is there. You can go back to the Academy first."
"To find the Emperor's Consort … I'll go with you."
Zhou Pei thought for a while, then picked up the hem of her dress and followed him. She looked at the bag on Ning Yi's back. It wasn't a delicate bag, and there was a bamboo tube sticking out from the corner. She and Junwu had seen it when they came over, but their teacher didn't allow them to touch it. However, she knew that it was a musket used in the army.
Compared to "playing" with Junwu in the Academy, she was naturally more interested in business. Moreover, she hadn't gotten over the depression of the past few days, so she had to follow him. If her teacher mentioned it, she would have to reason with him and let him know that she wasn't a child who only knew how to cry. What mattered most was that he had seen her just now.
*****
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