Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Although this competition on academic methods has only lasted a few days, the gap between the two schools in the east and west has already become apparent.

All ten students in the West Dormitory are present every day.

They would often arrive at the school early, listen attentively to the stories during class, and after class, they would go together to the Ministry of Rites to ask Wang Hao's father, Wang Xuan, a secretary in the Ministry of Rites, for answers to their questions.

Inside the East Dormitory, Zhao Rui still adhered to the orthodox teaching methods, refusing to make any changes.

He firmly believed that scholarship should be rigorous and self-cultivation should be arduous. There are no shortcuts to the path of sages and virtuous men. Only by being patient can one become a talent.

Faced with a group of students who were inattentive and frequently lost focus, he became even stricter during class, with a ruler almost always in his hand. If they couldn't recite, he would hit their hands with a ruler; if they were distracted, they would be made to stand as punishment; and if they didn't finish their assignments, they would be kept after class.

This is how he grew up, from his school days.

It was precisely because his grandfather was strict with him that he was able to pass through the imperial examinations one after another and eventually become the third-ranked scholar...

However, his strictness did not result in the diligence and eagerness to learn among the sons of princes and ministers, but rather in an even greater aversion to learning and resistance.

These spoiled young masters were already unruly by nature and had never suffered such hardship before. At first, they were simply not paying attention in class, but Zhao Rui was extremely strict with them, punishing them at the drop of a hat, which made everyone want to give up and escape...

Initially, only two students requested leave, citing illness, leaving two seats in the East Dormitory empty.

By the second day, the trend of taking leave had completely spread.

Five students took leave at once, with all sorts of reasons: being bedridden with a cold, visiting relatives, their sister getting married, an elder passing away...

On the third day, there were only three people in the East Dormitory classroom.

On the fourth day, in the huge East Dormitory, two of the three people from yesterday had taken leave, leaving only one person all alone.

The boy stood in the empty schoolroom, looking at the empty seats around him, feeling both panicked and regretful.

"Damn it, they didn't come, and they didn't even tell me!"

He gritted his teeth and cursed a few times. Looking at Zhao Rui who was about to walk in, he thought for a moment, then suddenly bent over, clutching his stomach, and said with difficulty, "Sir, my stomach hurts. I need to go home to see a doctor..."

Before Zhao Rui could even reply, he slipped away and dashed out of the schoolhouse, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

In an instant, the magnificent and solemn East Dormitory School became completely empty, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Zhao Rui stood alone on the podium, textbook in his left hand and a ruler in his right, staring blankly at the empty seats below...

He didn't know what was wrong with these children. He had grown up the same way; his grandfather had been much stricter with him than he was with these children...

Just because he misremembered a single line of scripture, he had to stand outside as punishment in the sweltering heat of summer and kneel in the snow in the dead of winter. The suffering these children endured was less than one-tenth or one-twelfth of what he had suffered back then...

If they can't even endure this little bit of hardship, how will they compete with thousands of other students in the imperial examinations?

He had always believed in the traditional teacher-student relationship, but in the end, he couldn't even hold onto the hearts of a group of ten-year-old children.

An unprecedented sense of frustration swept over Zhao Rui.

This made him question the meaning of life.

Was everything he had always adhered to wrong?

He studied diligently from a young age. His grandfather, father, and teacher were very strict with him, day after day for ten years. A ruler was always by his side, and being punished was a daily occurrence.

He firmly believed that there was no other way to pursue scholarship but through rigorous and upright conduct. He received this kind of education from a young age and passed the imperial examinations with flying colors, thus becoming a member of the Hanlin Academy. He naturally believed that this was the right way to educate people...

But now, this empty classroom has shattered his confidence...

Just as he was lost in thought, a series of clear and cheerful laughs and exclamations of surprise from children across the courtyard clearly reached his ears.

That's the direction of the West Dormitory, where Chen Chang'an teaches his classes.

As if guided by some unseen force, Zhao Rui put down his textbook and ruler, slowly walked out of the deserted East Dormitory, and stepped through the bluestone courtyard, standing quietly outside the window of the West Dormitory's school.

The scene inside the West Dormitory School and the East Dormitory School behind it are two completely different worlds.

Chen Chang'an stood on the podium, not lecturing, but telling stories.

He was telling the story of a monkey named Sun Wukong who fought the White Bone Demon three times, but was not trusted by his master and was expelled. In the end, the monk discovered the truth, and the master and disciple reconciled...

The ten students sat upright in their seats, each one radiant with energy; none of them were distracted or chatting idly.

All eyes were on Chen Chang'an.

The vibrancy and energy on these children's faces were something he had never seen in the students of Dongshe before.

Zhao Rui stood outside the window, gazing silently, without moving an inch for a long time.

When the class was almost over, Chen Chang'an took out the "Cheng Tian Yao Dian" (Essentials of Heavenly Mandate). He only read out a passage and asked the students to memorize it and understand its meaning after returning home, without personally teaching them.

After class, the children rushed out, and Zhao Rui overheard them discussing going to the Ministry of Rites to seek advice from someone…

He had never seen the students of Dongshe so proactive in their studies. Let alone taking the initiative to learn, even if he used a ruler or made them stand as punishment, they would still not be willing to memorize texts...

As Zhao Rui watched the children's joyful departing figures, his deeply ingrained beliefs, formed over many years, subtly began to loosen and crumble at that moment...

He suddenly remembered his childhood.

From the time he began to learn to read, he was strictly disciplined, forced to sit and study every day, forbidden to play or joke with his peers, and not allowed to slack off in the slightest...

His childhood was devoid of laughter and play; instead, it was filled with endless scriptures, dry doctrines, and harsh punishments.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a deep envy for these children...

He had never imagined that studying and learning could be done without suppressing humanity or extinguishing childlike innocence, and that inspiring children's initiative to learn was better than passive indoctrination...

Thinking of the energetic and passionate children taught by Chen Chang'an, and then of his own empty schoolhouse, Zhao Rui's resentment and stubbornness suddenly vanished...

He let out a long sigh of relief, a sigh filled with boundless ease...

The true way to pursue scholarship is never about rigid adherence to old ways or harsh punishments, but about stimulating students' interest in learning...

A gust of wind blew through the courtyard, stirring Zhao Rui's robes.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the complex emotions in his heart, and slowly walked into the West House, standing in front of Chen Chang'an.

Chen Chang'an looked at Zhao Rui, Zhao Rui's nephew, who had been competing with him ever since the Qionglin Banquet...

However, Zhao Rui looked a little strange at this moment.

The arrogance on Zhao Rui's face vanished completely. He looked serious, bowed deeply to Chen Chang'an, and said from the bottom of his heart, "Chen Xiuzhuan, I have lost..."

Chen Chang'an did not expect that Zhao Rui would voluntarily admit defeat in less than ten days of this month-long competition.

Zhao Rui's tone contained no resentment, only sincere approval: "In the past, I clung to the old ways, believing that the only right way to study was through rigorous and diligent study and following the rules. You made me realize that not everyone has to walk the path I have walked..."

He looked at Chen Chang'an and finally asked, "Where can I buy the storybooks you told them?"

Chen Chang'an smiled and said, "This book hasn't been published yet. I only have the manuscript. If you want, I can lend you a copy..."

Looking at Chen Chang'an, Zhao Rui's last trace of resentment completely dissipated. He lowered his head deeply and said with sincere admiration, "You truly deserve to be called the greatest scholar of all time. I am far inferior to you..."