The emperor seemed to have tasted the benefits, and often summoned Xiao Mochen to the Hanlong Hall under the pretext of teaching him about politics to handle memorials.
As the crown prince, this was something Xiao Mochen should do, so he really couldn't refuse.
Xiao Mochen was so busy from morning till night that he really didn't have time to go to Mingzhao Prefecture.
However, he could still see Yan Qingqing often, after all, Yan Qingqing was now the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor.
Yan Qingqing was actually quite helpless; she felt it was really tough to accept this job.
Although she didn't need to teach Xiao Mochen classical Chinese, as a teacher, she still had to teach him some skills.
Even teachers in their past lives had to prepare their lessons carefully before class, let alone someone who isn't a teacher and needs to prepare even more.
So Yan Qingqing put everything else aside for the time being.
She handed over all business matters to Li Xiang'an and entrusted all matters concerning Mingzhao Prefecture to Yuan Huiniang.
Li Xiang'an and Yuan Huiniang actually felt some pressure.
The capital city is not like Canghe Town, which is their base of operations. Mingzhao Prefecture is not their old home either, making it even more difficult to manage the steward, accounts, social interactions, and various expenses.
Yan Qingqing smiled as she looked at the two of them, who seemed a little awkward, and said, "You two will have to stand on your own sooner or later, and you've been doing this for several years now. I have a lot of confidence in you."
Just go for it, Mom will take care of everything.
Yan Qingqing simply didn't have time to concern herself with these matters, but she was still in the capital. Therefore, Li Xiang'an and the others had absolutely no need to worry.
Yuan Huiniang and Li Xiang'an both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Although these were things they were used to doing, Yan Qingqing would usually guide them from behind whenever something happened. Now that Yan Qingqing was going to completely let them do it on their own, they were somewhat nervous.
After handing over the reins to the two of them, Yan Qingqing began preparing to teach Xiao Mochen.
The Crown Prince's Grand Tutor and Grand Protector have already arrived, but she, the Grand Preceptor, has yet to make an appearance in the Eastern Palace.
If we don't go soon, I'm afraid there will be criticism from people in the court again.
However, what to teach Xiao Mochen in the first lesson stumped Yan Qingqing.
Are you suggesting she teach Xiao Mochen the art of rulership? Besides, she doesn't know how.
Besides, opinions vary on the art of imperial power.
Some advocated a combination of power, tactics, and influence. Others advocated for non-interference, benevolent governance, or a system of benevolent rule and hegemonic power. It all depended on the personality of the emperor in the given era.
Yan Qingqing believed that Xiao Mochen had his own plans for becoming an emperor, so she decided it was best not to interfere.
In the end, Yan Qingqing racked her brains but still couldn't figure out what to teach Xiao Mochen. So she simply gave up and decided to just play it by ear.
The next day, Yan Qingqing arrived at the East Palace early.
This was her first time going to the East Palace to teach; it wouldn't be good to arrive late.
However, Zhao An and Song Lianzhi arrived earlier than him, and both of them stood up and bowed to Yan Qingqing upon seeing her.
Although the three held the same status in the Eastern Palace, the three tutors of the Eastern Palace were, after all, officials of the first rank, while Yan Qingqing was also a first-rank imperial consort. According to the rules, Yan Qingqing's status was indeed more prestigious than theirs.
Yan Qingqing didn't presume, and returned their greeting, saying, "I never imagined I would have the chance to work with you two. It's truly an honor."
Song Lianzhi laughed and said, "Grand Tutor, you are too modest. It should be the two of us who say that."
Zhao An echoed this sentiment.
They had witnessed Yan Qingqing's extraordinary abilities in Canghe Town, and from the bottom of their hearts, they both admired her very much.
So when they learned that Yan Qingqing had been appointed Grand Tutor, the two of them were even secretly delighted.
If we're talking about who His Highness the Crown Prince listens to the most in this world, it has to be Yan Qingqing.
Just as the two were about to ask Yan Qingqing what she was good at so they could adjust their lessons accordingly, Xiao Mochen arrived.
Two handsome young men accompanied Xiao Mochen, one of whom Yan Qingqing recognized as Pei Yan, the youngest son of Madam Pei.
The other boy, Yan Qingqing, was someone I had never met before.
However, judging from the two walking behind Xiao Mochen, they should be his study companions.
Xiao Mochen had mentioned the matter of having a study companion to Yan Qingqing. Xiao Mochen wanted Li Xiangkang to be his study companion, but Yan Qingqing did not agree.
Unlike other hereditary noble titles, the Li family's lineage required generations of deep roots to uphold its honor.
As a companion to the crown prince, one would certainly be favored by the emperor in the future, but one's prospects for advancement would be limited.
Li Xiangkang is a thoughtful and ambitious person, and Yan Qingqing wants him to follow his own plan step by step.
Xiao Mochen also expressed his understanding, saying that he heard that in the end, the youngest son of the Pei family and the grandson of the Marquis of De'an were chosen.
The two followed Xiao Mochen to Yan Qingqing and respectfully bowed, saying, "This student greets Grand Tutor."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "No need for formalities. This is my first time teaching, and I don't know how good your foundation is. Let Song Taibao and Zhao Taifu teach you first, and I'll sit in on it."
The three of them respectfully agreed and then began the lesson.
Zhao An taught the art of governing a country, while Song Lian taught horsemanship and archery; all three learned well.
When it was Yan Qingqing's turn to teach, she smiled and said, "I'll teach you how to count."
Xiao Mochen became interested upon hearing this. He knew that Yan Qingqing knew many novel things, including the accounting methods of the Li family, which he had seen before but never understood.
Pei Yan, being a lively person, and with Madam Pei having a good relationship with Yan Qingqing, asked, "Grand Tutor, this is the lowest of the Six Arts, why did you choose it?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing said seriously, "Since it is the Six Arts of a Gentleman, it proves that it is a compulsory course. As the future pillars of the Great Yan Dynasty, you must develop in all aspects."
If His Highness the Crown Prince places you in an important position in the future, wouldn't it be a mistake if you couldn't even count the numbers?
Moreover, the art of counting isn't as useless as you might think.
Pei Yan was startled when he saw Yan Qingqing's stern face. This was someone even the Crown Prince addressed as "Aunt," and he dared to contradict her? He really had a bad temper. His cousin, the Crown Prince, would probably punish him later.
So he bowed to Yan Qingqing and said, "This student is dull-witted and begs for your guidance, Grand Tutor."
Seeing his serious attitude, Yan Qingqing's expression softened before she spoke, "Then I'll briefly explain the benefits of numbers."
First, numbers can train logical thinking and change the angle and direction from which people consider problems.
Once this kind of logical thinking is formed, you will be able to solve problems from different angles when you encounter them in life.
Secondly, it can enhance problem-solving abilities.
From the smallest details of our daily lives to the grand scale of conquering territories, numbers are essential in weapon manufacturing. The saying "a small difference can lead to a huge disparity" perfectly illustrates this point.
Yan Qingqing's words were not only listened to attentively by Xiao Mochen and the other two, but also by Song Lianzhi and Zhao An.
Because they were all top scholars, they focused on literature and only had a superficial understanding of mathematics.
They were all looking forward to learning a different kind of mathematics from Yan Qingqing.
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