Chapter 8: The Henchman and the Young Man

Confucius first took the time to understand each student's academic progress, and then he identified the content to be studied today. He allowed them to familiarize themselves with it first, and later he would explain it to each of them individually. However, when he saw Zizi and Li Yin, the old master's brow furrowed. He had already been informed by His Majesty the Emperor Taizong about these two 'special' students, and now he was troubled about how to teach them.

In the elementary school, there are not many people, totaling over thirty students. With the addition of two bachelors and two clerks, the total does not even reach forty. All of them are under ten years old, and the fourteen-year-old Li Yin stands among them, truly feeling like a crane among chickens. The surrounding little ones are also very curious about this 'senior student,' and a few mischievous ones even come over to ask Li Yin if he has come to the wrong place, which makes Li Yin feel so frustrated that he wants to bang his head against the wall. The surrounding little ones are also very curious about this 'senior student,' and a few mischievous ones even come over to ask Li Yin if he has come to the wrong place, which makes Li Yin feel so frustrated that he wants to bang his head against the wall

Well, both princes have some foundation, so let's start with the Thousand Character Classic, learning while recognizing characters. Now, repeat after me: I will read a line, and you will read it back." Confucius thought for a moment, then resolutely said.

The curriculum in elementary school is quite simple, with reading in the morning and practicing calligraphy in the afternoon. New students begin with the "Thousand Character Classic," followed by works such as Sima Xiangru's "On Generals" and Cai Yong's "On Learning," among others, until they graduate at the age of ten. They then transition to the Chongwen Academy or Hongwen Academy for secondary and higher education.

"Sixth Brother, I didn't expect you to be here so early! I haven't had the chance to thank you for the matter concerning Mother!" Just as Li Yin was about to pick up a book from the table to read, an eight or nine-year-old boy ran over and sat down beside him. Upon seeing him, Li Yin recognized him; he had just met the little fellow yesterday. This kid was his Ninth Brother, who would later become Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi.

"Have both of Your Highnesses learned to read?" Confucius, holding a ruler and with a stoic expression, walked up to Li Yun and Si Zi to inquire. The ruler in his hand was not merely for show; despite the presence of nobles and dignitaries, anyone who made a mistake would be punished without exception, and there would be no place to lodge a complaint.

"Recognizing characters, recognizing characters! The child has already learned..." The little girl counted on her fingers and found that she did not have enough fingers, so she spread both hands and exclaimed, "The child knows so many characters, even the Emperor praises the child for being clever!" The little girl looked proud; the children of royal nobility are taught to recognize characters by their mothers before they start school, and by the time they arrive at primary school, they can almost read and write. However, the little child is only three years old, and Li Yin is said to have amnesia, which is why Confucius would ask them if they could recognize characters.

The little girl had not stopped since she sat down, with one question after another pouring out of her small mouth, leaving Li Yin exhausted in response. Fortunately, at that moment, the teacher entered. Although the little girl was mischievous, she was very well-mannered and finally closed her incessantly chattering mouth.

Observing the mischievous demeanor of the young child, Li Zhi could not help but frown and say: "Sixth Brother, this cannot be blamed on me. Ever since our mother fell ill, there has been no one to take care of the child. I usually play with her, but I cannot bring her along while I study. Yesterday, Father Emperor asked you to come here to study, and the child insisted on coming as well. Father Emperor could not refuse her, so he had no choice but to agree."

"Hehe, Sixth Brother is right. Then I won't give this osmanthus cake to Sixth Brother." A small head popped out from behind Li Zhi, speaking with a smile, its round little face and big eyes full of playful expressions.

At this moment, Li Yin had a sudden inspiration. Noticing that the old master was not paying attention to this side, he picked up the paper on the table and began to fold it. Before long, a beautiful paper crane appeared in his hand, which he then gently tossed to the little girl

Oh, Zhinü, our mother is the mother of us all, why should we, as brothers, say any words of thanks?" Li Yin patted his shoulder and said with great righteousness. Zhinü is the childhood name of Li Zhi. Regardless of whether Li Zhi will ascend to the throne in the future, it is necessary to establish good relations now.

Perhaps fearing that Li Yin and Si Zi would not remember, Confucius taught a total of four phrases consisting of sixteen characters, advising them to memorize them well before copying them several times. As for the literal meaning, he did not insist on it, promising to explain it later when he had time. This left Li Yin utterly speechless; it seemed that this old master truly regarded himself as teaching three-year-old children.

The elementary school classroom is quite spacious. Upon entering, there are rows of individual low desks, where students must kneel and sit behind their desks while studying. Li Yin found a desk in the corner and sat down to give it a try, discovering that it felt acceptable, as this body had long since adapted to this kneeling position.

The "Thousand Character Classic" consists of four characters per line and is highly rhymed, making it easy to recite. Along with the later works "Hundred Family Surnames" and "Three Character Classic," it is collectively referred to as "Three, Hundred, Thousand," serving as a standard educational text for children in ancient times

Li Yin has already inquired about it. The esteemed scholar lecturing there is surnamed Kong, with the given name Kong Yingxue. He hails from the Kong family in Qufu, Shandong, and is a cousin of Kong Yingda, one of the Eighteen Scholars. Although he may not be as renowned as Kong Yingda, he is nonetheless a learned and erudite scholar.

The little child was attracted by the various origami creations in Li Yin's hands. As soon as Li Yin finished folding one, it was immediately snatched away by the little girl. Each piece was examined from every angle, reluctant to be put down. Li Zhi, noticing the commotion behind him, also became curious upon seeing the exquisite origami in the child's hands. He wanted to ask for one but did not dare to, so he could only watch enviously.

"You... how did you bring the little Zizi along?" Li Yin exclaimed, pointing at Li Zhi. Emerging behind Li Zhi was the three-year-old little Zizi, who was currently munching on the last piece of osmanthus cake, his face covered in crumbs.

In this era, classrooms or private schools do not have separate classes; all students learn together, and each student's learning progress varies. This results in a limited number of students that one teacher can manage, which is the case for Li Yin and his peers.

Other than Li Yin, no one dares to say it, but the Thousand Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Three Character Classic are all texts he has read thoroughly since childhood. It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say he can recite them backward fluently, but there is absolutely no problem with reciting them forward fluently. He owes this to his grandfather from his previous life. Li Yin's ancestors were landowners, and it is said that one of his ancestors even passed the imperial examination. Li Yin's grandfather received a genuine feudal private school education when he was young

The serious little girl was momentarily taken aback, but when she clearly saw the exquisite paper crane, her small face immediately lit up with joy. She picked it up and examined it from various angles, clearly reluctant to part with it, while the book had long been discarded by her. Li Yin, caught up in the fun, produced an endless array of small items such as paper frogs, paper rings, and paper lilies, having folded six or seven different types of paper airplanes, though unfortunately, she could not test-fly them now

Cough, Master, you also know that I have lost my wits, and now I hardly recognize most characters, so..." Li Yin said somewhat bashfully, even a three-year-old child recognizes more characters than he does, no matter how thick-skinned one is, it cannot withstand this

Sixth Brother, would you take me out to play? I'm dying of boredom in the palace

After the old gentleman passed away, Li Yin's academic pressure began to increase, leading to a neglect of his studies in classical literature. However, he did not forget the three texts: the Thousand Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Three Character Classic. Whenever he thought of the old gentleman, he would recite a few passages. Every year during the Qingming Festival, he would also recite them at the old gentleman's grave, which could be considered a small act of filial piety on his part

If only I could have learned calligraphy from the old man back then, even just to lay a foundation would have been good, Li Yin couldn't help but sigh. At that time, the old man was worried that it would interfere with Li Yin's normal studies, so apart from requiring him to memorize and understand the meanings of the content in the books, he did not teach him anything else. Li Yin did not know traditional characters or calligraphy, and if he had learned a little back then, he wouldn't be in such a predicament now. The old man was afraid it would hinder Li Yin's normal studies, so apart from requiring him to memorize and understand the meanings of the content in the books, he did not teach him anything else. Li Yin did not know traditional characters or calligraphy, and if he had learned a little back then, he wouldn't be in such a predicament now.

Sixth Brother, do you really not recognize characters anymore

Li Yin, feeling bored, read a few lines before giving up. Stealing a glance at the little girl, he found that she was actually studying very earnestly, nodding her head as if she were quite serious about it. This made Li Yin involuntarily think of the future, of those young flowers of the motherland crawling forward under the heavy burden of exam-oriented education. At such a young age, when they should be playing and having fun, isn't it a waste to be studying every day?

I want to sit together with Sixth Brother, Ninth Brother, you sit in front of me!" After finishing the osmanthus cake, Zizi wiped her hands on Li Zhi and said. It was evident that Li Zhi was very fond of his younger sister, as he pinched her little face and gave his seat to Zizi.

Sixth Brother, have your injuries healed?

The old gentleman made a decision: since your school does not teach the classics, I will teach them myself. Despite his advanced age, he rummaged through boxes to find a few worn books and began teaching from the "Three Character Classic." As a result, Li Yin spent almost all of his summer and winter vacations at his grandfather's house in the countryside. Unfortunately, just as the old man finished teaching the "Thousand Character Classic," his health deteriorated. Before he passed away, he asked Li Yin to recite the "Thousand Character Classic" he had just taught. The old gentleman left this world while listening to his grandson's recitation. Every time Li Yin thinks of this, he feels a pang of sadness in his heart.

I am dizzy! Upon hearing that Si Zi came here because of him, Li Yin immediately felt a headache. Although the atmosphere in the Tang Dynasty was open, the upper class still placed great importance on the separation of genders. Women were not allowed to study alongside men; princesses were generally educated by their mothers or dedicated palace maids. But now, it seems that his imperial father actually agreed to let Si Zi come here to study, which is truly an excessive indulgence for this little princess

Sixth Brother

After the old master left, Li Yin flipped through the book. Although the traditional characters on it were quite unfamiliar, he had long memorized them thoroughly, so he could guess what the characters were. The "Thousand Character Classic" was composed by Zhou Xingsi of the Southern Dynasties, and the entire text consists of one thousand characters without any repetition. However, he later heard that someone had found repeated characters, and regarding this matter, Li Yin was not very clear.

The old gentleman usually lived in the countryside. Once, Li Yin's father took him to visit the old gentleman when Li Yin had just started elementary school. The old gentleman was very pleased to see his eldest grandson and asked him if he had started school and what he had learned. However, when the old gentleman heard that Li Yin had not yet learned the basics of the Three Hundred and Thousand, he immediately became furious. In the old gentleman's view, how could a child go to school without learning the foundational texts left by our ancestors? This was the most authentic form of enlightenment education, and for this reason, he scolded Li Yin's father.