bookbashuk Chapter 69 The Library
Chapter 69 The Library
On the morning of the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, bursts of children's laughter echoed from the warm pavilion of Lizheng Hall.
"Yiyi, push me higher! Higher!" Sizi sat on the swing, her little face flushed with excitement. She was wearing a scarlet brocade jacket embroidered with plum blossoms, with a white fox fur cloak over it. Although the weather was cold, her complexion was noticeably better than before.
Xiao Qingyi stood behind the swing, pushing hard. She was also wearing her newly made winter clothes today, the pale yellow brocade jacket making her little face look especially fair and tender. Chengyang stood to the side watching, wanting to play but also a little timid, her little hands clutching the edge of her cloak.
"Sister Chengyang is here to play too!" Xiao Qingyi stopped and ran over to take Chengyang's hand.
Chengyang shook his head timidly: "I...I'm afraid of heights..."
"Don't be afraid, I'll support you," Xiao Qingyi said earnestly. "Brother Crown Prince said that you should try things you're afraid of. Once you've tried them, you might not be afraid anymore."
Li Chengqian taught her these words, and now she uses them to teach others.
Chengyang hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. Xiao Qingyi helped her onto the swing and gently pushed her. At first, Chengyang was so nervous that she kept her eyes closed, but gradually, the wind from the swing brushed against her cheeks, and she carefully opened her eyes—she saw the pine and cypress trees in the courtyard covered with snow, the icicles hanging from the eaves, and the golden glazed tiles of the palace in the distance shimmering in the winter sun.
"It's...fun," Chengyang said softly, a smile playing on his lips.
Sizi jumped off the swing and ran to the snow to build a snowman. She squatted down, cupping snow in her gloved hands: "Yiyi, come quick! Let's build a big snowman!"
The three little girls busied themselves in the snow. Xiao Qingyi was in charge of rolling snowballs to make the snowman's body, Si Zi was in charge of making the head, and Cheng Yang was in charge of finding decorations—a few pebbles for eyes, a dry twig for a nose, and she even took a beaded flower from her own head to use as a hat for the snowman.
"Who does this snowman look like?" Si Zi tilted her head and looked at it.
"He looks like the Crown Prince!" Xiao Qingyi blurted out. "The Crown Prince is like a snowman. He looks cold on the outside, but he's actually very warm on the inside."
Si Zi giggled, "Then let's build another one, like Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother is like...like a plum blossom, fragrant and beautiful!"
Chengyang whispered, "I want to build one that looks like my father."
"Okay! Let's stack three!" Xiao Qingyi said with great enthusiasm.
Just then, Wu Meiniang came out of the palace, holding a hand warmer in her hands: "Ladies, it's time to come in and warm up. Her Majesty the Empress has prepared hot milk and snacks."
The three little girls then realized their hands were red from the cold, and giggled as they ran into the palace. Empress Zhangsun was sitting on a warm couch embroidering when she saw them enter. She smiled and had a maid bring them hot drinks and snacks.
Little Qingyi held the warm milk, sipping it slowly, when she suddenly remembered something: "Mother, is it snowing in Jiangnan, where my brother the Crown Prince is?"
Empress Zhangsun paused, then said softly, "The climate in Jiangnan is warm, so snow is rare. Why did you ask that?"
"Because..." Xiao Qingyi looked down at the milky white liquid in her glass, "If it doesn't snow in Jiangnan, Crown Prince won't be able to see the snowman we built."
These words, though naive, softened Empress Zhangsun's heart. She hugged Xiao Qingyi tightly: "When the Crown Prince returns, Yiyi can tell him. Even though he can't see, he'll be happy to hear it."
Sizi leaned closer: "Yiyi, next time you go to Jiangnan, can you take us with you? I also want to see what Jiangnan is like."
"There are lotus flowers, lotus pods, and water chestnuts in Jiangnan," Empress Zhangsun said softly. "When you grow up, your mother will take you there."
Chengyang asked in a low voice, "Then...then there are floods in Jiangnan, won't it be dangerous?"
These words caused a slight tension in the warm pavilion. Empress Zhangsun looked into the innocent eyes of the three children and said softly, "It is precisely because there may be danger that my brother, the Crown Prince, is going to govern. So that there will be no more floods in Jiangnan, and so that the children there can grow up safely and happily like you."
Xiao Qingyi nodded vigorously: "Crown Prince is doing something amazing!"
At this moment, a palace maid entered, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, everything has been arranged at the Hongwen Academy. Miss Wu can take Miss Yiyi there now."
Empress Zhangsun nodded and looked at Wu Meiniang: "Meiniang, accompany Yiyi to the library to choose some primers. Sizi and Chengyang, you two come along too; it's always good to read more books."
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At 3:45 AM, three young girls followed Wu Meiniang along the palace path leading to the Hongwen Hall. The snowflakes had stopped, but the snow that had accumulated the previous night had not yet melted, and the snow on both sides of the palace path was half a foot thick. Xiao Qingyi held Sizi and Chengyang's hands, walking carefully, afraid that they might slip.
In front of the library of Hongwen Hall, Eunuch Zhao had been waiting for a long time. He opened the heavy wooden door, and the fragrance of books wafted out.
"Wow..." Si Zi's eyes widened. "So many books!"
Chengyang, somewhat timidly, hid behind Wu Meiniang, only peeking out with his head.
Eunuch Zhao lit the oil lamp, its light illuminating the outline of the bookshelf. He looked at Wu Meiniang: "Miss Wu, the primers are on the third row on the east side. As for the two princesses…" He paused, "There are some travelogues and picture books suitable for children on the second floor. Would you like to go up and take a look?"
Si Zi immediately nodded: "Yes!"
Wu Meiniang looked at Xiao Qingyi: "Young lady, please choose your books first. I will accompany the two princesses upstairs."
Xiao Qingyi nodded obediently and walked to the bookshelf on the east side. Being short, she could only see the bottom few shelves, so she stood on tiptoe and tried to find what she was looking for. Seeing this, Eunuch Zhao took a few books down from the top shelf: "Young lady, take a look at these."
It contained the "Thousand Character Classic," "Hundred Family Surnames," "Rapid Learning Manual," and a book called "Elementary Learning Jade Forest." Xiao Qingyi opened "Elementary Learning Jade Forest," which not only contained characters but also simple illustrations of the sun, moon, stars, flowers, and trees.
"That's great!" she said happily. "Yiyi can read and recognize pictures!"
Eunuch Zhao rarely smiled: "I'm glad the young lady likes it."
Xiao Qingyi sat on a cushion by the window, holding the book she had chosen, and began to read. Sunlight streamed in through the high window, illuminating the pages and her earnest little face.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Si Zi and Cheng Yang were marveling at a shelf of picture books. These books, made of silk, depicted various stories—myths and legends, historical anecdotes, and scenes of different places. Wu Meiniang was explaining them to them in a gentle voice.
"Sister Wu knows so much," Si Zi said admiringly.
Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "I only know a little bit about it. The truly learned ones are the people who wrote these books."
At this moment, Chengyang pulled out a picture book depicting scenes of the Jiangnan water towns—small bridges over flowing water, covered boats, and fishermen wearing straw hats. She whispered, "Is my brother, the Crown Prince, in a place like this?"
Wu Meiniang took the picture album and said softly, "Jiangnan is beautiful, but it is also prone to floods. Your Highness's trip here is to ensure that this beautiful scenery will not be destroyed by floods again."
Si Zi suddenly asked, "Sister Wu, if we were boys, could we also do great things like our Crown Prince?"
This question left Wu Meiniang speechless. Looking into Si Zi's bright eyes, she was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a long silence, she said softly, "Princess, women... can do many things too. For example, the Empress, who governs the world, is a matter of paramount importance."
"Then can we be like Mother?" Si Zi asked.
"Yes, you can," Wu Meiniang said confidently. "As long as you have the will and work hard."
After she finished speaking, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her. What about herself? What could she do? In this deep palace, besides teaching children to read and copying Buddhist scriptures, what else could she do?
---
An hour later, the three little girls left the library, carrying their chosen books, completely satisfied. Xiao Qingyi had selected introductory reading materials, Sizi had chosen several travelogues, and Chengyang had chosen the picture album of Jiangnan—she said she would wait for her brother, the Crown Prince, to return and show it to him.
On the way back to the Lizheng Hall, Sizi chattered excitedly about the interesting things she had seen on the second floor, while Chengyang, though quiet, had bright eyes. Xiao Qingyi, clutching her book, thought about how she needed to quickly learn more characters so she could understand more interesting stories.
Meanwhile, in Runzhou, Jiangnan.