Do you know: I am Qi Heng

He had seen Rulan and Minglan before, so he glanced at Molan a few more times.

Although Sanlan wore the same clothes, there were some subtle differences in their appearance.

Rulan and Minglan are more in line with their current age, while Molan, with her gentle smile, gives off a more mature vibe.

Seeing Qi Heng looking at her, she didn't look away, but instead smiled sweetly.

Qi Heng smiled and looked away. As expected of someone trained by Lin Xiaoniang.

"Judging by the time, the scholar should be arriving soon. Let's take our seats first."

Sheng Changbai said, "Yuanruo, please sit in the front."

Just as Qi Heng was about to speak, Mo Lan's heart stirred upon hearing this, and she sat down in the first seat of the row closest to the door.

Seeing this, Rulan stepped forward and whispered, "How can you have no manners at all? There's a difference between嫡子 (legitimate son) and 庶子 (illegitimate son), I should be sitting in the front!"

"There is an order of seniority. As the elder sister, I should naturally sit in the front," Mo Lan said softly.

If it weren't for the fact that it was only the first day and she hadn't figured out Qi Heng's personality yet, and she was afraid of leaving a bad impression, she would definitely have deliberately raised her voice.

"you…"

Ru Lan glared at Mo Lan, but couldn't retaliate.

These past few days, Madam Wang and Sheng Hong have repeatedly reminded him not to embarrass the Sheng family in front of outsiders.

Seeing that Rulan was quite angry, Molan secretly felt smug and thought she would provoke her a little more, but then she saw Qi Heng walk to the back and sit at the very back.

"Since Fifth Sister likes this position, then I, as her elder sister, will give it to you!"

Mo Lan looked at Yun Cai, who had just opened his book box, and said, "Pack up, let's go to the back!"

She stood up and turned around, only to see that Minglan had already sat down at the very back.

"Who asked you to give way!"

Ru Lan snorted coldly and sat down in the second seat.

She had just fought for it only because Mo Lan had taken that position.

The two have been fighting each other since childhood, and it has become an instinct.

She would be happy if she won, but she refused when Mo Lan offered to give it to her.

"Fourth Sister, it's getting late, please sit down and get ready!"

Although the two spoke in low voices, Sheng Changbai did not hear them, but he was already used to the rivalry between Mo Lan and Ru Lan.

As the two of them huddled together, he kept an eye on them. When he saw Mo Lan standing there, he spoke calmly.

"yes!"

Hearing this, Mo Lan felt awkward about asking Ming Lan to switch seats, so she could only sit down awkwardly.

The six attendants arranged the books, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, then sat down in the corner behind the wall.

Qi Heng tidied the table, and then footsteps could be heard outside.

A short while later, Zhuang Xuejiu, with his silver hair, walked in with an attendant.

The six men rose and bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Scholar! We hope you are well!"

"well!"

Zhuang Xuejiu nodded slightly, sat down at the head of the table, and said after a moment's hesitation, "Please sit down, everyone!"

"Thank you, scholar!"

The six people thanked them and sat down.

Zhuang Xuejiu looked at the three Lans and said, "The three of you are here as auditors. If you have any questions, you can ask me after class."

"Yes!" Sanlan replied.

Zhuang Xuejiu's main teaching target is still Sheng Changbai and the other two, so he certainly wouldn't waste time on them.

After all, Sanlan is the youngest, and her progress is different from Sheng Changbai and the others.

"Um."

Zhuang Xuejiu said, "Today we'll begin with the *Great Learning*!"

Ancient education mainly focused on the Four Books and Five Classics, with the Four Books as the primary focus and the Five Classics as supplementary materials.

There are also some Confucian classics, which are somewhat similar to extracurricular reading materials in later generations.

The mainstream order for learning the Four Books is: The Great Learning → The Doctrine of the Mean → The Analects → Mencius.

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng and the others quickly took out copies of "The Great Learning" and opened them.

"The way of the Great Learning consists in manifesting one's bright virtue, in loving the people, and in abiding in perfect goodness," Zhuangzi recited, swaying his head.

"The Way of the University..."

Qi Heng and the others nodded and swayed as they read along.

Many people have a misconception that there were no punctuation marks in ancient times.

In fact, it existed long ago, but the main reason it wasn't used was to make it more difficult to acquire knowledge.

Reading while swaying your head can also help you better understand sentence structure.

Secondly, it can reduce fatigue and prevent drowsiness.

Qi Heng didn't know if it really had that effect, but after reading a passage, he was already feeling drowsy.

After Zhuang Xuejiu led the reading of a passage, he began to explain its meaning.

The Four Books and Five Classics have been passed down for over a thousand years, and their meanings should already be quite clear.

However, relying on rote memorization will only give you a superficial understanding; the role of a master teacher is to guide you to understand the underlying principles.

Moreover, different people have different interpretations, and there is no fixed answer.

Although Zhuang Xuejiu was old, he was not rigid. When explaining his ideas, he not only quoted classics but also told stories, which made the audience listen with great interest.

Before we knew it, the class was over.

After Zhuang Xuejiu left, Qi Heng got up and stretched his body.

The desks in the classroom were all low tables, and the seats were small stools, which were very uncomfortable.

"Yuanruo, want to go for a walk?" Sheng Changbai said with a smile.

"Okay." Qi Heng nodded.

"I'm going too!"

Sheng Changfeng quickly followed.

After the three left, Minglan and Rulan were about to leave together when Molan stood up and stopped them.

"Why are you stopping us?" Rulan said irritably.

Mo Lan ignored her and smiled at Ming Lan, saying, "Sixth Sister, you're a bit short. Father said that sisters should take care of each other, so why don't we switch seats?"

Minglan was about to agree when Rulan shouted, "No changing!"

Upon hearing this, Minglan immediately looked troubled. She didn't care which seat she sat in, but she didn't want to offend either of her two older sisters.

She was the daughter of a legitimate wife and a favored concubine. Although she had the old lady's support, she was unwilling to trouble the old lady.

"I'm taking care of my sixth sister, why are you stopping me?" Mo Lan said with a grim expression.

"I'm happy!"

Rulan made a smug face and pulled Minglan, saying, "Let's go!"

Mo Lan watched them leave, her face ashen.

…………

Zhuang Xuejiu taught two classes each in the morning and afternoon, with a break of one incense stick's worth of time between classes.

After the second class ended at noon, Sanlan bowed and left first.

When Minglan returned to Shou'an Hall, she saw Old Madam Sheng sitting at the dining table in the side hall, with food already laid out on the table.

"grandmother!"

Minglan bowed, looked at the food on the table, and asked in surprise, "What day is it today? Why is it so lavish?"

It was only in front of Old Madam Sheng that Minglan became more lively.

"You make it sound like I've always mistreated you."

Grandma Sheng chuckled and scolded, then pulled Minglan to sit down beside her.

"How's your first day of school going?"

"grandmother!"

Minglan's face fell, and she said, "Can I not go to school?"

"Why don't you want to go anymore after only the first day? Were you bullied?" Grandma Sheng asked.

"When my fourth and fifth sisters get together, they always argue about all sorts of things, and I, as their granddaughter, am caught in the middle, which puts me in a very difficult position," Minglan said.

How difficult could it be?

Grandma Sheng sighed, "The little things between you sisters are the easiest to deal with. I can't protect you forever; you'll have to face many things on your own in the future, understand?"