The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The 25th year of Yonghe, the beginning of summer.

The system's light curtain quietly unfolded in the candlelight of the side hall, and this time the light was neither as sharp nor as calm as before.

Rather, it is a gentle, warm light, like white jade, or the warm sunlight shining through the window paper onto the desk in spring.

As Zhou Xing watched the words slowly appear on the screen, he originally thought that this large-scale group would be another martial arts force or business network.

But when he saw the four characters "Five Teachers' School" clearly, he paused slightly, and then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"A large-scale supergroup, a five-teacher academy."

"Samsung's comprehensive team, special category: education system."

Hu Yuan, Ma Rong, Huang Gan, Zhen Dexiu, and Ouyang Shoudao.

Five names, five completely different educational legends.

Hu Yuan was the most outstanding educator in the Northern Song Dynasty, and he presided over the Suzhou-Huzhou Prefectural School for more than 20 years.

He pioneered the study of "understanding the essence and applying it practically," and had thousands of disciples, which were known as the "Lake School" at the time.

Ma Rong was a master of Confucian classics in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He taught students for thirty years, and Zheng Xuan and Lu Zhi were among his students. He was a mainstay in the transmission of Confucian classics in the Han Dynasty.

Huang Gan was Zhu Xi's son-in-law and successor. He devoted his life to academy education and spread the seeds of Neo-Confucianism to various prefectures in Jiangnan.

Zhen Dexiu was a great Neo-Confucian scholar of the Southern Song Dynasty. He advocated "exhausting the principles of things to attain knowledge and reflecting on oneself to put them into practice" and presided over many academies.

Ouyang Shoudao was a folk educator in the late Song and early Yuan dynasties.

He never held office, choosing instead to live in seclusion in the countryside, where he set up a private school. Although none of his students became famous throughout the country, they were spread across the counties and prefectures.

These five people, along with two hundred disciples, constitute the size of an entire school.

It encompasses an educational system that covers various levels, including classical studies, Neo-Confucianism, practical learning, and local academies.

"Identity Ascended: A team of teachers at a private academy in the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"The academy is named 'Mingdao Academy' and is located in a small town between the northern border city and the capital. It was formerly an abandoned county school."

"It is currently registered with the government and is just one of the many privately-run academies that is not particularly noteworthy."

The location between the northern border town and the capital was chosen very cleverly.

It's not too far from the capital, which will make it convenient to secretly send talent to the capital in the future.

It's not too far from the northern border, so it can train civil officials and staff for the border garrison.

Moreover, since its predecessor was an abandoned county school, the name of the academy could be legitimately included in the government's registration, which was both inconspicuous and provided it with the most basic legal status.

The two hundred disciples are currently just unknown students.

However, given the teaching abilities of these five teachers...

In a few years, a group of these two hundred people will enter the imperial court through the imperial examination.

Alternatively, they could enter local government offices through examinations for civil servants.

By then, they will have become the most solid foundation for Zhou Xing's work at the grassroots level.

Zhou Xing read the information on the screen three times, then picked up his pen.

I added a new column to the self-made relationship diagram in front of me.

educate!

He wrote down the names of five people and the words "Mingdao Academy" in this column, and then put down his pen.

Leaning back in my chair, I gazed out the window at the old locust tree swaying gently in the night breeze.

He suddenly remembered a sentence he had read in his previous life.

"It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person."

Each piece he placed played a role in its own domain, but all the pieces shared a common problem.

They are ultimately a minority.

No matter how shrewd Zhao Gao was, how upright Wang Anshi was, how brave Huo Qubing was, or how patient Xu Jie was, they were all the sharpest knives in his hands.

But knives eventually dull, and people eventually grow old; a vast system cannot be sustained forever by just a few knives.

He needs more talent, more seeds, and he needs to infiltrate his ideas and will into every corner of the Great Zhou officialdom.

Mingdao Academy was the first nursery for these seeds.

……

Mingdao Academy!

When Hu Yuan opened her eyes, she saw a mottled old wooden ceiling.

A few strands of old spider webs hung from the crossbeam, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

The air was filled with a bookish scent mixed with the aroma of ink and mildew—a smell he was all too familiar with.

In his previous life, he spent most of his life in the library of the Suzhou Huzhou Academy.

That's the flavor of those classic books that have been soaked and dried by the plum rains of Jiangnan.

He propped himself up and sat up, finding himself lying in a simple side room.

The morning light was faint outside the window, and the outlines of the distant, rolling mountains could be vaguely seen.

This place is not as warm and humid as the Jiangnan region; the air carries a hint of the dry cold of the north.

He looked down at his hands.

The hands, belonging to a man in his forties, had strong knuckles, and calluses from holding a pen were worn on the palms and fingertips.

These were not the aged hands that had reviewed case files for over twenty years in Suzhou and Huzhou in her previous life, but they were no longer young either.

Just then, a golden light exploded in my mind.

He shuddered and instinctively grabbed the edge of the bed.

Countless pieces of information flooded into his consciousness like a tidal wave.

An immortal descends, bringing memories of his past life, and the lord he must serve in this life: Zhou Xing, the ninth prince of the current dynasty.

After the information infusion ended, he sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, digesting the information that had flooded into his mind one by one.

From shock to silence, from silence to calm.

Finally, he slowly stood up, pushed open the door of the side room, and walked into the courtyard of the academy in the morning light.

There were already four people standing in the courtyard.

An elderly man with gray hair and beard stood with his hands behind his back under the half-withered old locust tree in the courtyard.

He was looking up at the few newly sprouted leaves on the treetop, his gaze filled with scrutiny and curiosity.

It was as if he were examining an antique that had been lost and then recovered.

A middle-aged scholar in his forties sat on the stone steps.

He was wiping the inkstone in his hand with a cloth, his movements unhurried, as if he were doing something extremely important.

A thin, scholarly man was squatting by the well, scooping up a handful of well water to wash his face.

Water droplets dripped down his chin onto the bluestone slab, but he didn't care, just squinting at the distant mountains in the morning light.

An elderly man in plain clothes, over fifty years old, was standing at the door of the woodshed against the east wall.

Holding an old book in his hand, the pages turned slightly in the morning breeze.

He was completely unaware, only gazing thoughtfully at the desolate farmland outside the courtyard wall.

Hu Yuan stepped out of the threshold and cupped his hands in greeting to the four people: "My name is Hu Yuan, courtesy name Yizhi."

"You have all surely received the message from the immortal."

The old man under the old locust tree turned his head, his eyes clear as a deep pool, and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "I am Ma Rong, courtesy name Jichang."

"Having lived two lives, I never imagined I would be able to stand on this three-foot-wide platform again."

His tone carried a hint of self-deprecation, but more so a sense of composure as he stood on the podium once again.

The middle-aged scholar who was wiping his inkstone on the stone steps put it aside, stood up and returned the greeting, his voice steady and reserved: "I am Huang Gan, courtesy name Zhiqing."

"I devoted my entire life to organizing Zhu Xi's posthumous works in my previous life. Starting over in this life isn't so bad."

The slender scholar washing his face by the well shook the water droplets off his hands, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Zhen Dexiu, courtesy name Jingyuan."

"The immortals say that there is a path of literary cultivation in this world, which is based on righteous energy. The higher the grade, the stronger the power."

"How many years have you all cultivated your noble spirit?"

He laughed heartily, but there was a hint of eagerness in his eyes.

The old man in plain clothes at the door of the woodshed gently closed the scroll, walked slowly into the courtyard, bowed to the four people, and said in a low but steady and powerful voice: "I am Ouyang Shoudao, courtesy name Gongquan."

"I am but a humble village school teacher with little reputation. The immortal has placed this old man here for a reason."

The five people stood facing each other in silence for a long while.

They all received the same divine decree, knowing that they would serve the ninth prince of the current dynasty in this life.

They all knew their respective responsibilities.

It was not an assassination, not a power struggle, not a business war, and not a war.

It's education!

In this unassuming private academy, they used the knowledge they had accumulated throughout their previous lives.

To cultivate batches of capable and competent talents for the Ninth Prince, who was far away in the capital.

After a long silence, Ma Rong broke the silence first, stroking his beard and sighing, "The five of us each excel in one aspect: classical studies, Neo-Confucianism, practical learning, and village school education."

"Together, it forms a complete education system, from enlightenment to in-depth study, from classical texts to practical application, from academies to rural areas."

"The immortal's move was brilliant."

These words caused a stir in everyone's hearts.

In their previous lives, they were all outstanding figures in the field of education in their respective eras.

However, they were separated by hundreds or thousands of years of time and space, and never had the opportunity to learn from each other.

Hu Yuan's "understanding the essence and applying it to practical use" philosophy emphasizes practical application in the world.

Ma Rong's commentaries on the classics represent the pinnacle of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty.

Huang Gan's lifelong dissemination of Neo-Confucianism represented the orthodox school of Neo-Confucianism in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Zhen Dexiu combined Neo-Confucianism with practice, while Ouyang Shoudao's village school education was the most down-to-earth.

These fields of knowledge were prominent and independent in their respective eras.

Now, however, they can interact and verify each other in this small academy.

Zhen Dexiu suddenly spoke up, "Mr. Ma is absolutely right."

"However, there is a more pressing matter at the moment. Your righteous energy is all stuck at the peak of the third rank, isn't it?"

"Although I did not cultivate martial arts or literature in my previous life, the immortals have said that there is a path of literature in this world."

"Based on a foundation of righteousness, the higher one's rank, the more one's knowledge and cultivation will complement each other."

"I have carefully examined the meridians of this body, and they are indeed stuck at the bottleneck of the third rank, lacking a certain method."

These words struck a nerve with everyone present.

The five people looked at each other, and all of them saw the same helplessness on each other's faces.

In their past lives, they were all highly learned, but in this life, they are blocked by a threshold.

Ma Rong stood with his hands behind his back and slowly said, "In my previous life, I once said, 'The purpose of studying the classics is to apply them in practice.'"

"This statement may also apply to the way of literary cultivation."

"The five of us each have our own expertise. If we can verify each other's knowledge, learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses, we may be able to find a new path and create our own unique method."

Huang Gan interjected, his tone steady but his eyes growing brighter: "Exactly."

"The methods used by our predecessors were created by people; they didn't fall from the sky."

"Han scholars created the school of classical studies, and Song scholars created the school of Neo-Confucianism. The five of us together probably have a broader range of knowledge than most aristocratic families in the world."

Why can't we create a new approach?

Upon hearing this, Hu Yuan felt a sudden sense of relief.

Looking at the academy gradually awakening in the morning mist, it was as if I could see a seed breaking through the soil.

He spoke slowly, his voice low but carrying an undeniable certainty: "Then from today onwards, the five of us will take turns lecturing and learning from each other every day."

"They each bring out their most profound knowledge and impart it to each other without reservation."

"There's no need to hold back or be secretive; let's learn from each other."

"Perhaps it won't be long before that threshold cracks open beneath our feet."

As the morning light gradually brightened in the courtyard, the distant crowing of roosters could be heard.

A new day has just begun, and in this small Mingdao Academy...

Five teachers from different eras are brewing a revolution that could change the landscape of education in the Great Zhou Dynasty.