Chapter 293: Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Eight Section 3
"Welcome."
In the dining hall of the backyard, Madam Li was having dinner with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
Since they were at home, they ate and chatted at the same time. Naturally, today their topic of conversation was Zhao Yao.
Except for Li Houci, none of the others had met Zhao Yao.
Because the Fourth Prince showed special affection for Zhao Yao, the Li Family was very curious about him. Today, finally meeting Zhao Yao, the Li Family understood why the Fourth Prince cared for and protected Zhao Yao so much.
"The Tenth Prince is just a child," Li Houen said. "There’s nothing extraordinary about him. I really don’t understand why his highness likes him so much?" She had deliberately taken a closer look at the Tenth Prince just now and found that he was just an ordinary child, not even as good as their nephews.
Li Houci disagreed with Li Houen’s words: "It’s precisely because the Tenth Prince is a child that his highness loves him so much."
Li Houen didn’t understand what her sister meant and asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Li Houshan understood Li Houci’s meaning and said with a smile, "Little sister, the Tenth Prince is the only child in the palace."
Li Houen still didn’t understand, asking in confusion, "The Tenth Prince is indeed the only child in the palace, but what does that have to do with his highness protecting him?" The Tenth Prince was indeed very cute, but beyond that, he had no other merits. "I heard he’s very slow at learning, and his highness always helps him with his studies. What is there to like about such a person?"
"Our children at home can recite ’The Analects,’ ’Mengzi,’ ’The Great Learning,’ and ’The Doctrine of the Mean’ by the age of six."
"I heard the Tenth Prince cannot even recite ’The Analects,’ why would his highness like such a foolish prince, does he like him because of his foolishness?"
Li Houen’s mother gave her a severe look and said, "Houen, don’t speak of the Tenth Prince like that."
"Yes, Mother," Li Houen said obediently.
"His highness says he likes the Tenth Prince’s eyes the most," Li Houci said gently. "Because the Tenth Prince’s eyes are clear and pure, they are the most beautiful pair in the palace."
Li Houshan said, "The Tenth Prince’s gaze is also very kind and innocent, something others in the palace do not have."
"The reason his highness cherishes the Tenth Prince is to protect his innocence," Li Houci said very tenderly. "His highness says the Tenth Prince is his real brother."
"The Tenth Prince is the real brother?" Li Houen became even more confused, "Aren’t the other princes real brothers too?"
Li Houshan saw that her little sister still didn’t understand and looked at her with some disdain for her stupidity.
"How can you be so dull? Whether it’s his highness or the other princes, they all have scheming minds and techniques, none remain as innocent as children." The princes, vying for that position, each have hundreds of tricks up their sleeves.
Upon hearing this, Li Houen finally understood what her two sisters meant.
"Is it because of this aspect that his highness likes the Tenth Prince?" she still didn’t grasp.
"Yes, to his highness, it’s the most precious thing." It’s also what his highness lacks, which is why he wants to protect the Tenth Prince. "His highness hopes the Tenth Prince can always stay innocent and happy, not like..." Li Houci stopped at this point, not completing the sentence. She didn’t say, "not like them, sacrificing the innocence a child should have in the quest for that position."
Li Houen murmured, "His highness is really strange."
Madam Li smiled kindly and said, "The Tenth Prince is a good child."
"Yes, he’s a very lovely child."
"It’s really hard to imagine the Tenth Prince is a prince."
"The Tenth Prince is very likable, no wonder his highness is so fond of him."
When meeting with Madam Li just now, Zhao Yao had such sweet words, praising them for being young and beautiful, complimenting their kindness, making their hearts burst with joy.
After dinner, the Fourth Prince took Zhao Yao on a tour of the Li Mansion, introducing the Li Family in detail.
There weren’t many people in the Li Family. Minister Li and Madam Li had two sons and a daughter.
The two sons currently taught as doctors at the Imperial College, educating students on reading and learning.
The youngest daughter entered the palace and became the current Consort Li.
Minister Li’s eldest son also had two sons and a daughter. The second son had two daughters and a son.
The Minister of the Ministry of Rites and the Junior Minister, along with Li Houci, were the children of the Fourth Prince’s maternal uncle.
Li Houshan and Li Houen were the children of the Fourth Prince’s second uncle. His second uncle’s son studied at the Imperial College and only returned to the Li Mansion on rest days.
The Li Mansion didn’t allow concubinage, so there weren’t many children.
"Fourth brother, listening to you, it feels like the Imperial College is your grandfather’s real home, while the Li Mansion seems more like an inn."
The Fourth Prince was slightly taken aback by Zhao Yao’s words, then felt he was quite right.
"You’re correct, to your grandfather, the Imperial College is their true home."
Zhao Yao didn’t say, but for the Li Family, the Imperial College was like their own academy. Rather than saying it’s the state’s academy, it’s more appropriate to say it’s Li Family’s academy.
The Li Family’s status and influence increased because of the Imperial College.
The Kong Family also had its own academy, but it couldn’t compare to the Imperial College.
The Imperial College is the highest academy of Great Zhou, having cultivated numerous talents for the state over the last twenty years. Many officials now in the court were once students of the Imperial College. Among them, a small portion held significant positions in court or other key appointments.
Though the Kong Family’s academy also produced many outstanding scholars, compared to the students of the Imperial College, it fell short.
The scholars from the Kong Family’s academy were not inferior in terms of literary knowledge compared to those from the Imperial College. It was in the ability to govern that they differed.
The Imperial College taught scholars not only to study well but also how to be capable officials serving the court and benefiting the people. On the other hand, the Kong Family’s academy focused more on teaching students to study.
Being a good student doesn’t necessarily mean being a good official.
The late Emperor established the Imperial College with the intent of nurturing officials for the court, not just scholars, and certainly not just talents. Over the past twenty years, under Minister Li’s leadership, the Imperial College has annually provided the court with young and outstanding officials.
Many officials in court graduated from the Imperial College, and they are full of gratitude towards it. They take pride in their origins from the Imperial College, and the majority of deans and doctors from the Imperial College are Li Family members, full of gratitude for the Li Family. This is why the Kong Family can’t compete with the Li Family now.
In recent years, the Li Family’s influence grew increasingly larger in the court and held a significant place in the hearts of scholars.
Scholars studied not just to write good essays and poetry, but to govern.
Though it seems noble to say it’s to repay the state and fulfill an ambition, in reality, it’s to become an official, to stand out and bring honor to their family.
In pursuit of becoming an official, scholars from across the land yearned to study at the Imperial College. To them, gaining entry into the Imperial College brought them just one step away from realizing their dream of governance.
While the Kong Family was prestigious, studying at its academy didn’t guarantee a position in court. Whereas studying at the Imperial College gave a large probability of entering the court as an official.
Which is lighter or heavier? Which is better or worse?
Scholars across the world knew very well in their hearts.
The Li Family was the maternal clan of the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince didn’t need to do anything special, yet many ministers in the court supported him, an advantage that the Third Prince and others couldn’t match.
Prince Dai always saw the Crown Prince as his main rival but overlooked the Fourth Prince’s advantage.
Comparing the Fourth Prince to the Crown Prince, the only difference was that he wasn’t the legitimate eldest son; in other respects, he was not inferior, especially in the strength of his maternal family.
Duke Zhen Country Mansion was a centuries-old noble family, seemingly more powerful than the Li Family on the surface, yet being a centuries-old noble family was their greatest weakness.
In every era, emperors feared centuries-old noble families but trusted and valued esteemed scholarly families.
The Emperor was no different.