Yun Shu offered a modest smile, quietly wondering just how much her royal father might reward her now that his conscience had awakened.
But before she could speculate further, Emperor Xuanwu turned back with a bright smile and engaged Grand Preceptor Cui in conversation.
"Does Our loyal subject know," the Emperor asked with apparent curiosity, "how much an ordinary writing brush costs in the markets these days?"
"This…"
Grand Preceptor Cui faltered. He hailed from a noble family and had never lacked for coin. The brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones he used were all of the highest grade. He had never concerned himself with the price of lesser goods.
"Perhaps…" he ventured after some thought, "one tael of silver?"
"Close enough," the Emperor nodded. "Eight hundred copper coins for a single brush."
A tael of silver was worth about a thousand copper coins, so indeed the difference was not significant.
"Then," Emperor Xuanwu continued, "does Our loyal subject know how much silver a common household might save in a year?"
"A family of five, if they suffer no disasters and meet no unexpected expenses, may spend about ten taels a year," replied Grand Preceptor Cui, this time with certainty. "They might manage to save one and a half taels if the year is smooth."
"Just so."
Hands clasped behind his back, the Emperor strolled to the window, gazing out beyond the palace walls with a solemn air.
"A family of five, after a year of diligence and good fortune, might save a mere tael and a half. Yet a single writing brush consumes more than half of that. This," he said gravely, "is why the children of the poor rarely rise to greatness."
"Then what does Your Majesty mean to suggest…"
Grand Preceptor Cui was rigid in his views, but not dim-witted. The Emperor had all but spelled it out.
"This… this feather…"
"What feather!"
Yun Shu muttered beneath her breath.
"It is a quill," she corrected firmly.
"Hahaha, well said! A quill!" Emperor Xuanwu laughed heartily, nodding with delight.
"A brush is dear to purchase, but feathers? Any household can spare a few," he declared. "They need not be deprived of writing altogether."
"But…" Grand Preceptor Cui's expression darkened. In his eyes, shaped by years of scholarly pride and noble blood, reading was not merely a matter of knowledge—it was a matter of dignity.
The thought of wielding a chicken feather as a writing instrument was utterly crude, an affront to all that was refined.
"But the way Her Highness held that feather pen was most unorthodox," he protested. "The quill's shaft is stiff and lacks the grace of a proper brush. This cannot be considered true calligraphy!"
"Yet to Us, her writing appears rather decent."
Emperor Xuanwu was unsurprised by the Grand Preceptor's disdain. Those from great houses longed for the court to be filled with their own kind. That Grand Preceptor Cui did not care whether commoners could read or not was no surprise at all.
"If the child learns with a quill and later earns the title of xiu cái or jǔrén, then she shall have no trouble affording finer tools. By then, it will not be too late to refine her hand."
Without waiting for further protest, the Emperor turned back to Yun Shu and praised her openly.
"Shu'er, you have rendered great service to the realm!"
What good is empty praise! It's worth less than a feather!
Seeing that her royal father was in a generous mood, Yun Shu shuffled closer with a bright grin.
"Father Emperor, will there be a reward for this humble service?"
The Xuanwu Emperor raised a brow. "What would Shu'er like?"
"Silver."
Her answer was earnest and plain.
She drew a pitifully flat coin pouch from her sleeve and gave it a little shake.
"Father Emperor, this is all I have. Were I not so poor as to be unable to afford a single writing brush, I would never have discovered the virtues of the humble feather."
"…"
The Emperor of all under heaven, commanding the wealth of the four seas, now learned that his own daughter was poor beyond measure?
Emperor Xuanwu's dignified bearing nearly cracked. He recovered quickly, though, and asked with a touch of confusion, "As We recall, brushes, ink, and such things should be supplied to you. Why must you buy them yourself?"
Even if Yun Shu had not been favored in the past, she was still a princess. The Imperial Household Department provided all essentials for the princes and princesses—there was no reason she should need to purchase her own tools.
"The palace doesn't provide them until one reaches six years of age!"
Yun Shu clutched her pitiful pouch, which held no more than three copper coins, and drooped her head miserably.
"When I was three, I wanted to write my own name, but I had no brush…"
Emperor Xuanwu: "?"
So at three years old, this little rascal picked a fight with a rooster?
He recalled the report from the Dragon Shadow Guard the day before, describing the chaos of that incident. Swapping the eight-year-old Sixth Prince in that image with a three-year-old Yun Shu… Emperor Xuanwu again fell into stunned silence.
"Father…" Yun Shu looked up pitifully.
"…Understood."
Emperor Xuanwu's mouth twitched.
"Your reward will be delivered today."
"Thank you, Father Emperor!"
Silver! At last!!
Beaming, Yun Shu sent off the Emperor with joy in her heart. Her purse would finally have some weight to it.
But when she turned around, she met the thundercloud expression of Grand Preceptor Cui, whose face was so dark it seemed steeped in the fumes of a latrine.
Her heart rang with alarm, and she quickly spoke before he could utter a word.
"Grand Preceptor, it was agreed just now that I no longer need to copy those remaining nine repetitions of The Doctrine of the Mean."
"Mm."
Grand Preceptor Cui, no matter how displeased, would not be so foolish as to go against the Emperor's word.
But he replied with a frosty tone, "You may be excused from copying, but you must still recite the entire text by heart."
"Rest assured, Grand Preceptor. You may test me at random in two days."
Just recitation?
She wasn't truly hopeless at studying. Three thousand characters might be tedious, but they were not insurmountable.
Yun Shu returned to her seat with a light step, only to hear Grand Preceptor Cui's voice rise again—
"In that case, let us consider the matter of The Doctrine of the Mean closed. The Great Learning, twenty repetitions, to be submitted within ten days."
Yun Shu: "?"
???
"This old man! So now he just doubled the punishment using another book?
After The Great Learning, would he assign The Analects? Mencius? The Four Books, and then the Five Classics?
He was absurd!"
Yun Shu drew a long breath and could bear it no longer.
"Grand Preceptor Cui, do you not find this somewhat unreasonable?"
"Does Her Highness doubt this old subject's ability to educate students?"
With hands folded within his sleeves, Grand Preceptor Cui remained as impenetrable as ever.
"If the princess has objections, she may present them directly to His Majesty."
There it was again. Always using her royal father to pressure her!
Did he truly think she would not go cry to her parent?
Well, this time, she would!
===
Additional info about the Royal We, or the majestic plural.
"We" = replaces "I" in declarative sentences.
Example: "We are pleased with your service."
"Us" = replaces "me" in object position.
Example: "Bring Us the document."
"Our" = replaces "my" to show possession.
Example: "Our loyal subject has served well."
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Imperial Examination was a rigorous process designed to select the most talented individual for government positions. This meritocratic system allowed individuals, regardless of their social background to climb the ranks of the bureaucracy based on their knowledge and ability. The exam system had several stages and each level granted a different title and opened new opportunities for the candidate
Yuan Shi was the entry-level exam, often held at the local or county level. Passing this exam allowed the candidate to become a Xiu Cai also known as a Scholar.
Xiu Cai status was prestigious and allowed the individual certain privileges such as exemption from labor service and punishment, as well as a stipend in some cases. Xiu Cai was expected to be well-versed in Confucian classics and could serve as teachers or local intellectuals.
After becoming a Xiu Cai, the next step was to take the Provincial Examination (Xiangshi). This exam was held in the provincial capital and was much more competitive. Passing this exam elevated the candidate to the title of Ju Ren. Ju Ren had a much higher social positions in the provincial government.
The candidate with the highest score in the Provincial Exam was awarded the prestigious title of Jie Yuan. This title brought fame and respect and was a strong indication that the candidate had the potential to rise to the highest levels of government service.
For more information about the Imperial Examination, you can visit the link on the comment section of the Chapter: Heads Up (=`ω´=)
That will be under folder The Six Ministries (六部, liùbù) —> Ministry of Rites (礼部, lǐbù)