Pfft~! Charles Thompson couldn’t help but spray out his drink. He had just misjudged the situation—he never expected that William Thompson was not only a fence-sitter, but also a scheming little brat. After all, he had indirectly saved Empress Zhangsun’s life, and just now William Thompson had even thanked him for it. Yet in the blink of an eye, he’d been sold out. If there’s anything more ruthless and unscrupulous, he couldn’t think of it. No wonder William Thompson would later marry an even more ruthless and cunning woman, Wu Zetian, as empress. Turns out, the two were kindred spirits who regretted not meeting sooner! It’s likely that, as Eric Thompson speculated, most of their nights together would be spent exchanging their dark and devious insights.

“Teacher, this was my fault. Please punish me!” Patrick Thompson lowered his head in front of the teacher, but didn’t forget to glare fiercely at William Thompson. Yet William Thompson, with his already thick skin, didn’t care at all about George Thompson’s anger, and kept smiling cheekily at Simon Thompson.

“As the elder brother, you failed to set an example and instead wasted expensive xuan paper on such trifles. You deserve thirty strokes!” Master suddenly changed his tone, “But since this is your first offense and you’re not well, the punishment will be halved. Hold out your hand!”

Master’s last few words made Jack Thompson feel a bit awkward. It seemed this old-fashioned Master really saw him as a slow-witted child, even giving him a little leeway when it came to being punished.

Adam Thompson had always thought it looked painful when others were beaten, but now that it was his own hand, he realized it hurt even more than he’d imagined. After all, the hand is one of the most nerve-dense parts of the body, making it especially sensitive to pain. After fifteen strokes, his hand was swollen like a loaf of bread.

Finally done with the beating, William Thompson sat down, sucking in cold air, and looked around. Quite a few of the little kids in the classroom were snickering. Arthur Thompson was sitting at his desk, wiping away tears, while William Thompson, the little schemer, was pretending to read his book with a serious face. The little princess still clung tightly to her pile of origami, her big eyes looking pitifully at Master.

“William Thompson!” Perhaps moved by the little princess’s innocent gaze, Master didn’t call her name, but instead called out William Thompson’s.

“Here, Master!” William Thompson’s small body trembled, and he reflexively stood up to answer.

“As the younger brother, you reported your elder, committing the crime of disrespect. Twenty strokes!” Master said sternly. In ancient times, hierarchy was paramount, and brotherhood was one of the five cardinal relationships. Disrespecting one’s elder, regardless of right or wrong, was a serious offense.

“Haha…” Edward Thompson lay on the desk, laughing out loud, but was silenced by a glare from Master, nearly choking from holding it in, and could only cover his mouth to stifle his laughter. So satisfying! It was so satisfying! He hadn’t expected this little schemer to get his comeuppance so quickly. Any resentment he’d felt toward Master instantly vanished, replaced by admiration. Look at this way of teaching—so much better than the crude “fifty strokes for everyone” approach of later generations. Every punishment had its reason, and you couldn’t help but accept it. Even Arthur Thompson, who had just been secretly crying, perked up and looked excitedly at William Thompson.

“Pa~ pa~…” The sound of the ruler hitting someone else was indeed more pleasant than when it landed on oneself. Even that fierce ruler seemed much more agreeable now. As for the one being beaten, William Thompson the little schemer was grimacing in pain, completely unaware of Brian Thompson’s expression as he watched.

After finishing with William Thompson, Philip Thompson thought Master would stop there, but he clearly underestimated Master’s stubbornness. Samuel King turned to the little princess with a stern face and said, “Your Highness, you were not paying attention in class and were playing instead. You deserve ten strokes of the ruler.”

Hearing that Master was going to punish the little princess too, Brian Thompson and his brothers all changed color. It was one thing for the older boys to be beaten—they could take it—but the little princess was only three, her hands as soft as tofu. Wouldn’t a single stroke ruin them? The little girl was so frightened her face turned pale, big tears rolling down her fair cheeks, biting her lip to keep from crying out loud.

But before Mark Thompson and the others could plead for her, they heard Master continue, “But since you are young and it’s your first day at school, Master will give you a chance to redeem yourself. If you can recite the four lines of the Thousand Character Classic I just taught you, the ten strokes will be waived.” Hearing this, Louis Thompson and his brothers all breathed a sigh of relief. With the little princess’s intelligence, four lines shouldn’t be a problem. Thinking this, they all looked at her.

Encouraged by her three older brothers’ looks, the clever and even a bit precocious little princess stopped crying and began to recite, stammering, “Heaven and earth… Heaven and earth are mysterious and yellow, the universe vast and wild, the sun and moon wax… wax…”

When she got to the word “wax,” the little girl couldn’t go on, because the last word of the third line was “ze,” which didn’t rhyme with the previous lines and was a bit of a tongue-twister. Her little mind just couldn’t recall it. In the end, her lips quivered as if she was about to burst into tears, but her good upbringing made her hold back, looking utterly pitiful.