The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

"I won't lie to you, this school mainly teaches the study of things."

"To put it bluntly, it's about firing kilns, refining sand, drawing, doing arithmetic, and making objects. In some people's eyes, this is the knowledge of low-class people, the craftsman's skill, and not worthy of being considered high art."

After he finished speaking, a lot of discussion arose from below.

Ma Wenyuan quickly changed the subject.

"The schools will naturally teach the Four Books and Five Classics. Those of you who want to take the imperial examinations are welcome to do so, and the schools will not stop you from becoming officials."

Ma Wenyuan paused, his gaze sweeping over the ragged children standing in the back row.

"But I have to tell you something: since you've entered this school, everyone has to learn this kind of lowly craft."

He turned around, took the telescope from Fang Xiaoru behind him, and held it up in the air.

"This telescope can see faces three miles away. Can you guess who made it?"

This thing has become quite famous in Yingtian Prefecture ever since it was presented to Old Zhu last time.

However, when asked who did it, most people wouldn't know.

Whispers filled the square.

Someone whispered, "It was made by the Emperor's brother-in-law."

Ma Wenyuan passed the binoculars around to the students, saying, "It's the daughter of Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, who is nine years old this year."

A low gasp rippled through the crowd. The sons of the noble family standing in the front row exchanged bewildered glances, while the children in patched clothes stared wide-eyed.

"Xu Miaoyun, come here."

Xu Miaoyun walked out from behind, her hair in two buns, wearing a light yellow jacket. She stood gracefully on the steps and smiled at everyone.

Ma Wenyuan patted her on the shoulder.

"This child is nine years old, and his knowledge in this field is second to none."

Ma Wenyuan's smile faded, and his voice turned serious.

"Some of your fathers and brothers lost their lives on the battlefield, while others were the pillars of their families."

"They risked their lives to secure the Ming Dynasty's territory, and to give you the opportunity to stand on this land today."

I'm not going to lecture you on grand principles.

"I'll just say one thing: the skills you learn here will enable you to build better telescopes, stronger warships, and more accurate cannons in the future..."

"These skills can save more lives, allow the artisans of the Ming Dynasty to hold their heads high, and make your fathers and brothers feel in the afterlife that their children were not raised in vain."

The courtyard was completely silent.

Two hundred and thirteen pairs of eyes looked at him; some were bright, some were red, some were stubborn, and some were confused.

Ma Wenyuan stepped back and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards everyone.

"One last thing: from today onwards, you are all my students."

"There is no distinction between high and low, noble and lowly. Once you enter this door, everyone is treated equally."

After speaking, Ma Wenyuan looked at Zeng Qing.

"Zeng Qing, take them to get their school uniforms and be assigned to dormitories."

Zeng Qing responded, jumped down the steps, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Follow me! Line up, don't push!"

Today is the first day of school, so there's no reason for him not to come and help.

It's because his teacher is Ma Wenyuan, and his boss is also Ma Wenyuan.

The crowd began to move.

Ma Wenyuan stood on the steps, watching the boys file in and disappear through the school gates.

Fang Xiaoru walked to his side and said softly, "Teacher, what you just said was very well said."

Ma Wenyuan shook his head: "Whether it's good or not, we'll see what they learn later."

He turned and walked inside, and just as he crossed the threshold, he heard someone call out behind him.

"Your Excellency, please wait."

Ma Wenyuan turned around and saw a woman in her thirties holding the hand of a boy who looked seven or eight years old, standing at the door.

The woman was dressed in old clothes with patches on her cuffs, but they were clean.

The boy was as thin as a bean sprout, timidly hiding behind his mother, revealing only his pair of dark, bright eyes.

"You are..." Ma Wenyuan squatted down.

The woman pulled the boy down to her knees with a thud, and Ma Wenyuan quickly helped her up.

"Your Majesty, I am Liao Xiaoqi's mother. Xiaoqi's father... died in the Qutang Gorge."

"When the woman heard that they didn't charge tuition fees here and even provided food, she brought her child and came all the way from Chuzhou."

As she spoke, tears began to fall.

"It took seven days to get here."

"I humbly request that you accept Xiao Qi as your child..."

Looking at the thin boy, Ma Wenyuan felt a sharp pang in his heart.

"What's your name?"

The boy peeked out from behind his mother and whispered, "Liao Xiaoqi."

Logically speaking, someone this age shouldn't be able to enroll in school.

The students at the school are mostly teenagers.

A large age gap can easily hinder a person's development.

However, since they had already come, Ma Wenyuan had no reason to refuse.

They are, after all, the offspring of the victims.

"Liao Xiaoqi,"

Ma Wenyuan pondered for a moment, then asked again.

"Would you like to stay and study?"

Liao Xiaoqi glanced at her mother.

The woman nodded frantically.

He turned around and nodded vigorously at Ma Wenyuan.

Ma Wenyuan stood up and called inside, "Zeng Xiu! Take this child to get his school uniform, arrange a dormitory for him first, and we'll make other arrangements later."

"His mother... should also be provided with a place to stay."

Zeng Xiu quickly ran out, squatted down, took Liao Xiaoqi's hand, and smiled gently.

"Come with your sister."

Upon hearing this, the woman quickly kowtowed several more times.

It's easy to see that she is genuinely grateful.

In this era of low productivity, her family has lost its able-bodied members, leaving only the mother and son, who will obviously find it difficult to survive.

Besides production, we also need to consider the villagers.

Ma Wenyuan gave her and her son a way to survive, how could she not be grateful?

Ma Wenyuan stood there, watching Zeng Xiu's figure disappear into the alleyway, and remained motionless for a long time.

"Teacher." Fang Xiaoru's voice came from behind.

"Um."

"Actually, we could open a primary school class. There are probably many people who would like to come, but they can't because they are too old."

Ma Wenyuan remained silent for a long time.

"Okay, go ahead and do it."

For Ma Wenyuan, this was nothing more than a simple favor.

Fang Xiaoru didn't say anything and accepted the task.

Ma Wenyuan turned and went into the school.

The Gewu Academy occupies a large area and was built according to the model of schools in later generations.

Aside from the lack of tall buildings, it's basically the same.

The school has a playground in the middle, and also includes dormitories, a canteen, teaching buildings, and so on.

In the courtyard, 213 boys were distributing school uniforms and bedding.

They were noisy, boisterous, silent, crying, laughing foolishly—they came in all sorts of forms.

Chang Mao complained that the school uniform was too rough and started arguing with Zeng Qing.

Tang Yi stood aside watching the commotion.

Liao Quan was quietly helping a child he didn't know move his bedding.

Liao Xiaoqi huddled in the corner, clutching her newly issued school uniform as if it were some precious treasure.

Standing under the corridor, watching this scene, Ma Wenyuan suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier.

It wasn't given by the imperial court, nor by Zhu Yuanzhang.

He took it upon himself.

He sighed and was about to speak.

The gatekeeper then ran over to report, "Your Majesty, General Lan has arrived, and he's brought quite a few people with him."