Chapter 21 Mr. Li (Part 1) Third Watch

  The Dou family village is not just referring to one village.

  Along the Yi River to the south, there are more than a dozen villages of varying sizes that survive under the wings of the Duan family. This tribe has a population of over 10,000 people. If these people were gathered together, they could form a town. The Duan family has been standing on the right side since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, forming a vast network with the Guanzhong military aristocracy and the Northeastern door-knob aristocratic families.

  Dòu Yì was a maternal relative of the Northern Zhou dynasty, Dòu Róngdìng was a maternal relative of the Sui dynasty...

  If the two Han dynasties are counted, the Dou family can be said to be a true and unadulterated imperial clan. With such a lineup, the Dou family's clan village strength in Luoyang had already surpassed that of the Zheng family.

  Regardless of whether the Zheng family is willing to admit it, the Dou family, this old-fashioned door with a history no weaker than that of the Guandong aristocracy, has regained its vitality after experiencing the decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty. They have connotation and also have strength. Even the Guanzhong military nobility had to be more careful when facing the Dou family.

  Zheng Shi'an seems to look down on the Dou family, thinking that their bloodline is impure and has long been barbarized.

  But Zheng Yanqing did not dare to underestimate the Dou family... This aristocratic family, which had been prosperous for 800 years, became more and more powerful in the midst of dynastic changes. To use a phrase from later generations: The people of the Dou family have a political mind that ordinary people cannot match.

  They know how to choose and go with the flow.

  Choosing correctly once can be said to be luck; but choosing correctly time and time again, that's not just luck, it's more about insight.

  There's no doubt that the Dou family has exceptional vision.

  So when Zheng Yance stepped into the Dou family's study, he didn't have a hint of disdain.

  With a sense of reverence, he came to the academy and became one of the members of the Duan family's academy along with a group of young children.

  Dow's Academy is adjacent to Luoyang Jinyuan Garden.

  During the Western Jin Dynasty, a wealthy man named Shi Chong built the Golden Valley Garden, which has a history of over 300 years.

  The grass inside the courtyard is lush and green, and the water flows gently. Although it has been abandoned for a long time, the scenery is still particularly moving. The school house is not far from Jingu Garden, and climbing to the top of the school house, you can see the artificial hills, flowing water, pavilions, and towers in Jingu Garden.

  That is, a powerful family like Dugu can establish a school here, ordinary people simply don't have this kind of energy.

  The academy is an independent mansion with three courtyards, each teaching different skills. The Mongolian school is concentrated in the front courtyard, sitting in the classroom, visible through the window, birds chirping and flowers fragrant outside. A quiet world, with a few solemnities.

  The teacher who taught Wen Xing and others was about thirty years old, very young.

  He was born with a typical Chinese face, his skin tone slightly darker than bronze, with thick eyebrows and big eyes that seemed to command respect without even trying. He wore a long white robe that gave off an air of elegance. Although most of the time he had a smile on his face, the children in his class still felt a little intimidated by him.

  Perhaps it's because of some reason, but maybe it's because there is a hint of majesty in their bones.

  Zheng Yanqing knew that this gentleman's surname was Li and his name was Li Ji. He was a scholar specially invited by Dou Xian from Youzhou to come back.

  Dongfang Buubai, although not the head of the household, is one of the most powerful figures in the Dongfang family at present.

  After all, Dou Rongding's father, Dou Rongding, was a member of the royal family and a national relative. He was also Yang Jian's nephew.

  Li Ji led the students in the school hall, knocked and worshiped the former sages, and then began to formally teach.

  He was talking about the "Five Phoenices", which was also the most popular primer at that time. The Five Phoenices is roughly the same as the "Cang Jie Pian" taught by Yan Shigu to Xu Shi and Zheng Hongyi. The so-called Five Phoenices are based on Li Si's "Cang Jie Pian" of the Qin Dynasty, Zhao Gao's "Yan Li Pian", and Hu Bu Jing's "Bo Xue Pian". Since the Han Dynasty, these three articles have been combined into one, commonly known as the "Cang Jie Pian", and changed from Qin Xiaozhuan to Han Lishu, also known as the "Three Phoenices Book".

  During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the "Xun Zu Pian" and "Hong Xi Pian" were added, so it was renamed "Wu Cang".

  This is an enlightenment textbook of the Sui Dynasty. Like "Qianziwen", it is a four-character rhyming verse, with sixty characters per chapter.

  It mainly uses Lishu script, on the one hand, it can be used for children to practice and learn, on the other hand, it is also easy to read aloud.

  Li Ji recited the article in class, with a strong sense of rhythm and intonation. The students followed along, reciting together, although they may not have fully understood the meaning, but were able to roughly recite it. It turned out that recitation was also a profound subject.

  Li Ke's recitation and the poetry recitation of later generations are completely different.

  Shaking his head and swaying to the rhythm, his voice was drowned out by the innocent voices of children, echoing endlessly in the schoolyard. This way of reading made it easy for people to enter a state of reverie. Zheng Yance initially found the sight of him shaking his head amusing, but gradually he became immersed in it. Before he knew it, an incense stick had burned out, and it was time for recess.

  Li Ji put down his book and said with a smile: "Everyone go out and take a break for a while, when you hear the bell ring, we will start learning characters."

  "Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

  The students stood up one after another and bowed to Li Ji Xian to thank him.

  Before the start of school, this etiquette must be learned. As the saying goes, "Etiquette cannot be abandoned", students should pay respects to their teachers to show respect for their teachers and appreciation for their hard work in imparting knowledge; teachers should also pay respects to express gratitude to their students for listening to their lectures.

  In short, there are many rules of etiquette and much attention to detail.

  Zheng Yanqing finally understood why later generations always said 'the country of etiquette', through each and every etiquette, you can understand the profound connotation hidden within. Perhaps when young, one doesn't understand, but as age grows, it's slowly comprehended. Unfortunately, in Zheng Yanqing's past life era, these traditional ancient rituals had all been lost, to the point of becoming unrecognizable.

  The children all went out of the schoolhouse during recess.

  Zheng Yanqing was about to leave when Li Ji called out to him: "You're Zheng Yanqing, are you a member of the Zheng family?"

  "Sir, the student is from An Yuantang, and An Yuantang's old steward is the student's grandfather..."

  Zheng Yanqing replied with reverence.

  For some reason, he always felt that Mr. Li Ji looked very familiar.

  Li Ji nodded, "I heard that Zheng Cao invited Yan Zhen to be the western scholar, how come you're here studying at Duanjia Village School?"

  "This... student is unclear."

  Li Ji looked at him and said in a low voice, "Actually, where you learn is not important, the key is yourself. Yan Qing, I've observed your performance in class, it seems like you recognize many characters, who did you learn from before? And what book were you reading?"

  Zheng Yanqing often memorized 80-90% of a script after reading it just once.

  His performance was different from other students. Li Ji noticed this and asked Yan Qing to stay behind.

  "When I was a student, I had learned some from my nanny, and later saw the Liu Xiong Bei when sweeping the study of the old master."

  Li Ji's eyes lit up, "So you can write too?"

  "Hmm, I've learned some."

  Yan Qing did not dare to speak too much. The words of the Sui and Tang dynasties were quite different from the simplified characters he learned later in life. Some characters he could recognize because he had practiced calligraphy or for other reasons, but some characters he really didn't know.

  This is also an important reason for him to read village school.

  Li Ji nodded, "En, I understand now... Your foundation is not bad, but you can't become complacent because of that. With a high starting point comes high expectations. In the future, I will have stricter requirements for you than others, so you need to be prepared."

  Yan Qing also didn't know what Li Ji's words were thinking of.

  Instinctively, he felt that Li Ji seemed to be different from him and the other children. Was it a good thing or a bad thing? Zheng Yanqing couldn't say for sure. However, since Li Ji had said so, Yanqing still respectfully thanked him and then left the classroom.

  After a short rest, everyone re-entered the classroom.

  Li Ji Zhong teaches again, this time focusing on writing, having everyone write the Wǔ Cāng lesson text on the sand tray.

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