Perhaps due to the friend's introduction, Han Qi became much more enthusiastic toward Cao You and his nephew Cao Tun.
But what Cao Tun found strange was that although Han Qi had clearly been startled by Little Uncle's military strategies earlier, he now only gave Little Uncle a reading list and presented him with several of his own works before setting him aside. Instead, Han Qi took Cao Tun's small hand and kept asking what books he had read.
In truth, Cao Tun had read many books.
Although deciphering archaic classical Chinese with its variant characters was excruciatingly difficult, often leaving Cao Tun teary-eyed from frustration, life in ancient times was dull. With no other interesting pastimes to pass the time besides reading, and with Little Uncle serving as his translation tool, Cao Tun treated reading as entertainment.
Given the Cao Family's precarious circumstances, Cao You was reluctant to make many friends. Whenever he wished to share his reading insights, he would recite them to Cao Tun, willingly acting as his translation tool.
But Cao Tun was not familiar with Han Qi and did not want to stand out too much, so he only mentioned a few introductory books that children his age should read.
Han Qi then asked which texts Cao Tun could recite, to which he only replied, "The Thousand Character Classic."
Cao Tun had intended to be perfunctory with Han Qi, not wanting to be tested by a stranger. If Han Qi asked him to recite "The Thousand Character Classic," it would only take a moment, and he could slack off afterward.
Who would have thought that even with "The Thousand Character Classic," Han Qi could weave elaborate explanations, delving into its historical allusions in great detail.
Cao Tun grew drowsy listening to him.
Admittedly, Han Qi's teaching was actually quite good—clear and easy to understand. An ordinary four- or five-year-old child would likely have listened with rapt attention.
But Cao Tun was no ordinary child.
He could recite the original works of the allusions in "The Thousand Character Classic" from memory. Han Qi's child-friendly storytelling approach to explaining these allusions felt like someone explaining a cartoon version of Sima Guang smashing the vat to a history major in college. Internally, Cao Tun could only agitatedly repeat Sima Guang's surname in his mind.
However, Han Qi held high prestige both in literary circles and at court, while the Cao Family lived in constant fear, treading on thin ice. Cao Tun could not afford to offend Han Qi. He could only pretend to be interested, forcing his drooping eyes wide open, mustering a sticky, childish voice, and using cutesy reduplicated words to express his admiration for Han Qi.
Han Qi's smile grew increasingly bright, and Fan Zhongyan watched with great delight.
Both were inwardly pleased with the Crown Prince's keen intelligence.
Only Cao You secretly clenched his fist, his short fingernails digging into his palm to suppress his laughter.
He knew Cao Tun's true learning progress well and was familiar with the genuine feelings hidden beneath his nephew's pretense.
Tun'er was probably exerting the greatest effort of his life to stifle his bored yawns.
Han Qi's status was too high for Cao You to interrupt his instruction of his little nephew. He could only sympathize with the boy in his heart.
Moreover, Cao Tun usually wore a listless expression, appearing even more indifferent than Cao You, who had lived two lives. It was rare to see Cao Tun pretending to be an adorable child. Though Cao You knew his nephew was suffering inwardly, he couldn't help but delight in the amusing scene, wishing he could capture it in a painting and savor it a little longer.
Cao Tun stole a glance at Cao You—how could he not tell that Little Uncle was secretly laughing at him?
How infuriating! When Little Uncle falls asleep, I'll draw a big turtle on his face!
With Little Uncle unwilling to rescue him, Cao Tun had to save himself.
He swayed slightly, pretending to look exhausted.
Cao Tun was naturally thin and small, with skin so pale it seemed almost devoid of blood. This sudden sway startled Han Qi, who leaped up from his chair and immediately scooped Cao Tun into his arms.
Cao Tun: "…" I was just pretending to be tired. Was it really necessary to be so nervous?
How could Han Qi not be nervous? His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of his throat, and he could hardly resist slapping himself twice.
The Crown Prince was still so young and appeared so frail—how could he have let the Crown Prince stand for so long while listening to his lecture?
Having grown accustomed to teaching students, Han Qi only now realized the problem.
Fan Zhongyan also snapped back to his senses, inwardly regretting his oversight.
In truth, Cao Tun hadn’t been standing for very long. An ordinary child of his age would have at most grown restless and fidgety, not exhausted.
Perhaps it was Cao Tun’s deathly pale little face that was so deceiving, or perhaps it was the immense importance of the Crown Prince’s status, but Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan couldn’t help but panic. Even though the Cao Family’s accompanying physician assured them Cao Tun was fine, they dared not relax.
Han Qi even worried that the poor conditions outside the city might have caused Cao Tun to fall ill. He didn’t dare spend any more time with Cao Tun and urged Cao You to take him home immediately.
If not for fear of frightening Cao Tun, Han Qi would have been beating his chest in frustration.
Though he was reluctant to part with the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince’s safety was paramount—he should have sent him back to the Eastern Capital sooner! How foolish he had been!
As Han Qi helped Cao Tun into the carriage, his hands trembled, and his tearful expression frightened Cao Tun even more.
Cao You glanced at Cao Tun: See, pretending to be tired scared Advisor Han.
Cao Tun glanced back at Cao You: So it’s my fault!
Uncle and nephew exchanged looks in the carriage.
Fan Zhongyan, having served the emperor for many years, was highly skilled at reading expressions. Though still anxious, he noticed something amiss as soon as he saw the looks on their faces.
After a moment’s hesitation, Fan Zhongyan tentatively asked, “Is Tun’er not actually exhausted from overexertion?”
Cao You patted Cao Tun’s head and explained on his behalf, “Tun’er was merely being overly humble when meeting Advisor Han. When Advisor Han began lecturing, he didn’t feel it appropriate to admit he had been pretending earlier, so he forced himself to listen until he grew drowsy. He isn’t truly exhausted or ill. My apologies for worrying you and Advisor Han.”
Fan Zhongyan repeated, “Drowsy… from listening?”
Cao You suppressed a laugh. “Tun’er, since Teacher Zhu is to be your tutor, you should inform him of your actual level of learning.”
Cao Tun hesitated.
Cao You said, “Tun’er, our dynasty has many young prodigies—five-year-olds who can compose poetry and nine-year-olds who have mastered the Five Classics are everywhere. Don’t you want to take the Child Prodigy Examination in the future? Those who dare to attempt it are no less talented than you. If you hide your abilities under a guise of clumsiness, how can your teacher properly instruct you?”
Fan Zhongyan’s mind went blank once more, and he could only repeat, “Attempt… the Child Prodigy Examination?”
Cao Tun still didn’t trust Teacher Zhu. Seeing that Teacher Zhu was on friendly terms with Han Qi only deepened his concerns.
However, it occurred to him that if Teacher Zhu was truly someone Han Qi respected, his talent and learning must be exceptional. His granduncle had gone to great lengths to find such a tutor for him and likely wouldn’t allow him to change teachers over a few words of complaint. No matter how worried he was, he would have to study under Teacher Zhu.
Ah, what a hassle.
Cao Tun decided to drop the act. He resumed his usual listless expression, and though his clasped hands were polite, his tone was cold and impolite as he said, “I have already thoroughly studied the Five Classics and am now reading historical texts.”
Cao You gave him no chance to be modest.
His thoughts aligned with Cao Tun's. Since Teacher Zhu was a friend of Han Qi, he must undoubtedly be a great Confucian scholar. Little Uncle must have gone to great lengths to secure such a talented master for Tun'er, so Tun'er's hope of changing teachers was absolutely impossible to realize.
The teacher-student relationship was of utmost importance. Given Tun'er's arrogant and unrestrained nature, he must not offend Teacher Zhu and jeopardize his future career.
As Cao Tun was unwilling to elaborate, Cao You stepped in to boast on his behalf.
Fan Zhongyan's mouth fell slightly open, remaining agape for a long moment as he listened to Cao You extol Cao Tun's virtues to the skies.
Cao Tun possessed an almost photographic memory. He had not merely read through the Five Classics—he had already memorized them entirely. The Analects and Mencius were also fully committed to memory.
Saying he was "currently reading history" was an understatement. Cao Tun's progress in studying history was about the same as Cao You's, only because Cao You lacked the ability to remember everything at a glance.
Cao Tun was also learning to compose poetry and prose. He had already mastered the rules of rhyme and meter for poetry, while his essays and policy discussions were as sophisticated as those of an adult…
Once Cao You started boasting about his nephew, he couldn't stop.
Cao Tun shot his little uncle several annoyed glances, then rummaged through a small cabinet under the carriage seat, pulled out a water pouch, and tossed it to the endlessly chattering little uncle to soothe his throat.
"Although Tun'er is exceptionally talented, he does have a few shortcomings. He learns characters quickly but writes them rather slowly, and his handwriting isn't particularly neat. Moreover, while he can remember everything at a glance, he needs to understand the content before he can memorize it. Interpreting and analyzing texts is still somewhat challenging for him, which is why he reads historical texts and classical works more slowly than the Confucian classics." Cao You reluctantly pointed out a few flaws that weren't really flaws at all.
Cao Tun was not yet five years old—could these so-called shortcomings even be considered shortcomings? Of course not.
Cao You was merely informing Teacher Zhu of Cao Tun's weaker areas in learning so that Teacher Zhu could tailor his instruction accordingly.
Yet Cao Tun felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.
As a transmigrator, even with the cheat-like ability of a photographic memory, his progress in learning to write was only slightly better than that of an ordinary five-year-old child. How could he not feel embarrassed?
In fact, when he first started learning to read and write, his progress was about the same as that of an ordinary child. It was only after he understood the texts that he could quickly memorize them, setting him apart from others.
There was nothing he could do about it—he felt utterly helpless.
Brush-written traditional characters were simply too difficult! In my previous life, I had never written with a brush from childhood to adulthood! There were just too many strokes—I really couldn't remember them all!
Classical Chinese was simply too difficult! The few passages of classical Chinese from the college entrance exam in my previous life were as simple and easy to understand as vernacular Chinese compared to what I faced now!
Cao Tun hadn't originally intended to pose as some child prodigy. After all, as long as he coasted until his coming-of-age at twenty, he could rely on his aunt's influence to enjoy a life of wealth and comfort.
But unfortunately, his family was too poor. Given the Cao Family's cautious nature and his aunt's strictness, it was likely that if the Cao descendants couldn't secure official positions on their own merit, they wouldn't be entrusted with important roles in the court. With no surplus grain at home and no inheritance to speak of, one couldn't expect to live comfortably in the Song Dynasty without holding a high-ranking official position.
Moreover, the Imperial Examination System of the Song Dynasty also tested poetry composition—a talent he simply didn't possess.
Furthermore, while he had an excellent memory, if he were to compare his knowledge with that of adults in this era, he might not necessarily come out on top. What kind of superhumans were the Jinshi scholars from the reigns of Emperor Renzong of Song to Emperor Shenzong of Song? The names of the authors of the essential poems and essays in the language textbooks were proof enough!
After much thought, he realized he could only outshine his peers.
You may master the Confucian classics by your twenties or thirties, and though I might not surpass you by that age, surely you couldn't have recited the Confucian classics flawlessly as a child like I can, right?
Cao Tun's primary plan upon returning to the capital was to take the shortcut of the Child Prodigy Examination.
The Song Dynasty stipulated that children under fifteen (nominal age) could be recommended by officials to take the Child Prodigy Examination. The emperors of the Song Dynasty placed great importance on this examination, personally testing every prodigy. Officials and the parents of prodigies dared not deceive the emperor, so most recommended prodigies lived up to their reputations, such as Yang Yi and Yan Shu, who were literary giants and served as prime ministers of the Song Dynasty.
Cao Tun thought about it and felt his head swell and pressure mount like a mountain.
Although the Great Song was a mess, its literati were fiercely competitive.
Yang Yi, Yan Shu, and others could write essays by the nominal age of six or seven, while he was already five nominal years old—no longer young!
Heavens, if he didn’t work hard, he might not even pass the Child Prodigy Examination!
Being a wealthy, idle slacker in the Song Dynasty was truly not easy. Thinking of his plans, Cao Tun had to abandon the idea of driving away the troublesome Teacher Zhu. Instead, he obediently bowed and sighed, "I do indeed intend to take the Child Prodigy Examination. Please teach me, Master."
Fan Zhongyan was dumbfounded.
It wasn’t because of Cao Tun’s extraordinary intelligence that he was stunned.
Fan Zhongyan had seen many prodigies; Yan Shu, who was both his teacher and friend, was a genuine prodigy who had passed the Child Prodigy Examination.
What stunned him was that the Crown Prince… wanted to take the Child Prodigy Examination?
And after passing the Child Prodigy Examination? Did the Crown Prince intend to enter the court as an official with a Jinshi degree?
Ah, this… it’s absurd! Once the Crown Prince’s identity was revealed to the world, who knew how the officials would react!
Logically, Fan Zhongyan knew he should stop this, but he couldn’t think of any excuse to do so.
If the Crown Prince had the ability to pass the Child Prodigy Examination, why shouldn’t he take it? As the prodigy of the Cao Family, if he entered the court as an official based on his own talent, what grounds were there to stop him?
Besides, the Crown Prince didn’t even know he was the Crown Prince!
Fan Zhongyan slowly inhaled, then slowly exhaled.
He forced a stiff smile and said, "It’s excellent, truly excellent that Langjun has such aspirations."
Excellent, truly excellent… He’d just toss this problem to Your Majesty once he returned to the capital.
Author’s Note:
Tun’er decided to take the Child Prodigy Examination because he probably wouldn’t pass the Jinshi exam when he grew up (wiping tears).
Laughing every day while looking at the draft stockpile—a full ten chapters! This is the first time I’ve been so well-off.