Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Ministry of Rites.

Inside the Ministry of Rites' office, Minister Lin Guanhai stood by the window, stroking his beard as he quietly watched the young noblemen reciting their lessons outside.

A figure hurried into the yamen. Lin Guanhai turned around and asked, "Have you found out who their teacher is? Is it Zhao Rui or Chen Chang'an?"

The official from the Ministry of Rites replied, "Your Excellency, we have confirmed that it is Chen Chang'an."

A strange light flickered in Lin Guanhai's eyes as he murmured, "It's not a skill to get these mischievous children to sit in class and listen to lectures; the real skill is getting them to want to learn. This top scholar is not only good at studying but also at teaching. Zhao Rui is likely to lose this competition..."

……

As dusk fell, the hustle and bustle of the day faded from the capital city.

The officials returned to their residences from their offices. For some ministers, this time of day would normally be filled with noise and bustle.

Their unruly son was at the age where everyone hated him. After playing all day, he wouldn't stay still when he got home, often causing chaos and making a scene in the house.

However, today, several ministers' and noble residences are experiencing an unprecedented level of tranquility.

The boys who used to be so energetic and restless would all stay quietly in their rooms after dinner.

There was no laughter or chatter in the room, only the intermittent sound of someone reciting a text.

At the residence of the Vice Minister of Rites, Wang Xuan stood at the door of his son's room, his face full of satisfaction.

That brat, he tried countless methods, and the doctor hired many for him, but none of them could last even half a month.

This kid can't even sit still in class, and after class, he won't even glance at the textbook.

The top scholar really knows how to do things. After just one class, the boy was like a completely different person, still memorizing his lessons so late at night. For a moment, Wang Xuan even wondered if his son was possessed by something.

While Wang Xuan was only suspicious, at the same time, a certain nobleman was certain that his son must have been possessed by a ghost.

Late at night, instead of sleeping or playing, he was reciting a text, specifically the "Essentials of Heavenly Mandate"...

This is even more astonishing than the sun rising in the west.

This isn't possession by a ghost, is it? And the one possessing his son is a book-loving ghost...

He grabbed his son's shoulders and shook him violently, shouting, "I don't care who you are, get off my son right now!"

Similar scenes played out in the homes of many ministers.

These princes and ministers repeatedly questioned their servants before they learned the truth. They never expected that Chen Chang'an's story would cure these brats' aversion to school...

A night passes in the blink of an eye.

The next morning, just as the hour of Si (9-11 AM) arrived, twenty students had already gathered at the East Palace Academy.

These children often played together and already had a friendship, but because of this competition, they were divided into two groups.

With more than fifteen minutes to go before class, they were all chatting outside the dormitory.

"Hey, has your teacher made you memorize the 'Essentials of Heaven'? I haven't memorized it yet, and I'm afraid I'll get a beating on the hand later."

"I've memorized it, but I stayed up all night memorizing it last night, so I can listen to the story today, hehe!"

"What story?"

"Didn't your teachers tell them the story of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King? He was incredibly powerful; he could fly and disappear into the earth, he could perform seventy-two transformations, and he could somersault 108,000 li in one go!"

"What Monkey King Sun Wukong? Our teacher didn't tell us about him. Didn't you teach the *Cheng Tian Yao Dian* in class?"

"No, the teacher told us a story, and after he finished, he let us go home..."

……

After comparing their accounts, the ten students from the East Dormitory completely broke down.

Everyone's status is similar; they all come to the East Palace for classes. While others listen to such exciting stories, they have to listen to boring scriptures. If they slack off even slightly, they will be punished by standing and having their hands slapped.

On what grounds?

The immense sense of loss instantly overwhelmed him, and the aversion to school and rebellious feelings that he had finally managed to suppress erupted completely at this moment.

Before long, the bell rang for class, and the two groups returned to their respective dormitories.

Inside the east wing, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

Zhao Rui walked to the school building and saw that the students were all sitting quietly in their chairs without making any noise. He nodded in satisfaction and went up to the stage to start checking yesterday's lessons.

Unexpectedly, most people stumbled over the short outline of the "Essentials of Heaven's Mandate," and some couldn't even recite a single sentence, clearly indicating they hadn't reviewed it after class...

Zhao Rui firmly believes in the importance of strict academic standards. Students who couldn't recite the text were punished by having their hands slapped and made to stand at the back of the class to listen to the lecture.

He then continued his lecture.

The ten students below were all distracted at this moment. Although their bodies were in the east dormitory, their minds had already wandered there...

Seeing that they were distracted, Zhao Rui kept hitting the ruler and scolding them sternly...

These sons of nobles were proud by nature and could not tolerate being wronged. The thought of their friends listening to stories in another school while they were being tortured here made them decide to give up and do whatever they wanted...

When Zhao Rui wanted to punish them, they held out their hands so he could slap them...

When Zhao Rui was lecturing, they looked around and ignored him completely...

This action completely enraged Zhao Rui. He threw down his textbook, slammed his hand on the table, and roared, "Incomprehensible! Utterly incomprehensible!"

The situation is completely different in the West Dormitory, which is just one courtyard away.

After class, Chen Chang'an checked the children's homework. Although he hadn't taught the "Essentials of Heaven's Mandate" yesterday, without exception, all the children had recited the first paragraph of the book's general outline and could explain its meaning...

As it turns out, passively instilling knowledge is far less effective than actively acquiring it.

He spent a lot of time in class explaining the dry and boring scriptures to these children, who could hardly remember any of it.

It would be better to tell them stories that interest them in class, and then let them acquire knowledge on their own after class.

They remember the knowledge they acquire through their own efforts more easily.

After checking everyone's homework, Chen Chang'an continued telling the story of Sun Wukong's havoc in the Heavenly Palace. The ten students sat up straight, listening with rapt attention...

After half an hour of storytelling, Chen Chang'an paused at the most exciting part, leaving the children with expressions of lingering enjoyment...

Chen Chang'an stopped telling stories and picked up the "Imperial Canon of Heaven" (承天要典), saying, "Today, everyone needs to memorize the entire general outline of the Imperial Canon of Heaven and understand its interpretation. I will check everyone's work tomorrow. If everyone passes, we will continue with Journey to the West tomorrow. get out of class dismissed..."

After saying that, he closed the book and strode out of the schoolhouse.

When teaching the imperial heirs, Chen Xiuzhuan would set aside half a class period for instruction, and to these princes and nobles, he would simply tell them stories...

If he doesn't teach, are he supposed to let these naughty kids learn on their own?

Unlike Cui Shou's shock, these ten students had already experienced something similar once and were not flustered at all.

One of them looked at Wang Hao and said, "Wang Hao, let's go to the Ministry of Rites to find your father..."