Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

After leaving the Imperial Study, Zhou Zhengming went straight to the Hanlin Academy.

Although His Majesty said that this reform of education was led by him and assisted by Chen Chang'an.

But he knew very well that his role as the leader was to shield Chen Chang'an from the outside attacks.

Chen Chang'an has not yet come of age and is only a minor sixth-rank Hanlin Compiler. It would be difficult to gain public approval if he were to take full charge of this matter.

As the Minister of Personnel and a member of the cabinet, he held a high position and wielded great power. He could block all obstacles, both overt and covert, and prevent any factors from affecting Chen Chang'an's educational reform.

Not long after, in Chen Chang'an's duty room at the Hanlin Academy.

Zhou Zhengming had already explained the situation to Chen Chang'an. He looked at Chen Chang'an with admiration and said with a smile, "In this educational reform, nominally I am in charge and you are assisting, but in reality, you are in charge and I am supporting you. If you encounter any obstacles or problems that you cannot solve, just tell me, and I will do my best to help you..."

Chen Chang'an immediately said, "No, no, no, Lord Zhou, you are more experienced. We should follow your lead..."

Zhou Zhengming patted him on the shoulder and said, "Hey, I'm not like some people. I know my own abilities. You young people are energetic and innovative, so these things should be left to you young people..."

He glanced back at Dou Wenhuan's office and said to Chen Chang'an, "You can proceed with this educational reform with complete confidence. His Majesty has stated beforehand that anyone who dares to obstruct the reform, regardless of their status, even if they are a cabinet minister, will be severely punished..."

Chen Chang'an nodded and said, "In that case, I can rest assured."

After Zhou Zhengming left, Chen Chang'an returned to his desk and sat down.

Reforming a country's education system is certainly not as simple as just teaching stories in class; it involves far too many factors.

The first thing is that textbooks suitable for all age groups need to be rewritten.

Depending on the student's age and the different stages of early childhood education, the type of knowledge they should learn should also be differentiated.

Chen Chang'an already has a basic outline of the textbook; it just needs some further refinement and it will be finalized in half a month.

He will need to select some more suitable content from the textbooks that follow.

Furthermore, he was well aware that although it was a reform, it could not overturn everything; at the very least, it could not affect the existing imperial examination system.

Countless students have received education under the traditional system, and any overthrow of the imperial examination system would inevitably trigger a major uprising.

If we were to do that, it would affect the interests of too many people, so we can only proceed gradually and change things little by little.

Education is fundamental to a nation's talent development, and it often takes ten or even several decades to see results.

What may seem like a simple change in teaching methods and the compilation of a few new books is actually a matter of undermining the foundation of education that has sustained the Great Ning Dynasty for centuries, involving the future of countless scholars, the interests of aristocratic families, and the regulations of the imperial court. Every step must be taken with utmost care, allowing no room for carelessness...

Chen Chang'an will likely not have time to teach the princes anymore.

He plans to calm down and compile several introductory textbooks suitable for different ages.

Elementary education, from beginner to advanced levels, requires different course content for each stage. It cannot be like old books, which are general and obscure, indiscriminate in their application to all ages, making them incomprehensible to children and tedious for teenagers...

This is a huge undertaking, so he needs to take a leave of absence.

Although he could work at the Hanlin Academy, he was tired of having to go to work at five o'clock every day and getting up at four o'clock. He decided to take this opportunity to give himself a long vacation...

Thinking of this, Chen Chang'an took two pieces of paper, wrote down the reasons for his leave, and then got up and went straight to Dou Wenhuan's duty room.

At this moment, Dou Wenhuan was sitting alone in his duty room, his face full of gloom.

The competition lasted for a month, but in less than ten days, Zhao Rui voluntarily admitted defeat. Similarly, he also lost to Zhou Zhengming. Seeing Chen Chang'an's boundless glory, he felt very bitter.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and then a figure walked straight into the duty room.

Looking up and seeing Chen Chang'an, Dou Wenhuan's expression darkened further. He asked indifferently, "Commissioner Chen, what is it?"

Chen Chang'an placed two leave slips on the table and said bluntly, "Your Excellency, I need to devote myself to compiling new elementary textbooks and graded classical texts. The work is very demanding, and I have no time to be on duty at the Hanlin Academy every day. Therefore, I am here to request a three-month leave to work in seclusion..."

Dou Wenhuan's gaze fell on the sick leave slip on the table, and he was stunned for a moment.

Three months' leave?

He's only been with the company for less than a month, yet he dares to take three months of leave. Why doesn't he take six months?

He was already displeased, and now he seized the opportunity to vent his anger, coldly saying, "You're on duty at the Hanlin Academy, how can you just take a break as you please? The Crown Prince's teachings haven't been handed over yet, and there are many official duties within the Hanlin Academy as well. I will not approve your leave."

Dou Wenhuan's reply was exactly what Chen Chang'an had expected.

He was not angry or annoyed, but calmly said, "His Majesty has ordered that I should prioritize the reform of education. If the headmaster does not approve, I will have no choice but to go to the palace to see His Majesty and humbly request His Majesty to approve it personally so that I can focus on supervising the reform of education and compiling new classics."

Dou Wenhuan's expression changed; Chen Chang'an's short sentence instantly hit the nail on the head.

His Majesty is clearly determined to carry out reforms this time, and educational reform will be the top priority of the court for some time to come.

If Chen Chang'an were to ask His Majesty for leave, he would be unable to escape the charges of deliberately making things difficult, openly obstructing educational reform, and defying the Emperor's will.

His Majesty has just issued a decree prohibiting anyone from obstructing the new law, so of course he wouldn't dare to defy the order.

Dou Wenhuan's chest heaved, and all his anger was instantly forced back down.

He was certain that if Chen Chang'an were allowed to enter the palace to request an imperial decree, his position as the head of the Hanlin Academy and a cabinet minister would be over.

Left with no other choice, he could only suppress his anger and resentment, pick up his pen, and fiercely write the word "approved" on the two leave slips.

Dou Wenhuan silently comforted himself, thinking that it was better not to see Chen Chang'an for three months, at least he wouldn't cause him any trouble at the Hanlin Academy.

Then, he looked up at Chen Chang'an and asked in a deep voice, "You've taken such a long leave, what will happen to the Crown Prince's studies? The studies of all the princes cannot be neglected. Since you have taken on the responsibility of teaching, you cannot give up halfway..."

Chen Chang'an calmly replied, "As the head of the Hanlin Academy, Your Excellency is in charge of all the course arrangements for the Eastern Palace Academy. I am currently compiling books behind closed doors as ordered by His Majesty and have no time to teach. I would be grateful if Your Excellency could arrange for other personnel to manage the Eastern Palace's coursework..."

After saying that, he walked out without looking back.

Dou Wenhuan sat in the duty room, his face turning pale and then flushed.

Teaching the imperial heirs at the Hanlin Academy was a hot potato. He originally intended it to make things difficult for Chen Chang'an, but unexpectedly, Chen Chang'an returned this hot potato to make things difficult for him...

Besides Chen Chang'an, who else could keep those playful imperial heirs in check?

Thinking about this, he felt a headache coming on...