The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

When Ma Wenyuan came out of Kunning Palace, the night wind already carried a chill.

He walked along the long palace path, his mind replaying the words his sister had just said.

"Your brother-in-law doesn't like anyone going against him."

"He wants to abolish the imperial examination system; just go along with him."

His sister is teaching him how to be a subject.

Ma Wenyuan wasn't unaware of this principle, but sometimes he felt that the more you went along with Zhu Yuanzhang, the more he would think you lacked your own opinions.

But what my sister said wasn't wrong; the imperial court isn't a place for reasoning, but a place for discretion.

Advance when you should advance, and retreat when you should retreat. Retreating is not admitting defeat, but rather preparing for future advancement.

……

Upon exiting the palace gate, Zeng Qing waited at the entrance with his horse. It was late autumn, and the evening was quite chilly.

Zeng Qingniu was tall and strong and was fine even wearing thin clothes, but Ma Wenyuan, who was wearing two or three layers, was so cold that he kept stamping his feet.

"Teacher, you've finally come out! Did His Highness scold you?"

"Why are you cursing me?" Ma Wenyuan quickly turned over and stepped into the carriage, only then did he feel some of the chill dissipate.

"Let's go back to school."

"Going back to school so late? Aren't you going home to rest?"

"I need to be present for Mr. Liang's first class tomorrow morning."

The clatter of hooves echoed along the long street in the dead of night. Zeng Qing rode ahead on horseback, while Ma Wenyuan followed behind in a carriage, their shadows stretched long and pale by the moonlight.

Now that Zeng Qing has become a trial commander, he has become much more mature.

……

The rules of Gewu Academy are to get up at 5:00 AM and start classes at 7:00 AM.

Liang Yin's first lesson was scheduled for 3:45 AM.

Ma Wenyuan got up before dawn and went to the workshop to check the furnace fire.

The glass workshop, located inside the school, is now moving towards mass production, manufacturing products such as telescopes in large quantities.

Therefore, someone needs to keep a close eye on things.

Ma Wenyuan was usually unavailable, so Xu Miaoyun and Zeng Xiu were in charge.

When Ma Wenyuan arrived at the workshop, Zeng Xiu was already there.

Wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat, he squatted next to the crucible to record the temperature.

When she saw him arrive, Zeng Xiu looked up and called out "Teacher," then lowered her head and went about her business.

"Xiuer, are you going to Mr. Liang's first lesson today?"

Zeng Xiu was taken aback. "Students are going too?"

"Of course I'll go. You're a teacher at the school, not a kitchen maid."

Ma Wenyuan squatted down, looked at the record, and then said...

"You can't just stop at the present. The glass workshop can be handed over to someone else; you have to look to other things."

After saying that, Ma Wenyuan stood up and said, "Go and listen to the lecture first. Mr. Liang is lecturing on classical studies. You have a good foundation, so you won't regret listening to him."

Zeng Xiu nodded, a slight smile curving her lips, and then nodded and did as instructed.

Seeing this, Ma Wenyuan went to inspect other areas.

……

At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the school's main lecture hall was filled with people.

Ma Wenyuan took Liang Yin's first lesson very seriously, so he didn't teach it to a specific class alone.

Instead, they teach all the students together.

More than two hundred students were arranged from front to back according to their grade.

At the front were the youngest orphans, in the middle were those who could read some characters, and at the back were the sons of noble families.

Chang Mao sat in the last row, with Chang Sheng and Chang Sen sitting next to him.

Tang Yi and Liao Quan also arrived, sitting quietly in their seats.

Ma Wenyuan stood in the corner of the lecture hall, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

When Liang Yin stepped onto the podium, the lecture hall fell silent for a moment.

He wore a slightly worn blue cloth robe, his beard and hair were neatly combed, and although thin, his back was ramrod straight, like an old pine tree. He stood behind the podium, his gaze slowly sweeping over the students below, exuding an imposing presence without anger.

More than two hundred pairs of eyes were watching him, some curious, some nervous, and some indifferent.

"My surname is Liang, and my given name is Yin."

The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it was strong, and every word was clear.

"From today onwards, I will teach you the classics."

He paused, then picked up the roster on the table.

"I don't care about your background or who your father is."

"I only have one standard for you: if you can learn, I'll teach you more; if you can't, I'll find a way to help you learn. If you're really not cut out for this, I won't kick you out, but you need to be aware of that."

Chang Mao hummed softly from the back row.

The sound wasn't loud, but Liang Yin heard it.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over the front row and landing directly on Chang Mao's face.

"Hey you in the back, what are you humming about?"

Chang Mao was taken aback, not expecting that the old man, who was so old, had such sharp hearing.

He stood up, his neck stiff, and said...

"It's nothing, the student just has a sore throat."

Liang Yin looked at him for two seconds, didn't ask any further questions, and only said one sentence.

"If your throat is sore, drink more water. Sit down."

Chang Mao sat down, but his expression was not good.

Young people care about their image, so being singled out for a scolding naturally makes them look unhappy.

Chang Sheng tugged at his sleeve from the side, but he shook him off.

Liang Yin didn't look at Chang Mao again, but opened the roster and began calling out names.

"Zhang Tiezhu".

"Here!" A dark-skinned, thin boy stood up, his voice crisp and clear.

"Liao Xiaoqi".

"Here!" A small figure stood up from the corner, his voice timid.

He read out each name one by one, and each person responded. When he finished, Liang Yin closed the register and nodded.

"Some of you can't even recite the Thousand Character Classic in its entirety."

"That's alright, I'll teach you from the beginning. But I have one rule: no sleeping, no daydreaming, and no whispering in class."

Liang Yin's first lecture was about the opening of "The Great Learning"—"The way of great learning consists in manifesting one's bright virtue, in loving the people, and in abiding in perfect goodness."

He didn't rush to explain the meaning of the scriptures, but instead wrote these eight characters on the blackboard, then turned around and looked at all the students.

"Can anyone read it aloud?"

The children in the front row looked at each other, not daring to make a sound. Some of the noble children in the back row recognized him, but no one raised their hand.

After a while, a small, thin figure stood up.

Liao Xiaoqi.

"The Great Learning… teaches us to manifest our bright virtue, to love the people, to… to…"

He froze, his face turning bright red, unable to recall how to pronounce the phrase "止于至善" (stopping at the highest good).

Liang Yin didn't rush him. He waited for a while, and seeing that he really couldn't remember, he said gently,

"Very good. The fact that you could stand up shows you have courage. Sit down now."

Liao Xiaoqi sat down, her face flushed.

Liang Yin waited a while longer, and then someone in the back row raised their hand—Tang Yi.

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

Tang Yi read fluently and with standard pronunciation, clearly indicating that he had received an education at home.

Liang Yin nodded: "What's your name?"

"Tang Yue".

"The son of the Duke of Xin?"

"Yes."

Liang Yin didn't say much, only nodded. But the way he looked at Tang Yi was more scrutinizing than when he looked at Liao Xiaoqi.

After explaining the title of "The Great Learning," Liang Yin began to teach his students to recognize characters.

He wrote four large characters on the blackboard.

The characters “明”, “德”, “亲”, and “民” are explained one by one in terms of their strokes, meanings, and usages.

He spoke very slowly, taking the entire time it takes to brew a cup of tea to explain the single word "Ming".

He asked the children in the front row to take pens and write on paper, and when they finished, he went down to look at them and gave them pointers one by one.

The young men in the back row, including Xun Gui, began to get restless.

Chang Mao lay on the table, idly twirling a pen.

Liao Quan listened attentively and wrote those four characters neatly on the paper.

Ma Wenyuan saw it all but said nothing.

He knew Liang Yin's lessons wouldn't be exciting from the start. A seventy-two-year-old man teaching from the most basic literacy skills would indeed be tedious for children who had already received an education.

But he believed in Liang Yin.

This person taught his whole life, and he knew how to bring together students with different backgrounds.

After class, Ma Wenyuan went to Liang Yin's dormitory to see him.

Liang Yin was sitting by the window drinking tea, with the roster spread out in front of him, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Sir, how did you feel about the first lesson?"

Liang Yin put down his teacup and glanced at him.

"Your brother-in-law, those noble sons of yours are not easy to manage."

"I know."

"That guy surnamed Chang in the back row didn't look up once the whole time." Liang Yin's tone wasn't harsh, but his dissatisfaction was evident.

Ma Wenyuan sat down opposite him: "What do you plan to do, sir?"

Liang Yin was silent for a moment, then said something that surprised Ma Wenyuan.

"There's not much I can do. I've taught my whole life and I've seen students even more difficult to manage than him. No rush, take it slow."

Ma Wenyuan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Sir, you are quite patient."

"Teaching requires patience; you might as well go home and farm." Liang Yin picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Uncle, when is your Duke Cao coming?"

"I arrived yesterday, and I'm tidying up the house in the backyard today."

Liang Yin nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Ma Wenyuan came out of Liang Yin's room and walked to the other side.

Li Zhen's courtyard is located east of the teachers' dormitory. It is not large, but it is kept very clean.

Li Zhen was sitting on the threshold, with a row of noble sons standing in front of him.

Chang Mao, Chang Sheng, Chang Sen, Tang Yi, Liao Quan, and another person named Ma Wenyuan whose name I can't recall.

"Why aren't you paying attention in class?" Li Zhen's voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail.

Chang Mao lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.

"I'm asking you a question." Li Zhen looked up at Chang Mao.

"...I can't listen to anything," Chang Mao said in a muffled voice.

Li Zhen stared at him for several moments, then stood up and walked to Chang Mao.

He was half a head shorter than Chang Mao, but Chang Mao shrank back like a quail in front of him.

"If you can't concentrate, then stand and listen. Starting tomorrow, you'll stand in the last row during class. You can sit down when you can concentrate."

Chang Mao opened his mouth as if to say something, but Li Zhen glared at him and stopped him.

"And you all."

Li Zhen glanced at the others.

"Anyone who thinks they have a good foundation and don't need to learn can stand with Chang Mao."

"I won't force you to learn, and you shouldn't waste the teacher's spittle."

Tang Yi kept his head down and didn't speak, but Liao Quan raised his head and glanced at Li Zhen with a hint of respect in his eyes.

Li Zhen waved her hand.

"Everyone, you can leave now. I don't want to hear Mr. Liang tell me again that someone isn't paying attention in class tomorrow."

The group felt as if they had been granted a pardon and quickly left.

Chang Sheng walked last. As he was leaving, he glanced back at Li Zhen, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and turned to leave.

Ma Wenyuan walked over and squatted down next to Li Zhen.

"Brother-in-law, you're much more efficient than me."

Li Zhen glanced at him.

"You're just too easygoing. When you try to reason with those kids, they just play tricks on you."

Ma Wenyuan smiled. He suddenly realized that inviting Li Zhen was one of the best decisions he had ever made since he started the school.

As the days went by, the Gewu Academy gradually took shape.

Liang Yin's classical studies classes went more and more smoothly.

He gradually figured out each student's background, assigning simple copying homework to the children in the front row, explaining the classics and historical events to the children in the back row, and occasionally staying after class to discuss difficult questions in the Spring and Autumn Annals with a few students who had a good foundation.

Tang Yi became his favorite student, Liao Quan was also good, and even Chang Sheng could occasionally chime in with a few words.

Chang Mao still seemed absent-minded, but at least he wasn't slumped over the table anymore.

He was made to stand for five whole days by Li Zhen, and on the sixth day he was finally allowed to sit down. From then on, he never dared to be distracted in class again.

Li Zhen also managed the school's miscellaneous affairs in an orderly manner.

He revised the daily schedule, specifying the meal times, the lights-out times, and even the toilet shift schedule.

He also transferred two veterans from the army to serve as dormitory supervisors, specifically responsible for night patrols.

When a student fell ill, he personally went to fetch a doctor.

As the weather got colder, he asked someone to add an extra quilt to each dormitory.

One night, Ma Wenyuan got up to use the restroom and saw that the light was still on in Li Zhen's room.

He went over and saw Li Zhen hunched over a table, writing and drawing on a piece of paper.

Upon closer inspection, it was a school supplies list, with rice, flour, oil, salt, writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, charcoal, and firewood all clearly recorded, even noting the dates of their entry and exit from the warehouse.

"Brother-in-law, you're still awake?"

Li Zhen didn't even look up: "Get these sorted out before you go to sleep. Your warehouse accounts are very clear; I want to learn that method."

Ma Wenyuan didn't say much.

"Thank you for your hard work, brother-in-law."

Then Ma Wenyuan left without saying anything more.

Just then, Zeng Xiu walked over from her place, carrying two bowls of ginger soup.

"Teacher, is Duke Cao still awake?"

"No."

Zeng Xiu glanced at the door with the light on, handed a bowl of ginger soup to Ma Wenyuan, and hesitated for a moment while holding the other bowl in her hand.

"Give it to me." Ma Wenyuan took the ginger soup and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Ma Wenyuan pushed open the door and placed the ginger soup beside Li Zhen.

"Brother-in-law, drink it while it's hot."

Li Zhen glanced at it, didn't refuse, picked it up and took a sip, then frowned: "Too sweet."

"Zeng Xiufang said that since you are getting older, drinking something sweet is good for your health."

Li Zhen didn't say anything more and finished the ginger soup sip by sip.

Li Zhen put down her bowl, looked at Ma Wenyuan, and smiled.

"Your school is very well run."

Ma Wenyuan replied,

"It's all thanks to my brother-in-law and Mr. Liang. I was just there to set the stage."

Li Zhen shook her head, not continuing the topic, and pointed to the door: "Alright, go back to sleep. You have class tomorrow."

Ma Wenyuan carried the empty bowl out and gently closed the door.

The moonlight spilled into the courtyard, shining brightly, like a layer of frost.

The silhouette of Jilong Mountain lay deep in the night, with the occasional bark of a dog coming from its foot.

Zeng Xiu was still standing under the corridor waiting for him.

"Teacher, did Duke Cao drink the ginger soup?"

"I drank it. I said it was too sweet."

Zeng Xiu smiled, took the empty bowl, and turned to walk towards the courtyard.