Chapter 007 Honest Child

Master Shen finished half of the sorghum cake and said to Liu Yaozu: "Accompany me for a stroll around the village."

Thank you for your guidance, sir! Liu Yaozu felt deeply grateful and sincerely convinced, perceiving the teacher's image as truly magnificent

Shen Fuceng finally understood that this ample sorghum cake, rich in oil and salt, was most likely specially prepared for him by the Liu family, as Liu the carpenter and his wife and children would surely be reluctant to eat it. At that moment, he felt a surge of emotion and, with a blank expression, broke the sorghum cake in half and handed it back, saying: "You should eat as well."

Liu Yaozu seemed to have committed some heinous act, suddenly kneeling on the ground and bowing his head: "Sir, the Three Character Classic that you taught Wang Er has two passages that differ from what my father taught. Perhaps my father remembered it incorrectly... I went home last night and asked my father, and he insisted that he did not remember it wrong... I... I... I should not question the teacher, but I want to clarify. It truly... it truly is..."... I should not question the teacher, but I want to clarify. It truly... it truly is..."

Such crude and unpalatable food actually made Master Shen's fingers move in delight, as he praised, "Not bad, you are a thoughtful child, and you know how to show respect to your teacher"

My father said, this is for the gentleman. Liu Yaozu shook his head repeatedly, not daring to look at the sorghum cake again, fearing that he would succumb to temptation.

The next day, in the morning

Master Shen arrived at the flatland, squatted down to take a closer look, and exclaimed in astonishment: "This... this is actually rammed earth? A mere small barbarian village, and yet they have used rammed earth to compact the flatland, isn't that a bit too extravagant?"

Exile is generally a life sentence, unless one day the emperor remembers the case, or some major upheaval occurs. This has nothing to do with Master Shen, as he neither knows the emperor nor has such extensive connections. Even if one day the chief official were to "rehabilitate" the case, no one would remember him, the implicated assistant official.

Unfortunately, for Wang Yuan, all three methods are extremely difficult

Good

Thirdly, spend a considerable amount of money to smooth out local connections and find a county to register for the examination under a false identity

The master and apprentice, without realizing it, arrived at a large expanse of flat land

Shen Fuceng let out a sigh and handed over the sorghum cake

The usually indolent Shen Fuceng surprisingly rose early today, sitting under the eaves with a feather fan in hand, lost in deep thought as he gazed at the rising sun.

First, let the local chieftains organize the households in Chuanqing Village

However, Liu the carpenter was different; throughout his life, he had only studied the "Three Character Classic," "Hundred Family Surnames," "Children's Speech," and "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art." The contents of these four books were deeply engraved in his mind

As for the benefactor whom he once followed, after serving as an official in the capital for one year, he returned home in mourning and, while observing filial piety, fell ill and died. People praised his filial devotion, attributing it to excessive longing for his deceased mother; in reality, it was due to his excessive weight, which led to a sudden cerebral hemorrhage one day, resulting in his untimely death.

It is essential to assist the disciples in resolving their household registration matters

However, Liu Yaozu is truly too well-behaved; even Master Shen does not wish to bully such an honest child. He could only say: "Your father is right; I have made a mistake. Confucius said: 'To know is to know, and not to know is not to know; that is knowledge.' The Zuo Zhuan also states: 'To know one’s mistakes and be able to correct them is the greatest virtue.' Whether in conduct or in scholarship, one should face one’s own errors; only in this way can one correct and improve. You may rise now; do not kneel any longer." Confucius said: 'To know is to know, and not to know is not to know; that is knowledge.' The Zuo Zhuan also states: 'To know one’s mistakes and be able to correct them is the greatest virtue.' Whether in conduct or in scholarship, one should face one’s own errors; only in this way can one correct and improve. You may rise now; do not kneel any longer.

Liu Yaozu knelt on the ground and said: "One place is at Dou Yanshan, where you taught 'Teach the five sons, and their names will be renowned', while my father taught 'Teach the five sons, and their names will all be renowned'"

The impoverished farmers of the Ming Dynasty generally ate only two meals a day. They would rise at dawn to work in the fields, returning home for a meal when the sun was high in the sky. After having breakfast, they would continue working and would typically have their dinner in the early afternoon.

I have eaten. Liu Yaozu wiped his mouth with his sleeve

If implemented in other regions, this method would be the most feasible, as it pertains to the achievements of officials. Unfortunately, this is a territory governed by a local chieftain, where the fewer the registered villages, the better. The Heishanling village operates on a village unit basis, directly paying taxes and labor to the chieftain, with no connection to the imperial court whatsoever

If Shen Fuceng had not been forcibly taken up the mountain, he would have spent the rest of his life in Yunnan, until the day he died of illness, old age, or starvation

Liu Yaozu quickly introduced: "This is the dam built using Wang Er's method, made from burnt lime, where the entire village dries its grain."

What Master Shen was thinking was: how many sets of books should I buy to bring back, otherwise how will I teach in the future

Speak your mind! Shen Fuceng could no longer bear it

At this moment, Wang Yuan no longer monitored Shen Fuceng. He believed that Master Shen was a sensible person, and once he understood the situation, he would no longer attempt to escape—there were savages everywhere at the foot of the mountain, and Master Shen had no one to turn to; in a hurry, where could he possibly flee to?

Alas, foolish child

Shen Fuceng murmured to himself, and he was not in a hurry, as his disciple was still young.

Liu Yaozu presented it like a treasure, pulling out a sorghum cake from his bosom: "Sir, this is specially made for you by my mother. It does not contain bran, and has corn mixed in, with plenty of oil and salt added. It smells delicious to me!"

Second, establish a temporary residence with a landlord, find a way to acquire several acres of land, and then report to the local authorities

Liu Yaozu accompanied his teacher on a stroll in the village, several times wanting to speak but hesitating, ultimately lacking the courage to express himself.

Liu Yaozu was suddenly at a loss, caught in a dilemma, unsure of how to choose

Master Shen was instantly filled with embarrassment; it was one thing for Liu Yaozu not to mention it, but once he did, how could he not realize that it was his own mistake

Liu Yaozu said nervously: "Moreover, regarding Tang Youyu, you taught 'Wei Shengshi', while my father taught 'Cheng Shengshi'"

Shen Fuceng said silently: "I haven't had breakfast yet, you came too early."

Shen Fuceng said with a stern face: "If you do not eat, I will not teach you to read!"

Liu Yaozu was quite excited; he could finally assist his mentor, even if it was just a trivial matter of casually strolling around

Now, a prodigy has emerged, and Master Shen suddenly sees a glimmer of hope

The Ming court encouraged the reclamation of wasteland by the displaced population and also promoted the registration of these individuals. As long as one possesses land and has the reclamation status recognized by the authorities, obtaining household registration is both easy and legitimate. Of course, the process requires financial expenditure, and the amount of silver spent cannot be too little.

Master Shen turned and left

The three-in-one earth of the Ming Dynasty was primarily used for the construction of the Great Wall, city walls, palaces, and tombs. The method of preparing three-in-one earth is considered a closely guarded secret.

Master Shen immediately took it and eagerly took a big bite. While chewing, he noticed Liu Yaozu staring at him with longing, his Adam's apple rolling up and down as he kept swallowing saliva. Shen Fuceng couldn't help but ask, "Haven't you eaten yet?"

Like "The Child's Language," "The Three Character Classic" was also learned by Shen Fuzong over forty years ago. Even though it was memorized perfectly at that time, after several decades, it is inevitable that one or two lines may be recited incorrectly

Shen Fuceng said: "Go find Wang Yuan!"

If it were Wang Yuan here, Shen Fuceng would definitely want to save face and would casually use the excuse of different versions to brush it off

Shen Fuceng could not help but exclaim: "What a smooth surface!"

In other words, there is still at least one hour until breakfast

Liu Yaozu hurriedly presented the sorghum cake, saying: "Please, sir, have a taste."

Liu Yaozu hurriedly chased after him: "Sir, where are you going?"

At least in the regions of North and South Zhili, the use of rammed earth is prohibited for civilian purposes

At that moment, the exemplary student Liu Yaozu came running in, performing a very proper and polite bow: "Student Liu Yaozu pays his respects to the teacher. May we begin the class now?"

Shen Fuceng interrupted, saying: "Which two places are different?"

Liu Yaozu dared not disobey the orders of his master, nor could he defy his father's command, so he had no choice but to keep half of the sorghum cake safe, intending to take it home for his father to handle.

One can only act in accordance with the timing

Master Shen inquired again: "Is there another place?"

Shen Fuceng served as a clerk for over ten years, becoming thoroughly familiar with various operations, and there are at least three methods for managing household registration