The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 171 Syllabus
On a quiet morning on a day off, the Li residence in Yankangfang was utterly silent.

Li Yichen changed into a slightly worn blue round-necked robe and was alone in his study organizing several volumes of primers.

He deliberately chose today to send someone to the Imperial Workshop's Bow and Arrow Department to deliver a message to Zhao Tiezhu, using the excuse of teaching Zhao Xiaoman to read, and asked the child to come over.

Around 3:45 AM, a cautious knocking sound came from outside the courtyard gate.

Li Yichen opened the door himself, and saw Zhao Xiaoman standing awkwardly outside, still wearing that brown short jacket, which was starched and faded, but clean and tidy.

He was clutching a coarse cloth bundle tightly in his hand.

"Li...Lord Li."

When Zhao Xiaoman saw Li Yichen, she immediately lowered her head and spoke in a weak voice.

"Come in, no need for formalities."

Li Yichen stepped aside to let him in and casually bolted the courtyard gate.

There were no servants in the house. Father Li Quan had gone to the Censorate early in the morning to report for duty, and Mother had gone to the West Market to buy supplies. At this moment, only the two of them were at home.

Li Yichen led Zhao Xiaoman into the study.

The boy dared not look around, his eyes only fixed on the tips of his shoes, until Li Yichen told him to sit down, at which point he sat down on the edge of the folding chair, his bottom half touching the ground.

"I called you here today to teach you a few characters, so that you won't be unable to understand documents and diagrams in the future when you are in the Imperial Workshop."

Li Yichen pushed the "Thousand Character Classic" and the "Rapid Learning Method" in front of him.

"This is the foundation of elementary education. Take a look and see how many you can recognize."

Zhao Xiaoman nervously opened the "Thousand Character Classic," and sweat beaded on her forehead as she looked at the densely packed characters.

His finger trembled as he pointed to the opening words, "Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow," and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He recognized the characters, but didn't know their meaning or how to pronounce them.

“Heaven,” Li Yichen read calmly, his finger pointing to the word.

"The sky is above us."

“Heaven…” Zhao Xiaoman repeated, her voice hoarse.

Li Yichen then taught him a dozen or so simple characters, such as "earth", "sun", "moon", "water", and "fire".

Zhao Xiaoman struggled to learn, remembering the later parts but forgetting the earlier ones, and he had no idea how to start with the strokes. Holding the brush that Li Yichen handed him, his hand trembled so badly that the ink marks he drew on the paper were crooked and messy, not forming any characters.

After studying for about half an hour, Zhao Xiaoman was covered in sweat, and her eyes were filled with frustration.

"Mr. Li...I...I'm stupid..."

Li Yichen looked at his knuckles, which had turned white from exertion, and understood.

This child has an extraordinary intuition and observational skills in mechanics, but his talent in reading and writing is actually quite average.

He closed the book, his tone remaining calm.

"It's alright. Learning to read takes time and practice. Let's stop here for today."

Zhao Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt uneasy, feeling that she had let Li Yichen down.

Li Yichen changed the subject and looked at him, asking, "Xiaoman, when you draw water from the well using a clay pot, have you ever noticed that the pot seems to get heavier the closer you get to the water's surface?"

"Or, when you press an empty can into water, do you feel something pushing your hand down?"

Zhao Xiaoman paused for a moment, thought carefully, and then nodded.

"Yes...yes. My mom even said I'm not strong enough to hold an empty can steadily."

"That's not because you're weak."

Li Yichen stood up, took a wooden basin filled with water from the corner of the wall, and then picked up a slightly smaller empty ceramic cup.

"You're welcome."

He placed the empty ceramic cup, mouth down, vertically into the water in the wooden basin.

Zhao Xiaoman stared wide-eyed as she saw that Li Yichen had clearly used force to fully immerse the cup in the water.

"Can you feel it? Something is pushing up my hand."

As Li Yichen spoke, he lifted the cup out of the water and then slammed it back down, repeating this several times.

"This thing is invisible and intangible, but it's in the water. We call it... the 'tolerance' of the water."

Zhao Xiaoman nodded as if he understood, though not quite. He seemed to grasp the concept of water having a supporting force.

Li Yichen put the cup aside and took out a shallow porcelain dish, pouring a little water into it.

Then, he took an oil lamp, lit it, and lightly toasted a piece of hemp paper over the fire to dry it.

"Now, let's see if this invisible and intangible 'qi' around us has any 'strength'."

As Li Yichen spoke, he completely immersed the piece of hemp paper in the water in the dish until it was soaked.

Zhao Xiaoman stared intently, not understanding what Li Yichen was going to do.

Li Yichen picked up the soaked paper and stuck it directly to the rim of the empty ceramic cup, pressing it firmly with his palm to ensure there were almost no gaps between the paper and the cup rim.

Then, he quickly turned the cup upside down, mouth facing down, and removed his palm.

Something surprising happened.

The wet paper stuck tightly to the rim of the cup and didn't fall off!
It seemed as if something in the cup was sucking it in.

Zhao Xiaoman exclaimed "Ah!" and leaned forward, almost standing up from the couch.

"Don't worry."

Li Yichen gestured for him to calm down, keeping the cup upside down, and asked, "What do you think is holding this piece of paper up so it doesn't fall?"

Zhao Xiaoman stared at the cup, her brows furrowed, deep in thought.

"Is it...is it water? The paper is wet and stuck together?"

"The paper does become a little sticky when it's wet, but it's definitely not that strong."

Li Yichen shook his head. He tilted the cup slightly, but the paper remained firmly stuck to the surface.

"Look, even when it's tilted, it doesn't fall."

Zhao Xiaoman shook his head; he couldn't think of anything.

Li Yichen used the index finger of his other hand to gently tap the bottom of the cup.

With a soft "pop," the paper fell to the ground, leaving the cup exposed.

"Do you understand now?"

Li Yichen put down his cup.

"What's holding this paper up isn't water, nor the paper itself, but the 'air' inside the cup. Just now, when I turned the cup upside down, the air inside was trapped inside the paper and couldn't escape."

The air outside has the strength to push the paper up from the bottom, preventing it from falling and also preventing the air inside the cup from escaping.

I flicked the bottom of the cup, causing the air inside to vibrate and escape a little through a gap. Once the air pressure inside and outside was even, the paper couldn't hold up anymore.

He paused, looking at Zhao Xiaoman's shocked eyes.

"This is the power of 'qi'. We call it... 'qi force', or 'air pressure'."

Zhao Xiaoman's mouth was agape, and she couldn't close it for a long time.

He looked at the wet paper on the ground, then at the empty cup, and finally at Li Yichen.

Li Yichen's words were like a key, unlocking many vague questions in his mind.

Why does the wind move the leaves? Why does pushing and pulling the bellows make the fire burn brighter?

It turns out that this invisible energy really does have power!

"I...I think I...understand a little bit."

Zhao Xiaoman's voice trembled, not from fear, but from excitement.

"Very good." Li Yichen nodded approvingly.

“Now that we understand that ‘qi’ has power, let’s talk about ‘power’ itself.” He picked up the book “Thousand Character Classic” he had just read and held it flat in his hand.

"When I hold the book, it tends to fall downwards because the earth exerts a pulling force on it, which we call gravity."

"Everything has this force, which is why apples fall from trees and water flows downhill."

He put the book down, then gestured for Zhao Xiaoman to reach out, and pushed his palm hard.

Zhao Xiaoman felt a force coming from him, and his arm involuntarily pulled back.

“This is the ‘push’ I’m giving you,” Li Yichen said.

"You just felt my force. Force is the interaction between objects. If you push a wall, the wall pushes you back; if a horse pulls a cart, the cart pulls the horse back."

"However, often we only notice the party that takes the initiative."

He then pointed to the old locust tree outside the window.

"When the wind blows through the branches, the branches sway because the wind's force acts on the branches. When you strike an iron block with a hammer, the iron block deforms because the force of your swinging the hammer is transmitted to it."

Li Yichen tried to use examples from Zhao Xiaoman's familiar life and work scenes.

"You modified the lever of that divine crossbow because you felt the original lever was too strenuous and wanted to find a way to save effort. In fact, you were trying to change the way and magnitude of 'force' transmission."

"The principle here is like using a long stick to pry up a large rock. The longer the stick, the less effort you need to exert, but the farther your hand has to move. This is called the principle of 'leverage'."

Zhao Xiaoman's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Li Yichen's words connected his vague feelings and fragmented observations into a clear narrative.

Donkeys pulling millstones along the outer circle, long windlasses saving effort, tinkering with crossbows... it turns out there's a common underlying principle behind all of this!
"Mr. Li...you...you know so much!"

Zhao Xiaoman was so excited that he didn't know what to say. These principles were much more interesting and easier to understand than the crooked characters he had to learn!
Looking at the burning thirst for knowledge in his eyes, Li Yichen knew that the time was right.

He said in a deep voice, "These principles originate from the exploration of the origin of all things, which can be called the 'study of things.' It is not about gods or monsters, but rather a discipline derived from observation, experimentation, thinking, and summarization."

"You have a natural talent for this. If you can learn systematically, your achievements will be limitless in time."

Zhao Xiaoman knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times to Li Yichen.

"Master Li! Please teach me! I want to learn this 'science of investigating things'! I'll do anything for you, even be your slave!"

The boy's voice was choked with sobs, yet unusually firm.

Li Yichen did not immediately help him up. After accepting his three bows, he slowly said, "Since I have told you these things today, I intend to impart my knowledge. Since you are willing to learn, I will teach you."

Zhao Xiaoman raised her head, her eyes filled with tears—tears of joy and hope.

“However,” Li Yichen’s tone turned serious.

"This matter must not be known to a third person except you and me. To others, just say that you are here to study and learn to read, understand?"

Zhao Xiaoman nodded vigorously and said firmly, "I understand! I won't tell anyone! I'd rather die than tell!"

He was simple-minded, yet he knew what was important.

He swore in his heart that even with a knife to his throat, he would never utter a single word.

"Get up."

Li Yichen then reached out and helped him up.

"That's all for today. After you go back, carefully recall what I have said today, observe carefully with your eyes, and verify with your hands. I will come to find you again in some time."

"Yes, Master!" Zhao Xiaoman changed her address and replied respectfully.

After seeing Zhao Xiaoman off, who looked back repeatedly, filled with excitement and gratitude, Li Yichen bolted the courtyard gate and returned to his study.

He sat down on the couch and poured himself a cup of tea that had cooled slightly.

The sunlight outside the window was just right, casting the shadow of the old locust tree in the courtyard onto the window paper, dappled and swaying.

Li Yichen's thoughts shifted from the teaching he had just been giving to the recent turmoil at the Eastern Palace.

The powerful families joined forces to exert pressure, and officials resigned one after another. Impeachment memorials flew to the Liangyi Hall like snowflakes, only to be forwarded to the Eastern Palace...

He wasn't worried about any of this.

After six months of trials and tribulations, especially the impact of the "Mandate of Heaven" issue and the initial guidance of "ideals and beliefs," Li Chengqian's character has changed from that of a naive man.

He knew how to be patient and had also learned to use rules and strategies.

Faced with the aristocratic families' counterattack, as long as he persists in his "tit-for-tat" strategy—

By strictly adhering to etiquette and refraining from framing others, but by launching a powerful and well-founded counterattack against any attack, one can maintain a firm footing.

After all, the true mastermind behind the Tang Dynasty was the brilliant and ambitious Emperor Zhenguan, Li Shimin.

Li Shimin came to power through the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and he was well aware of the cruelty of power struggles and the constraints that powerful clans placed on imperial power.

His implementation of the imperial examination system and the compilation of the "Clan Records" were all aimed at weakening the aristocratic families.

Now that the powerful families have united against the crown prince, Li Shimin may use this opportunity to temper the prince.

But we will never sit idly by and allow them to truly shake the foundations of the nation and threaten the stability of the Li Tang imperial power.

Faced with absolute imperial power, powerful families could not stir up any real trouble.

Li Yichen believes that as long as Li Chengqian can demonstrate sufficient resilience and political wisdom, this turmoil will ultimately only become a minor experience on his path to growth.

It was even a stepping stone for him to further consolidate his position.

His thoughts returned to Zhao Xiaoman.

He was very satisfied with the child's performance today.

Not only do they have strong comprehension skills and can quickly digest knowledge and concepts that are ahead of their time, but they also demonstrate a genuine passion and focus.

This is the most important quality for becoming a top craftsman or even a scientific explorer.

"Perhaps...it really is possible..."

Li Yichen began to make plans in his mind.

He himself was not an engineering specialist, but he knew the principles and general direction of many "inventions" that were ahead of their time.

However, he was not proficient in the specific techniques, materials, and production processes.

If he were to personally develop movable type printing, improve paper, and advance metallurgical technology, it would likely be much less effective and would be extremely easy to expose.

But Zhao Xiaoman is different.

He was a craftsman by trade, familiar with the technological foundations and material properties of the time, and possessed exceptional hands-on skills and keen observation.

If I can systematically teach him some basic knowledge and guide him to establish scientific thinking methods.

Therefore, many technological innovations can perhaps be explored and implemented by Zhao Xiaoman himself.

For example, papermaking.

The quality of paper varies greatly, and the cost is high.

If Zhao Xiaoman understood the physical and basic chemical principles behind fiber, hydrolysis, filtration, and pressing.

Is it possible to produce whiter, tougher, and cheaper paper using existing technology by adjusting the raw material ratio, improving pulping tools, or drying methods?

Take printing as another example.

At this time, woodblock printing technology had not yet appeared in the Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, he could guide Zhao Xiaoman to further diversify the types of printing techniques.

This is much safer than simply offering a mature solution on your own, and it is also more in line with the natural laws of technological development.

I only need to provide guidance and theoretical support at key points.

He spread out a sheet of paper, ground ink, and moistened his brush.

He needs to develop a rough, step-by-step "teaching syllabus" for Zhao Xiaoman.

Starting with the most basic mechanical phenomena, and combining extensive experiments and observations, we gradually delve deeper.

At the same time, we should also find ways to cleverly integrate literacy teaching into the process, so that he can at least understand simple drawings and instructions.

(End of this chapter)