Chapter 1496: Chapter 1496: Humanity
Zhulan returned to the carriage, and Lady Li slumped down by the window, speaking in the smallest voice: “Mother, why does, why does the Retired Emperor also have to go!”
“Didn’t you hear just now? The Retired Emperor wants to attend my lecture.”
Lady Li indeed hadn’t heard; when she saw her mother salute, she was stunned and followed with a salute back to her own carriage in a daze. Now hearing her mother’s words, her eyes widened, “Attend your lecture?”
Zhulan, “…”
She was already upset and didn’t want to hear Lady Li parroting her words, so she closed her eyes, not looking at Lady Li.
Lady Li, “…”
Mother was displeased, so she obediently closed her mouth, even her breathing became lighter by a few degrees.
The carriage wobbled its way to the orphanage. Because it was winter, the progress of building was slow, and only two-thirds of the planned building was completed. The current progress was thanks to the recent temperature rise.
The Retired Emperor entered first with his hands behind his back; Zhulan cursed a few words in her heart but kept a smile on her face as she accompanied the Empress Dowager inside.
The Empress Dowager looked around curiously, “There are quite a few people here.”
“The strong laborers near the village come to build houses for a bite to eat; it’s all due to the grain shortage.”
The Empress Dowager paused for a few seconds, then asked, “Have the orphans from East City adapted after moving here?”
“Adapted, these children are well-behaved as long as they’re given something to eat.”
In short, the children were very apathetic. As long as they were not thrown away, the orphans from East City were docile when moved to the village, not crying or making trouble, doing whatever was asked like puppets without souls.
The Empress Dowager smiled, “Then I must take a good look.”
Zhulan thought to herself, you will surely be disappointed when you see; everyone loves vibrant life, not a puppet.
The village sheltered a hundred and thirty orphans. After investigating and sending some back, and adding the orphans from East City, there were more than three hundred orphans in the village, one-third of whom were girls and two-thirds boys.
What is vastly different between ancient times and now is that in ancient times there were no disabled or sick children; survival of the fittest was more brutal. Plus, during years of food shortage, sick and disabled children didn’t survive to grow up, often dying young.
The harsh living environment of ancient times, amidst natural and man-made disasters, was most unfriendly to children and the elderly.
Therefore, besides severe malnutrition, the orphans in the orphanage didn’t have major issues. After a few days, each was able to work.
The Retired Emperor looked at more than three hundred children kneeling outside, and Zhulan took a deep breath, pretending not to see it, ah, ancient imperial power.
Zhulan noticed the keen and eager ones, kowtowing with effort. Even when the snow was showing signs of melting, the ground was hard, and the kowtows were quite earnest, some even bruising their foreheads.
The Retired Emperor and Empress Dowager didn’t find this inappropriate; they were the embodiment of imperial power and were rather pleased.
Zhulan tugged at the corners of her mouth, ah, this lecture must be cautious, imperial power, oh imperial power.
The Empress Dowager asked, “Does the village have a house that can hold more than three hundred people?”
Zhulan shook her head, “Not yet. The house I built afterwards can only accommodate a hundred people.”
The Empress Dowager pointed at the more than three hundred children, “Are you going to give the lecture separately?”
“Not separately; yesterday I notified the steward that today’s lecture will be outside. The children are wearing old cotton-padded clothes, and with a bonfire in the yard, they won’t freeze in an hour.”
The houses that were built had a lot of moisture and needed a good drying by fire, so they were not yet usable. Besides, I do not wish to give the lecture separately, for it would just tire me out.
The Retired Emperor and the Empress Dowager naturally wouldn’t feel cold; they wore a lot and sat in a temporarily set up tent, with fire pits placed, tea and snacks not lacking, while Zhulan stepped onto the prepared platform to start the lecture.
In order for the children to hear her, a simple amplifier was made. Even with the amplifier, she had to shout. Fortunately, there was no wind today, and the sun was bright; heaven was kind to her.
Looking at the children below the stage, the orphans under strict rules were very obedient. Among the more than three hundred children, the youngest were five, with none under five, and not many at five either. Those who survived did so because they had siblings maintaining them. The five-year-olds were very obedient, not daring to make any noise.
Zhulan wasn’t pleased that no one was causing trouble; in fact, it felt quite oppressive, so she took a deep breath and said, “Children, you all know who I am, so I won’t introduce myself. Today, I’m going to give you a lecture; the theme is humanity.”
The Retired Emperor looked at the platform and then at the children below; the children’s eyes were full of confusion. The Retired Emperor stopped drinking his tea and attentively listened to Lady Yang’s lesson.
Zhulan’s face lit up with a smile, “Today we’ll discuss what it means to be a human. Before the lecture, I’ll tell you a few true stories. These were told to me by my eldest son…”
Zhulan didn’t interact with the audience, as it wasn’t realistic; no one would respond. These children were very apathetic.
She learned about the buying and eating of children only a few days after her eldest son returned. She now spoke of it to stimulate the children’s nerves, which needed a reaction before they could continue to listen.
Cannibalism was too common in ancient times.
After listening to a few stories, the children’s eyes showed some fluctuation; some of them knew. They were orphans hiding from people during famine years; in their eyes, people were more terrifying than beasts.
Zhulan finished her stories, “People have a moral bottom line. People know what should be done, and what shouldn’t be done. The Imperial court enacts laws…”
This lecture lasted for more than an hour, and Zhulan’s throat hurt from shouting. She didn’t speak profoundly, trying to use plain language to reason things out, ending with a few short stories to conclude.
These children needed to be brainwashed, to be made to re-recognize themselves. Only when they survive can they consider the future. Of course, the main thing was brainwashing; realistically, it was to ensure they were well-fed and warmly dressed.
After the children left, the Retired Emperor deeply regarded Lady Yang, noting that plain words could convey truth; this was Lady Yang’s skill. The stories were quite good, Lady Yang was intriguing.
The Empress Dowager quietly said, “Lady Yang did well today. Before the lecture, the children’s eyes were all confused, but after it, a few stood a bit straighter.”
The Retired Emperor, “I said I’d come to listen, didn’t I? Was it not worthwhile?”
The Empress Dowager felt a bit awkward; she had been opposed to attending Lady Yang’s lecture. She had seen female teachers before; didn’t all female teachers teach the same way? She hadn’t expected Lady Yang’s lecture to be so engaging; even the topic moved her heart—a true human, that’s not easy to achieve.
Zhulan’s throat felt like it was smoking and very hoarse. Ah, she would have to give the lectures separately in the future to preserve her voice. The only regret was not having invited the female teacher.
The Retired Emperor signaled for Lady Yang to come over, “You spoke well and should be rewarded.”
Zhulan’s heart skipped a beat, imperial power, oh imperial power, but she also sighed in relief. She dared not touch a hint of imperial power during her lecture and carefully avoided all red flags. It was truly difficult for her, “I only spoke from my heart. The practice of cannibalism deeply moved me. I did what I should do for the orphanage and am undeserving of a reward.”