Chapter Ninety-Three: Illiterate

The next day, Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing, along with the others, dragged Zhao Yun and Yuwen Chengdu out for their scheduled morning run. After circling the small town a few times, they returned to the Yan family residence, just in time to see Zhao Ding stretching in the courtyard.

"Brother Zhao Ding, what are you doing? Why don't you join us for a run? It's great for your health. If nothing else, running more often can really energize your mind and make you read more efficiently. You deserve to experience it," Zhang Xuan said, looking at Zhao Ding with a seriousness that made his nonsense sound convincing.

Zhao Ding glanced at Zhang Xuan and the others, noticing their sweat-soaked appearance. He thought for a moment and then waved his hand. He had already heard from Zhao Yun about the intensity of their exercise routine and knew it was not something he could handle. "I spent last night thinking it over and have a rough idea of what I want to teach these next few days. Today, at the hour of Si, you can come and try it out. Let me know what you think after the lesson, and I'll make adjustments as needed."

"Cousin, you already know what you'll be teaching? It can't be the Analects again, can it?" Zhao Yun eyed Zhao Ding, whose face was turning the color of liver, and couldn't help but cover his mouth. "No way, did I guess right?"

Zhang Xuan rapped Zhao Yun on the head, eliciting an "Ah!" Zhao Yun made a show of wanting to retaliate but, seeing Zhang Xuan's expression, simply nodded and let it go. "Little Yun, do you know what it means to see through something but not say it aloud? It's enough that you know; why say it out loud? By the way, is your cousin's Analects class interesting at all, or is it just reading from the text? If it's just reading, that's rather dull."

Zhao Ding couldn't help but grimace at Zhang Xuan's words; truth be told, he had only planned to read directly from the Analects, since he had no real teaching experience.

As Zhang Xuan spoke, Yang Zaixing nudged him and pointed at Zhao Ding, whose face had grown even darker. "No way, Zhao Ding, don't tell me I guessed right too. But it's fine; let me offer you a suggestion. When you teach, try adding your own interpretations, or talk about the origin of a phrase or any related stories. That makes it easier for us to understand."

After hearing Zhang Xuan's advice, Zhao Ding thought it over carefully. Seeing that there was still time, he went back to prepare further. It was his first time teaching, but he wanted to do it as well as possible.

At the hour of Si, Zhao Ding arrived punctually in Zhang Xuan and Yang Zaixing's room. Everyone had a bamboo slip inscribed with selections from the Analects. If one wanted to find a complete copy of the Analects, aside from the great clans of Xun, Chen, and Yuan, perhaps only Cai Boyi and the imperial palace possessed one.

Although this was not Zhang Xuan's first time seeing such bamboo slips, at this moment he had only one sensation: he recognized the bamboo slip itself, but not a single character written on it. He had studied the Analects before, yet looking at these characters, he couldn't even guess which sentence they belonged to.

"All right, let's begin. I assume everyone here has some foundation, so I won't go word by word. Take a look at the bamboo slip in your hand. Next, we'll have Brother Zhang Xuan read the content aloud. After him, each of you will take a turn. If you come across a character you don't know how to read, raise your hand. Let's begin with Brother Zhang Xuan."

Zhang Xuan pointed at himself, utterly dumbfounded. He had suggested reading aloud precisely because he didn't recognize the characters, and now it felt like he had shot himself in the foot. He scrutinized the bamboo slip from beginning to end, then from end to beginning, but he truly did not recognize a single character. He stood there for a long while before finally raising his hand.

"Brother Zhang Xuan, don't tell me you don't know how to read even the first character?" Zhao Ding looked at him, confused, as did everyone else.

Zhang Xuan nodded. There was nothing frightening about ignorance, but pretending to know and putting on airs was truly dreadful. "To be honest, I don't recognize a single character."

Now it wasn't just Zhang Xuan who was stunned; everyone else was left gaping in astonishment. Their minds seemed to freeze, the phrase "not a single character" echoing in their heads as they exchanged glances. Zhao Yun was the first to break the silence. "Brother Xuan, you're not lying, are you? I still remember how you answered my cousin's questions before. Was all that just a facade? No, a lot of people saw it with their own eyes—it couldn't have been faked." The others nodded in agreement. In fact, Old Master Tong had even teased Zhang Xuan and given him the nickname "Zhang the Great Scholar" because of those answers. But now, hearing that Zhang Xuan couldn't recognize even a single character, it truly upended their understanding.