Chinese character teaching officially begins

Chapter 16: Chinese Character Recognition Teaching Begins

A group of people arrived at the palace at noon. Chu Huaibei had just returned to the palace after handling military affairs in the barracks. In the Orchid Courtyard, he met Du Jiping who was cleaning up with the children. Orchid Courtyard was the name of the courtyard previously allocated to them to live in. His mother said that when someone lived in this courtyard before, orchids grew very well.

"Sir, if you have anything to do, you can ask Mama Yang or Mama Qi. They are responsible for all the affairs of this courtyard. Lunch is ready. Why don't you eat with the children first?" Chu Huaibei introduced and suggested to the gentleman.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I am used to doing things myself. The children will become independent sooner or later, so let them do it themselves." Du Jiping replied.

Seeing him like this, Chu Huaibei did not force him. He told the two mothers to obey the teacher in everything, then said goodbye and went back to the study.

Xiao Feng was summoned and told to inform the palace soldiers that the class would begin at 5 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and end at 5 p.m., a full hour long. They would attend the training room on the palace grounds. A blackboard had been set up there, with 50 people attending each class. Those who attended would rotate daily, based on the previous divisions, and then teach the rest of the team. Xiao Feng agreed and went to make the arrangements.

Many of the soldiers were delighted. They hadn't expected to be taught by a teacher at their age. Many of them had grown up in poverty, and they envied other children who attended private schools. As they grew older, they struggled to make ends meet. By the time their lives settled, they were too old to seek out a teacher to teach them. Imagine a man in his twenties sitting among a bunch of children, reciting the Three Character Classic with a teacher. How bizarre! They couldn't bring themselves to do that.

Xiao Feng didn't expect that some of his brothers were eager to read and learn to read. They usually looked very rough and didn't have the shadow of a scholar, but they were actually very delicate in their hearts.

At noon, Chu Huaibei went to Lancaoyuan to find Du Jiping. He should have finished lunch and rested by now, so it was time to get up and work. Lu Shun had already been informed this morning that classes would begin at noon this afternoon. Starting tomorrow, classes would start at noon every day, with drills in the afternoon.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Du Jiping was sitting at the door of the main hall, listening to the children reciting their lessons one by one. When he saw Chu Huaibei come in, he stood up and motioned for the children to greet the prince together.

"No need to be polite, sir. I came here to invite you to go to the military camp with me. Everything has been arranged at the military camp, and we are just waiting for you to arrive. From now on, you will go to the military camp to teach in the morning and teach the palace soldiers in the palace training ground in the afternoon. The children need to go to the Qingzhu Book House to study at noon. Xiao Feng will take the children to the book house later. It is very close, and it only takes a cup of tea to walk there. Don't worry, sir." Chu Huaibei said.

"Since the prince has made arrangements, I, Du, would rather obey than surrender." Du Jiping replied. He motioned the children to wait for the arrangements and he went out with Chu Huaibei.

The carriage was ready outside the gate. Chu Huaibei got on, and Lu Shun told the driver to follow, and to go as fast as possible. Normally, it would only take half an hour to get to the military camp by horseback, but the carriage was moving slowly, so it would probably take more than half an hour.

Fortunately, when they arrived at the military camp just in time for the sunrise, Lu Shun offered his hand to help the gentleman get out of the carriage, but was rejected. Lu Shun smiled awkwardly. Judging from the gentleman's expression, he guessed that the carriage was not very comfortable. Chu Huaibei also noticed that the carriage would be very bumpy if it went a little faster. Chu Huaibei thought for a moment and asked, "Sir, can you ride a horse? In fact, riding a horse is more convenient and faster than a carriage."

Du Jiping nodded and said, "Indeed. Your Highness, please prepare a short and docile horse for me. I will ride the horse to the military camp in the future." Du Jiping's second place is a real one. He is one of the best in the six arts of a gentleman.

Chu Huaibei readily agreed and asked Lu Shun to go to her stable to choose a horse. They rode back home together in the evening and asked the coachman to go back home first.

Chu Huaibei led Du Jiping toward the parade ground. From a distance, Du Jiping spotted a spacious thatched shed at the edge of the field, where soldiers sat neatly. As they approached, the soldiers suddenly fell silent, their chatter hushed. Then, at Lu Shun's signal, they all shouted "Hello, sir!" in unison.

The resonant voice actually made Du Jiping's brows relax a little. The spirit of the students was very good. When the students were energetic, the teacher's lecture would also be smoother. Chu Huaibei led Du Jiping to the desk in front of the blackboard and stood him there. He picked up the tin trumpet he had hastily made on the desk, put it to his lips, and said to the guards, "Sir, this is a trumpet. It can amplify the sound. You can use it to teach in the future."

Du Jiping felt that the prince was very thoughtful this time, even thinking of such a detail. He bowed and thanked him: "Thank you for your thoughtful consideration, Your Highness. Now I will start teaching."

Chu Huaibei nodded in return and said, "Please be at your leisure, sir. I have other things to attend to, so I won't disturb you while you're teaching."

After that, he left Lu Shun to watch the first day of teaching, and went back to the camp to handle military affairs. The deputy general had been waiting for a long time. When he saw Chu Huaibei come in, he first showed her the important memorial. The scouts sent news that Na Hai was also seriously injured and had not recovered. It was heard that Chahan asked the Khan's imperial physician to treat his injuries. Seeing the information, Chu Huaibei felt relieved. At the end of the battle that day, when the reinforcements arrived, she was already unconscious. She stabbed Na Hai twice, but thought she didn't hurt his vitals. The main reason was that Na Hai was still brave and didn't look like a seriously injured person. Na Hai was indeed a fierce general, and he was fearless in fighting.

Then there was the late-arriving letter of condolence from the court. The words were flowery, but the summary of the whole letter was that the Prince of Zhenbei was fine, the emperor was relieved, and he should continue to guard the northern border.

When word got back to Chu Huaibei about his concubine, she'd thought the emperor was planning to send her another woman, but she'd actually held her composure. It seemed the clashes between factions within the court were fraught with unrest.

After finishing his military duties, the deputy general hesitated for a moment, then hesitantly approached and asked, "Your Highness, I have a humble request. Could I send a few of my useful guards to your house to learn to read and write with your household soldiers?"

"No, you should go find a teacher to teach you yourself. I spent a lot of effort to invite a teacher. Don't always think about taking a ride on my coattails. Besides, why do you suddenly want the guards to learn to read?" Chu Huaibei replied.

"Hey, Your Highness, don't refuse so quickly. I've also discovered that some things can only be done by people who can read. There are very few people who can read and have good skills. I just want to take advantage of your teacher's teaching." The deputy general looked at Chu Huaibei sincerely.

Chu Huaibei looked at the deputy general and sighed, "Alright, only one person can come here every day. After he finishes learning, he can teach others. My place is not big, and there is no extra space for fifty people to sit."

The deputy general immediately nodded and replied, "No problem, no problem, that's fine too. Thank you, Your Highness, for your help. Your Highness, it's almost evening. Let's go out and see how the master is doing."

Chu Huaibei had the same idea, so he went to take a look with his deputy general. When they walked in, they saw a crowd of people gathered outside the pavilion, all sitting quietly on the ground listening to the lecture. Chu Huaibei had good eyesight and saw several centurions and thousand-household officials who had risen from the lower ranks through military exploits.

It seems anyone with a bit of foresight understands the importance of reading and literacy. This also suggests that Daxia's overall literacy rate is low, reflecting the prevalence of class monopoly. Thinking back to my previous life's nine years of compulsory education, it was indeed a remarkable decision.

Chu Huaibei and the deputy general stood quietly at the outermost edge, not disturbing anyone listening. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she always felt that the teacher seemed very motivated. His voice was amplified by the speakers, and she could faintly hear it from such a distance.

Hearing the gong sound at the camp's twilight hour, Chu Huaibei signaled Lu Shunrang for the teacher to conclude his lecture. Twilight hour was also the camp's evening mealtime, so he didn't want to delay the soldiers' meal. The soldiers sitting on the ground stood up and shouted in unison, "Goodbye, sir." This wasn't Chu Huaibei's order; he hadn't expected the teacher to be so popular. Du Jiping, having taught so many older people for the first time, felt quite good about it. He waved his hand, signaling them to disperse.

After the crowd had left, Chu Huaibei looked at the Three Character Classic on the blackboard, had Lu Shun call two personal guards to stand guard, and then rode back to the palace with Mr. Du. Mr. Du's horsemanship was quite good. He was a little rusty at first, but he quickly found his rhythm and became more and more adept the more he rode. Judging by his appearance, he must have been a child of noble family, a child of destiny. How could he have abandoned everything and secluded himself in the northern border for so many years?

Chu Huaibei shook his head and said, forget it, don’t think about it anymore. I’ll know when I have the chance in the future.

Returning to the palace, he arrived in time for dinner. Afterward, Chu Huaibei told his mother about the teacher's teaching today and shared his thoughts. Coming from a noble family, while he understood the hardships faced by ordinary people, hearing for the first time how so many people yearned for learning was deeply moving. He decided to expand the Qingzhu Academy, so that if there were any impoverished but eager students in the future, he could provide more assistance, depending on the circumstances.

Recently, Chu Huaibei has been busy running around outside every day, and Hengheng has rarely seen him. Seeing Hengheng looking at him eagerly, Chu Huaibei picked up his son and said, "Hengheng, sleep with us tonight, mother, we are leaving."

The concubine smiled and said, "That's right, you can go and rest."

The three of them returned to the dormitory. Sun Mingsi washed Hengheng first and put him on the bed before helping Chu Huaibei wash up. Chu Huaibei leaned over and whispered in Sun Mingsi's ear: "Now that Huzhi has Hengheng, I've become second. I feel sad and need a kiss."

Sun Mingsi glared at Chu Huaibei speechlessly, then quickly kissed her on the cheek and said, "Hurry up and wash up, and don't say these nonsense in front of the children."

Chu Huaibei successfully got the kiss, so he went down the stairs, quickly washed up with the help of Sun Mingsi, and then went to bed to accompany Hengheng to sleep while waiting for Sun Mingsi. The child could not sleep in the big bed, and her hand was not healed yet. The child kicked hard in his sleep, which was enough to make things difficult. After coaxing the child to sleep, she carried him to sleep on the bed, and the bedding was already made.

When Sun Mingsi returned to bed, he saw Chu Huaibei gently patting the child to sleep. At this moment, his heart melted and he leaned over to kiss the child's face. Seeing that the child was already asleep, he picked him up and put him on the bed and covered him with a quilt.

She tiptoed back to the bed and saw her own reflection in Chu Huaibei's bright eyes. Without thinking, Sun Mingsi leaned over and kissed her. Chu Huaibei was looking at him with his left hand on the bed, with his right hand still hanging. When Sun Mingsi pounced on her like this, she fell back without any defense. Her broken arm subconsciously supported her body. Chu Huaibei groaned when she was kissed, which frightened Sun Mingsi. She whispered anxiously, "Huaibei, is your arm okay? I'll go find Uncle Deng."

Chu Huaibei quickly grabbed the person who was about to leave: "I'm fine, don't go, it's so embarrassing."