Elementary Education

Year 189, Luoyang, Suzaku Avenue, Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

Yuan Xi had originally thought that after transmigrating to the late Han period, he wouldn’t have to study anymore. Unexpectedly, his academic pressure remained unchanged. Sigh, such a headache.

Indeed, being born into such a family, living an ordinary life was impossible.

Yuan Xi thought silently, “It’s really not easy. Finally, I’ve made it through.”

……………………

In the second year of Zhongping (184), the Yellow Turban Rebellion was initially suppressed.

By now, young Yuan Xi was already eight years old.

In the past two years, he had been personally tutored by his grandfather, Yuan Wei.

Of course, he had also been rigorously practicing calligraphy, achieving modest progress.

Though still far from establishing a school or sect of his own.

At this moment, he was attending the Yuan family’s clan school.

Naturally, he also had to go to the imperial palace.

Running between both places was truly exhausting for him.

Inside the brightly lit study hall, the teacher Hu Zhao, holding a ruler, was loudly and clearly explaining a simplified version of the “Spring and Autumn Annals.”

Meanwhile, Yuan Xi buried his head, greedily napping, but in his dreams, he was chewing over the annotated “Art of War” inherited from his father, Yuan Shao.

This annotation was naturally penned by the late old general Huangfu Gui, who was the uncle of the current Huangfu Song. Only a family with as prestigious a lineage as the Yuans could borrow such a treasured work, deeply embodying the essence of military strategy.

During the Yellow Turban War, the Yuan family had provided strong support to Huangfu Song. As a gesture of reciprocal goodwill, Yuan Shao had obtained this annotated volume.

Sitting beside Yuan Xi was, of course, Gao Yue, the daughter of his benefactor uncle Gao Jing. After Yuan Xi persistently charmed Gao Jing, the latter finally agreed that Gao Yue could also attend the Yuan clan school. Yuan Xi’s simple motive was to have the teacher call on him to answer questions, so that Gao Yue could wake him when he nodded off—a reason that made the initially moved Gao Yue roll her eyes in exasperation.

Teacher Hu Zhao’s eyes inadvertently glanced toward the corner where young Yuan Xi sat, his brows furrowing. A trace of displeasure appeared on his face.

He hadn’t expected the famed son of Yuan Shao to be so lazy.

However, what puzzled Teacher Hu Zhao was that every time he called on the boy to answer questions, Yuan Xi responded fluently and flawlessly.

This frustrated Hu Zhao, who wanted to discipline him.

Hu Zhao, styled Kongming, was quite annoyed.

This time, he truly refused to be fooled. He slapped the ruler against his palm with force and said with great vigor, “Yuan Xi, stand up for me!”

Gao Yue quickly pinched Yuan Xi’s waist.

“Ah! That hurts!!!”

Like a spring, Yuan Xi sprang to his feet instantly.

“Hahaha! It’s him again!”

Around them, a wave of good-natured laughter broke out.

Only a little girl of about six or seven nearby looked at Yuan Xi with disdain. It was her first time at the Yuan clan school.

She didn’t yet know much about Yuan Xi but had already noticed this “bad boy” who had been sleeping since class began.

Yuan Xi wore a lazy expression, showing no trace of panic.

He politely asked, “May I know, Teacher, what instructions you have for me?”

Teacher Hu Zhao, of course, knew that the contents of the textbook were no challenge for this prodigiously talented boy.

Suddenly, Hu Zhao’s mind shifted; he thought of something.

Lowering his face, he scolded, “Yuan Xi, you love to sleep all day, wasting time. Talent alone isn’t enough. Now that His Majesty is enlightened and adopting Confucianism for official selection, do you think you can pass the exams by behaving like this?”

Yuan Xi thought, this teacher really had a bit of the style of future teachers in the kingdom. So, he replied very casually, “Fame and rank are but fleeting clouds to me. Besides, even if I sleep every day, don’t I still grasp what you teach?”

In his heart, Yuan Xi mused, what a joke. With the Yuan family’s illustrious background, did he really need to pass the imperial exams like ordinary scholars? That path was for the less fortunate, clearly not for him.

Hu Zhao was flushed with anger at Yuan Xi’s arrogant words.

Suppressing the fury in his chest, he questioned the boy, “Hmph, if you regard fame as fleeting clouds, then what do you care about?”

Yuan Xi smiled, his exquisitely handsome face exuding a carefree charm.

He answered casually, “Nothing else. I simply love beauty. For those who pursue beauty, intelligence is secondary; beauty should be paramount.”

Hearing this outrageous claim, Gao Yue beside him rolled her eyes furiously.

She pinched Yuan Xi hard. This brat was already thinking about beauty at such a young age and openly claiming to be a lover of beauty.

Truly, his rebelliousness was beyond words.

But really, wasn’t it pretty cool? Ah, what am I thinking?

Earlier, Yuan Xi had also caught sight of the little girl.

A flash of surprise appeared on her face, quickly replaced by scorn.

She was Cai Yan, daughter of the official Cai Yong. At three, she could compose poetry, her manners elegant and proper, much beloved by her father, who regarded her as a precious gem.

However, Cai Yong and Yuan Shao, Yuan Xi’s father, had political differences, and it seemed Cai Yan also disliked Yuan Xi, as if their fates were at odds from birth.

But later, as the saying goes, there’s no meeting of enemies without reason.

Yuan Xi and Cai Yan—well, how to put it—

In any case, they ended up entangled.

Wei Zhongdao had recently died.

Yuan Xi’s words caused the entire study hall to erupt in commotion.

Teacher Hu Zhao could no longer contain his anger.

He shouted at Yuan Xi, “Yuan Xi! Get out of here!”

Yuan Xi bowed slightly, still carrying an innate noble bearing.

He replied calmly and evenly, “Young sir, I obey your orders, sir. I merely speak my mind and have committed no fault.”

Yawning, he then walked out of the study hall.

At this moment, Teacher Hu Zhao’s veins bulged in fury, yet he dared not vent his wrath on Yuan Xi—who else could, given Yuan Xi’s high status?

Many children in the hall looked on with admiration at young Yuan Xi.

Among them were Cao Ang of the Cao family, Yang Xiu of the Yang family,

As well as Wang Ling of the Wang family, and Huangfu Li of the Huangfu family.

Of course, Huangfu Li was older and there to gain prestige.

The young ones felt Yuan Xi’s spontaneous demeanor was incredibly cool. They wished they could be like him, but did not dare.

Especially during the late Han period, when strict rituals and hierarchy prevailed.

Yuan Xi’s free-spiritedness was indeed rare.

Emperor Yuan Xi, the Martial Emperor Taizong, embodied this carefree spirit that set the style for the Jin dynasty.

Later, many famous Jin scholars emulated him.

Most famously, Gu He, a descendant of Gu Yong from Jiangdong,

Along with Zhang Qian, descendant of Zhang Zhao, and Lu Kang, descendant of Lu Xun.

……………………

“Hu Bing,” also known as “Shāobǐng” (baked wheat cake).

When Emperor Yuan Xi led the northern campaign against the Xianbei, he was troubled by the inefficiency of logistics. Following the advice of Grand Commandant Sima Yi, he adopted the Hu people’s method, using these wheat cakes as military rations, greatly improving the cavalry corps’ combat efficiency.

However, there was a problem: the humid and hot southern climate caused the wheat cakes to mold easily.

This flaw was discovered and exploited by Liu Bei’s strategist Zhuge Liang during the Battle of Red Cliffs,

Nearly causing Yuan Xi’s downfall.

Zhuge Liang made Yuan Xi suffer greatly—indeed, a formidable rival.