I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 3: The First Lesson of the Ming Dynasty, Teacher Shen is online

Noon.

After Shen Nian had lunch in the official kitchen of the Hanlin Academy and took a short rest, he ran to the inner study hall in the Silijian.

at present--

There are more than 200 young eunuchs around ten years old in the inner study hall.

In addition to Shen Nian and Wang Zudi from the Hanlin Academy, there were also several officials from the Imperial College as instructors.

The content taught by each teacher is also different.

Some people teach enlightenment reading materials, such as: Hundred Family Surnames, Poems of Child Prodigies, Thousand Character Classic, etc.

Some people teach the classics of sages, such as: "The Analects of Confucius", "The Great Learning", "The Doctrine of the Mean", "Mencius", "The Book of History", "The Book of Songs", etc.

There are also people responsible for teaching eunuchs' admonitions, the deeds of famous eunuchs throughout the dynasties, and simple government affairs.

Sometimes, the lecturers and readers (sixth rank) of the Hanlin Academy would also serve as teachers.

Initially, Neishutang was established for the purpose of literacy.

However, the current faculty and staff of the Neishutang are on par with the highest institutions of learning in the Ming Dynasty, the Northern and Southern Imperial Colleges.

Shen Nian is mainly responsible for the classics of saints.

Basically, there is a lecture every three days, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. Currently, the lecture is on "Shangshu".

……

After a while.

Shen Nian strode into the inner study hall.

Wow! Wow!
The young eunuchs, all dressed in gray-blue robes, stood up together and kowtowed to Shen Nian.

"Meet Instructor Shen!"

During the Tang and Song dynasties, people kowtowed only to heaven, earth, and parents, but now they kowtow to the emperor and teacher as well.

"Get up!" Shen Nian nodded slightly.

The two students kneeling in the front came to Shen Nian, one holding a ruler and the other holding tea.

These two people are the seniors of the young eunuchs.

Although he is only eleven or twelve years old, he can control the life and death of other young eunuchs.

Shen Nian took the ruler and put it aside, then picked up the teacup, took a sip, and moistened his throat.

"Class begins!"

Following Shen Nian's clear voice, all the young eunuchs sat up straight and opened the "Book of Documents".

Most of these children came from families that had experienced major changes or were stateless.

He grew up in a humble situation and was often beaten and scolded.

Therefore, they are surprisingly mature and sensible, but of course there are also some with mental distortions and abnormalities.

As usual, Shen Nian's teaching tasks were not complicated.

He only needed to pick out an article from the Book of Documents, recite it three times, and then have the young eunuchs repeat after him.

Then you can interpret the meaning and sit aside to drink tea and rest.

The next task was for the two seniors to lead the reading, reading ten times, twenty times, thirty times, until they memorized it.

Some people would also copy down Shen Nian's interpretation and then memorize it privately.

Shen Nian doesn't need to worry about whether they learn or not.

If the young eunuchs failed to complete their tasks, the two seniors would beat them to death with whips or rulers.

A young eunuch died in the inner study hall.

It's like a cat or a dog dying in the palace, no one will pity them.

These young eunuchs worked very hard under such high-pressure environment.

Regardless of whether they understand or not, they will memorize the teaching words word for word.

Today, Shen Nian is going to change his way of speaking.

……

Shen Nian put his hands behind his back and looked down.

"Today, we will discuss the 'Oath of Tang' from the Book of Shang,' the proclamation by the founding monarch of the Shang Dynasty to sue King Jie of Xia."

"The king said, 'Come, ladies and commoners, and listen to my words. This young man from Feitai dared to start a rebellion, and Xia is guilty. I have heard from you that Xia is guilty..."

Shen Nian walked downwards.

Recite while walking.

After a short while, he memorized the entire "Tang Shi".

immediately.

Shen Nian said loudly: "I have written down the interpretation of the Tang oath in this book. Everyone can copy it, so I will not explain it sentence by sentence!"

Upon hearing this, a flash of resentment appeared in the eyes of many young eunuchs.

Just yesterday.

To save time, a teacher read the article once, gave a brief explanation, and then let them study on their own.

It only takes a cup of tea.

I didn’t expect that this teacher was even lazier and didn’t even bother to explain.

Without explanation, the junior eunuchs would have difficulty understanding the text even if they copied the annotations, and without understanding, memorizing it would be extremely difficult. The Book of Documents is inherently complex and difficult to understand.

Teaching is easy, they will spend a lot of effort, and some may even lose their lives.

Shen Nian could see what these little eunuchs were thinking with just a glance.

He smiled.

"Next, I will spend an hour explaining to you who Shang Tang was, who King Jie of Xia was, and why Shang Tang wanted to attack King Jie of Xia. After understanding this, if you still find this text difficult to memorize and don't understand its meaning, then this teacher doesn't know how to educate you!"

Say it.

Shen Nian walked among the young eunuchs and began his first lesson in the Ming Dynasty.

"Xia Jie, whose real name was Gui, was said to be extremely tall and strong, able to wield hooks and iron, and fight bears and tigers with his bare hands..."

"It's a pity that he has talent and ability but doesn't serve the people. He is addicted to wine and women, and is extremely cruel. He built the Qing Palace and decorated the Yao Terrace, exhausting the energy of the people of the world..."

"He once compared himself to the sun and the Xia people to the moon, believing that as long as the sun and the moon existed, the Xia Dynasty would exist. Do you know what the Xia people said?"

Shen Nian suddenly asked a question.

Then look around.

The young eunuchs were listening intently, but when suddenly asked, they all shook their heads, indicating that they didn't know.

Shen Nian pointed his finger upwards, raised his head, and pretended to be angry.

"The Xia people pointed at the sun and cursed: 'When will the day come? I will perish with you!'"

"What this means is: The Xia people want the sun to perish immediately, and they are willing to perish with it!"

This explanation came out.

In addition, Shen Nian's exaggerated expressions and movements made the young eunuchs excited and their eyes widened.

What they like to hear most are stories like this about the lower-class people standing up and resisting.

Followed by.

Shen Nian put his hands behind his back and talked as he walked.

He told a series of stories including the destruction of Xia by Mei Xi, the rise of Shang Tang, the conquest of Xia, and the establishment of the Shang Dynasty, and finally connected them to "Tang Shi".

There is no translation of "Tang Shi".

But the essence of the entire "Tang Shi" is integrated into the story.

The lecturer's skill lies in the details.

Speaking speed, tone, eye contact, coordination of body movements and expressions, the infectiousness of one's own emotions, understanding the psychology of students of different age groups, etc., all require experience and skills.

And these are exactly what Shen Nian is good at.

More than 200 young eunuchs tilted their heads and listened with great interest.

I didn’t expect that a Hanlin could teach them so hard!

I never thought that the classics of the saints could be interpreted in such an easy-to-understand, humorous and interesting way!
I didn’t expect to hear such a vivid and unique teaching style!

Unexpectedly, attending class could become such a pleasure!
Unexpectedly, after reading the original text again, I understood most of its meaning!
……

In the blink of an eye, more than an hour passed.

Shen Nian walked to the podium.

"That's all for today. If you have any questions, you can ask each other. I'll come back to teach in three days. If you still don't understand something, you can leave a note and ask me."

Wow! Wow! Wow!

The young eunuchs stood up at the same time, looked at Shen Nian with eyes full of gratitude, and bowed together, saying, "Teacher Shen, take care!"

Shen Nian nodded slightly.

The moment he walked out of the inner study hall, he heard the voice of a young eunuch behind him: "We...we...have met an honorable person!"

Regardless of the content.

Shen Nian worked hard to explain for more than an hour, with each point linked to the next, without a single pause. This was something that other teachers in the Inner Book Hall had never done, and were not even able to do.

The biggest reliance of young eunuchs who want to climb up the ladder is knowledge.

"call!"

Shen Nian couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

He spoke very comfortably.

In later generations, his way of telling the story in a leisurely manner, seeking causes and consequences, and using rich body movements and expressions is not uncommon.

But at that time when people were taught by rote memorization, cramming, and corporal punishment, even the young Emperor Wanli had to live in a learning environment where he had to "first read The Great Learning ten times, then read The Book of Documents ten times, and then the lecturer would give the lecture."

The way he speaks.

It made the young eunuchs feel respected and experienced the great pleasure of acquiring knowledge.

Shen Nian could tell from the looks of these young eunuchs that they really liked his teaching method.

As long as Shen Nian persists.

These "little mouths" in the palace will definitely talk about Shen Nian's lecturing ability, and it is only a matter of time before the news reaches the ears of the little emperor.

Shen Nian is confident.

When it comes to teaching skills, especially for students under the age of sixteen, looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, only Zhang Juzheng, the teacher of two generations of emperors, could compete with him, and he might not even be able to beat him.

……

Note: "The Emperor lectured on The Great Learning and The Book of History in the Eastern Palace. Now they should continue the lectures every day. First read The Great Learning ten times, then read The Book of History ten times, and the lecturers will then come in to give lectures." Source: Zhang Juzheng's "Notes on the Daily Lecture Ritual".

(End of this chapter)