Fang Yun asked all the students to introduce themselves one by one and memorized each child's name and appearance.
Afterwards, Fang Yun began to test literacy. He selected fifty characters from the Thousand Character Classic. He read out one and asked the students to write one. Then he collected the papers for inspection.
Fang Yun finished reading quickly. As expected of Class A in the elementary school, all twenty students answered correctly.
"Okay, it seems that your basic skills are very solid. If I teach you Hundred Family Names or Thousand Character Classic, I will feel that I am humiliating you."
Many students smiled. As students of Class A, they were proud of themselves.
"So what do you want to learn? Tell me."
A brave child asked, "Sir, your prayers are powerful. Can you teach us how to interpret them?"
"I want to learn poetry from you. My sister said that if she were to marry, she would marry a man of talent like you. I want to be a man of talent in the future too!"
The students spoke enthusiastically and the class was very lively.
Lu Yingnian, who was outside the classroom, frowned and said, "Such a noise, how disgraceful!"
"I think it's good. This is elementary education. It doesn't mean you have to rely on students to become successful immediately. It's better if children are happy to learn." said a teacher.
"Although it's different from us, it's not a big deal."
Lu Yingnian was speechless, thinking that literary reputation was too important. Even if these people were familiar with him, they would be unconsciously influenced by Fang Yun's literary reputation and think that whatever Fang Yun did was good.
After a while, Fang Yun signaled the students to be quiet and said, "I can teach you to pray for the Holy Spirit or write poetry, but before you learn to pray for the Holy Spirit and write poetry, you still have to learn something else. I wrote a Three Character Classic myself, and I will teach you in the next few days. OK, take out paper and pen, and I will say, you write, and if you write everything correctly, I will treat you to a delicious meal during lunch break."
There was a rustling sound, and the students laid out their papers one after another, dipped their brushes in ink, and looked at Fang Yun with their eyes sparkling and extremely serious.
Fang Yun nodded with satisfaction. These children may not be smarter than those in other classes, but their initiative and self-control far exceed those of ordinary children.
"When a person is born, his nature is good. Natures are close, but habits make them different. If there is no teaching, nature will change. The way to teach is to be specialized."
Fang recited the first four sentences of "Three Character Classic" at a very slow speed.
After Fang Yun finished reading, he walked around the classroom and found that five out of the twenty students had written all the words correctly.
Fang Yun passed what the five people wrote to others, they copied it, and then Fang Yun began to explain.
"When a person is born, his nature is good. Natures are similar, but habits make them different. The first six words can be understood literally, that is, when a person is born, he is good. The second six words mean that due to different growth processes and learning environments, his temperaments become different, good or bad."
“If you don’t teach…” Fang Yun continued to explain the "Three Character Classic" carefully.
Most of the teachers outside the door had taught for many years, and they were all very surprised. They didn't expect Fang Yun to not only write poems and ask for divine words, but also have a better understanding of life and education than everyone else.
"These words are concise and rhythmic, and you can understand them after just one explanation. They are indeed suitable for enlightenment. Why haven't I heard of them?"
"Didn't he just say that he wrote it himself?"
"How old is he? How could he possibly write something so profound? I wouldn't be able to write it even if I lived another ten years."
"So he is the best student in the ten countries, and you are not."
Lu Yingnian felt very uncomfortable. He was a scholar himself and knew that the Three Character Classic was very good. Even if it was not Mingzhou, it was at the level of Dafu. Lu Yingnian thought for a while and left quietly.
Not long after, Lu Yingnian arrived at the Fang family mansion and met the second wife.
"Aunt, I have important news about Fang Yun."
"what news?"
"He compiled a Three Character Classic himself to teach his children. Based on my many years of experience, this Three Character Classic is very good. I suspect that in a few days, the clan school will include the Three Character Classic in elementary education and have every teacher teach it."
"Really? This Fang Yun is really good at making trouble."
"Aunt, I think we should just forget it. Fang Yun is very smart and famous for his literary talent. It's not worth it to offend him. It's better to think of other ways to compete with the eldest branch."
"Do you think I'm doing this for myself? While the old man is alive and on your uncle's side, I can still compete with the eldest branch. But when the old man dies, the eldest branch will immediately kick our family out. If I don't fight now, I will have no chance in the future. Fang Jingtang is old and will leave the clan school soon. You must become the dean and keep the clan school firmly in your hands."
"But, I am not as experienced as those who came earlier, and I am not as talented as Fang Yun. How can I compete?"
"Silly boy, how could you lose to Fang Yun? He said that the Three Character Classic was his own, right? The court only recognizes the first person to go to the Academy of Literature to issue a document. You are not from a famous family, so you don't know the inside story. There are many cases where people from famous families snatched other people's poems and essays and reported to the Academy of Literature in advance, and then they were sent away after giving them some silver."
"Ah? Didn't the Academy of Literature say that it would strictly investigate this kind of forgery? If it is found, the literary position will be revoked and the person will not be allowed to take the imperial examination for life."
"Who dares to do such a thing? It doesn't matter if their family is in the Academy of Literature. Your uncle has a very good relationship with Qiu Xuezheng of the Academy of Literature. I will take you to him and ask him to help you get the publication documents. From now on, the Three Character Classic will be yours. With the fame of the Three Character Classic, I will push you to become the dean."
"But Fang Yun is a double-armored saint. No matter how stupid Qiu Xuezhen is, he can't do this. If Fang Yun petitions the Saint Court for a judgment, I'll be finished."
"Of course you can't tell Qiu Xuezheng that this was written by Fang Yun. Wait until the publication document comes down, then you can tell him the truth. Then give him some money, and he will have no choice but to help us. Even if Fang Yun goes to the Academy of Literature to make trouble, Qiu Xuezheng has a way to suppress such a small matter and won't give him the opportunity to ask for a judgement. Fang Yun is just a poor boy. If it weren't for the help of the Fang family, Liu Zicheng would have tied him to a stone and sunk him into the Yangtze River. Even if he has a literary reputation, who would be willing to offend a seventh-rank scholar for him at a critical moment? Fang Yun has just arrived in the city, and he knows a few officials?"
"However, several teachers and students in the clan school know that it was compiled by Fang Yun himself."
"I will speak for you when the time comes. I don't believe they dare to turn the tables!"
"But what if Fang Yun becomes a high-ranking official in the future?"
"I heard a few days ago that the Liu family has already prepared a move for the other party. Even Liu Zizhi in the capital knows about it. Liu Zizhi and the left prime minister have an unusual relationship. It is said that the left prime minister has devoted all his efforts to training Liu Zizhi, and Liu Zizhi is implicitly regarded as the successor of the "Liu Party."
When Lu Yingnian heard this, he said happily, "So that's how it is. Fang Yun is dead. I thought you were confused, aunt."
"People from prominent families are not stupid. Even if Fang Yun succeeds in taking back the Three Character Classic, so what? His last name is Fang, and my eldest brother went to find him in person and treated him like a son. Will he expose the Fang family's scandal? If he insists on taking revenge on me, I can only kneel down in front of my eldest brother and his wife. They are kind-hearted and will never embarrass me. With me as your backup, you won't be hurt at all."
"No wonder, it turns out that you had already predicted that the plan would fail. Aunt, you are really a heroine. If you were a man, the position of Left Prime Minister would definitely be yours."
Lu Yingnian is a big flatterer.
"You little brat!"
The gong sounded for the end of get out of class, and Fang Yun ended the class by saying, "Tell me what you want to eat after writing the Three Character Classic. I'll buy it for you during lunch break."
A student who had written the correct answer stood up and said, "Teacher, can you please replace the food with your own copy of 'Spring Dawn'? My father loves this poem the most, and I have calluses on my ears from repeating it so many times."
"Is that so? Okay." Fang Yun nodded in agreement.
“I want poetry too!”
"I also want!"
The five students who wrote the correct answer all chose Fang Yun’s poem.
Fang Yun smiled and said, "Don't regret it. If Song Qiming answered correctly, he would definitely choose to eat."
Song Qiming protested, "Am I that stupid? If I got all the answers right, of course I want your poem!"
The students burst into laughter.
Two people chose "Spring Dawn", two people chose "Year End", and one person chose "Every man has his share of responsibility for the rise and fall of his country."
Fang Yun wrote carefully in Liu style.
A student muttered quietly: "Who said your calligraphy is ugly? It's obviously as good as other teachers'."
"Maybe someone is trying to embarrass sir."
"Well, it's possible."
"The examiner is County Magistrate Cai He, right?"
"He doesn't sound like a good person."
"right!"
A group of students nodded their heads. Fang Yun laughed secretly in his heart and did not defend Cai He.
After class, Fang Yun returned to the teaching room. Several teachers came over and wanted to copy the full text of "Three Character Classic" so that they could teach it to students in other classes.
Fang Yun asked them to copy, while he took out a copy of Shangshu and read silently. After all, today was his first time at the clan school, so he couldn't just leave after class, he had to wait until noon at least.
At ten o'clock in the afternoon, Fang Yun said goodbye to all the teachers and drove his carriage home. On the way, he bought three sets of the complete works of the saints and put them into the world of strange books.
Fang Yun got off the carriage and pushed open the door. He saw a white light rushing towards him quickly, and the little fox Nunu jumped lightly into his arms.
“Oh oh…” Nunu cried happily in Fang Yun’s arms, like a naughty puppy.
Fang Yun touched Nunu's head, said a few words with a smile, and carried her into the house to eat.
Both students and teachers responded positively to Three Character Classic. After dinner, Fang Yun took the Three Character Classic to find Zhou Zhubu, preparing to file it for publication. More importantly, he wanted to ask someone of a high enough status to annotate the Three Character Classic.
Just as they walked out of the door, Fang Yun returned with Fang Daniu, put his own copy of the Three Character Classic on the table, and said, "Daniu, copy this Three Character Classic."
"You know my handwriting is ugly." Fang Daniu asked in surprise.
“I don’t need it to look good, as long as every stroke is fine.” Fang Yun said.
Fang Daniu looked at Fang Yun's manuscript, and suddenly realized something. He smiled and said, "Right! Your manuscript is now being scrambled for by officials. It will be even more valuable in the future. Don't let others get it for free! I'll copy it!"
Fang Daniu sat down and copied the "Three Character Classic" stroke by stroke.
After Fang Daniu finished copying, Fang Yun said, "Without my manuscript, Zhou Zhubu will definitely be unhappy, so I won't go. You can deliver it for me. I'll send him another short message. I'll tell you to write it."
"good."
Fang Yun said slowly, "Junqi, Lord Zhou. I have been studying at the Fang Clan School recently. I feel that there is a lack of elementary reading materials, so I compiled a rhymed and easy-to-understand "Three Character Classic" to help students understand benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, and history. I have asked my cousin to pass on the original text. I hope to find a respected person to annotate this text so that students can be immersed in the holy way."
!