Ye Liangyu continued, "However, since you're still young, you don't need to study from dawn till dusk. Just one two-hour lesson every morning will suffice, mainly to build a foundation for when you enter an academy later on."
Song Anhao put down his lamb chop and began counting on his fingers. "If I wake up at the hour of Chen, by the time I finish eating it'll be almost the hour of Si. Then lunch is at the hour of Wu. That only leaves about three hours in between. The whole morning will be gone just like that."
Ye Liangyu frowned disapprovingly. "The best time of the day is the morning. Classes should be finishing up by the hour of Chen, which means you need to wake up at the hour of Mao."
"Ah... can't it be a bit later?" Song Anhao's chubby little lips pouted so high they could touch the sky. The hour of Mao was far too early; he wouldn't be able to get out of bed.
Ye Liangyu put on a stern face. "Studying requires diligence. There is no room for laziness. You need to learn from your older brother in this regard."
Turning to look at Song Jinzhao, he added, "County Princess, all three of you siblings are quite exceptional. Song Anhao will surely take after his brother. If Qiming had begun his early education sooner, he might have even passed the provincial exams and become a Juren earlier than Dongfang Yukun. While the title of top scholar might be out of reach for him now, we absolutely cannot let Song Anhao be delayed as well."
Song Jinzhao blinked. It was true that in the modern world, a three-year-old child was old enough to attend kindergarten.
However, there were no kindergartens here. She had originally planned to wait until Song Anhao turned four before hiring a private tutor to teach him at home. Still, starting a bit earlier wouldn't hurt.
"If we were to hire a tutor to come teach at the house every day, does Lord Ye have any suitable candidates in mind?"
The ideal person for a three-year-old's early education would be an older scholar who had passed the county exams. Ye Liangyu mentally sifted through everyone he knew. The older scholars he was acquainted with were not in the capital, and those who were in the capital currently held official posts, making them unavailable to serve as tutors.
His mind worked rapidly. When he looked up, his gaze happened to land on Song Jinzhao's gentle face, which remained composed no matter what happened. Suddenly, a bright light sparked in his eyes.
Wasn't the perfect tutor sitting right in front of him?
Qiming and his younger sister's early education had been entirely handled by Song Jinzhao. She had already successfully produced two excellent students, proving that she was a highly capable teacher.
Seeing him staring at her so intently, Song Jinzhao asked hesitantly, "Lord Ye?"
Ye Liangyu replied, "Actually, County Princess, you could teach him yourself. With your talents, providing early education for a three-year-old is more than within your capabilities. The results would likely be far better than hiring an outside tutor. Qiming is a perfect example of this."
Song Jinzhao gently stroked her young brother's soft little braid. "I'm afraid I won't have the time. It would be better to hire a tutor."
She was going to be very busy in the near future, and teaching a child to read required a great deal of patience. She worried that once she got busy, she wouldn't be able to give him the attention he needed.
Song Shixue, who had been quietly observing for a while, tentatively raised her hand. "If Older Sister doesn't have the time, I can teach him. Every day I just stay at home reading medical books or practicing martial arts. I actually have quite a bit of free time. I could give Song Anhao his lessons after my morning training."
Ye Liangyu's gaze paused before he nodded hesitantly. "Actually, that could work. The material during the early education phase is quite simple. It's about teaching by example, integrating lessons into daily life, and instilling virtues and manners. It would be wonderful for you two sisters to handle it. Once Qiming finishes the metropolitan exams and enters the court as an official, he can also offer some daily guidance when he has the time."
Song Anhao reached out and grabbed Song Shixue's arm. "I want Eldest Sister and Second Sister to teach me."
Song Jinzhao offered Ye Liangyu a faint smile. "Early education will be no problem at all for Shixue. Even though she mostly reads medical texts, she has read plenty of other books as well. In terms of the Four Books and Five Classics, if she were to practice writing eight-legged essays just a little, she would be more than capable of passing the county examinations."
Hearing this, Song Shixue lowered her eyelashes, the tips of her ears growing slightly warm.
Ye Liangyu couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. What he admired most was the bond between the four Song siblings. They truly embodied deep familial affection. It was a stark contrast to Prince Qi and Prince Ying, who didn't act like brothers at all and seemed to wish nothing more than to kill each other. They completely ignored Princess Yongjia, showing absolutely none of the care expected of older brothers.
