It was clear that Mark Thompson and the others had all overestimated the psychological endurance of a three-year-old girl. After seeing her three older brothers get punished one after another, and now it was her turn, the little girl was terrified. If it had been any other child, she would probably have burst into tears and run to her mother by now. The only reason Little Harold was able to hold back her sobs and only shed silent tears was thanks to the strict early childhood education of the palace.

“Hmph, the Thousand Character Classic is the foundation of elementary learning. Its language is plain and easy to recite and memorize. If you can’t even memorize just four lines, it shows you only care about playing. Hold out your hand!” Master King was furious. He had originally intended to go easy on Little Harold—after all, she was a delicate three-year-old girl, and he found it hard to punish her. But he hadn’t expected that the famously clever Princess Alice couldn’t even recite four lines of the Thousand Character Classic. He couldn’t be blamed for this. In fact, Master had another reason for his attitude: he was opposed to Little Harold attending school, believing it to be improper. But since President Lincoln had issued the order, he had no power to object. If he could get Princess Alice to give up on her own, it would be the best outcome for him.

Tears streamed down Little Harold’s face like a string of pearls, her nose and eyes red, but she still obediently held out her hand. Master King raised his ruler, ready to strike.

“Wait!” At that moment, a firm voice called out loudly.

Chapter 10: The Three Character Classic

“Edward Thompson, are you trying to plead for Princess Alice?” Master raised his eyebrows and said angrily. No one had ever dared to interrupt his punishment of a student—not even the Emperor of the Tang, Abraham Lincoln. Because he upheld Confucian law, representing the entire Confucian tradition, even the emperor, as the embodiment of imperial power, dared not easily challenge him.

“Little Harold is indeed at fault, but so are you, Master!” Patrick Thompson spoke with a calm expression despite the tense atmosphere. He had been worrying about how to save Little Harold, but suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him after hearing Master’s words, and he immediately had a plan, which was why he spoke out loudly.

“Oh?” Master was so angry he laughed, pointing at Patrick Thompson, “Then tell me, where have I made a mistake?”

“Master, if what I say makes sense, can Little Harold be exempted from punishment?” Adam Thompson asked.

“Fine! Fine! Fine! I promise you, if your reasoning holds, Princess Alice can be exempted from punishment!” Master was trembling with anger. In his view, this Duke Howard, who had been crippled by a fall, barely knew a few characters—if he could actually come up with some profound argument, that would be truly unbelievable.

“Master, you are indeed wise and just!” William Thompson said with a smile, only to earn a cold snort from Master King.

“Just now, Master said, ‘The Thousand Character Classic is the foundation of elementary learning. Its language is plain and easy to recite and memorize.’ That statement is not wrong in itself,” Thomas Thompson said slowly, “but the mistake lies in the fact that, while this may be true for me or the other students present, for three-year-old Little Harold, it is completely wrong.”

Mark Thompson straightened his clothes and continued solemnly, “Little Harold is only three years old. Whether in terms of literacy or comprehension, she is far behind the six-year-old children who are supposed to start school. Moreover, although the Thousand Character Classic is beautifully written and full of elegant phrases, and is considered an introductory text for children, its language is actually quite ornate. Even six-year-olds find it difficult to understand, let alone a three-year-old girl like Little Harold. Therefore, Master, teaching Little Harold the Thousand Character Classic at this stage is itself a mistake!”

“Hmph! You… you’re just being sophistic! The Thousand Character Classic was written by the great scholar Zhou Xingsi of the Southern Dynasties. Its structure is ingenious, its knowledge profound, and its rhymes harmonious. It is most suitable for young children to memorize. How dare a brat like you slander it?” Master was so enraged by George Thompson’s words that he lost all restraint, even using the term “brat.” The other children, including William Thompson, were all stunned by George Thompson’s boldness. Since starting school, this was the first time they had seen anyone dare to challenge the Master head-on. They couldn’t help but admire him, looking at George Thompson with newfound respect.

“Ingenious structure, yes; profound knowledge, perhaps not; harmonious rhymes, true; but as for being suitable for memorization…” Mark Thompson deliberately trailed off, and everyone understood what he meant.

“Well, you arrogant brat! If you can find a better elementary textbook than the Thousand Character Classic, I’ll retire and go home at once!” Master King said through gritted teeth. He wanted to see what tricks this crippled Duke Howard could come up with.

“Master, you exaggerate. I happen to have just composed a new work, the ‘Three Character Classic.’ While I can’t claim it’s better than the Thousand Character Classic, it is concise, catchy, and its content is simple, honest, and easy to understand. Although its literary style can’t compare to the Thousand Character Classic, it is indeed more suitable for young children like Little Harold.” Although the Thousand Character Classic is a classic, when it comes to the most influential and representative elementary textbook, the “Three Character Classic” is considered the crown of elementary learning in later generations. So George Thompson was not just making this up out of thin air.