How can one come to understand all characters through just sixty-three?
"Such an incredible feat is unheard of in this world. If you possess such skill, you’ll surely establish your legacy, becoming a Saint in future generations." Han Suzhen’s eyes clearly showed disbelief. How could someone illiterate possess such an ability? It was like someone instantly becoming immortal.
Zhang Chen smiled at Han Suzhen and said, "Master, why not test me?"
"How should I test you?" Han Suzhen asked, showing a sudden interest.
"This Huangting Scripture is about ten thousand characters. It’s impossible for me to remember it after reading just once. As long as you mark it with me once, I can recognize all the characters," said Zhang Chen.
He wanted to mark all characters directly and later study them himself, hoping to understand the technique of Qi Cultivation sooner. If he waited for Han Suzhen to teach him all the characters, who knows how many years it would take.
Three years, or five?
He couldn’t wait that long!
He wanted to explore the Empress Tomb to see if there might be a path to Cultivating Immortality.
Seeing Zhang Chen’s serious expression, Han Suzhen became interested: "Honestly, I don’t believe there’s such a miraculous thing in this world. I want to see if it’s as magical as you say."
Han Suzhen began guiding Zhang Chen through Huangting Scripture, watching him mark each word seriously, increasingly focused.
Three hours later, the thousand-character annotation was complete. Han Suzhen paused and looked at the document marked with pinyin by Zhang Chen:
"Now, I must test you to see if you truly can recognize all the words using these strange symbols."
Han Suzhen randomly pointed at a word, and Zhang Chen identified it: "This word is pronounced ’shi’."
Surprised, Han Suzhen continued pointing at the words, and Zhang Chen read them out one by one flawlessly, not a single pronunciation error, absolutely perfect.
Han Suzhen pointed at more than twenty characters, and Zhang Chen read each one correctly. Han Suzhen stood there stunned, eyes wide in disbelief as she gazed at the youthful face: "I never believed in innate knowledge or natural talent for reading, but encountering you shows how narrow my perspective was. Saints indeed are born with it, there truly is innate talent in this world."
"Thank you for the praise, Master." Zhang Chen accepted Han Suzhen’s compliment without hesitation, seeing the interest in her eyes, he didn’t hide anything: "If Master is interested, I can share these pinyin with you, and you can help me correct them."
"Such a secret is priceless. Whoever masters your pinyin can nurture countless reading prodigies, making reading effortless, saving time and avoiding wasted efforts on learning the characters. You won’t hide it? You’re willing to impart it?" Han Suzhen couldn’t believe it, eyes filled with amazement.
This is knowledge, and it’s exceedingly valuable.
"Master, knowledge is worthwhile because of passing it on. No matter what, mankind has persisted for thousands of years without pinyin. This is merely a supplement, not something invaluable. It’s just a tool to save effort when studying." Zhang Chen didn’t regard pinyin as precious; it helps during the initial learning phase by minimizing repetitive teaching which nobles avoid due to having tutors who can reiterate lessons, preventing awkwardness when seeking help at home.
What’s special about pinyin is that later, in private schools, teachers teach a group of children to read and write, and with pinyin, those children can consolidate their learning at home independently.
After Zhang Chen explained the sixty or so pinyin, Han Suzhen wrote them down, then reverse-annotated the text using the characters, an operation that shocked Zhang Chen; he hadn’t expected Han Suzhen to have this ability.
"Haha, I was once a renowned talent, with more than a little wisdom," Han Suzhen said proudly, picking up paper and drying the ink.
"The Huangting Scripture is less than ten thousand characters. If I work overtime today, marking them all isn’t difficult. You can come to retrieve the scriptures from me tomorrow. The hardest part of reading is the repeating recognition of characters during the initial phase; with pinyin, you can review yourself, and I only need to teach you calligraphy and explain the meaning of the words. Practice writing is vital; achieving excellence in it is challenging." Han Suzhen explained.
"Is it too rushed to annotate everything overnight? Wouldn’t it make Master too tired?" Zhang Chen hesitated.
"It’s nothing, I’m thrilled to grasp new knowledge quickly."" Then Han Suzhen urged Zhang Chen to leave, not to disturb her pinyin annotation.
Zhang Chen could only say goodbye and leave.
After Zhang Chen walked away, Han Suzhen closed the door, looking at the gift box from Zhang Chen, then picked up a piece of gold and went out.
She urged Zhang Chen out earlier because she couldn’t bear hunger; her household had been out of food for a day.
Han Suzhen bought some fine rice and began cooking. Soon, a plate of braised meat rice was ready and served on the table.
At this point, Chen Sanliang sat at the table, looked at the rice, silently took up his bowl and chopsticks, and began eating.
The couple had no mockery at this time, only calmness. After eating and drinking, Chen Sanliang put down his bowl and chopsticks, looking at Han Suzhen: "Did you really take him as your disciple? Remember, knowledge is circulated only among nobles, it’s an unbreakable rule; leaking it could cause big trouble."
"If someone comes for trouble, I’ll be long dead from hunger. Whether it’s Prince Pingbian’s Mansion or scholars across the land, they’ve cornered us without room for survival. With such circumstances, why would I care? The flood may come, but I must overcome the current hardship." Han Suzhen said, glaring at Chen Sanliang: "Your thinking is too rigid. That child, despite not fitting the noble standards and interests, has his charm and will achieve greatness. Ignoring him as your disciple will be your life’s biggest regret."
Chen Sanliang scoffed: "Just a lowly child, I don’t believe he’ll be as impressive as you say. I already have someone in mind for a disciple, someone with excellent family background, character, and morals. It’s just uncertain if my Heart Learning can attract him to be my student."
"Is it from the Chai Family?" Han Suzhen asked.
"Yes, it’s Chai Chuanxin from the Chai Family, already gaining some fame. I heard he might be studying in the Northern Land; this is my opportunity. With his background, he can withstand pressure and propagate my teachings. As for Zhang Chen that you’re keen on, no! He started reading too late, and his bloodline too humble, unfit for studying!"
Chen Sanliang said smilingly, "That child seems noble in demeanor, like aristocracy, but remember, true nobility and pretending nobility are two different things."
Han Suzhen didn’t reply, merely knocking on the cooked rice. Chen Sanliang saw the rice and instantly shut up.
After all, he was eating her rice, wasn’t he?