What should I study?
The emperor had already made up his mind.
These were all wealthy young men without titles or the path of the imperial examinations, so they either learned business, housekeeping, or a skill.
The emperor listed a host of subjects to choose from, including horsemanship and archery, music and chess, calligraphy and painting, agriculture, commerce, wood science, and so on.
Every student has required subjects and elective subjects. In the first year, they study all subjects. Starting from the second year, they study a few required subjects and a few elective subjects. They are assessed every year. If they fail, they repeat the year. They can leave the Royal Academy once they have passed all the required and elective subjects.
Every day, the day begins at 7:00 AM and ends at 3:45 PM, followed by a 1:00 PM lunch break. The day then begins at 3:45 PM and ends at 1:15 PM.
Every eight days, two days off, and six days off per month.
Except for rest days, all other time must be spent in the college and no one is allowed to leave.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, wealthy young men were required to enroll in school no later than the age of fourteen, and women no later than the age of twelve.
At the same time, the emperor also issued a strict rule that both men and women must be at least sixteen years old to get married. If they are under sixteen, the government will not be allowed to issue marriage certificates. This rule must be followed not only by wealthy young men, but by all the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The emperor handed a list to Gu Shouxin, which listed the children of various families in the capital who were eligible and of marriageable age.
Goodness, this is several pages long! How big must this academy be!
Gu Shouxin couldn't help but think of what Cai Xiaolian and Gu Nian had said about their world, where both boys and girls had to study from a young age for nine years.
Did Niannian not tell the Emperor this? How did the Emperor come up with the idea that he had to drag a bunch of people into this for six years?
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, some of the people on this list have been frail since childhood. What if something happens to them if they stay in the academy for a few days?" Gu Shouxin asked.
"I plan to send four imperial physicians there on rotation," the emperor said, stroking his chin. "Second Prince Gu, I've observed that the princesses in the Western Regions are all healthy and well. I've inquired, and while wealthy families there also have servants, whether princes or princesses, they are all highly capable and can survive even without servants. But what about the wealthy young men of our Great Zhou? Some of them probably can't even dress themselves properly! I will not allow such people to exist. Therefore, maids and servants are not allowed in the academy."
"There's another problem I've noticed with my own children. They're all quite foolish, some blindly trusting their advisors as if they have no brains of their own. If they were to go to the academy on their own, where everyone comes from wealthy and powerful families, and the teachers can't show favoritism, what could they do? They could only rely on themselves. Where there are people, there will be conflict, and they need to use their own abilities to resolve it and learn how to get along with others, instead of always asking others for help. Everyone should have their own opinions."
The emperor spoke with great seriousness, and it was clear that he was somewhat heartbroken.
He must have thought of the Third Prince and the Seventh Prince. The Third Prince listens to Li Shan, and the Seventh Prince listens to Consort Lin and Prime Minister Lin. These two brothers are only thinking about ascending the throne. They think that everyone around them is a master, but they don't know that there are always people more capable than themselves. If something happens to the masters, and they don't have the ability to turn things around, then they are just useless people.
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