The Hall of Thoughtful Learning was established by the founding emperor of the Yun dynasty to educate the descendants of the imperial family. A small number of children from noble families and high-ranking officials were also permitted to attend.
Once enrolled in the Hall of Thoughtful Learning, regardless of whether they were princes or nobles, all were required to treat their masters with respect.
As soon as Yun Chaorong stepped into the hall, she saw a portrait of a sage hanging directly ahead, flanked on both sides by calligraphy and paintings by literati.
The hall was exceptionally well-lit, with windows on both the eastern and western sides. Even the center of the roof was embedded with a large, transparent piece of glass.
The entire building was bright and airy.
A master in his forties sat at the front, his temples slightly gray but his spirit vigorous.
“Greetings, Master Sun,” Yun Chaorong followed the Shen siblings in greeting Master Sun.
Upon seeing Yun Chaorong, Master Sun’s expression visibly brightened.
“Has the Grand Princess’s health improved?”
Yun Chaorong nodded, having completely given up pretending to be dizzy. “Thank you for your concern, Master Sun. I have fully recovered.”
“Please take a seat, Grand Princess.”
Yun Chaorong immediately headed toward the last row.
“Rong’er, come here, come here!”
Shen Qingzhi waved to Yun Chaorong. The two siblings had somehow already taken seats in the front row and had even reserved the center seat in the first row for Yun Chaorong.
Shen Yazhi had already arranged Yun Chaorong’s books and brushes on the desk.
Yun Chaorong thought: This… this is the consequence of hanging out with top students.
She reluctantly moved her legs and walked over to take her seat.
As she looked up, she was met with Master Sun’s warm, smiling face.
Yun Chaorong: …
After she sat down, others gradually entered the Hall of Thoughtful Learning.
Although the current emperor had many children, the eldest prince had already been enfeoffed as a king and left the palace. The second princess and third prince had passed away in childhood, while the third princess, fourth princess, and fifth prince were still young.
In the Hall of Thoughtful Learning, the only legitimate imperial children were the Grand Princess Yun Chaorong, the second prince Yun Cangyue, and the fourth prince Yun Cangjun.
As for other imperial relatives… the princes of the previous dynasty had fought among themselves, leaving few survivors.
Thus, the other students in the hall were children of noble families and high-ranking officials.
“Ah, the Grand Princess is here today,” someone whispered.
“I can see that. No need to point it out.”
Many eyes were fixed on Yun Chaorong. Seeing her smiling and chatting, they felt she had become even more beautiful after her illness.
Someone approached her to strike up a conversation. “The Grand Princess looks even more radiant than before.”
Yun Chaorong patted her cheek lightly. “Not bad, not bad.”
“Elder Sister, I heard you were going to be married off for political alliance. Is it true?”
“False.”
“Grand Princess, is that peacock headpiece new? I haven’t seen it before.”
“I don’t remember. I have too many headpieces.”
…………
Yun Jingshan also entered, still dressed in plain, elegant clothing with simple hairpins.
She always claimed she didn’t care about such superficial things, saying:
“A woman’s cultivation of virtue is more important than her appearance. Jingshan has no time to fuss over dressing up.”
But upon closer inspection, one would notice that her accessories and clothing always matched perfectly—white dresses with pearls, blue dresses with gemstones, never mismatched.
Recently, she had been thriving in the Hall of Thoughtful Learning.
With Yun Chaorong, the only princess, absent, Yun Jingshan’s status as a princess-consort became more prominent.
Yin Tan, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Yin, and Liu Ruixin, the eldest daughter of the Minister of Justice, had grown closer to her.
However, as soon as Yun Jingshan stepped through the door today, she sensed something different.
Yin Tan, Liu Ruixin, the second prince, the fourth prince, and the Shen siblings were all gathered at the front, paying no attention to her.
Yun Jingshan took a few steps forward and greeted Master Sun from behind the crowd.
“Jingshan greets Master Sun.”
Perhaps her voice was a bit too loud, for the group ahead suddenly turned to look at her.
At the center of the crowd stood the radiant Yun Chaorong.
In her hair was a half-spread golden peacock hairpin, its eyes inlaid with emeralds that shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight, stinging Yun Jingshan’s eyes.
Yun Jingshan tightened her grip on the book scroll, forcing a smile:
“Little sister pays respects to elder sister.”
The observant Yin Tan noticed that the hairpin Yun Jingshan wore today was also shaped like a peacock.
Only, it was very, very small, with no gemstones adorning its eyes. Compared to the one on Yun Chaorong’s head, it looked like an undergrown pheasant.
Yun Chaorong smiled faintly: “Shan’er, this is the Hall of Thoughtful Learning, where propriety comes first. You are not my imperial father’s daughter, so you should address me as Grand Princess, not call me elder sister anymore.”
Elder sister, little sister?
That depends on whether I feel like acknowledging it.
“Grand Princess speaks rightly,” Yun Jingshan readily agreed. “Only—”
“Only what?”
Yun Jingshan glanced at Shen Qingzhi but said: “Nothing.”
She left her words unfinished, yet everyone present understood.
Shen Qingzhi never called her “Princess,” always addressing her as “Rong’er, Rong’er.”
The Grand Princess singled out Yun Jingshan but not Shen Qingzhi. Wasn’t this treating them differently?
Yun Chaorong teased: “Shen Qingzhi, you never change your address—do you still care about propriety?”
Shen Qingzhi put on a roguish air: “I don’t care, I just don’t! I haven’t been able to change it all these years! Even my grandfather couldn’t make me change it—at most, he can beat me with the rod again.”
Yun Chaorong smiled brightly at Yun Jingshan: “Shan’er, what do you say? Do you want to follow his example and disregard propriety, or would you like me to have him beaten?”
How dare Yun Jingshan choose?
Cursing the Shen siblings and Yun Chaorong a hundred times in her heart, she could only reply: “Shan’er does not dare.”
“Alright, everyone take your seats.” Master Sun cleared his throat, preparing to begin today’s lecture.
Recently, they had been reading Fengsu Tongyi, and Master Sun often enjoyed having the students debate its principles.
“He who kills the lord’s horse is the boy by the roadside.” The master wrote the large characters on plain white paper. “Who can explain its meaning?”
“Fourth Prince, could you explain?” The master began calling on someone.
Fourth Prince Yun Cangjun had just turned ten and was a new student in the Hall of Thoughtful Learning.
He tugged at the hem of his robe as he stood up, somewhat nervous: “Th-this, this means a rider drives his horse, galloping along the road, while children by the roadside clap and cheer, all praising the horse’s speed. The rider hears this, feels pleased, and so whips the horse harder, not knowing restraint. In the end, the horse’s strength is exhausted, and it dies from exhaustion.”
Yun Chaorong blinked, leaning her head toward Shen Yazhi: “What does that mean?”
Shen Qingzhi whispered to her: “Rong’er, I know. It means there’s a fool riding a horse, other people’s children praise how fast his horse is, he gets carried away, and runs the horse to death.”
Master Sun pretended not to notice the antics in the front row and continued asking:
“Fourth Prince, in your opinion, was the horse’s death from exhaustion caused by the children by the roadside, or was it the rider’s fault?”
Fourth Prince scratched his round head: “It was the rider’s fault—he was the one who rode the horse to death.”
Master Sun neither affirmed nor denied, inviting the Fourth Prince to sit before asking everyone again if there were any differing opinions.
“Master, I have another interpretation.” Yun Jingshan stood up. “I believe it was the fault of the children by the roadside.”
She had always maintained an image of propriety and studiousness before the master.
Master Sun: “Why?”
“This line does not directly refer to a child killing a horse, but rather serves as a metaphor for flattery. A child’s praise, though well-intentioned, can lead others to act excessively, becoming the root of disaster. This can also be called ‘killing with praise.’ We should distance ourselves from such sycophants.”
Yun Jingshan’s words earned the agreement of many.
Even Master Sun nodded. “What the princess says holds some truth.”
The fourth prince, who had answered earlier, lowered his head in shame.
Yun Jingshan wore a perfectly measured smile—until she saw Yun Chaorong raise her hand.
Yun Chaorong said, “Master, I disagree.”
Shen Qingzhi, who had been assisting with translation the entire time, was stunned. Wasn’t she supposed to not understand?
Yun Chaorong thought to herself: I originally didn’t understand, but damn it, I used to be a sports student, and horseback riding was my specialty as a child!
I have to speak up about this.
Master Sun said, “Please speak, Your Highness.”
“I agree with the fourth prince. I believe the fault lies with the rider,” Yun Chaorong stated firmly.
The fourth prince, who had just lowered his head, suddenly looked up, surprised at his elder sister’s words.
“Praise from others is not inherently bad. It is the rider’s vanity that clouds their judgment, leading to the horse’s death.”
Yun Chaorong spoke from personal experience: “If I were given a fine steed, all of you would come to congratulate me. But I wouldn’t ride it just to entertain you. I’d protect that horse with care. A few words of flattery are worthless—why should they deserve to see my prized horse in all its glory?”
“Take me, for example. I was born into privilege, blessed with beauty, and praised to the heavens every day. But have you ever seen me work hard? Have I burned the midnight oil studying? Have I toiled over needlework? No, right? I still lack ambition.”
Master Sun: “…”
Shen Yazhi: “…”
“In short, how can you stop others from praising or flattering you? And how can you avoid it? As people of high status, we cannot escape sycophants. Since we can’t stop it or avoid it, we might as well enjoy it.”
“What matters most is staying true to yourself. Don’t let vanity blind you. Know exactly what you are.”