Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Zhou Wenqing did not stay long at Aunt Liu's house. After roughly explaining the matter of starting school and comforting the excited Aunt Liu with a few words, he got up to take his leave.

He returned to his courtyard, turned around, and went straight to his study.

He sat down at his desk, took water and ground ink. The ink grains glided across the inkstone, making a soft, even rustling sound, and his thoughts calmed down.

Having taken on the responsibility of teaching the village children to read, he had to be serious and responsible.

Enlightenment is not just about recognizing a few words; it's about opening a window to the world for these children and planting a seed of understanding.

As he ground the ink, he searched and compared it in his memory.

Speaking of primers for children... the current situation is rather pessimistic.

At this time, there did not seem to be any systematic and easy-to-recite rhyming texts compiled specifically for children to learn to read and understand principles, like the later Three Character Classic, Hundred Family Surnames, and Thousand Character Classic.

Most of the literacy textbooks currently in use are directly excerpted from ancient classics or practical documents, such as the "Shi Zhou Pian" or even directly recited the articles of the "Qin Law". The content is either ancient and difficult or dry and rigid. For young children who have just begun their education, it is probably like a book from heaven. Not only is it boring and difficult to remember, but it is also difficult to understand the profound meaning. It is very easy to stifle their interest.

As for Li Si's "Cangjie Pian," which might be compiled in the future to unify the writing system... it probably doesn't even have a trace of the first character yet.

"Teaching them directly would probably kill off the little interest the children have left."

Zhou Wenqing put down the inkstone and stroked the smooth brush handle with his fingertips.

The barriers of time are like insurmountable chasms; directly copying later classics is not only far-fetched but may also lead to disaster.

He couldn't explain even the opening lines of the Thousand Character Classic: "Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and boundless," let alone the Three Character Classic which contained: "The Qin family of Ying first unified the empire; after two generations, the Chu and Han dynasties fought..."

He'll probably be accused of "spreading rumors and slandering the government" the moment he finishes reciting it.

Thank you for the invitation. Zhou Wenqing feels that he has no intention of taking a "day trip" to Qin Prison for the time being.

Even a day trip would be fine, the advantage being the sheer enjoyment. But what if it were a "family package of prison-themed activities"...?

He shuddered violently, shook his head hard, and banished all those terrible thoughts.

Copying directly won't work, perhaps... I could create my own set?

Once the thought arose, it was difficult to suppress.

He wasn't trying to create any timeless classics, but rather to combine the realities of life at the time with simple, rhyming sentences that were close to children's understanding and could convey the most basic principles and common sense. For a high school graduate from four provinces, that shouldn't be too difficult, right?

It seems... feasible?

Zhou Wenqing's spirits lifted. He reached for a calligraphy brush, dipped it in ink, and placed it on a clean wooden tablet. Holding his breath and concentrating intently, even rolling up his sleeves, he was ready to get started. However—

The pen tip hovered, the ink almost dried, but he still couldn't write a single word.

Tsk! Accustomed to writing exam-oriented essays, he can't just start by stating the theme or narrating grand narratives, nor can he elevate the conclusion or touch on current affairs. In the middle, he also has to "edutainment," subtly weaving the moral into childlike fun, while ensuring that every word and every image is safe and sound, without violating any taboos...

He put down his pen, rubbed his temples, and felt a throbbing pain in his temples. Compiling his own primers was far more difficult than he had imagined.

We can't exactly make him write "one, two, three, four, five" and then "go up the mountain to fight a tiger," can we?

It doesn't seem to work?

Oh my god, this is insane!!!

Just as Zhou Wenqing was racking his brains and finding it difficult to put pen to paper—

[Ding! The basic intelligent system has detected that the host's knowledge reserves are insufficient and is actively attempting knowledge innovation and application, meeting the trigger conditions for the 'Wang Zuo' system's assisted learning module! Host, would you like to immediately activate the 'Basic Primer Compilation Assistance' and 'Era-Adaptive Knowledge Base' learning interfaces?]

Oh right, how could I forget about this unreliable system?!

"Activate immediately!" Zhou Wenqing responded decisively in his mind.

In that instant, his consciousness seemed to be gently pulled into a tranquil space shimmering with soft light...

……

"Ugh~"

Learning can be exhausting, even with the most advanced technology.

Zhou Wenqing felt his head throbbing, as if countless winged words were buzzing and dancing before his eyes, and his stomach churned.

But after paying the price, the gains were also obvious. This time, he picked up his pen again and wrote without hesitation.

"Looking up at the stars, questioning the moon's secrets; jade from the well, measuring grain by the bushel; ritual implements in accordance with propriety, a benevolent heart dwelling within; a bright mirror hanging, justice unbiased; an empty room bright, from which all things grow; granaries of nine grains, for farming and warfare; rivers and seas deep, receiving all streams..."

As I was writing intently, familiar footsteps and a steady call came from the courtyard:

"Young master, I'm back. Where are you?"

It's Li Yi.

Zhou Wenqing snapped out of his reverie, put down his pen, and rubbed his aching wrist.

Writing on bamboo slips is really hard work. It's a pity that the time is not right yet, otherwise papermaking technology should have been developed long ago, or even the first technology should have been developed.

Who understands the psychological trauma he experienced when he had to relieve himself for the first time after time travel, and instead turned back to look for toilet paper based on muscle memory, only to find a bamboo strip instead?

Fortunately, Li Yi was there. With him around, at least he didn't have to worry about gold and silver. Although using cloth was so extravagant that it made his conscience ache, if it weren't for that, he probably wouldn't even be able to maintain the most basic dignity.

Zhou Wenqing sometimes thought that if he really came here penniless, with no relatives or friends, and had to face the cruel reality of "bamboo slices"... he probably wouldn't be able to make it to the second day and would have to go to "Turning Back Cliff" to seriously consider restarting.

Moreover, no matter how eloquently Ren 007 spoke, he couldn't keep her!

Thank you, Li Yi, and thank you, King Qin.

Just as I was thinking about the two of them, Li Yi pushed the door open and entered.

"Young master, why are you spending so much energy in this study now that you've just recovered?"

When Li Yi saw Zhou Wenqing sitting upright at his desk, with a book knife and scattered bamboo strips beside him, his brows immediately furrowed, and his tone was disapproving.

"They didn't even wait for me to come back, and I had to use the book knife myself, which was too much strain on my wrist..."

As soon as he entered, he started rambling on and on, but his words were really irrelevant, and his eyes unconsciously drifted to the side, subconsciously avoiding direct eye contact with Zhou Wenqing.

Zhou Wenqing chuckled to himself. He turned and pointed to the corner of the room, where a large stack of bamboo slips, which had been scraped flat, polished smooth, and completely dried, were neatly arranged.

"Ah Yi, look at this huge pile, why do I need to lift a finger?"

Li Yi's voice faltered, and he stopped speaking hesitantly. He rubbed his hands together somewhat awkwardly, his gaze shifting for a moment before refocusing on Zhou Wenqing. He opened his mouth and said:

"Young master..."

"Um."

Zhou Wenqing responded calmly, put down what he was holding, relaxed his posture, and calmly looked at Li Yi.

This was the first time since his "farewell" that the two of them had a chance to have a proper talk away from others.

Zhou Wenqing knew that Li Yi's heart was probably filled with incomprehension, confusion, and even grievances regarding that "last letter," his "disappearance," and his "suicide attempt" that day.

If it was someone else who wanted to ask, Zhou Wenqing felt he should at least give them an explanation.

So Zhou Wenqing quietly watched him, waiting for him to ask the question.

"Young master, are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

Li Yi struggled for a long time before finally managing to utter this one sentence.

Zhou Wenqing was taken aback at first, then couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle: "Ah Yi, you really are..."

"I'm not hungry, I'm not in a hurry to eat."

He paused, his gaze turning serious: "Ah Yi, don't you have anything else you want to ask me?"

Li Yi's body seemed to tense up slightly. He lowered his head, unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes with both hands, his Adam's apple bobbing, and remained silent for a longer period of time.

Finally, as if he had made a huge decision, he suddenly raised his head and looked directly at Zhou Wenqing, his eyes filled with unease.

"Then... young master, are you... really... nearing the end?"

Asking that question seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and his face turned pale.

"No, that was just a misjudgment," Zhou Wenqing replied firmly.

Seeing the sudden brightness in Li Yi's eyes, he continued to explain, taking the blame upon himself.

"I was too arrogant and knew little about medicine. I was also in a bad mood at the time and mistakenly thought I wouldn't live past the day before. So I made an extremely irrational judgment, which almost caused a disaster, made you worry, and made... made those who care about me waste their efforts."

He paused for a moment, giving Li Yi time to process the information, and then added, "The old doctor came to examine me later, right? He should have told you that I'm really fine."

These words were a patch he had painstakingly put together for himself, and they were not very rigorous. Fortunately, Li Yi did not seem to intend to delve into the contradictions or details.

The tense lines on his face suddenly relaxed, and after the initial joy, it quickly turned into a resentful tone tinged with lingering fear. He began to ramble on and on about how he was "criticizing".

Zhou Wenqing listened patiently, gazing at Li Yi's somewhat sturdy appearance.

Great wisdom is like foolishness.

These four words quietly surfaced in his mind.

"Alright, alright, Yi, I know I was wrong, I promise I won't do it again." Zhou Wenqing finally spoke with a smile, interrupting Li Yi's nagging: "It's my fault for making you worry, I apologize, let's move on, okay?"

"By the way, you just got back. Did you run into Brother Gu'an? He said he was looking for a friend nearby and hasn't returned yet."

"Well……"

Li Yi's expression visibly stiffened for a moment.

I almost forgot about the hidden mission that led to my being sent back!

"I...I see it..."

"Oh?" Zhou Wenqing said naturally, as if he had just remembered, "I almost forgot, A-Yi, you're a farmer from around here, so you should be familiar with the surrounding villages. Do you know Brother Gu'an's friend? What kind of person is he?"

Zhou Wenqing wanted to see what kind of identity Li Si would fabricate for his "friend".