CHAPTER 206: CHAPTER 201: SIX STRATEGIES

Zhao Erlang returned from jogging, bewildered, and was taken to the garden by Qiu Wu.

The young men all turned their heads to look at him, the nominal heir of the main house.

Zhao Erlang, unlike before, paid no attention to their gazes and ran straight to his sister, "Sister!"

Zhao Hanzhang pulled him over, "Quickly, go pay respects to Uncle and Uncle Cheng."

"Oh," Zhao Erlang went to salute the two, calling them Uncle and Uncle Cheng, and then turned to leave.

"Hold on," Zhao Cheng called out, asking, "Do you know who I am?"

Zhao Erlang: "Uncle."

Zhao Cheng: "Which Uncle?"

Zhao Erlang turned to look at his sister.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said, "This is Uncle Cheng, who used to study with Father."

Zhao Erlang: "Uncle Cheng."

Zhao Cheng felt a bit disappointed but didn’t show it. He continued to ask, "What are you reading now?"

Zhao Erlang honestly replied, "I’m not reading anything."

Zhao Cheng frowned, "Then how many books have you read in total?"

Zhao Erlang felt like he was facing a tutor and looked anxiously at Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang nodded slightly at him, smiling encouragingly.

Whenever his sister showed this expression, it meant he could speak his mind, so Zhao Erlang became bolder and declared confidently, "I haven’t finished a single book."

Zhao Cheng asked gently, "Then what have you been doing lately? You’re only twelve, still young, you shouldn’t waste your time."

"I’m not wasting time, I’m very busy every day," Zhao Erlang counted on his fingers, "I have to greet Grand Uncle and Mother every day, train in martial arts and archery with my subordinates, listen to books being read, memorize them, and I’m still short on time."

Zhao Cheng was surprised and looked him over carefully, realizing that although he was only twelve, he was tall, even slightly taller than his sister, and wearing a narrow-sleeved Hu suit, his shoulders were broad and arms long.

He stood up and walked over to him, squeezing his arm, and asked, "You can listen to books?"

"Of course," Zhao Erlang said confidently, "When others read, I listen to the books being read."

"Can you memorize them?"

Zhao Erlang hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think so, after listening many times."

"Then recite it for me."

Zhao Erlang glanced at his sister, and seeing her nod slightly, blushed and started to stumble through the recitation, "King Wen asked Tai Gong: Why is the world in disorder, with one prosperous and one in decline, one governed and one chaotic? Is it due to the virtue or incompetence of the ruler, or the natural changes of the times?"

This was the first time he recited in front of so many people, and he managed to get through it. Excited and flustered, he recited even more loudly, "Tai Gong answered: If the ruler is incompetent, the state is in danger and the people in chaos; if the ruler is wise and sage, the state is peaceful and the people prosperous. Fortune and misfortune depend on the ruler, not on the times."

Zhao Cheng’s eyes brightened, "The ’Six Secret Teachings’? Who read it to you?"

Zhao Erlang turned to Fu Tinghan, "My brother-in-law taught it to me."

Zhao Cheng looked at Fu Tinghan with great satisfaction and nodded, "Well taught, many have failed to teach this child anything, but you managed to teach him to memorize this."

Fu Tinghan glanced at Zhao Hanzhang before saying, "It was Hanzhang’s idea."

"But it’s you who did it; not everyone has the patience to teach him." Zhao Cheng had never met the enlightened Zhao Erlang before, but often corresponded with Zhao Changyu. In his uncle’s letters, he knew how difficult it was to teach Zhao Erlang.

He wasn’t disobedient, but even when obedient, he couldn’t learn, an even more discouraging trait than being mischievous and unwilling to study.

So when he knew his uncle wanted to pass the title to Zhao Ji, he remained silent, feeling even more disheartened.

Think about how many mentors Zhao Erlang drove away, yet Fu Tinghan not only persisted but also got him to memorize this part of the ’Six Secret Teachings’. It showed just how capable he was.

Zhao Cheng was comforted by Fu Tinghan, but Zhao Ming focused on what Zhao Erlang memorized, looking at Zhao Hanzhang, "Did you deliberately have him memorize this passage?"

Zhao Hanzhang was momentarily stunned before reacting, quickly saying, "Of course not."

She said, "The ’Six Secret Teachings’ is a military book, and Erlang gets a headache just looking at books. Clearly, he won’t be able to read and write in his lifetime, so I can only teach him military strategies. If he can achieve something in the military in the future, then Mother and I will be at ease."

Zhao Ming: "If it’s military texts, he might as well read ’The Art of War by Sun Bin’. I remember there’s a handwritten copy at your home."

Zhao Hanzhang: "Why can’t he read the ’Six Secret Teachings’?"

Zhao Cheng, overhearing their debate, turned to ask Zhao Erlang, "Do you know the meaning of this passage?"

"Yes," Zhao Erlang replied, "King Wen asked Tai Gong if the chaos in the world was due to fate; Tai Gong said no, believing that the chaos or prosperity of the world depended on the ruler’s virtue."

Zhao Erlang nervously looked at Zhao Hanzhang again, and getting another nod of approval from his sister, he was overjoyed.

He could respond with answers; he was really impressive!

Zhao Cheng was also surprised, although the explanation was overly simple, it did convey the main idea, showing it was his own understanding.

Zhao Cheng nodded in agreement, praising, "Translated well."

Zhao Ming: ...

He silently looked at Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang helplessly said to him, "Uncle, don’t overthink it, he’s memorized plenty of texts, this is just a part, I really didn’t mean anything by it."

"Military affairs concern the nation’s big picture," Zhao Hanzhang stated, "Whether discussing military in times of peace or chaos, the topic inevitably touches on national strategy; governing the military is similar to governing the nation and the people, so such content is unavoidable."

Before Zhao Ming could speak, Zhao Cheng indifferently said, "Let it be said, who can do anything about it? The world is such a mess now because the ruler is neither wise nor clear."

Zhao Ming resignedly said, "The current ruler only recently ascended the throne."

"So it was the late emperor who was neither wise nor clear, with the root cause in Emperor Wu."

Even Emperor Jin Wu was dragged into it; what else could Zhao Ming say?

He feared that if the conversation continued, things would become uncontrollable.

Actually, it was already getting out of hand; young men spoke up, "Right, if Emperor Wu had chosen another successor, how would Great Jin end up as it is now?"

"Not necessarily, I don’t think any of them would yield to each other; establishing a new emperor might not have calmed the situation, you see it’s still chaotic now?"

The words were obscure, but everyone understood they referred to the Sima family.

Someone even whispered, "I think it’s because their family’s rise to power was illegitimate, which is why..."

"Bold," Zhao Ming’s face tightened and he glared sternly, scaring the young men into lowering their heads.

He pursed his lips and said, "If you’re discussing the ’Six Secret Teachings’ I won’t stop you, but if you dare to discuss court politics irresponsibly, I’ll break your legs before the authorities get to you."