Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

As the Grand Master of the Imperial Household Department, Jiang Zhao naturally arranged the specific times for the imperial clan members to receive instruction.

Of course, there are regulations governing when it starts and when it ends.

The Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices could only adjust the order of lessons as appropriate.

After discussion and a report to the Emperor, the teaching schedule for several members of the imperial clan was thus determined:

Starting at 5:00 AM, the Right Spring Palace's concubine sons, who were also members of the imperial family, led the five members of the imperial family in their morning reading, reviewing the old to learn the new.

After the morning reading, he asked the five members of the royal family questions one by one, thus reviewing the content of the previous lecture.

After the question-and-answer session, the next step was to recite Confucian classics. The Right Spring Palace Attendants would randomly check the recitations, and any mistakes would be repeatedly recited.

During this period, the son of a concubine in the Left Spring Palace supervised and recorded the performance of several members of the imperial clan.

Starting at 7:00 AM, Jiang Zhao, the Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, would lecture on classics, history, and current affairs.

Of course, Jiang Zhao was only responsible for giving lectures; testing the learning outcomes of the imperial clan was a job that would offend people, and he wouldn't do it.

After the lecture, there was a half-hour break.

Starting at 10:00 AM, the Hanlin Academy editors instructed members of the imperial family on calligraphy and poetry writing, requiring them to copy calligraphy models and compose lyrics on the spot.

At the end of the Si hour (11:00 AM), school ended.

Starting at 1:00 PM, the day was divided into odd and even days. On odd days, the Duke of Yingguo, a senior general, would teach horseback riding, archery, and military command skills. On even days, the Taichang Temple Doctor would teach etiquette. The eunuchs of the Inner Palace and the Zuo Chunfang Shuzi would supervise and record the lessons.

Starting at 3 PM, Wang Anshi lectured on the Five Classics, the Analects, and Mencius, supervised by the Left Spring Palace Attendant and accompanied by the Right Spring Palace Attendant.

Starting at 5 PM (酉时), the Emperor himself arrives, and the Junior Chamberlain of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices presides over the "Daily Lesson Review." The Emperor personally checks the homework and the progress of the lessons, and the several officials who gave the lessons must stand by.

Apart from the first and fifteenth of each month, and the regular court sessions held every five days where the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices led the study of patriarchal clan rites and explained the achievements of ancestors, the rest of the time was spent studying.

For the ministers giving lectures, this teaching period was very relaxed, with only one hour of teaching per day, and they could even spare time for political infighting.

But for some members of the royal family, it was quite difficult.

They studied at sunrise and rested at sunset, spending six or seven hours reading from dawn to dusk.

Of course, this arrangement of reading time is not without purpose.

The imperial family members' study time was very similar to the emperor's schedule, following the path of the court's routine.

From the side hall, the faint sound of someone reciting a text could be heard.

The sound of reciting is devoid of emotion, yet it is filled with an undisguised pain.

Jiang Zhao smiled and stood up to watch the rain.

Intensive reading can be extremely painful for those who lack the aptitude for reading.

However, there is nothing we can do about it.

All civil officials who are qualified to attend court are among the most intelligent people in the world.

The imperial family members were of dull intelligence, and if they wanted to compete with the ministers, they could only rely on "hard work and effort."

The sound of rain brings a sense of peace to the heart.

After about fifteen minutes, the sound of reciting the text subsided.

Jiang Zhao turned around and glanced at the water clock.

At the end of Chen time.

"Squeak~!"

The side hall door opened, and an official in a red robe, who looked to be around fifty years old, entered.

"Lord Jiang." Upon seeing Jiang Zhao, the man quickly greeted him with a bow.

"Lord Chen," Jiang Zhao returned the greeting.

The concubine's son of the Right Spring Palace, surnamed Chen, walked to the side hall, picked up his umbrella, nodded politely, and pushed open the door to go out.

Jiang Zhao raised his eyebrows, holding the Book of Han, and slowly walked into Yanyi Hall.

After carrying the book for a full hour, my mouth and throat were inevitably dry.

At this moment, the five younger members of the royal family were drinking water.

Upon seeing Jiang Zhao, the group immediately stopped what they were doing.

The emperor sent five younger members of the imperial family to the palace to study, and they all sensed something fishy about it.

As a result, they became unusually sensitive.

Every action taken during the lectures had to be reported to the authorities.

The instructor had already entered the hall, but the group dared not drink water, fearing that the emperor would think they lacked respect for teachers.

“Take the Book of Han”.

What exactly to say was reported to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices in advance.

The group quickly took out the Book of Han.

"You carried it for an hour?" Jiang Zhaoping asked.

The group nodded in agreement.

Compared to the other unfamiliar instructors, Jiang Zhao was an old acquaintance, which made people feel much more relaxed.

"Let's rest for half an incense stick's time," Jiang Zhao said, waving his hand.

The group breathed a sigh of relief and bowed in unison.

Half an incense stick has burned.

"Class begins."

As soon as the word fell, the group of people immediately straightened up.

"Have you ever read the Book of Han before?" Jiang Zhao asked.

After a slight hesitation, the group shook their heads in succession.

In an era when scientific examinations were highly valued, the Five Classics held an extremely high status.

In comparison, the Records of the Grand Historian, the Book of Han, and the Book of the Later Han were more often used as supplementary reading materials to improve one's ability to formulate strategies.

None of them had any official titles or honors in the imperial examinations, nor had they even begun to understand them, so naturally they would not have come into contact with the Book of Han.

"Read the Imperial Annals silently," Jiang Zhao instructed.

The so-called imperial annals section refers to the deeds of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Wu of Han.

Thus, only the faint sound of turning pages remained.

"Focus on understanding; treat it like a story, there's no need to memorize it."

The soft voice was surprisingly uplifting.

Just don't memorize it!

After a stick of incense had burned, the five people had finished reading.

"What is the effect of establishing three rules and allowing people to recuperate?"

Jiang Zhao waved his hand: "We can discuss this together."

"To build up national strength."

"Establish a system."

Jiang Zhao nodded and responded to each question.

Thus, using the "Three Laws" and "rest and recuperation" as examples, and comparing the government's policies on governance with the Xihe military policy, the necessity of rest and recuperation and related practices were formally and in detail explained.

All five had experienced the governance of Xihe, so it was not difficult to understand them, and they gradually got into the swing of things.

The seventh quarter of the hour of Chen (7:45 AM).

"Reading should focus on the principles, not the form."

"For the Book of Han, it is enough to understand the underlying principles; there is no need to be bound by the specific details."

Jiang Zhao held a cup of tea and moistened his throat.

"Let's call it a day," Jiang Zhao said, waving his hand.

What makes a teacher who is loved and respected?

First, well said.

Second, allow students a few minutes to rest.

In fact, students don't lack a few minutes of break time; what's important is the emotional value of taking a break earlier.

As expected, the five members of the royal family showed joy and stood up to pay their respects.

Jiang Zhao returned the greeting with a peaceful smile.

Who doesn't understand students' little thoughts?

Chapter 138 The Huainan Flood!

It has been twelve days since the course began.

Ministry of Personnel, Office of the Vice Minister.

Jiang Zhao held a letter in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

[It has been raining for seven days in Huainan East Road. We hope that Your Excellency will assist in disaster relief.]

This is a letter from Feng Xu, the Pacification Commissioner of Huainan East Circuit.

In addition, there was a letter from Huaizuo.

That letter was much more detailed, and it concerned the flooding problem in Huainan East Road.

Jiang Zhao sighed slightly.

No wonder it's been raining in the capital for days; it turns out my hometown suffered a disaster, and the rain from Huainan East Road blew over.

Seven days of torrential rain!

Jiang Zhao shook his head. No wonder the pacification envoy was so anxious that he sent a letter to the capital.

After a day or two of light rain, the soil becomes saturated with moisture, which is beneficial for crop growth.

After three or four days of rain, the roots of the crops gradually rotted.

Seven days of rain

Huainan East Road is likely to be flooded.

Once the flood has passed, an insect plague is sure to follow.

If not handled properly, it could even lead to an uprising.

(Attached photo: Huainan East Road and Bianjing are very close, the shortest straight-line distance is only about 100 li, rain can easily drift across there, I'm not making this up!)

The meaning of the two letters is obvious.

Natural disasters and torrential rains will certainly be debated in the imperial court.

This brings up the issue of disaster relief.

Although both are disaster relief efforts, the level of support varies drastically.

The disaster relief efforts were effective, saving millions of lives.

Ineffective disaster relief can even drive people to revolt.

However, achieving adequate disaster relief efforts is by no means easy.

Otherwise, the pacification commissioner wouldn't have needed to write a special letter to him, pleading for his help.

Historically, the imperial court's annual expenses were always budgeted.

If you provide large-scale disaster relief, it means that other places will have to spend less money.

You have your own circle of interests, and others have theirs.

Unless it's a special case like suppressing a rebellion, how could anyone just stand by and watch the meat that's already in their mouth escape?