Chapter Twenty-Five: Traveling and Learning

  Fifty-two children from Zhangjiacun followed Qin Yu to Chang'an, and the speed of their journey slowed down a bit. This was inevitable, but the journey wasn't boring at all. Along the way, there were stories and laughter, especially since these children were going on their first long trip, each one excited beyond measure.

  Qin Yu originally worried that these children would be uncomfortable leaving home for the first time, but it turned out to be no big deal. Regardless of whether they were big or small, each one was spirited and lively. As soon as they stopped to rest, they would gather around Qin Yu to ask him things, with a strong desire to learn, which also saved Qin Yu a lot of trouble.

  When Qin Yu first taught these children, he originally only planned to teach them to read and write, learn some simple math, and that would be enough to fulfill his obligations to the village head.

  However, people are not like trees and plants that can remain unfeeling no matter how long they are together. After a period of interaction, it is inevitable to develop feelings, especially when Qin Yu saw the expectant yet worried eyes of being abandoned, his heart was touched, and he could easily feel the attachment these children had towards him.

  That's why Qin Yu decided to bring the children to Chang'an for further education, and it wouldn't take up too much time. Besides, Qin Yu wasn't planning on imparting all of modern knowledge to the kids, let alone that he himself couldn't remember everything.

  Years later in Chang'an, along the riverside on the way, at the foot of the mountain, and in the fields, many places still echoed with Qin Yu and the children's happy voices.

  Qin Yu's lectures are very vivid and easy for the children to understand, and from time to time encourages them to think more, bravely speak out, and ask questions about their doubts.

  The children, being young, had a wide range of questions, not only about knowledge but also about ideas and even natural phenomena. Although the topics were simple, Qin Yu patiently explained them, using examples and stories to analyze each layer, and soon the children could understand the underlying principles.

  This way, hurrying on the road became a tour of learning. Originally, it would take five days to reach Chang'an, but now it's estimated that it will take at least ten or more days to arrive in Chang'an. However, time is still pressing, and Qin Yu doesn't worry about it.

  Sometimes passersby would hear Qin Yu and the children's conversation, and they couldn't help but stop and listen. Qin Yu spoke straightforwardly, so even people from rural areas could understand him. With his accent being different from this era, some people even thought he was a sage.

  Some villagers met Qin Yu, saw that Qin Yu was easy-going and approachable, so they plucked up the courage to ask him some questions. Unexpectedly, not only did Qin Yu answer them, but he also answered in great detail, including methods for increasing yields, which caused a sensation.

  It is temporarily impossible to determine the truth or falsehood of what Qin Yu said, but these people remembered his words firmly and spread them quickly. In their view, a person with great knowledge would not tease them.

  All along the way, it was originally very calm, but on the fifth day, a small tail was encountered. An eleven or twelve-year-old little girl actually entangled Qin Yu, and a bunch of questions that shouldn't be asked at this age basically came out of her mouth.

  Qin Yu didn't want to but didn't dare drive her away, the reason was simple, this little girl was young and had eight simply dressed guards with knives by her side.

  At first, Qin Yu was answering every question, but who knew this little girl's questions came one after another, and the children of Zhangjia Village couldn't get a word in edgewise. As soon as Qin Yu furrowed his brow, who would have thought that those guards immediately drew their swords an inch, openly threatening.

  This little girl seems to have a tendency of being extremely outspoken, "Big brother, if the cousin doesn't like her male cousin and only treats him as an older brother, but her parents want her to marry him, what should she do?"

  "This is unacceptable. Children born of close relatives are either idiots or fools, or they have physical disabilities."

  "Audacious!" A stern shout cut off Qin Yu's words, and suddenly a maid standing next to Xiaotou stood up, pointing at Qin Yu with her hand, looking extremely angry.

  "Step down." The little girl seemed to have an innate superior air, looking at the maid with dissatisfaction, although her tone was calm, it was not to be doubted.

  The maid heard Xiaoyao's words and glared at Qin Yu, then retreated to the side. The guards had already arrived beside Xiaoyao, gripping their knife handles tightly as they stared intently at Qin Yu. Qin Yu felt that if he made even the slightest movement, the next second would be his last.

  The little girl waved her hand, indicating that the guards should leave. At this time, she spoke up and said, "Big brother, I'm sorry, it's not my intention, they acted on their own accord, I will punish them."

  The little girl's words were sincere, and Qin Yu didn't want to get entangled in this matter either. Besides, Qin Yu didn't have the guts to do so, hadn't he seen those retreating guards still glaring at him with fierce eyes?

  "It's no big deal, there's no need for this, and I didn't suffer any losses either. They were just doing their job, you can't punish them, but instead should reward them." Qin Yu said with a bright smile.

  Qin Yu seemed to have put it out of his mind, but in fact, he still had some resentment in his heart, only he couldn't show it. Facts are facts, and the heart is the heart. Qin Yu wasn't a saint, so how could he remain calm and unruffled? Even saints might not be able to do that, let alone Qin Yu.

  At this time, the children who came back to their senses stood up one by one, surrounding Qin Yu in the middle, looking at Xiaoyao and others with a sad and indignant expression. As long as there was any movement on that side, these children dared to rush forward, with a rather desperate momentum.

  "Alright, what are you all doing? The rest have almost finished resting, we should get going." Qin Yu saw the situation and was startled, hastily getting up to calm down the commotion in these children's hearts. This wasn't the time for showing off, besides, nothing had happened, Qin Yu didn't want any of these children to be in danger.

  The little girl looked at the children who were confronting the guards, most of whom were younger than her, but at this moment they were fearless and unafraid to die, which gave Xiaoyao a great shock, not just her, but also the guards.

  "Goodbye for now, little one." Qin Yu smiled and waved his hand, then led the children to their own fleet of cars. After getting in, the fleet slowly moved forward, leaving this place behind.

  The maid looked at Qin Yu's departing figure with dissatisfaction, and just as she was about to speak, the little maid glared at her, causing her to quickly shut her mouth. At this time, the little maid spoke up, "You can go back on your own, I don't need you to take care of me here, nor do I in the future."

  The little girl finished speaking and walked towards the horse carriage, whispered a few words, and the horse carriage went forward in the direction Qin Yu was heading, but followed far behind, without any intention of overtaking.

  Chang'an, Taiji Palace, Zhengzhi Hall, Li Shimin held a book in his hand and was flipping through it. On the table were six books and a stack of white paper. Empress Changsun was gently fanning Li Shimin with a paper fan on one side.

  If Qin Yu were here, he would definitely be shocked. The seven books on Li Shimin's desk were the ones printed in Zhangjiacun, four of which were written by Qin Yu himself. Apparently, the white paper on the table also came from Zhangjiacun.

  Li Shimin had just put down the Three Character Classic, a look of surprise flashed across his face. When he picked up the Thousand Character Essay, his eyes lit up even more. After Li Shimin finished reading the math and moral education texts, his eyebrows furrowed tightly.

  "Your Majesty, is there anything improper?" Empress Changsun hastily asked.

  Li Shimin shook his head, pinched the center of his eyebrows heavily, and let out a long sigh. "Alas, Guanyin doesn't know this, but just a few days ago, I agreed to Wing Country Duke's request not to give an official position to his nephew. But now, I regret it."

  Empress Changsun heard this and was taken aback for a moment, asking in puzzlement, "Is this child exceptionally talented?"

  Li Shimin nodded heavily, pointing to the books and white paper on the table. "These are all from the hand of Yi Guo Gong's nephew Qin Yunfei. Just these, I wouldn't take seriously, but these few books are astonishing works. Just two nursery rhymes that are easy to recite can teach the common people to recognize characters."

  "If I were to govern the Tang Dynasty, then all the people of the Tang Dynasty would certainly be literate and understand reason. How could such great talents not be used by me?"

  "Moreover, these punctuation marks, scattered among the words, make the language clear and unambiguous, so that it will not lead people astray. Alas, alas..." Li Shimin was filled with regret, almost to the point of beating his breast and stamping his feet.

  Empress Changsun hastily patted Li Shimin's back, and after Li Shimin had caught his breath, she picked up a few books from the table, flipped through them for a while, suddenly stunned, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

  "Your Majesty, this matter cannot be blamed on the Duke of Wing State. The Duke's character is not yet clear to you, but it seems that this son did not want to serve as an official and asked the Duke to step forward. Moreover, since he has produced these books, it shows that his heart belongs to the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty, there will be a tomorrow."

  Li Shimin let out a long sigh, then grasped the hand of Empress Changsun, smiling as he said, "Guanyin's words are reasonable, but I was too anxious. Never mind, let's just see what kind of waves this child can stir up. I won't believe he can escape my grasp."

  Li Shimin finished speaking, his left hand grasped at the empty air, and a majestic aura of a king who ruled over all under heaven was instantly emitted from his body. Empress Changsun had followed Li Shimin for so long, yet she still looked dazed, her eyes somewhat bewildered, and softly said, "En."