Chương 643: Liu Ce's Ideological Lesson

Liu Ce picked a cucumber, took a bite, and said, "Not bad. Send two baskets to the palace later so the Empress can try some too."

He then went to the anatomy lab at the medical school, where several students were looking at bone specimens. When they saw His Majesty enter, they all stood up straight with nervousness.

Liu Ce asked about the female students' situation. Dean Sun said that there were more than 20 female students studying medicine. At first, some people said, "Women can't study medicine." But later, they became proficient in anatomy and pulse diagnosis, and cured dozens of patients. Gradually, no one gossiped anymore. Now, some patients even specifically seek out female doctors.

Liu Ce nodded and said, "Okay, that's how medical schools should be. As long as they can cure diseases, that's enough, regardless of gender."

In the academy, there were abacuses, and a dozen students were rapidly calculating on them, the beads flying everywhere.

Liu Ce joked, "Your calculations are even more impressive than Shen Wansan's golden abacus; the Ministry of Revenue will be scrambling to hire you from now on."

The students all laughed, and one of the bolder ones even shouted, "Your Majesty, we can calculate faster than him!"

Liu Ce chuckled: "Alright, I'll have Shen Wansan come and challenge you to a contest later. The loser will treat everyone."

Finally, we arrived at the library, where three floors of bookshelves were filled with hundreds of thousands of books.

There are books left over from the previous dynasty, books donated by aristocratic families, and newly printed books by official printing bureaus. The variety is very diverse, ranging from agricultural books and medical books to poetry, military strategy, and everything else.

Sunlight streamed in through the high windows, casting a golden glow on the bookshelves, creating a serene atmosphere.

Liu Ce casually picked up a book and said to Cai Yong with a smile:

"When we confiscated the property of aristocratic families back then, it wasn't all for nothing. We ended up collecting many rare and unique books here, so it's a good use of them. If we hadn't confiscated those books, they would probably have rotted in the cellar long ago."

Cai Yong was both amused and exasperated. He lowered his voice and added, "But there are indeed a few rare copies that I've searched for half my life without success, and they were actually found among the books confiscated during the raids."

..................

After the tour, the main event arrived: lectures at the university hall.

This is the largest auditorium at the Royal University, which can seat more than a thousand people. Opening ceremonies and graduation ceremonies are usually held here.

The venue was packed today, with people even standing in the aisles and crowding around the windows.

The news spread last night: the emperor, who was also the principal, was coming to teach. The students were so excited they couldn't sleep a wink all night.

Someone prepared questions overnight, wanting to ask them in person...

Some students flipped through their textbooks three times, afraid of being called on and not being able to answer the questions...

Others were simply curious and wanted to see up close what this legendary emperor, who was said to be able to "draw steam engines, defeat Confucian scholars, and be invincible throughout the world," actually looked like.

The students sat up straight, their palms sweating. Some even secretly brought paper and pens, intending to write down everything Liu Ce said and ponder it slowly when they got back.

When Liu Ce appeared at the door, more than a thousand students stood up in unison, clasped their hands in front of their chests, and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!!!"

The sound was deafening, almost blowing the roof off, and even dust fell from the beams.

Liu Ce walked up to the podium with a smile and pressed his hands down.

The students quickly quieted down, more than a thousand pairs of eyes staring at him with bright eyes, like fans of a celebrity, even their breathing became soft.

Hello, students.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 1110..." Greetings, Your Majesty!" A thousand people responded in unison, their momentum astounding. Liu Ce shook his head, deliberately giving him a "why are you all so clueless?" look:"No, no. What's my status here today? Hmm?" The students exchanged bewildered glances, and one tentatively whispered, "Your Majesty...?"" Wrong." Liu Ce placed his hands on the podium, leaned forward slightly, and deliberately lowered his voice." I am the president of Luoyang Royal University. In other words, once you enter this gate, what should you call me?" After a brief silence, a bold engineering student in the front row, his face flushed, tentatively called out:"The... principal?" Liu Ce slammed his hand on the table and laughed, "That's it! That's it! Why didn't you just say so earlier!" The whole audience burst into laughter, and the tension from before instantly dissipated. Even the girls in the back row were laughing so hard they were doubled over. Immediately afterwards, more than a thousand students shouted in unison, "Hello, Principal!!!" The vibrations made the paper windows rattle." That's right." Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction." Calling me 'Your Majesty' sounds too formal; calling me 'Principal' makes us feel like family. Remember this: at school, I am your principal, not Your Majesty. Ask me anything; there's no need for formalities." He paused, then added, his tone particularly sassy:"Of course, if you commit a crime and get thrown into jail after you leave school, it's not too late to call me 'Your Majesty' then. Maybe I'll be in a good mood and give you a hand." The audience laughed even harder, some people were slapping the table and laughing so hard that tears were streaming down their faces. No one expected that the emperor would be so down-to-earth, speaking like a storyteller, as if chatting about everyday life. Once the laughter subsided, Liu Ce's expression became slightly more serious, but he still wore a smile:"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's begin the lesson. Today's lesson won't cover mathematics, engineering, or medicine; it will focus on thought." He paced back and forth on the platform, his gaze sweeping over the young faces below the stage. There were wealthy young men dressed in silk and satin, as well as poor students in coarse cloth. All of them had bright eyes, and some were even secretly taking notes." Some people are probably thinking to themselves: 'Principal, what's the use of ideology classes? Can they put food on the table? Will they get me into the Ministry of Industry's research institute? Will they give me two more months' salary after graduation?'" Some people in the audience chuckled, realizing that their thoughts had been hit. Many of them were there for a secure job and felt that "ideas" were useless; it was better to practice their skills for a couple more days." The answer is... no." Liu Ce readily admitted." But ideas are like air. You can't see them or touch them, but once you're gone, you die. A person without ideas is just a walking corpse; a country without ideas, no matter how strong its army or how much money it has, is just a pile of loose sand that will scatter with the wind." He turned around, picked up the chalk, and wrote twenty-two large characters on the blackboard... Set up the heart for the heaven and the earth, set the destiny for the livelihood and the people, for the sacred and inherited knowledge, and for the peace of the world." These sixteen characters are what I said more than ten years ago, and I'm giving them to you today." Liu Ce turned around and leaned against the podium." Can someone explain to me what this means? No need for pedantry, just say whatever comes to mind." A student from the academy raised his hand and stood up, answering politely:"Replying to the principal...' To establish a heart for heaven and earth' means that people should have a heart that reveres the way of heaven;"To establish a livelihood for the people" is the fundamental principle that scholars should strive to ensure the well-being and livelihood of the common people." To continue the lost learning of the sages" means to pass on the knowledge of the ancient sages;"To create peace for all generations" means to seek peace for all ages." Well said, sit down." Liu Ce nodded." But I don't want to waste time with your fancy words today. I'll say it again in plain language, and you can see if it's right..."