He hurriedly said, “Just joking with you. No need to thank me. It’ll be Mid-Autumn in a few days — lately there haven’t been many major matters in court. Take a break, don’t overwork yourself.”
He wove the wildflower in his hand into a flower crown.
Turning his head, he looked at the top of Meng Fu’s head — if this crown were placed on her, it might look a bit off.
Of course, it wasn’t that Meng Fu wasn’t good-looking, but rather, his own face didn’t look like something that should appear together with a flower crown.
So Li Yue simply placed the flower crown on top of his own head.
Meng Fu took one look and couldn’t help but laugh.
Li Yue didn’t mind and said to her, “Give me two days to practice, and I’ll perform a chest-breaking-stone act for you.”
This wasn’t the first time His Majesty had said he wanted to do the chest-breaking-stone act.
Meng Fu couldn’t help but worry that he really meant it. She opened her mouth to advise: “Just don’t practice for the next few days. Even at the marquis manor, you must take care of yourself.”
Li Yue obediently agreed.
As the sun dipped behind the western mountains and night gradually fell, Meng Fu sent someone to escort Li Yue back to the Marquis of Xuanping’s residence.
Then she went to Cining Palace to dine with the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager didn’t ask about what had happened between her and Li Yue. She just looked at Meng Fu with a meaningful, knowing smile.
Meng Fu sighed inwardly.
Even if she wanted to explain, there was nowhere to begin.
—
The next day, after the morning court session, Meng Fu sent someone to the Meng family residence to summon Meng Yanxing into the palace.
As soon as this news got out, everyone began to speculate about the emperor’s intentions.
Why would the emperor summon Meng Yanxing into the palace?
Could it be that the emperor wanted to bring Meng Yanxing back into service?
Meng Yanxing’s scholarly reputation was extremely good.
When he resigned back then, many people in court felt it was a pity.
But now was no longer the past.
Liu Changlan and Wei Jun’an were especially attentive to this matter — if Meng Yanxing returned to court, would it shake their positions?
Over at the Meng residence, Meng Yanxing himself was also quite confused.
Yesterday the Empress Dowager summoned Meng Fu into the palace, and today the emperor had summoned him.
He naturally wouldn’t think that His Majesty’s summon had anything to do with Meng Fu — after all, Meng Fu was just the wife of the Marquis of Xuanping.
Even if something happened to her, it wouldn’t alarm the emperor.
Madam Meng, however, asked with a face full of worry, “Old Master, could there be something wrong? Could His Majesty be thinking about what happened back then…”
Back then, the reason Li Yue could be sent to the borderlands — Meng Yanxing had certainly played no small part.
Meng Yanxing shook his head and said, “If it’s really about matters of the past, His Majesty could simply send someone to the Meng residence to seize me. There’d be no need to summon me into the palace.”
“Then could it be about A’Yu?” Madam Meng lowered her voice and said.
Some time ago, when Meng Fu had been summoned alone by the Empress Dowager to the imperial garden, rumors had already spread that the Empress Dowager might be intending to bring the Meng family’s younger daughter into the palace. Many people had taken it as nothing more than a joke. Madam Meng, of course, also knew that Meng Yu was not so young anymore, and that the Meng family was no longer what it used to be — but as a mother, she still felt her daughter was good in every way. That the Empress Dowager might take a liking to her wasn’t entirely impossible.
Meng Yanxing wasn’t as naive as Madam Meng. He only said, “We’ll know once we meet His Majesty.”
He had a feeling that this summons to the palace would not be anything good.
But a royal order could not be defied. Meng Yanxing dressed properly and followed the summoning eunuch into the palace.
When Meng Fu learned that Meng Yanxing had arrived, she didn’t let him in right away, only had him wait outside first.
Under the scorching sun, Meng Yanxing was busy speculating on His Majesty’s thoughts and didn’t feel the heat. During this time, one scholar after another came out of Zichen Hall, muttering things like how His Majesty still wasn’t satisfied, how their writing wasn’t good enough, and how they’d been scolded by the emperor.
Meng Yanxing grew even more curious. What exactly was His Majesty trying to do?
Over an hour passed before the others inside Zichen Hall had all left. Only then did Meng Fu summon Meng Yanxing to enter.
After entering Zichen Hall, Meng Yanxing knelt on the ground and said, “This humble subject Meng Yanxing greets His Majesty.”
Meng Fu sat behind the long desk, eyes lowered as she looked at the kneeling Meng Yanxing. This was her father. Among the common folk, there was a saying: if a child accepts a kneeling bow from their parents, they will be struck by thunder from the heavens.
But now, she was not Meng Fu. She was only the Emperor.
Meng Fu said in a deep voice, “Mister Meng, please rise.”
Meng Yanxing rose from the ground and asked, “May I ask what matter His Majesty has summoned this humble subject to the palace for?”
Meng Fu spoke bluntly, “Zhen wishes to compile a book called ‘Virtue of Men’.”
Meng Yanxing instinctively asked, “May I ask, what is this ‘Virtue of Men’?”
Meng Fu slowly said, “Nothing much, just that Zhen thought there should also be a book for men, to teach them the principles of being a proper person.”
Meng Yanxing frowned. Back when he had served as the Crown Prince’s tutor, he had tried to make this emperor read more books — but this emperor insisted on going against him. Otherwise, how could such a ridiculous idea be proposed now? He said, “Your Majesty, the principles of conduct have already been clearly stated by the sages in the Four Books and Five Classics. This humble subject fears I could not write anything better.”
Meng Fu said mildly, “But Zhen feels it is not enough.”
Meng Yanxing then asked, “Where does Your Majesty feel it falls short?”
Meng Fu replied, “Zhen had nothing to do and read through Nü Jie recently. After reading it, Zhen had some insights — felt the book was written very well. Mister Meng, would you not agree?”
Meng Yanxing didn’t understand why the emperor suddenly changed the topic, but still nodded in agreement and said, “Yes, it is the foremost among the Four Books for Women. It fully outlines the principles a woman should follow throughout her life. The women of this world should read and understand this book thoroughly.”
Thinking of this, Meng Yanxing felt a bit angry — just what part of Nü Jie had Meng Fu read?
Seeing Meng Yanxing nod, Meng Fu continued, “So Zhen thought, since women have Nü Jie, then men should also have such a book to regulate their behavior. The Four Books and Five Classics — in Zhen’s view — are all somewhat lacking. Zhen thinks our dynasty should publish a ‘Virtue of Men’, to enlighten the common people.”
“Your Majesty’s meaning is…” Meng Yanxing’s voice involuntarily softened, thinking surely His Majesty didn’t mean what he thought.
But His Majesty disappointed him. That was exactly what His Majesty meant.
Meng Fu said directly, “Mister Meng, just follow the format of Nü Jie and write a ‘Virtue of Men’.”
Meng Yanxing listened to His Majesty seriously saying such words and, for a moment, felt as if this was retribution? This must be retribution! Just yesterday he had punished Meng Fu by making her copy Nü Jie, and today His Majesty was asking him to write Nan De — how could there be such a coincidence under heaven?
If he truly wrote Nan De following Nü Jie’s example, he wouldn’t just be ridiculed and scolded by all the people under heaven, suffering their public condemnation and verbal attacks — more likely, he would be reviled for generations.
Meng Yanxing immediately knelt and bowed, saying: “Your Majesty, please forgive this humble subject’s shallow learning — I am powerless to accomplish this.”
Meng Fu said slowly, “Mister Meng, you jest. If you are considered shallow in learning, then there is no one else in the world who can be called truly learned.”
Meng Yanxing never thought that one day, still alive, he would hear a word of praise from the mouth of the emperor — yet this matter was something he absolutely could not agree to.
He bowed deeply and said: “Your Majesty, this humble subject truly cannot write it.”
“Zhen merely wanted Mister Meng to write a book,” Meng Fu said calmly.
“Since Mister Meng is unwilling, Zhen will not force it. If you won’t do it, there are still many others willing to write for Zhen. It’s just…”
Meng Fu paused, then continued slowly: “Zhen had some free time these past few days and reread the essays Mister Meng had written in the past. Zhen did not quite like them. Zhen has been thinking — perhaps they should all be banned.”
Meng Yanxing’s eyes instantly widened — he had not expected the emperor would use this to threaten him.
Why had he toiled to write all those essays? Was it not for his works to spread across the four seas, to become famous throughout the world, to be remembered in history, to be praised for generations?
Now he had already resigned from office. If all his writings were banned — what would he have left from his life’s labor?
“Your Majesty, you must not do this,” Meng Yanxing said.
“Why can’t Zhen do it?” Meng Fu mocked him in the emperor’s tone.
Meng Yanxing couldn’t help but shiver and, in that moment, even gave rise to thoughts of death.
He could not accept that his life would end with nothing to show for it.
Meng Fu saw that Meng Yanxing’s face was pale and his eyes tightly shut.
She composed herself. After giving a slap, one must offer a sweet date.
She changed her tone and continued to persuade: “Zhen actually understands why Mister Meng is unwilling — but are the words of others really so important? Those who only use words to resist are merely incompetent people.”
These words were spoken for Meng Yanxing to hear — and also for Meng Fu herself.
“Once Nan De is completed, it will be issued by imperial edict personally from Zhen. Mister Meng should believe in Zhen’s methods — at that time, who would dare to voice dissent?”
Because His Majesty had hit Meng Yanxing right at his vital point, and then said these words, Meng Yanxing truly began to waver a bit.
He thought: Li Yue really is someone who became an emperor — he’s very different from before.
“Mister Meng, what are you still worried about? Worried about the judgment of future generations? You are a man of learning — you should know, every book in this world will face different voices. The voices may be loud or soft, many or few — but that doesn’t stop them from being passed down through the ages, from becoming books of sages.”
“Mister Meng, think about it — Ban Zhao, who wrote Nü Jie, is now admired by countless women. Why can’t Nan De also become a classic passed down for generations?”
Seeing that Meng Yanxing’s expression had eased somewhat, Meng Fu continued to huyou him:
“Mister Meng, you know that Fengtian Study is currently compiling a grand canon, right? You should also know the significance of compiling that canon. Zhen believes in your writing skill — if your Nan De can match Nü Jie, Zhen is willing to place it in the first volume, first chapter, first section of the grand canon, and print your name on the very first page.”
“This may be difficult, but Zhen believes in Mister Meng’s ability. Others can write it too — but compared to you, they fall short. To place them in the first volume would not be fitting; they can only be pushed to the back.”
“Mister Meng, the essays you wrote in the past were indeed elegant and profound in meaning — but in the end, they were just the common voice. Nan De is different. Zhen can promote it to households across the empire — let everyone under heaven read it, recite it!”
“Peaceful rivers and tranquil seas, a prosperous country and safe people — this is a time of great peace. In such a golden age, books that are transmitted and flourish will become the model and reference for the future. History will record your name.”
“A hundred, a thousand years from now, before any man gets married, he will have to read and memorize Nan De. It will become the standard for how they act as sons, husbands, and fathers. By that time, Mister Meng, your name will be listed alongside the sages!”
“Mister Meng, have you thought it through now?”