Chapter 75 Open Your Eyes, His Royal Highness

Deng Qianqiu nodded and followed Zhu Biao to a large hall. The hall was filled with bookshelves, tables and chairs filled with books. The unique scent of ink and paper made people feel at ease.

Many people saluted Zhu Biao, who nodded one by one. Suddenly he remembered something and turned back to Deng Qianqiu and said, "Deng Qianqiu, is there anything wrong with my mother's health?"

"Ah..." Deng Qianqiu was stunned, and after thinking for a while, he said, "Your Highness, this... this... I can't say it. Why do you say that, Your Highness?"

Zhu Biao sneered and said, "I heard from Jing Jing that you always write letters to express your concern for our mother's health. What's more, your medical skills are very advanced..."

Deng Qianqiu felt guilty for a moment and said, "I'm just concerned. There's probably nothing wrong with her body. I... I..."

Deng Qianqiu felt guilty and her face turned slightly red, but when she saw that Zhu Biao did not show any strange expression, she felt relieved.

At this time, Zhu Biao pointed to a desk and said, "This is close to the desks of several masters. I ordered someone to clean it up early this morning. You will be on duty here from now on. If there are classes, you can also go and listen. These masters are well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge. You should interact with them more."

Deng Qianqiu agreed to all of them.

With the personal guidance of the prince, Deng Qianqiu felt much more relieved.

The environment here was very pleasant, without any noise or bustle, and everyone was very polite. The prince's attitude towards him was quite good, probably because of Empress Ma and Zhu Gang.

Therefore, he adapted quickly.

Almost every day, someone would give lessons to the crown prince, and besides the crown prince, there were two other princes who attended the lessons.

One was the King of Yan, and the other was the King of Zhou, but they did not come to greet him, and Deng Qianqiu was too lazy to pay attention to them.

Deng Qianqiu wondered why Zhu Gang could not come to class, so he found an eunuch to inquire, and only then did he know that it was a special approval from His Majesty, saying that it was a special decree to allow Prince Jin to gain experience.

That guy... has become a spirit and can actually become a special existence.

Although he was often beaten, Deng Qianqiu still admired him.

Of course, Deng Qianqiu found it fresh and new at first, but he soon got bored.

It’s not that Deng Qianqiu couldn’t adapt to such an environment, but... he found that many of the things said by the so-called great scholars who came to teach the courses made Deng Qianqiu feel uncomfortable.

Without exception, all of these are moral teachings. Although they quote from classics and are knowledgeable about history and current events, this kind of stuff is so tiring that Deng Qianqiu really doubts whether this stuff... is really useful?

On the surface, "The Great Learning", "The Doctrine of the Mean", "Zuo Zhuan", "Zizhi Tongjian" and "Zhenguan Zhengyao" seem to record different periods and different historical facts, but their cores are exactly the same.

It can even be said that the gains and losses of any monarch can be explained by the fact that a wise monarch governs the world by practicing benevolence and righteousness, while a foolish monarch must have favored treacherous people and imposed harsh laws.

This is not to say that it is wrong, but Deng Qianqiu always feels that it is a bit too extreme to use a template to apply and analyze such complex things in a stereotyped way.

In particular, a guest of the prince named Fan Xianzu was the one that Deng Qianqiu disliked the most.

But he had to attend every class, he was not allowed to sleep, he had to sit upright, and he couldn't make any noise.

So Deng Qianqiu had no choice but to stare at the void in front of him, as if he was serious, and he began to daydream.

However, when Deng Qianqiu occasionally caught a glimpse of Zhu Biao sitting there very seriously and concentrating, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Is it possible that the prince has been tricked?

After class, Zhu Biao might come over and chat with Deng Qianqiu.

Mostly they were asking about family matters. Of course, Deng Qianqiu also noticed that a young prince who was younger than him was always staring at him with a strange look.

A strange feeling.

That eager look makes people feel uncomfortable. This guy... he won't be a good person, right?
On this day, Deng Qianqiu continued to wander in his mind.

Suddenly, someone raised his voice and said, "Captain Deng, did you hear the story about how Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty sold official positions and favored eunuchs, which led to the Party and Factions Disaster and the chaos that followed?"

Deng Qianqiu came back to his senses and looked up at the person who spoke in surprise.

This person was none other than Fan Xianzu, the prince's guest who was teaching the Book of Han.

Fan Xianzu looked at Deng Qianqiu coldly.

He had always disliked Deng Qianqiu. On the one hand, Deng Qianqiu was a warrior. On the other hand, he always suspected that Deng Qianqiu was not respectful enough to him when he was attending the class. The other students who accompanied him to study were all sitting upright, with their ears perked up. Only this person looked like an old monk sitting still, but his eyes were lifeless.

Deng Qianqiu saw that many people were looking at him.

He calmed himself down and said, "I... I'm stupid..."

After hearing this, Fan Xianzu frowned, then he glanced at Zhu Biao and said angrily, "Your Majesty has ordered you to assist the Crown Prince and the princes in their studies, but you are here daydreaming! Those who can enter this great hall are all well-versed in history and are studious. How can you be so ignorant and incompetent?"

Zhu Biao frowned slightly and couldn't help but said: "Master Fan..."

After hearing this, Fan Xianzu had no choice but to keep silent. Deng Qianqiu originally wanted to sneak past.

It can be seen that Zhu Biao rescued him, and suddenly, he felt an impulse in his heart.

Zhu Biao was such a kind person that Deng Qianqiu actually felt that Zhu Biao was like his own brother. When he thought of the people around Zhu Biao, Deng Qianqiu's blood began to boil.

So he did not hesitate any longer and said, "Although I am uneducated and unskilled, Master Fan, what is the root cause of the Han Ling Emperor's Party Ban? I would like to ask you for advice!"

"Of course, he favored his relatives and eunuchs, sold official positions and titles, and indulged in beauty..."

Deng Qianqiu shook his head and said, "But as far as I know, during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, he also attacked the southwest, defeated the rebellion of the Xianbei, quelled the Qiang rebellion, and at the same time managed the Western Regions. If you just say that he only knew how to sell official positions and titles, then I dare to ask, where did all the money and food come from when he quelled the chaos in all directions during his reign? In the Book of Han, if I remember correctly, from the beginning of the Han Dynasty to the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, tax revenue not only did not increase, but decreased significantly. The reduction in taxes forced the court to sell official positions and titles, but it also had to solve the hidden dangers of the Qiang, Xianbei, and the Western Regions. If you use the main reasons for the demise of the Eastern Han Dynasty as attacking scholars and favoring eunuchs and relatives, I'm afraid it won't convince the public."

When Fan Xianzu heard this, his face suddenly changed. He couldn't help but yelled, "What did you say?"

Zhu Biao sat upright, and seemed to think that Deng Qianqiu's words were a bit too much, and he couldn't help but frown.

However, some other people suddenly became interested and looked at Deng Qianqiu with great interest.

Deng Qianqiu ignored the different looks from the crowd and said calmly: "You know, during the Han Dynasty, when the army was frequently used, most of the troops were led by relatives of the emperor, and they pacified the four directions without causing too much trouble. So, is it unfair to simply blame them for everything? I think the root cause of the Han Dynasty's fall was that a large number of people were hidden, land annexation was serious, and the court could not effectively collect taxes, so it had to sell official positions and titles to barely maintain the operation of the world. As for the emperor's favoritism of beauties, this is even more ridiculous. I dare to ask, which man in the world doesn't love beauties? Didn't Emperor Gaozu of Han love them? Didn't Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing love them? Master Fan, don't you love them?"

Fan Xianzu almost fainted, and he felt stars in his eyes. He was so angry that he couldn't help but say, "I...I...I...I am a scholar..."

Seeing that he was very angry, Deng Qianqiu seemed to be even more encouraged, so he said, "Does it mean that scholars can't love beauties?"

After a pause, Deng Qianqiu seemed to have thought of something, and then continued: "Then wait, I will go back to your house and count how many concubines you have."

Fan Xianzu: “…”

Fan Xianzu's face turned red, obviously because he was angry.

Deng Qianqiu did not intend to give up, and continued: "In fact, what I mean is not that favoring beauties is a good thing. What I mean is that if we want to analyze the way of defeat, we should not blindly be metaphysical and accuse all the kings of the world who have lost their countries of favoring eunuchs and beauties, abusing treacherous people, using harsh laws, and not practicing benevolence and justice. Saint monarchs also favor beauties, and sometimes saint monarchs also have capable eunuchs around them. Saint monarchs also have capable relatives to help them. Shouldn't we analyze other causes? Only in this way can we learn from history?"

Fan Xianzu's body began to tremble. Deng Qianqiu thought that he was rational and objective enough, but in Fan Xianzu's view, these words were just evil words that misled the public.

He pointed at Deng Qianqiu and said only two words: "You are unlearned and unorthodox!"

Deng Qianqiu took a deep breath. He realized that many people were looking at him with unfriendly eyes.

The anger that he had suppressed in his heart for these days finally erupted: "Really? There are some things I don't know whether I should say or not?"

Fan Xianzu said angrily: "You have said all these evil words! Is there anything else you dare not say?"

Deng Qianqiu smiled and said, "Then let me tell you. When Master Fan was teaching, he just read from the textbook without any thoughts of his own. In my opinion, this is the real lack of knowledge and skills."

Fan Xianzu flew into a rage, his eyes widened as he said, "What I teach is the teachings of the saints!"

Deng Qianqiu laughed and said, "But the teachings of the saints are the result of their thinking, but Master Fan only knows how to copy others and has never had his own opinions. Isn't this enough of being ignorant and incompetent?"

Fan Xianzu was furious: "How can this be possible! How can this be possible!"

As he spoke, he looked at Zhu Biao and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince... I must ask for an explanation today. What do you think of this ignorant person?"

Without waiting for Zhu Biao's response.

Deng Qianqiu smiled and said, "Actually... who is the unlearned one? If we compare ourselves, it will be clear at a glance."

"What?" Fan Xianzu thought he had heard it wrong.

This Deng Qianqiu actually wanted to compete with him. He is well-read and knowledgeable, but this kid is worthy of him?
So he looked at Deng Qianqiu with contempt and said coldly: "You said that!"

Deng Qianqiu narrowed his eyes and smiled at Fan Xianzu: "But I have a problem. Whenever I bet with others, I can't help but want to put some jackpot on it."

In the main hall, everyone's faces changed slightly. If it was just an academic debate, it would be fine, but in such an occasion, even the prize was on the lips, which was even more inappropriate.

We are all moral people, how come a guy like this got in here?

Fan Xianzu sneered in his heart: "It's all up to you."

Deng Qianqiu said: "I love music very much and enjoy cultivating my sentiments through music. I am in need of some singing girls..."

Fan Xianzu now wanted nothing more than to compete with Deng Qianqiu immediately to save his face, so he immediately asked, "How many do you want?"

"No way, no way." Deng Qianqiu shouted in surprise: "Master Fan, you really have a singing girl at home. I like singing girls because I am pure and self-disciplined. I just imagine that if there is a singing girl one day, she can cultivate my sentiments. You have a singing girl at home, is it because you love music?"

Fan Xianzu's face suddenly turned red: "..."

(End of this chapter)