Zhang Xin left the residence of Cai Yong with a light heart.
He knew very well what he had just handed over.
The so-called Thousand Character Classic was not merely a text—it was a key.
A key to lowering the barrier of education.
A key to breaking the monopoly of knowledge.
And perhaps… a key to changing the fate of this era.
Inside the residence, Cai Yan hurried out upon hearing her father's call.
"Father, what is it? Why are you so excited?"
Cai Yong waved the paper in his hand, his face flushed with rare enthusiasm.
"Come, look at this!"
Cai Yan took the manuscript and began reading softly:
"Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe vast and boundless…"
At first, her expression was calm.
Then gradually, her brows lifted.
By the time she reached the middle, her eyes were already shining.
By the end, she looked up in disbelief.
"These characters… none are repeated?"
"Exactly!" Cai Yong slapped the table. "Not a single duplicate! And yet it flows naturally, structured and coherent!"
Cai Yan looked down again, this time more slowly.
"And these marks…"
Her slender finger traced a comma.
"They separate meaning… making it easier to read."
Cai Yong nodded vigorously.
"These are what Ziqing calls 'punctuation.' With this, even children who are just learning characters can understand sentence structure more easily."
Cai Yan's gaze deepened.
"This alone… is enough to change how people read."
Cai Yong sat down, his earlier casual demeanor completely gone.
What replaced it was the focus of a true scholar.
"Zhaoji," he said seriously, "this text must be completed."
Cai Yan nodded. "But… will you keep his style, or revise it?"
Cai Yong stroked his beard and fell into thought.
"The structure must remain," he said slowly. "Four characters per phrase, clear and concise. But the latter half…"
He glanced at the manuscript again.
"…I will refine the diction slightly. Not to make it ornate—but to make it enduring."
Cai Yan smiled faintly.
"Father, you're treating this as something that will be passed down through generations."
Cai Yong looked at her.
"Is it not?"
Meanwhile, outside.
Zhang Xin returned to the prefectural office, already shifting his focus to the next matter.
Education.
Finance.
Military.
Naval construction.
Everything was moving at once.
Yet in his mind, the priorities were clear.
"Food first. Then education."
He sat down and picked up a report from Gu Yong.
Tax exemption had already begun to take effect.
Markets were becoming more active.
Caravans were expanding.
If this momentum continued…
"Within two years," Zhang Xin murmured, "Yuyang can become the richest prefecture in Youzhou."
But wealth alone wasn't enough.
Without educated people, wealth would only attract trouble.
He looked toward the direction of Cai Yong's residence.
"With him handling the curriculum… and with the Thousand Character Classic…"
Zhang Xin tapped the table lightly.
"…we can finally standardize basic education."
In this era, knowledge was fragmented.
Texts varied.
Interpretations differed.
Teaching depended heavily on individual teachers.
But once a unified introductory text existed—
One that was simple, structured, and easy to memorize—
Everything would change.
Zhang Xin leaned back slightly.
For a brief moment, he allowed himself to think further ahead.
Primary schools filled with children reciting clear, punctuated texts.
Commoners able to read simple documents.
Officials selected not just by recommendation—but by demonstrated learning.
And perhaps one day…
A system where talent could truly rise from the bottom.
He let out a quiet breath.
Then shook his head.
"Too far."
Right now, there was still too much to do.
Quanzhou's navy had to be built.
Taishi Ci had to be found.
The army had to be restructured.
And the court in Luoyang…
was never truly at peace.
Zhang Xin picked up his brush again.
"Step by step," he said softly.
And began writing the next order.