Ruan Chengxin no longer lived idle, and found several jobs copying books. Although the income was not much, it could always subsidize the family. Lin was usually at home, so he picked up a "Thousand-Character Classic" and started with "Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang"

, taught Ruan Yuan how to read little by little.

Although Ruan Yuan is still ignorant, he usually reads his parents' poems and books, and his father talks about everything. Naturally, he is no stranger to books and has a good impression of them. He is also gifted and enlightened. Every time Lin taught him the pronunciation and meaning of a word, he would read it several times himself.

I got to know him. His literacy speed was much faster than Lin expected.

But the "Thousand Character Classic" is not a simple literacy textbook. It contains many historical allusions, customs and ethics. Lin's father Lin Tinghe passed the examination and served as a county magistrate, so Lin has known calligraphy since he was a child. But it involves complex allusions.

, trying to explain it in words that Ruan Yuan can understand is not easy.

That day, when Lin was teaching "The Thousand-Character Essay", when it came to "referring power to the country, there were Yu Tao and Tang; the people were punished and punished, Zhou sent Yin Tang", Ruan Yuan could still understand the first half of the sentence, but he was confused by the second half:

"Mom is saying that the king before Yin Tang always did bad things, so Yin Tang knocked him down and became the king himself. Then why would anyone come to fight Yin Tang?"

"Yin Tang died soon after he became king. The Zhou Fa mentioned in this book happened six hundred years later."

"Six hundred years?! How many years has it been since Zhou Fa?"

Lin was a little hard to answer this time. The ancients did not have numerical records, so sometimes they could only add up some simple numbers: "800 years in the Zhou Dynasty, 400 years in the Han Dynasty, and another 300 years in the Tang Dynasty... about 2,500 years."

It’s been many years.”

Ruan Yuan opened his mouth wide and couldn't believe it. He had only lived five years since he was born. There were no one knows how many five years there were in the two thousand five hundred. In short, Yin Zhou's world was very, very far away from him.

"Then...didn't Yin Tang defeat the bad king? Why did Zhou Fa defeat the Yin Kingdom later?"

"Because the Yin Kingdom also had a bad king later." Lin felt that Ruan Yuan was too young after all and would not understand if he said more, so she simply said: "Because the subsequent king of the Yin Kingdom was too bad, the people were not willing to continue.

Let him be the king. At this time, a man named Ji Fa, the Zhou Fa written in the book, stood up to resist the king. Later... Later they fought a war, and it is said that the battlefield was quite terrifying." As for that.

Lin felt that Ruan Yuan wouldn't understand the stories about King Wen of Zhou and Jiang Ziya, so she didn't mention them.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Ruan Chengxin came back that night, Ruan Yuan went up to him and begged Ruan Chengxin to tell him the story of Zhou Fa and the bad king of Yin. Ruan Chengxin was also surprised, and asked Lin about it, only to find out the reason.

Seeing Ruan Yuan's big eyes full of doubts, Ruan Chengxin couldn't refuse, so he told the story of the Battle of Makino.

"...On that day, King Zhou Wu personally led 4,000 chariots and 300,000 soldiers, and marched towards Chaoge City. In front of them was the army of King Zhou of Yin and Shang. At this time, Tan Ma came to report and said

King Zhou's army numbered 700,000..." Ruan Cheng believed that these figures were not groundless. Half of them were from the original text of "Historical Records", and the other half was based on his own calculations based on the number of chariots. Although since ancient times, ancient records such as "Historical Records"

The figures were sometimes questioned, but because they were for the purpose of telling a story, Ruan Chengxin would rather believe them and copied the numbers from the book. Ruan Yuan usually only knew about temple fairs, but there were only hundreds or thousands of people. How many of them had he seen?

A formation of 100,000 people? I opened my mouth for a moment and listened with great interest.

"At this time, the officers and soldiers of the Zhou army could not help but look worried. The enemy was twice as many as themselves. What should we do? But King Wu of Zhou remained calm and said loudly to the soldiers in front: 'Today's battle will be fought.

The Tao fights against the unjust. Although our army is small, the way of Heaven is with our army. If we go with the sky, our army will win. If we move against the sky, the enemy will be defeated! Kill the king of Hun and carry out the punishment of heaven!' A group of soldiers were inspired by this,

They also shouted in unison, "Kill the Hun Lord, a punishment from heaven!" At that time, the ground in Muye could not stop shaking, and even the birds in the woods nearby were so frightened that they flew around in the sky and did not dare to do so.

Fall to the ground!"

"King Zhou of the Yin and Shang Dynasties was no mediocre man. He immediately decided to attack with an army of 300,000 people from the front, with 200,000 troops from the left wing attacking King Wu's right wing, and 200,000 people from the right wing attacking King Wu's left wing. Thinking of attacking from three sides, King Wu could not think about what was going on. But.

The Zhou army has been in battle for a long time, and after listening to King Wu's words just now, it is also very powerful at this time. King Wu's two younger brothers, Zhou Gongdan guarded the left wing, Zhao Gongxi guarded the right wing, Jiang Shang's father led the front army, and the iron shield resisted the Ma Qi.

Put them all together. The two armies fought for three hours, and the blood shed on the Makino Plain that day was so much that the shields floated..."

"But mother said the war would be over in one fell swoop?" Ruan Yuan asked puzzledly.

"It would certainly be quick to end the war in one day. Seeing that the Shang army could not move forward for three hours, many people began to show their timidity. At this time, suddenly a shout came out from the Shang army, 'The Shang army has been defeated!'

This sound was so powerful that the entire Yin and Shang army dropped their weapons with a loud bang and ran in all directions."

"King Wu of Zhou also knew that most of these people were ordinary civilians who were dragged into the battlefield. If we can reduce casualties, we should not hurt innocent people anymore. So he ordered that the deserters be let go and march directly to Chaoge! The 300,000-strong army was instantly killed.

The sky was shaking and could no longer be stopped. Seeing that the situation was over, King Zhou of Yin fled into Chaoge City and burned down the imperial palace. Even his own life was lost inside..."

Regarding the Battle of Makino, there are only a few words in "Historical Records", and there is no way to talk about the details of the war. In order to attract his son, Ruan Chengxin incorporated the military skills he learned into it, and also used the saying of "bloody rafting" in "Shang Shu"

, added this story in a different way. He told an originally very simple story in a vivid and colorful way. Ruan Yuan listened in rapt attention, and it took him a long time to react.

"Dad, what did King Yin Zhou do to make so many people oppose him? If 700,000 people fight against 300,000 people, they won't lose at all?" Ruan Yuan has never understood this question.

"Just because he is a first-class genius." Ruan Chengxin's answer was beyond Ruan Yuan's expectations.

"If you think that King Zhou is an incompetent person, you are completely wrong. On the contrary, King Zhou is very brave and can fight wild beasts. He is also very smart and has never been at a disadvantage in debates with his ministers. With such a combination of wisdom and courage, the world is full of wisdom and courage.

How many people are there with him?"

"But it was precisely this combination of wisdom and courage that made him gradually think that he was the best in the world, and whatever he did was right. If he disagreed with himself, then the other party must be wrong. So he overhauled the palace, wasted people and money,

Only for his own enjoyment, in the palace, drinking wine and eating meat every day, endlessly, how can the people endure this?" In fact, King Zhou also had sex with women, but Ruan Chengxin felt that his son was only five years old, so he probably wouldn't understand, so he

Omitted.

"At that time, some people were admonishing him, but King Zhou said, 'Since you dare to admonish, you must be a smart man. I heard that smart people have seven orifices in their hearts. How about you dig out your heart and show it to me?'

If this man has no heart, can he still live? The minister soon died. King Zhou felt that another minister wanted to rebel, so he chopped him into pieces. But what would the minister think? He would be loyal to Zhou.

The king will inevitably die, so he will naturally have to establish another branch."

Ruan Yuan had never seen such a murder scene before, and he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. Seeing that Ruan Yuan was a little scared, Mrs. Lin gently stroked Ruan Yuan's forehead and winked at Ruan Chengxin, telling him that the child was still young, so don't scare him yet.

.

Ruan Chengxin immediately understood and said: "This is the case with the decline of Yin and the rise of Zhou Dynasty. Yuan'er must remember that intelligence does not necessarily mean more is better. The so-called wise man will make mistakes if he thinks a lot. Listen to what others say, and the result will be

There is nothing to lose. Even if you think others are wrong, you should be more tolerant of others. But if you are blindly self-righteous, and even think that no one in the world can match you, then indulge in your lust and do anything, then the fate of King Zhou will be far away from you.

Not far away.”

Ruan Yuan nodded and asked: "Do you know, dad, what kind of person is today? Is he like King Zhou of Yin or King Wu of Zhou?"

This time, Ruan Chengxin was speechless. That unforgettable afternoon in the 16th year of Qianlong's reign appeared in his mind again...

Ruan Chengxin actually met Emperor Qianlong who was in power at this time.

But maybe it was just because he had seen it before that Ruan Chengxin found it hard to answer.

After thinking for a while, Ruan Chengxin said: "I am a saint today, but... Yuan'er just remember that he is a saint. You are too young to understand the rest."

Ruan Yuan felt that his father might have some secrets, but looking at his father's expression, he seemed unwilling to say more, which was quite disappointing. But it was almost the second watch at this time, and he felt very sleepy, so he went to sleep aside.

Ruan Chengxin looked at Ruan Yuan who was gradually sleeping, and couldn't help but smile and said to Mrs. Lin: "Seeing how seriously he listens to the story, maybe he will really be a reading material in the future."

"When you mentioned studying, I remembered it. His uncle Jia recently opened a private school in Chenji, but no one is going there. Why don't we let him live in Chenji for a while during the Chinese New Year?" Ruan Chengxin's brother-in-law Jia Tianning is also full.

A student who studied poetry and books lived near Chen Ji's old house in Ruan's hometown and taught for a living. Ruan Chengxin was busy copying books at this time and had no time to take care of Ruan Yuan. It was a good choice to let him study with him.

"Yeah. I trust Tianning. I can rest assured that Yuan'er will study with him. Besides, it's a little too early for me to teach him "Zizhi Tongjian". I'll let his uncle teach him the Four Books first so that he can learn more words.

"Rice in Yangzhou is getting more and more expensive." Ruan Chengxin also agreed with his wife's thoughts, especially the last sentence, which is particularly urgent.

The Ruan family temporarily separated the following year, and Ruan Chengxin continued to stay in the city to earn some meager income. Lin and Ruan Yuan went to Chenji. Chenji was quite close to Yizheng County, where the Ruan family's ancestral property was located, and the Ruan family had an old residence in Chenji.

Ji is also the place where the Lin family lives. It is convenient for Lin to visit her parents' home.

Ruan Yuan studied at his uncle's house. While continuing to read, Jia Tianning also told him some easy-to-understand passages from the Four Books. Ruan Yuan's memory was pretty good, and he had no distracting thoughts on weekdays. Soon he also learned chapters and sentences of "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius".

Quite a few. Seeing that Ruan Yuan entered the country very quickly, Mrs. Lin was quite relieved.

But on this day, Mrs. Lin unexpectedly discovered that Ruan Yuan had been depressed since he came back from his uncle's house. He didn't even want to say hello, so he sat aside with his head lowered. After a while, Mrs. Lin actually heard several sounds of crying.

It turns out that something unpleasant happened to Ruan Yuan, and he couldn't bear to let his mother hear it, so he kept trying not to cry, but he couldn't hide it after all.

Mrs. Lin hurried over and asked Ruan Yuan what happened. Unexpectedly, Ruan Yuan replied: "Mom...I...I don't want to study anymore. There are some sentences in the book that I can't read..."

Mrs. Lin couldn't help being surprised. Ruan Yuan had been able to read and write quite smoothly in the past few months. Although it was only a few months, it was equivalent to two years for an ordinary person. She thought that if Ruan Yuan continued like this, he could inherit his father's business in the future. Unexpectedly, Ruan Yuan unexpectedly showed up that day.

Having such depressing thoughts.

But Mrs. Lin also knew that Ruan Yuan was just six years old, and it was normal to have confusion or incomprehension when reading. If he gave up halfway like this, he might regret it for the rest of his life. So as always, he looked at Ruan Yuan softly and asked: "Yuan'er, after all

When I'm still young, I don't use some characters very often, so it's common that I can't understand and remember them. Even the scholars who have been studying for many years, there are many who pronounce them in white characters."

"But...but those words are not difficult..." Ruan Yuan cried.

"Can you recite it to your mother first? Don't worry, Yuan'er. No matter how you read it, your mother will not blame you. But if you don't read it, there is really nothing you can do about it." Ms. Lin was still encouraging Ruan Yuan.

"Meng... Mengsshezi... is not as good as... not as good as Zengzi..." Ruan Yuan couldn't help but shed tears as he spoke. Mrs. Lin also understood that this sentence was originally from "Mencius and Gongsun"

In "Chou Shang", "Meng Shi's keeping of the spirit of giving is not as good as Zengzi's keeping of promises." This is probably because in this sentence, the four pronunciation words "giving of giving" appear continuously. Ruan Yuan is still young, and his usual speech is difficult.

Not much, I couldn't breathe for a while, and read the two characters for "flat tongue" into "flat tongue" characters.

Before this sentence, there are "Two sons are brave, but it is unknown which one is wise." and "Mencius nourishes bravery." This kind of sentence requires continuous conversion of flat and upturned tongue, or several consecutive upturned tongue sounds. If it is an adult breath

It's enough, maybe you can read it in one breath. But Ruan Yuan is originally weak, and he may have no energy to continue after reading the previous sentences. Therefore, the last two sentences are not only confusing in pronunciation, but also unclear. In this way, it is no wonder

Ruan Yuan felt that he was useless.

Mrs. Lin probably thought about the cause and effect, and felt that Ruan Yuan should not be blamed. So she said softly: "The few sentences Yuan'er read today are the most difficult to read in Mencius. If everyone can read them in one breath, then

Will everyone win the top prize in the future?"

"But, I'm the only one in my uncle's family who can't read it..." When Ruan Yuan said this, he cried even more sadly.

Lin thought for a while and realized that luck in reading was not Ruan Yuan's strong point. But it was not something that someone without talent couldn't do. If he could study hard and practice hard, his pronunciation could always reach a basically clear level. But if Ruan Yuan didn't have it,

If you are patient or give up on yourself, you will never be able to change it for the rest of your life. He then said, "Mom has a way to solve your problem, but it will take some time. Are you willing to try it, Yuan'er?"

Ruan Yuan's face was full of doubts, and it seemed that he did not believe that he could overcome the difficulties in front of him.
To be continued...