These days, he had truly been on edge, but as the ruler of a nation, he couldn't lose his composure, so he had been holding his ground.
Meanwhile, Li Er and his ministers began discussing the distribution of rewards and merits.
And within Chang'an city, the home of Minister Zheng from the Ministry of Works was filled with killing intent.
Fang Er had severed their main lineage, equivalent to hollowing out the heartwood of a great tree, making it unable to withstand any storms!
Minister Zheng sat in the main seat, his heart filled with an immense burden.
The night raid on the Fang family was carried out by his men!
Not only did the mission fail, but it also reached Li Er's ears. Thus, he could only halt his actions and observe.
However, he never expected that this observation would lead to the loss of his ancestral land!
He was a branch member of the Zheng family, from the second branch.
The previous patriarch was his uncle, and he was a cousin to the recently deceased patriarch.
Despite the magnitude of the affair, Li Er showed no reaction. The day before yesterday at the morning court, he had pleaded with Li Er, only to be told to wait for the results of the investigation by the vigilant guards.
But it had been two or three days, and there were no clues whatsoever. Li Er was clearly unwilling to intervene!
He could figure it out with his rear end that this matter was definitely the work of Fang Er, retaliating against the Zheng family! The people sent out that day must have confessed!
Now that the main branch was gone, people from various branches were waiting for him to make a decision.
"Tianhe, you are now of the second branch, you should make a decision. When has our Zheng clan's glory of several hundred years ever suffered such humiliation!"
A head of a branch said to Zheng Tianhe.
Zheng Tianhe was the name of Minister Zheng from the Ministry of Works.
"Exactly, exactly! In my opinion, why don't we send some assassins to directly raze that so-called Fang Family Village! Avenge the main lineage! How dare a man from a humble background dare to tread upon our Zheng clan! If we just let this go, where would our Zheng clan's honor be?"
Another person roared at Zheng Tianhe.
"In my opinion, it doesn't matter which branch it is, or which lineage it belongs to. Whoever can avenge the main lineage shall take the position of patriarch!"
An elder struck the table with his walking stick, making a bang.
"This is a good idea! Whoever avenges this wrong shall hold the position of patriarch!"
"Yes, let's do that!"
"I agree!"
Others also echoed their agreement.
"Very well, since you all agree, let it be so. Prepare yourselves, and he who brings the head of the Fang bandit will be the next patriarch of our Zheng family."
With everyone in agreement, Zheng Tianhe could only comply.
Fang Er had no idea that a retaliation aimed at him had already begun!
He had been busy creating teaching materials these past few days.
Two scholars arrived from Chang'an. One named Ma Tongyuan, twenty-seven years old, a native of Chang'an. His father was a merchant whose family had fallen into decline. Without any recommendations, he was attracted by the conditions offered by Fang Er.
The other, Zhang Zhimin, was the nephew of Magistrate Zhang. He was twenty-two years old. Magistrate Zhang heard that Fang Er was recruiting scholars and personally brought Zhang Zhimin to meet Fang Er.
Both of these individuals were quite knowledgeable, well-versed in various classics, but due to their family backgrounds, they were unable to enter officialdom. Having experienced the harshness of society, they had also learned humility.
Fang Er compiled what he recalled from memory into booklets.
The Thousand Character Classic
The Classic of Filial Duty
These were materials he planned to use for the enlightenment of children.
Of course, any content in these two books that referred to periods after the Tang Dynasty had been completely deleted.
For instance, in the Thousand Character Classic.
It only went as far as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, raising his army. Ending the chaos of the Sui, establishing the nation's foundation. This line and everything after it was entirely removed.
Too much content later on, if written, might be difficult to explain.
Zhang Zhimin and Ma Tongyuan each held a copy, looking at the content.
"Young master, your talent is immense! This book is perfectly suited for enlightenment! With just over a thousand characters, it contains the profound truths of life. Wonderful! Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
Zhang Zhimin held the Classic of Filial Duty, becoming more and more excited and thrilled as he read.
"Indeed, this Thousand Character Classic is catchy, easy to read, and easy to remember. Moreover, it contains so many deeds of past sages that inspire people to strive for the better. With this book, young master will surely gain widespread fame in Confucian circles and leave his name in history!"
Ma Tongyuan also read with a flushed face, as if he had seen a peerless beauty.
"These are just some amusing articles compiled in my spare time. I presume you are both familiar with the various allusions within? You will be responsible for explaining these to the children later."
Fang Er feigned modesty with great composure.
"Familiar, we are familiar with them all! Young master, rest assured, we will not disappoint you!"
The two patted their chests and promised.
The schoolhouse in the village was also being built day by day.
The villagers' houses were made of adobe bricks, which were clay mixed with straw, formed into squares and built up block by block.
However, for the schoolhouse, Fang Er directly used blue bricks and red tiles.
Currently, this was the liveliest place in the entire Fang Family Village.
Although the villagers had never heard the phrase "knowledge changes destiny," they understood the principle. This was a matter related to the destiny of their descendants, and everyone was extremely proactive.
Each brick, each beam, and even each tile was placed with extreme care, lest their momentary negligence affect the quality of the construction.
Outside the schoolhouse, the villagers used stone rollers to compact the ground, layer by layer of sand and soil, layer by layer of gravel, over and over again.
Five days. It only took five days.
The schoolhouse was built from scratch.
Fang Er stood inside the schoolhouse, looking at the spacious classroom, smelling the fresh scent of wood, and was very satisfied.
The classroom was over two hundred square meters, capable of accommodating over a hundred children.
Adjacent to the classroom was a row of houses, built by the villagers for the scholars who would be teaching.
The next morning, the villagers, having received Fang Er's notice, brought their children to the open space outside the schoolhouse, all immensely excited.
Benches had been placed in the open space, and the villagers brought their children to sit on them, eagerly awaiting the opening ceremony.
"Jade uncarved, cannot become a useful object. Man unlearned, knows not righteousness."
"Learn in youth, act in adulthood. Ascend to serve the ruler, descend to benefit the people."
"Make a good name, glorify parents. Shine in the present, enrich the future."
"Esteemed elders, I have been in the village for over a month. This schoolhouse is my gift to Fang Family Village. From now on, children above the age of five in the village can come here to study. We cannot let our children continue to be mere farmers who only know how to farm!"
"We must enable them to recognize characters, understand principles, identify objects, and know propriety!"
"Whether they become officials, clerks, engage in business, or learn a craft, they can change their own destiny!"
"I have invited two scholars from Chang'an, both of whom are profoundly learned. From now on, they will be the enlightenment teachers for the children. Now, bring your children to register with the two teachers."
Fang Er stood in front of the schoolhouse gate, delivering the prepared speech.
The villagers below did not understand the grand principles, but they understood the latter part of Fang Er's words.
Ma Tongyuan and Zhang Zhimin sat on either side of the schoolhouse gate, with a table in front of them, holding ink and sharpened bamboo slips.
The villagers brought their children to register and received bamboo slips with their names written on them, tears of joy streaming down their faces.