Chapter 14: Women's Four Books

  Sheng Siyan put the four books into her small flower-patterned backpack as if in a dream, and was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

  Wang thought that Sheng Siyan was just too excited in school, so she got tired and didn't teach her to read or study medicine at night, instead urging her to go to bed early.

  The next day, Sheng Siyan followed Wang Ergou to the girls' school.

  Wang Erge asked her: "How is it in the girls' school? Is anyone bullying you?"

  Sheng Siyan shook her head, "No, everyone is fine, and they're all very harmonious with me."

  Wang Ergou nodded, "Then why didn't you wait for me and went back alone yesterday?"

  Sheng Siyan tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "Uh, I miss my mom."

  Wang Ergou calmly looked at her and said, "Continue fabricating, continue fabricating." He clearly didn't believe what she was saying.

  Sheng Siyan lowered her head in embarrassment. From past lives to this life, she had never made excuses and was always seen through by others at a glance.

  "You can tell me anything. ——Hmm?" Wang Er Ge pulled Sheng Si Yan's hand, half-kneeling down, looking into her eyes, and said sincerely.

  Sheng Siyan looked at Wang Ergou's clear eyes and felt a pang of guilt, hastily saying: "Yesterday I was in a hurry to go home and read those four great masterpieces. Just... just didn't have time to wait for Wang Ergou."

  Wang Ergou stood up in shock, "The Four Great Masterpieces?!" He paused for a moment, then asked: "Are they the four novels written by Zheng Yuanxuan? 'Yu Meng Lian', 'Ting Yuan Shen', 'Qing Yun Tian', and what's the other one called?"

  "My Precious Pearl"! Sheng Sihyan said with a smile.

  "Oh, yes, 'The Legend of the Condor Hero'. Wang Ergou's eyes had a hint of blame in them as he glanced at Sheng Siyan and said: "These books are actually trivial books. At your young age, you shouldn't be reading these trivial books, it will corrupt your temperament."

  "Ah?" Sheng Siyan's eyes widened, "Isn't this one of the Four Great Classical Novels? Shouldn't everyone be reading it?"

  Wang Ergou gently tapped her head, "What Four Great Masterpieces? My Xia Dynasty has countless masterpieces, these four books that talk about love and romance can't be considered 'Four Great Masterpieces'. They're just the four great plays often used by theater troupes to arrange performances. If you say they're masterpieces, you can't mention them in the same breath as Zheng Er's other collections of poetry." It's simply like two different people...

  Sheng Siyan pursed her lips and thought to herself that the people of the Great Xia Dynasty still had some vision after all...

  Those four great works are probably what those little girls who like reading "miscellaneous books" privately call themselves.

  But it's also true that these books were once popular in her previous life when information was more advanced, let alone in this closed-off era...

  Sheng Siyan raised an eyebrow and smiled: "So that's how it is. I was wondering why our Great Xia Dynasty would consider these four books as classics."

  The two of them came laughing to the entrance of the girls' school.

  Sheng Siyan rushed into the house with a smile on her face, waving goodbye to Wang Erge.

  Arriving at her own school building, Sheng Siyan returned the four books to the young lady and said: "My mother... my mother... doesn't let me copy..."

  The young lady smiled and said, "Yes, you're a bit too small. Wait until you grow up a bit more, then I'll lend it to you."

  Sheng Siyan nodded repeatedly and said: "I heard from neighbors that these four books are actually not the Four Great Masterpieces." A look of "you guys cheated me".

  The young lady covered her mouth and smiled lightly, saying: "Of course, those big men don't admit that this is a 'Four Great Masterpiece', but in our women's view, this is the most enjoyable masterpiece. The books they love to read are not interesting at all."

  Niu Xiaoye walked in and also said, "That's right." And then to Sheng Siyan: "You don't know yet? The 'Four Great Masterpieces' here actually didn't have 'Courtyard Deep' before, but 'Plum Blossom Seal'."

  "Yes. Originally, it should have been 'Plum Blossom Seal', but the Empress Dowager said that this 'Plum Blossom Seal' advocated confusing the imperial bloodline and corrupting the social norms, so she issued an edict to ban that book. Later, Miss Zheng wrote another book called 'Courtyard Deep'... Many young girls knew about this news."

  Sheng Siyan was taken aback, thinking to herself that Zheng Erniang was indeed very hungry... even copying "Mei Hua Luan"!

  "...Unfortunately, it's been banned and can't be seen anymore." The little girl in the house sighed together.

  They were unaware that at this moment, in the imperial palace in the capital city, Zheng Dà Niáng was kneeling in front of the Empress Dowager's low desk, arranging four thread-bound books in a row, saying: "...Empress Dowager, my sister was bedridden with illness that year, knowing her guilt was deep, especially after writing those four books she shouldn't have written, harming generations of women of the Great Xia Dynasty. Feeling deeply remorseful, she wrote 'Admonitions for Women', 'Inner Teachings', 'Analects for Women' and 'Women's Precepts'. These four books can help countless women misled by her return to the right path."

  The empress dowager smiled and glanced at Zheng Da Niang, saying: "Su Xiang, you have also been very kind to your younger sister."

  Empress Zheng hastily said, "Your Majesty is overpraising me. My younger sister is a good woman and a naturally talented person, I admire her very much and also worship her. Whatever she says, I listen to it all. Her last wishes, I am also willing to help her fulfill them one by one within my capabilities."

  "Yes, she's indeed a good girl, not only is her appearance stunningly beautiful, but also incredibly talented. —— These four words 'incredibly talented' are truly apt. It's just a pity that our Shao'er doesn't have this blessing." The Empress Dowager sighed, her pair of hands, as delicate as those of an eighteen-year-old maiden, slid one by one over the four thread-bound books, then picked up the first one, "Admonitions for Women", and began to read.

  That book is as white as the best snowflake paper, whiter than snow, but Empress Dowager's hands are a few shades whiter than that snowflake paper.

  The Empress Dowager is over fifty years old and has such jade-like hands, it's really "defying the heavens".

  To tell a person's age, actually what should be looked at is their hands. Looking at their face can't reveal much difference.

  Madam Zheng gazed at the Empress Dowager's jade-like hands and smiled slightly with a hint of flirtation.

  "The Empress Dowager, my sister handed me these four books when she was dying. She hoped that I could set up a girls' school and use these four books as teaching materials to teach the girls in the school. This is what they should learn." Zheng Da Niangzi said gently but firmly.

  The empress dowager quickly flipped through "Nu Jie" and then closed the book, nodding thoughtfully. After a while, she raised an eyebrow and looked at Zheng Da Niangniang, "Alright, if you want to teach Rong'er, use these four books as textbooks."

  Madam Zheng suppressed the wild joy in her heart and nodded solemnly, "Your Majesty is wise. This move will have a profound impact on the women of the Great Xia Dynasty, from now on men and women will be in order, each in their own place, and the world will be at peace!" As she spoke, she stood up and paid homage to the empress dowager.

  The Empress Dowager smiled and said: "Go down. It's still early to distribute these books to various girls' schools, isn't it?"

  "It's just in time." Zheng Dainai bowed and retreated.

  As soon as she left, the smile on Empress Dowager's face disappeared. She stood up and walked to the dresser in the inner room, staring at the crystal clear mirror in a trance.

  The flawless beauty in the mirror, even if she stuck her face to it, couldn't find a single wrinkle or blemish.

  No matter how you look at it, this is not the face of a fifty-year-old woman. If you say she's twenty, people will believe it.

  "Zheng Suxin, no, it should be the medical skills of Shen Nong's family, really against heaven." The Empress Dowager stroked her own face and muttered to herself, "Forget it, since it was her sister's last wish, let it be. As for Rong Nu Xue, she is just an ordinary woman from a commoner's household, shouldn't cause any trouble."

  ……