Xuanzong responded with his right hand and pointed at the door of the palace where Concubine Liu Hua lived.
The young eunuch shouted: "The Emperor has arrived——"
Concubine Liu Hua was sitting at the desk with two palace maids in the room, playing couplets. When she heard the eunuch's shout, she quickly got up and straightened her white and brown clothes, walked to the door, and opened the door to greet Xuanzong.
Concubine Liu Hua knelt down and saluted: "I respectfully welcome your Majesty."
Xuanzong smiled and said: "Liu Aifei, look up. I see that you seem to have lost weight. Sometimes I really miss you."
Concubine Liu Hua raised her head, with her high bun, delicate face, and bright eyes looking at Xuanzong: "I thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Please sit inside."
At this time, the two palace maids squatted down and saluted at the same time: "Slave, please give your regards to the emperor."
Xuanzong said: "You go outside, I will have a few words with Concubine Liu Hua."
The two maids bent down and said, "I obey my command," and exited the room.
Xuanzong took Concubine Liu Hua's hand to the desk. Xuanzong saw a couplet with black characters on red paper on the table, which read: The cicada's chirping on a summer night does not disturb your dreams. The ink on this couplet has just begun to dry.
"Liu Aifei, is this a couplet you wrote? This sentence is a bit poetic, but the writing needs more practice. The horizontal direction is not flat enough, the vertical direction is not straight enough, and the end of the stroke is not perfect."
"I thank you for your advice. Your Majesty is right."
"How about you take another piece of couplet paper and I'll write out the second couplet. You can take a look."
Concubine Liu Hua took a long piece of red couplet paper from the other end of the desk and spread it in front of Xuanzong.
Xuanzong thought for a while, picked up the brush placed next to the inkstone, dipped it lightly in ink, and wrote: The crow of birds in spring is also hypnotic.
After Concubine Liu Hua saw Xuanzong writing this second couplet, she said happily: "Your Majesty is right and the writing is very good. This regular script is vigorous and powerful."
"When I was still the King of Linzi, I was good at handwriting. Do you still remember the time when you were studying ink and I was practicing writing?"
"How dare I forget, eight years have passed in a flash, time flies so fast."
Xuanzong took Concubine Liu Hua's hand, and they sat on the two chairs beside the table.
Xuanzong asked: "Is Cong'er studying in Xingningfang?"
Concubine Liu Hua said: "Yes, Cong'er and Li Ying are studying the Analects of Confucius with Mr. Bi Guogong after breakfast."
"Well, didn't Cong'er tell you that Cui Riyong and Zhang Jiuling taught him and Ying'er poetry?"
"Well, he said that these two ministers and poets taught them poetry."
"I arranged for the two of them to teach the two princes poetry and poetry every day after they retired from the court. They taught poetry for an hour every day, and I increased their salaries accordingly."
"Are these two ministers taking turns teaching them?"
"Yes, the two of them went there in turns. It may be Zhang Jiuling who went today. My uncle, the prince's young master Dou Xiguan, should have finished teaching "The Analects" long ago. It should be Zhang Jiuling who is teaching the two princes now. Hua Concubine, please accompany me to Xingningfang to see them."
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your concern for Cong'er. I am honored to accompany Your Majesty to Xingningfang to see how the two princes are studying."
Xuanzong and Concubine Liu Hua left the Yeting Palace and walked east toward Xingningfang, surrounded by guards Li Shoude, Chen Xiaoli, two young eunuchs, and two palace ladies.
When the group of them arrived outside Xingningfang, they heard Zhang Jiuling's voice reading poetry.
Xiao Jiezi, the eunuch outside Xingningfang, saw the emperor, bowed and said: "This slave welcomes the emperor."
Xuanzong raised his right hand and pointed at the closed door of Xingningfang: "I want to go in."
Xiao Jiezi shouted inside: "The Emperor has arrived——"
Zhang Jiuling was sitting in front of the two princes. Behind him was a two-meter-high wooden board with a square red paper pasted on it. Written on the red paper are poems by Wang Ji, a poet from the early Tang Dynasty. After hearing the eunuch's shout, he hurried to the door to greet Xuanzong.
Zhang Jiuling opened the door, bowed and said, "I respectfully welcome the emperor."
Xuanzong walked inside and said, "Master Zhang, what poems did you teach the two princes?"
"Reporting to your Majesty, I am teaching the two princes Wang Ji's poem "Ambition"."
Xuanzong said: "Very good."
When Xuanzong walked to the wooden board standing behind the lectern, the two princes stood up at the same time, bowed and said in unison: "My son, I pay homage to my father."
"Well, sit down. Do you think poetry is easy to learn?"
Li Cong said: "I have reported to my father that I think poetry is not too difficult to learn."
Li Ying also said: "I have reported to my father, I think Mr. Zhang teaches well, so we can learn well."
Xuanzong said happily: "Well, you must listen to the words of Bi Guogong, the prince's young master Dou Xiguan, and the teachings of Master Zhang and Master Cui. Do you understand?"
The two princes said in unison: "I understand——"
Xuanzong asked again: "Do you know who the Prince's Young Master, Bi Guogong Dou, is to me?"
Li Cong said: "He is my father's uncle."
Xuanzong said: "Well, the answer is correct, then what do you call him?"
Li Cong said: "I call him Uncle Grandpa."
Xuanzong said: "Well, very good."
Xuanzong looked at the big wooden board. There was a square red paper pasted on it, with Wang Ji's "Ambition" written in regular script on it:
Looking at dusk in Donggao,
Where can I rely on?
The trees are all in autumn colour,
The mountains are only illuminated by the setting sun...
Concubine Liu Hua also entered the room just now. She followed Xuanzong slightly behind. She looked at her son Li Cong and smiled happily. She was worried that her son would give wrong answers when answering Xuanzong's questions, but now she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Zhang Jiuling said: "Your Majesty, do you have any guidance for the work of the emperor's poems and songs?"
"I think you taught me well. Although my uncle Dou Xiguan is the prince's young teacher, he is not as knowledgeable as you and Lord Cui. From now on, you will have to worry more about teaching the Four Books and Five Classics."
"Your Majesty, please rest assured that Mr. Cui and I will do our best to teach the two princes seriously."
"Master Zhang, I want to tell you one more thing. Starting tomorrow, Li Heng will also come to study. He is young. You and Master Cui will teach him some simple poems alone. Let's teach him writing first. Before that, Yang Guibi I’ve been taught a few lessons, so he has a basic foundation and should learn quickly.”
"Your Majesty, I will remember what you told me, and I will also tell Mr. Cui."
"Well, okay, Gao Lishi will arrange for Li Heng to come over tomorrow to study."
Xuanzong said to Li Cong and Li Ying: "Tomorrow your brother Li Heng will come to study with you. Do you welcome him?"
Li Ying said: "Brother is welcome to study."
Li Cong said: "I also welcome my younger brother to study."
Xuanzong smiled and said: "You two are brothers, don't bully him."
Ten-year-old Li Cong said: "Father, please rest assured that we will help my brother study."
Six-year-old Li Ying said: "Father, please rest assured that we will help my brother."
Xuanzong looked at the two princes with a joyful expression on his face: "Very good, the two princes are very sensible."
Concubine Liu Hua said: "Your Majesty, I would like to say a few words to Li Cong."
Xuanzong smiled and said: "This is what it should be. Li Cong, please have a few words with your mother and concubine."
Li Cong said: "Mother, my nanny has taken good care of me. You don't have to worry about me all the time."
Concubine Liu Hua walked to Li Cong and said, "I'll continue to visit you every two days, otherwise I will miss you very much."
"Okay, I will share with you interesting things about my study and life when the time comes."
Li Ying watched Li Cong chatting with Concubine Liu Hua and her son, lowered her head, and showed a little sadness on her face. He missed his mother, Zhao Lifei, who didn't visit him once every two days.
