People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Zhao Qian was full of resentment, but dared not show it.

He replied absentmindedly, "Okay, okay."

Suppressing her excitement, the chief sighed softly, "You may leave now. Your teacher and I will discuss your future studies further."

Zhao Qian grunted twice, got up, and left.

Staying here for even a second is torture for him; he's going to complain.

Cao Ze's works are full of fallacies, heresies, and fabrications.

What about the idea that human nature is inherently good, or that Confucius had ten sons? Does that mean he was truly illiterate?

After Zhao Qian left, the Queen no longer pretended to be reserved.

She snuggled directly into Cao Ze's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.

With a smile and a delicate breath, she said, "Sir, now that there are no outsiders here, may you begin to teach me what you've been talking about?"

Cao Ze chuckled, "The Empress's health is really good."

"Of course, it is my duty to serve the Queen. Let's go inside and discuss it further."

Cao Ze half-embraced the sultry woman's soft waist and led her into the inner room.

I have quite a few wounds on my body, so I can't play too wildly.

However, although his role was limited, he could still direct the queen and let her take initiative.

In layman's terms, it means letting the initiator take the initiative.

He reluctantly lay down.

While Cao Ze was inside teaching Zhao Qian's mother various subjects, Zhao Qian ran all the way to the long corridor behind Longtai Palace and headed straight for Zhao Yan's study where he handled government affairs.

Han Cang, who was outside the study, saw Zhao Qian trying to barge in and quickly stopped him.

"Your Highness, the King is currently meeting with guests."

Zhao Qian was annoyed, so he shoved Han Cang and walked past him.

Han Cang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly chuckled to himself, cried out "Ah!" and collapsed.

He shouted from the ground, "Your Highness, you cannot go in."

Inside the study, Zhao Yan was listening to Kong Chuan, a Confucian scholar, explain the Doctrine of the Mean to him.

Seeing someone barge in, he was about to get angry when he saw Zhao Yan suddenly slide to his knees, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, saying, "Father, you must do justice for your son!"

Han Cang followed behind and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I am incompetent and allowed Your Highness to barge in."

Kong Chuan, who was quite old, stopped and glanced at Zhao Qian kneeling on the ground.

As for Zhao Qian's character, during the four or five days he was lecturing at the Hundred Schools Forum in the east of Handan, it was said that he was "a complete scoundrel."

Fortunately, it was the virtuous and upright Zhao Jia who became the crown prince; otherwise, he would have left Handan long ago and stopped lecturing there.

Zhao Yan sighed, "My son was rude; please forgive him, Mr. Zigao."

Kong Chuan bowed and said, "It's alright, Your Majesty, please attend to your family matters first."

Zhao Yan patted the desk. "Qian'er, stop kneeling. Speak up if you have any grievances. Don't let the great Confucian scholars laugh at you."

Seeing that his attempt to gain sympathy had worked, Zhao Qian couldn't help but feel smug, eager to see how Cao Ze would be utterly destroyed.

“Father, the teacher that Mother found for me is all show and no substance. He taught me to make up nonsense.”

"Hmm? What did Mr. Cao Ze teach you?"

Zhao Qian wiped away his tears, looked at Kong Chuan, and said, "Father, you said this man is a great Confucian scholar. Ask him if Confucius had ten children?"

Kong Chuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and his expression immediately turned displeased.

He is a seventh-generation descendant of Confucius, the current head of the Confucius family, and a representative of the Zisi School of Confucianism. He naturally knows that his ancestors only had one son and one daughter, let alone ten sons. Such fabrication is simply disrespectful to Confucianism.

"Your Majesty, is this Mr. Cao Ze the same Cao Ze who wrote the 'Discourse on the Six States'?"

Kong Chuan felt that the name Cao Ze sounded familiar, so he asked.

Zhao Yan frowned. "It is this person. I just didn't expect Cao Ze to rely on his talent to so casually slander the Confucian masters. This is extremely excessive."

Zhao Qian nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right. I've wanted to come and expose him to my father for a long time, but my mother has always protected Cao Ze!"

Han Cang stood behind Zhao Qian, his eyes slightly shifting.

He was well aware of the feud between Zhao Qian and Cao Ze. Either Zhao Qian was slandering Cao Ze, or Zhao Qian was using this as an excuse to cause trouble.

Han Cang did not want Zhao Qian to become the crown prince, as this would only make Guo Kai proud. So he took the initiative to speak up: "Your Majesty, the Queen has always been reasonable. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding here."

Zhao Qian retorted angrily, "What misunderstanding could there be! He even said that human nature is inherently good! I clearly heard that human nature is inherently evil! What is this if not pure fabrication!"

Upon hearing this, even Kong Chuan felt that perhaps he had misunderstood Cao Ze.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Mencius said that the goodness of human nature is like water flowing downwards. There is no human being who is not good, just as there is no water that does not flow downwards."

"Mr. Cao Ze said that people are inherently good at birth. This directly points to the essence of Mencius's saying, and it is not a fabrication."

Zhao Qian exclaimed, "Ah! There really is such a thing?"

Zhao Yan was furious. "I told you to study properly, but you only read half and forgot the rest!"

"The Queen is right. It seems that Guo Kai has been too busy with state affairs and has neglected to discipline you!"

Zhao Qian retorted stubbornly, "Then Confucius couldn't possibly have had ten children, could he?"

Kong Chuan said, "Your Highness, if that's alright, please tell me everything that Mr. Cao Ze taught you."

Zhao Qian felt he had the upper hand; he was certain Confucius hadn't had many children.

"At the beginning of life, people are inherently good... Confucius had a righteous way. He taught ten sons, and all of them became famous... If a child is raised but not taught, it is the father's fault. If the teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's laziness... Jade that is not carved cannot become a vessel. People who do not learn will not know righteousness."

Zhao Qian recited the fourteen sentences Cao Ze had given him in one breath, thinking to himself, "They're quite catchy."

Kong Chuan kept stroking his white beard and blinking.

"Incredible! Could Mr. Cao Ze be a successor of one of the eight major schools of Confucianism?"

Han Cang smiled and said, "Mr. Zigao, Mr. Cao Ze is a descendant of Cao Gui and a successor of the military strategist."

Kong Chuan couldn't help but exclaim, "Handan truly deserves to be called the most culturally rich place in the world, even producing such a brilliant talent for military strategists."

After King Wuling of Zhao adopted the Hu-style clothing and cavalry archery, the State of Zhao, or rather the Zhao region centered on Handan, the northern cultural sphere, gradually replaced the Jixia Academy of Qi as the most culturally prosperous and intellectually open place in the Chinese cultural sphere.

Ultimately, this stems from the fact that during this era, Chinese civilization and the nomadic civilization of the northern grasslands gradually converged, merged, and sublimated, forming the distinctive Zhao culture, which is a duality composed of Central Plains Chinese culture and northern grassland culture.

It has become one of the most important components of history and culture over the past five thousand years.

The fact that the Yan and Zhao regions are often mentioned by later generations as having many generous and tragic heroes is one of the influences of Zhao culture.

Today, Handan is the center of the increasingly prosperous Zhao culture.

Confucian scholar Xunzi, Legalist scholar Shenzi, Logician Gongsun Long, and military strategist Lian Po, among others, were all born in the Zhao region, influenced by Zhao culture, and in turn, contributed back to Zhao culture.

As a result, nowadays, any school of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought, as long as it has knowledge and wants to spread its knowledge, will first come to Handan in the State of Zhao.

Those who excelled were even received by the King of Zhao, who listened to their teachings.

For example, Kong Chuan has already spent three days explaining to Zhao Yan the Doctrine of the Mean of the Confucianism of Zisi.

Zhao Qian was stunned; this was not what he had expected.

"No, are you even a great Confucian scholar? Cao Ze insulted Confucius so much, and you're actually sighing about it?"

Kong Chuan recalled the opinions and perceptions of Zhao Qian among the common people of Handan, and realized that seeing is believing.

Considering that he was currently lecturing in Handan, I had no choice but to patiently say, "Teach ten sons, and all will become famous. The ten sons here do not refer to children."

"It is likely that the title of 'Ten Disciples' comes from the ten disciples mentioned in the Analects of Confucius, Chapter 11, 'Advanced'."

Zhao Yan felt extremely ashamed, wondering what kind of thing he had given birth to.

He couldn't help but sigh, "It is the father's fault if he raises his children without teaching them. This is exactly what I mean."

"Jade that is not carved cannot become a useful object. This is what you mean."

"Mr. Cao Ze is truly insightful. I have unknowingly overlooked such a great talent. The Queen is far more discerning than I am in recognizing people."

"From now on, you must serve Mr. Cao Ze as your teacher well, and let him teach you strictly and rigorously. If the teacher is not strict, it is the teacher's fault! I hope he can be firm with you!"

Zhao Qian's face turned pale. "Father, please don't..."

"enough!"

Zhao Yan slammed his hand on the table. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough in front of Mr. Zigao?"

Kong Chuan simply smiled faintly.

Suddenly it occurred to me that these fourteen sentences were far too short, and there was clearly more to come.

"Your Highness, I wonder if the article that Mr. Cao Ze taught you has a name?"

Zhao Qian was startled by Zhao Yan and dared not make any more trouble. He honestly replied, "He said it's called the 'Three Character Classic'."

"The title of the book is based on classical texts, which shows the depth of its scholarship. I yearn for it and long to see it."

Zhao Yan clapped his hands and laughed, "Excellent! Why don't we summon Mr. Cao Ze over and let Mr. Zigao see the talents of our great Zhao?"

"good!"

Zhao Yan said, "Han Cang, take Zhao Qian to invite Mr. Cao Ze over!"

Zhao Qian really didn't want to see Cao Ze, and said, "Father, Mother is currently discussing my future studies with Mr. Cao Ze, so it's not convenient at this time."

Zhao Yan, furious at his son's lack of ambition, said, "Your mother has worried herself sick over you. She personally supervised your studies with your teacher, and even when you came here to criticize him, she was still communicating with Mr. Cao Ze because of you. You can't even study properly with your teacher. You need to know what a teacher is!"

Zhao Qian subconsciously recalled what his mother had just said.

"A teacher for a day, a father for life."

Zhao Yan paused for a moment, his anger subsided, and he sighed.

"You also know about 'Taigong's Family Instructions'. The Book of Poetry says, 'Our teacher, Shangfu, was like an eagle soaring high.'"

King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa, honored Taigong as "Master Shangfu," treating him as both a teacher and a father, and treating him as one with his own father! This shows how difficult it is to find such a mentor!

"Now I command you to treat Mr. Cao Ze as you would treat me. Do you have any complaints?"

Zhao Qian stammered, "Your subject has no complaints."