Chapter 90: The Sound of Reading in the Grand Classroom

Not only Zhao Jia, but Li Mu also grew eager.

The world outside was so vast; why should they struggle to the death in the Central Plains? Besides, Zhao would soon be unable to hold out much longer.

“The world is immense. Even the land alone stretches for tens of thousands of miles, and there are countless nations and peoples. Even an empire could scarcely possess half of it. Therefore, this king is willing to join hands with the nations and open up the world together!”

Lin Shu’s aim was Asia, as well as the world’s countless islands. Even in later ages, ethnic tensions remained terribly severe; unless they were thoroughly dealt with, the Yanhuang Empire would never be able to swallow the world’s myriad peoples.

Clear water has no fish. Without competition among the various nations and peoples, the empire itself would sink into internal strife, and culture and technology would lose their vitality like still water.

Li Mu gave a faint nod. He did not dwell on Lin Shu’s words; his eyes were fixed only on the map of Eurasia.

If the Northern King had the surname Zhao, or if he were a man of Zhao, Li Mu might well have sworn loyalty to him.

Seeing that Li Mu cared only about the map, Lin Shu had no intention of saying more.

As for the finer details, the cabinet would handle them on its own.

“General Li may take his time admiring it and even copy it down by hand. This king still has matters to attend to.”

As the Northern King prepared to leave, the others hurried to bow, and even Li Mu gave him a solemn salute.

Though he was not his sovereign, the Northern King’s breadth of mind had already stunned him.

Lin Shu was also in a hurry to go teach class; he could not keep the students waiting too long.

The greatest difficulty in overseas territories was shipping, but after seeing the enormous vessels at the harbor, Lord Yan Chun and Zhao Jia no longer had the slightest concern.

In truth, Li Mu still had questions, but he could not very well keep asking.

He believed that the endangered states of Han and Wei would certainly agree. After Zhao, Yan, Han, and Wei formed an alliance with the northern nation, Qi probably would not dare refuse either. The only uncertain factor was Chu.

Chu had vast territory and a considerable population, as well as the natural barriers of rivers and waterways. They were confident they could hold back Qin, and with so much land already, they did not for the time being need overseas territory.

After leaving the conference room, Lin Shu took the elevator down by himself, while the four cabinet beauties went upstairs to work.

The tea in the conference room had scarcely been drunk, and Lord Yan Chun and Zhao Jia were in no hurry to leave. Li Mu even found paper and brush to copy the large and small maps on the wall.

...

Ding, ding, ding.

As soon as the carriage entered the academy grounds, Lin Shu personally rang the bell.

He was very fond of that sound; it was as though he had returned to his primary school days in a former life.

“Good morning, Principal. Good morning, teachers.”

“Students, take your seats.”

The Heart Shadow teacher also greeted the students.

The academy, too, was enclosed by a surrounding wall, and the largest building inside was the great lecture hall.

Though called a lecture hall, it was really more like an opera house or a stadium.

It was a cylindrical structure several hundred meters across, with a stage dozens of meters wide in the center and three tiers of seating all around.

The great hall contained more than ten thousand desks and chairs, crowded enough for adults not to feel cramped.

Besides the great lecture hall, there were many smaller classrooms as well, but there was a shortage of teachers. The homeroom instructors for the students were all low- and third-rate martial artists.

These martial instructors were responsible for managing the students, and before morning lessons and after midday classes, they also led them in martial training for an hour.

The boys and girls from six to fifteen all studied the same things: phonetic letters and characters.

Lin Shu taught them exactly as he would students in a later age; he had no wish for the empire to keep using the old script of the seven states.

The two-year teaching plan was not especially difficult. As long as the students learned to read and count, they would basically pass. After two years, the best-performing youths would be selected to intern in the cabinet.

Some students would also be allowed to study on their own while serving as teachers, taking responsibility for the foundational curriculum.

Once the more gifted students grew up, Heart Shadow would then be responsible only for cultivating intermediate and advanced pupils.

Soon it was time for class to end, and Lin Shu hurriedly rang the dismissal bell.

Ding, ding, ding.

The military and government building was close to the school, so the bell could be heard clearly there as well, and the students resting on the lawn could also be seen.

Lin Shu had ordered that once class ended, the students had to go out to the playground and play for a while; otherwise, if the days went on long enough, they would all end up nearsighted.

Each class lasted one hour, with a twenty-minute break.

Hearing the bell again, Li Mu turned to look.

Seeing his confusion, Yan He explained, “General Li Mu, this is the empire’s academy. There are as many as ten thousand students.”

The Imperial Academy.

Zhao Jia could not help asking, “Your Highness, is this a martial academy?”

That morning, Zhao Jia had even seen the children running through the streets at dawn, with military and government officials yielding the way for them.

Lord Yan Chun himself did not know much either.

“It should not be only a martial academy. The students are also reciting some strange syllables and short phrases.”

Before long, the class bell rang again. Lin Shu simply handed the mallet to Little Yan’er and let her strike it for a while.

“At the very beginning of life, human nature is good...”

“Back when Lady Mencius chose her neighborhood...”

“Kong yielded the pears...”

Listening to the students recite those lines again and again, Li Mu had nearly memorized them as well.

“This three-character verse is catchy and easy to remember. Kong yielding the pears—could that be Confucius?”

Zhao Jia and Yan He also nodded. They had no idea that there had once been a Kong Rong in the late Han.

Lin Shu paid no mind to history or no history. He simply moved it over and used it. In any case, he had no intention of explaining it; let others grasp the meaning slowly.

In the cabinet, the four women had also paused.

They too loved listening to the recitations of more than ten thousand students.

“Two years should be enough,” Jing Ni said with a light smile. “Once the academy is a success, nothing will be able to hinder the empire’s development.”

Yue Shen nodded. “Husband’s simplified script and phonetic numerals are very easy to understand. In just a few days, many of the youths have already become familiar with the letters and phonetics. In the future, the cabinet will also have people we can use.”

Shao Siming sighed. “If only I could teach together with Sister Heart Shadow.”

Yan Fei shook her head. “Little one, your older sister also wants to go take a look.”

“Yan Fei, we’re of no use at the academy. We’d only distract the king.” Yue Shen stared at the Eastern Lord. This elder sister had a belly full of schemes.

Jing Ni also frowned. With another Eastern Lord around, she and her husband would have far fewer opportunities together.

Yan Fei lowered her head and continued working, abandoning the thought of going to see the king. She had originally planned to ask Jing Ni for leave.

Thinking of her husband’s lack of stamina, Jing Ni could not help glancing at Shao Siming.

“What is it, Sister Prime Minister?” Shao Siming was baffled. Why was the queen looking at her instead of Yan Fei?

She had never once tried to seduce the king. With the three sisters watching her, Shao Siming did not even dare speak much with him.

Jing Ni smiled softly. “Little one, your brother-in-law is rather weak. Why don’t you also help him regulate his body and nourish his spirit a little every day?”

“Ah! Sister, I...”

Shao Siming panicked so badly that her brush slipped from her hand. She was not ready yet.

Yue Shen also said, “Lady Shao, Chief Minister Jing means for you to help the king regulate his body and nourish his spirit. It’s a pity that Yue does not cultivate wood-based arts.”

The techniques practiced by Yue Shen and the Eastern Lord were both of a powerful, aggressive nature, with little effect for healing or restoration.

So that was what it meant. Shao Siming had thought they meant for her to bear the king’s child.

Without thinking too much, Shao Siming agreed. “All right, then I’ll help the king regulate his breathing in the mornings.”

She did not dare go at night, in case her sisters were not there.

She herself did not mind much, but she feared the king would only grow weaker and weaker. She did not want to be scolded by her sisters.

Throughout the empire, everyone regarded her as a consort. Over time, Shao Siming had gradually grown used to it, without yet becoming fully conscious of it herself.

After the recitations stopped, the students went on with reading and copying characters, while Lin Shu simply held Little Yan’er in his arms and fell asleep on the sofa.

Seeing that her father had fallen asleep again, the stubborn little Yan’er also started a contest to see who could fall asleep first.

In truth, King Lin also wanted to control the pace of his life, but with his three wives all so delicate and radiant, how could he possibly stop?

The two sisters Yue Shen and the Eastern Lord were even secretly competing for his favor, making him love them and fear them all the more...

Fortunately, he had the carriage and Yue Shen and the Eastern Lord to help regulate him a little. The downside was that the medicinal wine had to be increased, and as a result, he became even more addicted to sleeping late.