HBWnovel Chapter 540 Do You Know (7)
Chapter 540 Do You Know (7)
"Alright, there's not much work to do in the yard. From now on, you two will be called Cuizhi and Cuihua. Cuizhi will be in charge of serving meals, Cuihua will be in charge of cleaning the rooms, and Granny Wang will be in charge of guarding the gate and cleaning the yard."
"Xiao happy, Granny Sun, teach them some manners, and then give each of them a string of cash as a reward!"
"Yes, girl."
Upon hearing that there was a reward, and such a large sum at that, Cuizhi, Cuihua, and Granny Wang forgot their fear and repeatedly pledged their loyalty.
Wangyou went to her study to do her own thing.
After she finished memorizing a medical book and instructed someone to go out and buy some medicinal herbs, it was already evening, and the day had passed just like that.
The next day, Wangyou got up early and started learning martial arts from Zhou Laosan. After practicing the horse stance for more than a year, Wangyou's lower body is now very stable. The only thing that is unstable is her age.
Zhou Laosan first taught Wangyou basic boxing techniques, and also taught her an internal energy cultivation manual, which was not available for sale on the market.
Wangyou was very happy, so she was generous to Zhou Laosan. Zhou Laosan was also overjoyed to be able to take on a talented apprentice in his old age.
In any case, the two of them arrived at the same goal by different paths. One was happy to teach, and the other was happy to learn. After learning the basics, Wangyou decided after thinking for a long time that her weapon would be a whip. There was no other reason than that whips are easy to carry and can be made to be long or short, making it convenient to whip people.
It's a pity that Minglan has never learned martial arts with Wangyou since she was raised by the old lady. But that makes sense, since the old lady has never liked her much, it's understandable that she wouldn't let Minglan come over.
However, Wangyou knew that the old lady was teaching Minglan to play polo, after all, playing polo was one of the most common social activities in Shengjing City.
But Wangyou always felt something was off. She felt that the person hiding the deepest secret in this family was not her father, Shenghong, but this old lady. Even when she was raising Minglan, Wangyou felt that there was something going on, so she was not close to the old lady.
Aside from paying her respects, she would never go to the Shou'an Hall where the old lady lived, and she always felt that Wei Xiaoniang's death was very suspicious.
Wangyou rarely participates in her girlfriends' tea parties because they're not interesting, and often they end up arguing, mainly with Molan and Rulan. These two seem to be natural enemies, always bickering whenever they meet. It's ridiculous.
However, the discussion in class today was quite interesting; it actually concerned the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.
Sheng Changbai, being the legitimate son, naturally favored the legitimate line, while Sheng Changfeng, being an illegitimate son, was naturally dissatisfied with Sheng Changbai's statement. In the end, both sides cited classical texts and argued heatedly.
Wangyou watched the spectacle with shining eyes, her little hands clenched tightly, muttering, "Let's fight! Let's fight!"
After listening to the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children for a while, Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but glance at the women's seats. He saw Wangyou's obviously amused look and his lips twitched. He said, "Why don't you ladies also give your opinions?"
Fourth Sister Mo Lan was the first to stand up and, using herself as a starting point, explained how a person born out of wedlock should behave.
Fifth daughter Rulan was unconvinced and said that being born out of wedlock is being born out of wedlock, and how can she compare to the noble status of a legitimate daughter?
Then, as the two were talking, Mo Lan started wiping away tears. Wang You, who was watching the commotion with great interest, wondered if her fifth sister would jump up and slap her fourth sister.
"Sixth Miss, why don't you answer too?"
"I...I can't."
"It's alright, just say whatever you want."
Everyone present knew that what they were discussing was not simply the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, but rather which of the two princes His Majesty would choose to inherit the throne.
Since Mr. Zhuang had made the request, Minglan naturally couldn't just give a perfunctory answer. After pondering for a moment, she said, "No conclusion is a conclusion. Whether someone is virtuous or not is easy to fake and difficult to distinguish, but the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is clear at a glance. There's no need to argue. If an illegitimate son is truly virtuous, he won't destroy the family for his own selfish desires."
Conversely, if the eldest son holds power, he can restrain the illegitimate sons, preventing them from rebelling and ensuring the dynasty's continued prosperity. A true man should be loyal to the emperor and the country; why should he engage in fearless conflict?
Minglan's words demonstrated her broad-mindedness and skillfully resolved the conflict between the legitimate and illegitimate children, proving she was indeed raised by the old lady herself.
Afterwards, the man argued for a while. He insisted that the legitimate son was the rightful heir and the heir of the family. He argued that it was wrong to let a son from a concubine assist him, as that would disrupt the established order.
As a son born out of wedlock, he said that if the legitimate son were unworthy and squandered the family fortune, would the ancestors have any pride?
Anyway, Wangyou was enjoying the show, and would even wave her little fist at whoever spoke well. Seeing Wangyou's expression that seemed to want everyone present to start fighting, Mr. Zhuang directly called out, "Seventh Miss, why don't you also share your opinion!"
Interrupted from watching the excitement, Wangyou glanced helplessly at Mr. Zhuang, stood up, and said, "Does everyone know about the Xuanwu Gate Incident?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent. They all knew this!
“Seventh Miss, you can elaborate,” Mr. Zhuang said with a smile.
“Then I will speak.” Wangyou spoke confidently, “Emperor Taizong Li Shimin and Crown Prince Li Jiancheng were born of the same mother. In the end, they fought to the death for the throne. In the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Jiancheng made a wrong move and lost the whole game.”
If even brothers are like this, let alone those born from different wombs. Expecting brotherly love and respect is only possible if there are strong interests involved, and the eldest son must be able to control his younger brothers. If he can't, then the concepts of legitimate and illegitimate children are just idle talk.
Moreover, the current division between legitimate and illegitimate children is merely a matter of the size of the family property. If the legitimate son is truly capable, he can set aside the family property, start his own business, and once he achieves success, his younger brothers will have no choice but to keep quiet, because they are not on the same level.
Conversely, if a son born out of wedlock is also capable, why should he fawn over someone for a pittance? He can simply establish his own household and thrive there. If the legitimate son is only capable of maintaining the status quo, no matter how much he resents him, he will still have to treat him with respect on the surface.
"Are you done talking?"
"more or less!"
"Do you know that the prosperity of a family depends on the unity and harmony of all its members?"
“I know, but when a family has been passed down for a long time, there will be drawbacks. Why not cut out the rotten flesh instead of letting it rot there? It’s not like we’re cutting off ties and never seeing each other again; we’re still from the same family!”
"But are we just going to throw away the family's resources and connections?"
"That depends on the family."
"Why?"
"For example, my family is now considered a fourth-rank civil official family. We were just promoted not long ago. We don't have much family property, and we don't have many connections either. There's no need to compete for it."
But if it's a long-established family, or one with a throne to inherit, then it's all about ability.
“That makes sense. Don’t say it again next time, or I’m afraid you’ll get chased down and beaten,” Mr. Zhuang said with a smile.
"Oh, that's not what I wanted to say. I was just enjoying watching the show," Wangyou muttered as she sat down.
However, Wangyou did think about the situation of these two princes. To be honest, neither of them were good people, and neither of them had many children. Neither of them were good candidates to succeed to the throne. In her opinion, the emperor probably already had someone else in mind.