Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

It was already completely dark outside.

Large tallow candles were lit inside the Wenhua Hall.

"Gurgle..."

Zhu Qizhen's stomach once again protested inconsiderately.

Gu Yannian glanced at the water clock, then waved his sleeve.

"Wang Zhen, go and serve the meal. His Highness has settled the accounts today, so this bowl of coarse noodles is unnecessary. Have the imperial kitchen prepare a bowl of clear soup noodles with scallions and send it over."

"Don't eat too much meat, lest you get indigestion and lose your composure when doing the accounts tomorrow."

Wang Zhen felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he scrambled off to serve the meal.

Zhu Zhanji couldn't help but feel sorry for his son when he saw his son in such a miserable state.

However, due to Gu Yannian's authority, they could not add any more dishes.

All I could do was stand by and watch.

When the bowl of clear soup noodles was served, Zhu Qizhen looked as if he hadn't eaten a full meal in ages.

They wolfed down their food, even finishing the soup.

All those delicacies we usually enjoy pale in comparison to this bowl of noodles.

"belch……"

The little prince let out a burp, rubbed his round belly, and leaned back wearily in his chair.

"Thump, thump, thump,"

From the distant Drum Tower, the familiar sound of the evening drum could be heard.

Gu Yannian's straight back relaxed slightly.

He calmly tucked the sandalwood abacus into his wide robe sleeve and smoothed out the wrinkles on his body.

"His Majesty."

Gu Yannian cupped his hands in greeting.

"Today's lesson is over. Although Your Highness is still young, your comprehension is quite good. Tomorrow at dawn, I will come again to test Your Highness on the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art."

Zhu Zhanji nodded quickly: "Prime Minister Gu, you've worked hard. Go back to your residence and rest early."

Zhu Qizhen was shocked to hear that there would be an arithmetic test the next day.

My stomach, which I had just finished eating, suddenly started to cramp again.

He watched Gu Yannian's departing figure in despair.

He felt that the purplish-red official robes were even more terrifying than the mourning clothes of the Black and White Impermanence.

A cool night breeze blew along the long street.

Gu Yannian walked lightly along the alleyway leading out of the palace.

There is no moon tonight, but the stars are dazzling.

"This kid's personality has been half-corrected."

Gu Yannian thought to himself.

"If we were to waste another ten years, the Ming Dynasty would have another iron-fisted emperor who only knew abacus and not swords. The Tumu Fortress would be completely extinct."

Pushing open the door to the courtyard in Xuanwufang, the lanterns under the eaves cast a dim, yellowish glow.

Gu Yannian brewed a pot of hot tea and sat in the courtyard.

Listening to the rustling of the wind through the old jujube tree, he enjoyed the tranquility and peace that belonged to him alone.

The joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions, the ambitions and territories of this world.

Ultimately, it couldn't resist the warmth of this cup of hot tea.

……

In the midsummer of the eighth year of the Xuande reign, the willow branches in the Forbidden City were somewhat wilted by the hot wind.

Cicadas clung to the tree trunks, screeching loudly, which annoyed people.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the seven-year-old Crown Prince Zhu Qizhen knelt before his desk, staring at the smooth, glossy sandalwood abacus on it.

Her face turned deathly pale, as if she were looking at a coiled venomous snake that was about to bite.

Ever since I was old enough to understand.

The clicking sound of the abacus beads became his most terrifying nightmare at night.

His chubby little hands still bear the calluses from years of using an abacus.

A series of steady footsteps came from outside the hall.

Grand Secretary and Crown Prince's tutor, Gu Yannian, wearing a light blue summer robe with dark patterns, stepped leisurely into the hall.

He was not wearing his official robes today.

He held a plain folding fan in his hand, exuding an air of refined elegance, like a banished immortal.

Zhu Qizhen felt a jolt.

He instinctively reached out to touch the abacus.

Prepare for today's major test: "summer grain yield and fire loss deficit".

Unexpectedly, Gu Yannian walked to the desk and snapped the folding fan shut.

He casually tossed the sandalwood abacus to a corner of the desk.

"Your Highness, we won't be using the abacus today."

Gu Yannian's tone was gentle, like a cool breeze passing through the hall.

Zhu Qizhen was stunned, blinking his large eyes in disbelief.

Abandoning abacus?

Has this living Yama's tutor changed his ways?

"Then... what will the Grand Tutor teach the students today? Will it be reciting the Four Books and Five Classics?"

Zhu Qizhen asked timidly.

If it's just about reciting, it's a hundred times better than some unresolved, messy account.

A gentle smile appeared on Gu Yannian's lips.

The smile that fell on Wang Zhen, who was standing to the side, sent a chill down his spine.

"I heard that a few days ago at Chengqian Palace, His Highness drew a guard's sword and shouted that when he grew up he would go to the borderlands to become a Grand Marshal and expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty?"

Gu Yannian pulled up a grand chair and sat down, looking at the young prince with a calm gaze.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen's previously listless spirits immediately lifted.

He has the martial spirit of his ancestors flowing in his veins.

He could recite the stories of war and battles by heart.

"Indeed! Grand Tutor, when I grow up, I will surely be like Emperor Taizong, commanding the three armies and crushing the Oirat!"

The young prince puffed out his chest, his face full of pride and longing.

"good."

Gu Yannian nodded in satisfaction.

"As the crown prince, your ambition is truly a blessing for the Ming Dynasty. Since Your Highness is interested in warfare, let's set aside the theoretical knowledge of military strategy for now."

"Today, I will instruct Your Highness in martial arts."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qizhen was so overjoyed that he almost jumped off the prayer mat.

Perform martial arts!

The Grand Tutor actually wants to teach him martial arts!

He instantly pictured himself wearing gleaming golden chainmail.

He rode a pure white Akhal-Teke horse and held a long spear.

The majestic sight of galloping across thousands of troops.

"Grand Tutor! Are we going to the Imperial Guard's training ground? I want to ride a horse! And I want to choose the sharpest sword!"

Zhu Qizhen was so excited that he danced with joy.

Gu Yannian shook his head slightly.

He tapped the table with his folding fan, making a crisp tapping sound.

"How can a commander-in-chief lead troops like a brute who only knows how to fight fiercely on the battlefield? Before the troops move, the supplies must be ready first."

"The most important thing in military campaigns is to know the hardships and physical strength of the soldiers below."

"Wang Zhen!"

"Yes, sir!"

Wang Zhen quickly stepped forward.

"Go to the Bureau of Armory and the Divine Machine Battalion and fetch a set of ordinary infantry marching gear."

"Pots and pans, water bags and dry rations, marching tents, and even iron shovels for digging—nothing is dispensable."

"Then, based on His Highness's physique, quickly make a miniature travel bag."

Gu Yannian gave the instructions.

Wang Zhen dared not delay and accepted the order, rushing off immediately.

Half an hour later.

In the courtyard outside the Wenhua Hall.

As Zhu Qizhen looked at the mountain of objects piled up before him, the excitement on his face gradually froze.

There was no golden chainmail, only a coarse cloth battle coat reeking of sweat and mildew.

There was no sword that could cut through iron like mud, only a short stick carved from wood.

What he found most unacceptable was a coarse cloth bag filled with bricks and sand, weighing over ten kilograms.

Gu Yannian stood on the stone steps, fanning himself with a folding fan.

"Your Highness, put on your battle armor and shoulder your pack. This is the load that ordinary infantrymen carry on a march."

"Since Your Highness wants to be a general, why not start as a common soldier?"

With a bitter expression, Zhu Qizhen, served by a young eunuch, put on the rough battle robe.

The rough fabric chafed his delicate neck until it ached.

He struggled to lift the heavy backpack, which weighed over ten kilograms, and his small body was immediately bent over by the weight.

"Grand Tutor...this...this is too heavy, I can't walk on it..."

Zhu Qizhen protested, feeling wronged.

Gu Yannian ignored him.

Instead, he turned his gaze to Wang Zhen, who was standing to the side.

Wang Zhen is in an even worse situation now.

Gu Yannian ordered that a set of adult infantryman's pack be prepared for him, weighing more than fifty kilograms.

In addition, there was a large black iron cauldron used for marching.

It was firmly fastened to Wang Zhen's back at that moment.

"Eunuch Wang, as His Highness's companion, you should naturally accompany the army."

Gu Yannian spoke in a relaxed tone.

Wang Zhen's legs trembled as he repeatedly agreed, but inwardly he was already lamenting his misery.