Volume One, Chapter Three: The Empress’s Wrath

“Very well, Father will reward you with Beggar’s Chicken. Let’s prepare it now. Meanwhile, Xiao An will keep you company for a while.”

Li Xian said this as he hurriedly called over a quiet ten-year-old boy who had been tidying up near the woodshed.

Xiao An was a little beggar Li Xian had rescued by chance a few years ago outside the village. Since then, the boy insisted on staying by Li Xian’s side, and Li Xian didn’t refuse. Xiao An stayed close to help him with chores and was very obedient and sensible.

Xiao An was clever and quick-witted, though somewhat taciturn.

Now that his daughter had arrived, it was a perfect opportunity for the two children to get to know each other.

This also gave him a chance to think seriously about how to raise his daughter well in the future.

Sure enough, after a brief introduction, the two children quickly started playing together.

Standing by the woodshed and smiling as Xiao An showed Xingyi the various little gadgets Li Xian usually made, an inexplicable wave of happiness surged in Li Xian’s heart.

He was determined to keep this daughter!

He absolutely would not let that unworthy wife take her away again.

If possible, he might find a way to keep that unworthy wife here as well!

After finishing their meal, the three sat quietly in the courtyard.

Li Xian took the opportunity to ask his daughter, “Yiyi, what do you usually learn from your mother?”

“Now, I’m supposed to be taught the sacred texts by Father. It’s part of the Five Classics and Four Books. In the evenings, I learn about rites and music. But I don’t like the sacred texts at all—they’re too dull. The rites and music are okay, but after a while, they get boring too. It’s really tedious,” Gong Xingyi pouted as she replied.

Li Xian slapped his forehead. That’s right—in his previous life, Xingyi would have been in kindergarten by now.

No matter the poverty, education must not be neglected!

He had to arrange schooling for his daughter.

However, he had only been in this world for a few years. According to the original owner’s memory, schooling was at the town’s private academy, which was very rigid. The original owner wasn’t very smart and barely managed to pass the elementary exam, never advancing further.

“The town’s private school is too old-fashioned. It can’t compare to the nine years of compulsory education I had in my previous life. But since the curriculum here doesn’t exist, I’ll have to create it myself. It’s not a big problem—after all, times have changed drastically...”

Li Xian rubbed his chin, making plans in his mind before telling Xiao An to continue playing with Xingyi.

He then went to one of his rooms, filled with various tools—a place he had set up in this world to pass the time.

Li Xian began recalling the content of his nine years of education, trimming and organizing it into a basic curriculum.

Since this world did not require learning English, he focused on language and mathematics. Of course, natural sciences had to be included as well. Fortunately, the language here was quite similar to Chinese characters, and upon crossing over, he had inherited the language ability of this body, learning it automatically with no communication barriers.

He also planned to weave in some mythology and fables for Xingyi. The Journey to the West from the Four Great Classical Novels had to be prioritized—it was a story no child could resist.

...

Several days later, in a small village house...

“Father, please continue! After the Monkey King met the Buddha, what exactly happened? Did the Monkey King get bullied?”

Gong Xingyi blinked her eyes eagerly, her face full of curiosity as she looked at Li Xian sitting across from her, impatient for more.

She thought the celestial gods were truly detestable—unable to defeat the Monkey King themselves and resorting to finding help!

Beside her, Xiao An also looked at Li Xian with curiosity, clearly eager to hear the rest of the story.

Li Xian had told him many stories before, but those were interspersed with philosophical lessons. According to Li Xian, to become a grown-up, one must learn how to be a good person, and that was what he taught.

Although Li Xian had never earned any official title through examinations, Xiao An considered him a man of great wisdom.

Now, in the Great Qian, official titles were monopolized by clans recommending candidates, making it extremely difficult for ordinary people to succeed. It made sense that the teacher’s talents remained unrecognized.

“No way! Before the lesson, you must first take a math test. If you pass, there will be a natural science class. After class, I’ll tell you the story. If you answer well enough to satisfy me, there will be Beggar’s Chicken as a reward at noon!”

Li Xian, holding a ruler, tapped the table sternly.

Only then did Gong Xingyi quickly straighten up, her face serious as she looked at the blackboard.

When she heard the mention of Beggar’s Chicken, a small, gleaming drop of saliva escaped the corner of her mouth, making her look utterly adorable.

These days, Father had been treating her to all sorts of delicious foods she had never tasted before in the palace—Beggar’s Chicken, braised tofu, roasted squab, whole roasted lamb—each exquisitely flavored and almost never repeated. A single ingredient prepared differently would yield an entirely new taste, and Gong Xingyi’s palate had long since been won over.

Li Xian held the ruler and spoke solemnly, “Today’s test covers addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division within ten. Understand?”

Gong Xingyi and Xiao An nodded eagerly, sitting obediently.

If the great scholars in the palace could see this well-behaved moment of their mischievous princess, they would surely be wide-eyed and call it unbelievable.

As for the content Li Xian taught, it was equally extraordinary.

Compared to the orthodox ‘Sacred Learning’ and ‘Classic Texts’ here, it was completely different, which made Gong Xingyi’s enthusiasm for learning soar.

“There are ten questions in total. More than two mistakes will result in punishment; more than three, and all your privileges for today will be revoked!”

Li Xian warned, then handed out the test papers.

The paper he used was high-quality rice paper he had spent two years developing.

In fact, this rice paper was a thousand years ahead of anything available here. If introduced, it would cause a huge sensation!

Only in Li Xian’s courtyard would such advanced rice paper exist.

In Great Qian, bamboo slips were still mostly used, and only for pigeon post might they use some polished sheepskin or similar material, which was bulky and had limited writing capacity. Li Xian’s rice paper rivaled the pinnacle of ancient memory.

After a brief moment, Li Xian distributed the papers.

When time was up, he began checking and, upon seeing that Gong Xingyi and Xiao An had answered everything correctly, nodded with satisfaction and smiled.

“Before we start the natural science class, I need to ask you a few questions. You must answer separately. First, is the land we live on round or square? Second, why does the sun rise and set every day? Why are there spring, summer, autumn, and winter? Third...”

...

Great Qian, Imperial Palace.

As the year’s end approached, Emperor Qian sat in his chair, frowning deeply as he reviewed memorials.

While reading, Gong Yuyan suddenly slammed down a memorial as if she had seen something unbearable. Her full chest heaved violently, her anger barely contained!