The entire room fell silent. Everyone intended to listen to Yun Ye recite books they had never heard of before. Yun Ye cleared his throat and said, “This was taught by my teacher. The old gentleman believed that previous elementary textbooks were obscure and difficult to understand, fundamentally unable to stimulate children’s interest in reading. Moreover, many texts had not been carefully organized—they neither rhymed nor flowed smoothly from the mouth, making them difficult to memorize. So he specifically composed the ‘Three Character Classic’ for this unworthy disciple to inspire my interest in reading. I will now recite the ‘Three Character Classic’ that my teacher composed for everyone to hear.”
“At birth, human nature is inherently good. Natures are similar, but habits make them different. If not taught, nature will change. The way of teaching values single-minded focus. In ancient times, Mencius’ mother chose her neighbors carefully. When the son would not study, she cut the loom threads…”
While Yun Ye recited the ‘Three Character Classic’ triumphantly in the classroom, he did not know that outside the window, Empress Zhangsun’s heart was churning like enormous waves. This was clear proof—Yun Ye truly did come from that unknowable place. If a person were lying, it would be impossible to prepare so thoroughly. Exquisite artifacts, profound mathematics, an endless succession of medical techniques, plus this uniquely ingenious elementary textbook—these were not things one or two generations could accomplish. One only needed to look at Song Lian’s twisted-off beard hairs and gaping mouth to know the great scholar’s heart was shocked.
Empress Zhangsun smiled gracefully. Our Great Tang truly has heaven’s abundant blessings. Heaven has delivered such a living treasure into our hands—it would be difficult not to prosper! She pushed open the door and walked in without disturbing anyone. They were all immersed in the smoothly flowing scripture. Li Chengqian had been prepared early on and was diligently copying. Occasionally he would miss a few characters, which he marked, planning to ask Yun Ye about them shortly.
“A man bequeaths to his son coffers full of gold. I teach my son with only one classic. Diligence brings achievement, play brings no benefit. Be warned, one should strive with effort.” After removing people and events from after the Sui dynasty, Yun Ye recited the Tang dynasty version of the Three Character Classic in one breath, but his heart felt bitter. This was not his own elementary textbook—this was what his son used for elementary education at age three. To teach his son, he had recited it together with him. He did not know if his son still remembered these words now, but they were deeply imprinted in his own mind and would never fade in his lifetime.
Seeing Yun Ye’s eyes brimming with tears, Empress Zhangsun thought he was mourning his deceased teacher. How could genuine human emotion be hidden from an Empress who had read countless people? This kind of emotional outburst was most capable of moving hearts. After all, being a woman herself, Zhangsun at this moment also felt her nose tingle with emotion. Her doubts about Yun Ye completely dissipated. In the end, he was merely a fifteen-year-old half-grown child.
Song Lian closed his eyes without speaking, but the twitching muscles on his face exposed his agitated mood. Taking a long breath, he opened his eyes and said with a smile facing Yun Ye, “Why must you grieve so? Your esteemed teacher was a great scholar of his generation. Leaving behind this unparalleled classic work is enough to illuminate ten thousand generations. What need is there to care about mere life and death? As long as you spread this classic widely and use it to educate the masses, surely your esteemed teacher will be comforted beneath the nine springs.”
Song Lian gently patted Yun Ye’s shoulder and back, then said, “What you learned under your esteemed teacher’s tutelage has presumably already formed its own school. Though it differs from the words of the sages in this old man’s breast, you reach the same destination by different routes. The Great Way is both extremely simple and extremely complex. This old man cannot teach you, lest I ruin your learning and make it neither fish nor fowl, making it difficult to enter the hall again. When your emotions have stabilized, this old man would also like to hear that ‘Hundred Family Surnames’ and ‘Disciple Regulations.’ Surely those are also two fragrant and extraordinary texts. This old man greatly anticipates them.” After speaking, he laughed heartily, bowed to the Empress, turned, and departed.
Only then did Yun Ye discover that the Empress was standing right beside him. He hastily moved to bow but was stopped by Empress Zhangsun. “Only today does this palace realize there are people beyond people and heavens beyond heaven. Your teacher Xiaoyao Zi truly was an extraordinary person of his generation. Not seeing this person’s face while alive is truly a great regret. Fortunately, we have you. You must honestly tell this palace—how much of your teacher’s learning have you actually mastered?”
How much have I actually mastered? Yun Ye secretly asked himself. Mathematics—he had just completed all courses of standardized teaching. Physics—he only knew some areas related to his major. Chemistry—he was practically an idiot. Biology? What was that? History—aside from the Tang dynasty, he was not very familiar with the rest, and even that was because he was from Shaanxi. As for English, forget it—it had no use now. If a dignified Marquis ran around jabbering with foreigners, he would be laughed to death by all the people of Chang’an. If that did not kill him, he would be impeached by the censors. Being dragged to Vermilion Bird Avenue to have his face slapped would be too humiliating.
Seeing Yun Ye hesitate uncertainly, Empress Zhangsun asked, “Have you learned fifty percent?”
“No.”
Heavens, who in later generations would dare say they thoroughly understood half of all learning? Einstein would not have the courage to say such words. Newton still stood on the shoulders of giants to make some discoveries. Me? Saying such words would make people think I was from that stick nation.
“Thirty percent?” Zhangsun’s face looked somewhat displeased.
“No!” Yun Ye said decisively.
“Ten percent?” The veins on her neck bulged slightly.
To prevent Empress Zhangsun from going mad, Yun Ye hastily said, “Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. My teacher’s learning was not his alone—it was the result of a group of people researching for several generations. This subject only studied at my teacher’s side for ten years. Having this much knowledge, my teachers already said it was not easy. The White Jade Capital is difficult to enter and even more difficult to leave. My teacher said that in several hundred years, only he alone escaped. This already severely damaged his health. If not for his concern for this unworthy disciple, he would have gone to the Yellow Springs long ago. The following ten years, he forcibly refused to go. My teacher said he had died ten years earlier but stubbornly used medicinal drugs to sustain a single breath of life to care for this subject as I grew up.”
Yun Ye decided to shape his teacher into a kind and merciful saint with profound learning yet steadfast and unyielding character. Of course, he should know a bit of medicine and martial arts.
Empress Zhangsun gasped. A dead man forcibly lived for ten years—what kind of miracle was this? Now she was absolutely convinced of the White Jade Capital matter. Yun Ye spoke correctly—Xiaoyao Zi’s learning was not something one person could comprehend, even exhausting an entire lifetime would not accomplish it. Only through the accumulated efforts of generation after generation would there be qualitative change. From ancient times to the present, there had never been instant success in anything.
Sighing, she said to Yun Ye, “Very well. Eight or nine out of ten things in this world are unsatisfactory. Having you here is already our Great Tang’s blessing. This palace demanded too much and was too greedy. Now that Scholar Song Lian has already said he cannot teach you, you shall study independently in the imperial palace. Today you have suffered emotional distress, so you are granted one day of leave. Tomorrow in the study hall, transcribe those remaining two elementary texts from memory. This palace wants to see them, and His Majesty also wants to see them. Understood?”
Yun Ye hastily nodded, greatly delighted in his heart. At last he did not have to attend classes together with this bunch of dragon sons and dragon grandsons. It was too dangerous. Though they still appeared to be a group of young boys and girls now, in a few years they would all be tyrannosaurs that devoured people. Cherishing life and staying far from danger was Yun Ye’s consistent position.
After Zhangsun left, Yun Ye was surrounded by a group of little ones chattering endlessly with questions. Fortunately he had prepared early—his aunt’s newly made double-shoulder book bag was filled with the Yun residence’s secret recipe fried chicken. As soon as he took it out, those strange and peculiar questions disappeared. Pairs of small hands grabbed the fried chicken pieces and ate rapidly, too busy to ask Yun Ye anything. Only Li Chengqian chewed on fried chicken while waving the paper in his hand, having Yun Ye fill in the missing parts.