Chapter 5

The old teacher calmly shook his head.

Liu Ruyi couldn't help but burst into laughter, shouting, "Chang, you just stay here and study well. We older brothers will definitely keep a close eye on you. If you act recklessly again, we'll bring the Crown Prince over!"

"What's it got to do with you?!"

"Of course it does. If you become a king in this state, the people under your rule will suffer. They are the people of the Han Dynasty, and every one of us has the right to make you a qualified vassal king!"

"Haha, don't worry, I'll definitely be better than you!"

"Better at what? With your attitude, I bet you'll go and steal oxen from the peasants to eat once you become a king!"

"Do you want to fight?!"

Liu Chang, who was at a disadvantage in the verbal exchange, suddenly became furious, stood up abruptly, and was about to go and "reason" with Liu Ruyi. "I may not dare to fight the Crown Prince, but I can definitely fight you!" Fighting was Liu Chang's only advantage. Although he was young and small, Liu Chang was very strong, and ordinary children couldn't beat him.

Historically, Liu Chang was also a tall and robust figure, known for his bravery and strength. He had actually lifted a tripod, and a certain unnamed overlord praised him as a true expert.

Liu Hui quickly stood up to stop Liu Chang, his plump face full of helplessness. "That's enough, Chang. Don't cause trouble. Sit down."

Only after the old teacher cleared his throat did Liu Chang reluctantly sit down. The old teacher continued his lesson, while Liu Ruyi watched Liu Chang with a smile, enjoying the sight of his younger brother wanting to beat him but unable to do so.

My foolish Ou Dou Dou.

When the class ended, to prevent Liu Chang from causing trouble, the eunuchs surrounded him and took him back. Liu Chang glared at Liu Ruyi with hatred, but was helplessly carried away, and Liu Ruyi burst into laughter again.

When Liu Chang, still seething, entered the Pepper Room Hall, Empress Lü had a guest.

The person who could visit Empress Lü at this time was naturally of high status. He was Lü Shi Zhi, Empress Lü's brother. He and his elder brother Lü Ze had made significant contributions to Liu Bang's unification and had been granted the title of Marquis of Chengjian.

He was whispering to Empress Lü when he saw Liu Chang, and immediately stopped, saying nothing.

Empress Lü looked Liu Chang up and down and said, "Good, you didn't fight."

Liu Chang, patting his round little belly, called out, "Mother... I'm hungry."

"I have matters to attend to. Go find a palace maid to get some food."

"Okay."

After Liu Chang left, Lü Shi Zhi smiled and said, "This boy lives quite comfortably."

"Did he not take it?"

"He didn't... He refuses to see me anymore... I blame myself. Last time, I offended him so much that I almost put a sword to his neck."

"It's fine. The goal has been achieved. Don't seek him out again in the future."

"What about the Chancellor?"

"I have my plans."

"Okay."

When Liu Chang, munching on meat and grumbling, returned, Lü Shi Zhi had already left. The Pepper Room Hall had become somewhat lively, with several palace maids gathered around a large machine. When Liu Chang entered, this thing clearly did not exist, indicating that it had been brought in after he left.

Empress Lü was strict, so the palace maids, though curious, did not dare to discuss it.

"Wow!"

The moment Liu Chang saw the machine, his usual personality quickly took over. He rushed to the machine and carefully examined it. The machine, in appearance, was a rope wheel placed on a fixed wooden board, clearly a hand-cranked spinning wheel.

At that moment, Liu Chang was somewhat stunned. He had not been in this era for long, and this was the first time he had seen an industrial machine from this era. Although it was very primitive and entirely made of wood, such a primitive machine was even more fascinating to Liu Chang.

"Is this a spinning machine?"

"Who made it?"

Liu Chang asked urgently.

Empress Lü was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Liu Chang to recognize it. She calmly said, "I've had it since I was very young."

"It must have been made by the Mohists!"

Empress Lü neither confirmed nor denied it, remaining aloof and silent.

"Mother, why did you bring a spinning machine here?"

"To pass the time."

Empress Lü knew how to operate the machine. As she worked, Liu Chang sat motionless beside her, watching the ancient machine with great attention. He had thought that, having traveled to this era, he would be cut off from his profession and have no chance to use his skills.

However, the machine before him proved that this was not a primitive era devoid of machinery.

Sweat appeared on Empress Lü's forehead. The machine was indeed more convenient than manual labor, but it still required hand-cranking, which was tiring.

Liu Chang tried several times to help, but Empress Lü would grab his head and push him away mercilessly.

So, Liu Chang could only help by wiping her sweat.

Liu Chang knew what Empress Lü was doing with the machine. Every piece of clothing he wore was woven by her... As the weather grew colder, Mother was making winter clothes for him. At his age, he grew taller every year, and most of his old clothes no longer fit.

Liu Chang smiled foolishly, sitting beside Empress Lü and rubbing his head against her arm, wanting to operate the machine.

In the end, Empress Lü agreed, on the condition that Liu Chang not cause any trouble for the next month, and he could play with the spinning wheel.

As an introductory text, the "Cang Jie Pian" was indeed quite difficult.

Perhaps Li Si overestimated the abilities of future teachers and students when he wrote it, or perhaps he underestimated his own talent.

In any case, the "Cang Jie Pian," used as an introductory text in the early Han Dynasty, caused countless problems. The main issue was in the interpretation. Different teachers would give different answers when explaining the "Cang Jie Pian." In the palace, it was manageable, but in the regions, less capable teachers would often misinterpret it, misleading their students.

Li Si did not write the "Cang Jie Pian" as a simple introductory text. Instead, he infused it with his own profound ideas, which became a lifelong psychological shadow for children. Children who were happy to learn to read were immediately confronted with the profound works of a figure like Li Si.

How devastating was that?

So, the "Cang Jie Pian" was lost...

This was also a source of pain for Liu Chang. Recognizing characters was not a problem, but explaining Li Si's Legalist philosophy was too advanced. Ancient Chinese scholars had a bad habit of complicating simple things.

A simple book like the "Spring and Autumn Annals" could be interpreted in countless ways, with countless meanings and annotations, becoming thicker, more profound, and harder to understand. In the end, even members of the same school could not understand each other's versions, leading to bitter conflicts.

In his previous life, Liu Chang had hated reading comprehension, and now he was learning the most difficult version of it.

Liu Chang had been attending classes for some time. During this period, his older brother Liu Ying visited him twice, each time lecturing for about an hour. Liu Chang endured without acting out, as he had promised his mother not to cause trouble, or he would lose the spinning wheel.

As for Liu Ruyi, he never stopped provoking Liu Chang, always smiling and seemingly asking, "Why are you so timid? Why don't you dare to act?"

Liu Hui remained friendly as always, even offering to tutor Liu Chang, but Liu Chang refused.

As for Liu Heng... he always had a stern face, just like Empress Lü. Liu Chang didn't like to talk to him. "You're not the Crown Prince, so why are you acting so superior?"

Did I forget someone? Hmm, I don't think so.

Sitting in the Tianlu Pavilion, enduring another painful class, Liu Chang finally approached Liu Hui when the teacher took a break. He asked, "Brother, I heard Father is going to hold a banquet. Is it true?"

"I don't know..."

"It's true. Are you going to sneak in and steal some meat again?"

Liu Ruyi asked with a smirk.

Liu Chang ignored him and continued, "Brother... I have something I need your help with. Can you wait for me later?"

Liu Hui was surprised. He had never seen Liu Chang so respectful. He nodded and agreed.

Liu Ruyi moved closer, curious, and asked, "What is it? If you call me brother, I can help you too."

"Ha ha."

Liu Chang gave him a look.

"You call them all brothers, but why do you call me Ruyi?"

Seeing that Liu Chang still ignored him, Liu Ruyi was indignant, muttering incomprehensible phrases like "disrespectful younger brother."