Ch.318Reincarnation (5)

“Huff… huff…”

“Your body still hasn’t fully recovered…”

“That’s precisely why I need to train harder.”

The court eunuch Zhang wore a worried expression every time I did a push-up. His concern was understandable, considering I had been bedridden until recently and had suddenly started exercising.

“Five… whew… only five push-ups and I’m already struggling… I have a long way to go.”

Five push-ups was actually quite good. I’d seen plenty of people who couldn’t even do one.

Considering that, my thin body doing five was promising. I had plenty of growth potential. However, compared to Yesugei’s once muscle-packed body, my current output was disappointing.

“Court Eunuch Zhang.”

“At your command, Your Majesty.”

“Go fetch some jerky and Mongolian bread… no, rice instead.”

“A… meal, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. And some pickled vegetables too, if available.”

Zhang looked troubled. It was understandable—I had suddenly requested food in the middle of exercising.

Nevertheless, since it was my request, Zhang contemplated briefly before bringing a small dining tray. On it were soy sauce and honey-seasoned jerky, white rice, and kimchi soup.

Seeing this, I immediately grabbed a spoon, forgetting all about proper etiquette.

One spoonful of rice, a bite of soy sauce-glazed jerky, and a sip of white kimchi soup. Simple but perfect—a complete meal with carbs, protein, and fat.

It tasted great.

“Mmph…”

“Your… Your Majesty… if it’s not enough, I can bring more.”

“It’s fine. But next time, bring less since this is too much. And if possible, just grill the jerky without seasoning.”

Eating soy sauce and honey wouldn’t necessarily harm my body. However, such stimulating flavors might lead me to consume more carbohydrates.

To avoid that, it was better to eat bland food.

“I… understand. Then for the next meal…”

“I’ll eat again in three hours.”

Zhang nodded at my words.

“To grow well, one must eat well and sleep well.”

Tolui was small for a 12-year-old. If he hadn’t grown much after his first growth spurt, it was likely because he hadn’t eaten or rested properly.

Of course, it could also be a matter of constitution. But as my descendant, the possibility of physical issues was low.

“This isn’t just any body—it’s descended from Yesugei, the strongest human.”

I wasn’t rating him so highly just because he was my previous life. Yesugei truly had an incredible physique that would put bodybuilders to shame.

Not only did he have muscles, but he also had strength to match. Add his tall stature, and there was no reason to be lacking physically.

“Though his looks were nothing special.”

No matter how generously one might describe Yesugei, his face was ordinary at best. That is, judging solely by appearance.

He looked masculine, but with my knowledge of modern beauty standards, Yesugei’s face was just passable.

“In contrast…”

I said this as I approached the washbasin. There, Tolui’s face was clearly reflected in the water.

“My descendant has a face that will break many women’s hearts.”

As the wounds healed and bruises faded, Tolui’s true appearance began to emerge. He had distinct features like a Western heartthrob—large eyes and well-defined features—blended perfectly with an elegant Eastern quality.

In short, it was a face anyone would describe as handsome.

“If I add muscles to this, it would be incredible.”

He was heading toward becoming what social media would call “a face that shouldn’t work out”—someone so handsome that muscles would make them almost unfairly attractive. However, from my perspective, it wasn’t entirely welcome.

Since my build wasn’t quite like Yesugei’s, it seemed impossible to develop the same enormous muscles he had, no matter how much I trained.

“Without ‘supplements,’ such massive muscles would be difficult.”

This world lacked modern medicine. So I had to be content with whatever muscles I could develop naturally.

“Well, that’s enough morning exercise.”

Now it was time to study. I needed to study to survive in this jungle-like palace.

With this thought, I moved into the room. I opened the desk and took out some books. These were Confucian classics: the Book of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Changes, Book of Rites, and Spring and Autumn Annals.

“Even after crushing the Song Dynasty, Confucianism still remains…”

During Yesugei’s time, we had destroyed the Southern Song. We even eliminated all their Chinese culture.

Yet Confucianism survived and maintained its legacy in Goryeo.

This was possible because Goryeo was a nation deeply committed to Confucianism. Some people mistakenly think Goryeo only believed in Buddhism.

In reality, while Goryeo practiced Buddhism, academically it was influenced by the Southern Song and adopted Neo-Confucianism as its political ideology. Simply put, Buddhism was the state religion, but Confucianism was the political philosophy.

Anyway, after the Southern Song’s fall, Goryeo suddenly became the center of Confucianism. As a result, they reinterpreted the lost Neo-Confucianism of the Central Plains into what became known as New Confucianism.

“It’s called New Confucianism, but it’s essentially the School of Mind.”

The School of Mind. In original history, this philosophy emerged in the early Ming Dynasty. Founded by the scholar Wang Shouren, it emphasized subjective practical philosophy.

Originally called the Lu-Wang School or Wang School, the name “School of Mind” was created by the Japanese and became more widely known in modern times.

True to its name, the Wang School was created by Wang Shouren because of the dogmatization of Zhu Xi’s teachings. To break away from this, he proposed that one’s mind is the universe, and the affairs of the universe are the affairs of one’s mind.

There was a reason I explained this at length. This philosophy was included in the imperial studies I would need to learn.

“Excuse me.”

With those words, a man in official robes entered the room.

“I am Lee Hwang, Direct Scholar, who will be in charge of Your Majesty’s education from today. I look forward to serving you.”

Lee Hwang? I never imagined I would meet the man whose face appears on our country’s currency.

“Did you say Lee Hwang?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…”

But he looked nothing like the image on the banknote. That’s because the Lee Hwang before me wasn’t the elderly man on the currency but a young man.

He had honest eyes, a calm demeanor, and an intellectual appearance. In short, he had the look of someone who would break many women’s hearts.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No… no. Let’s begin the education.”

The Direct Scholar nodded at my words and opened the book he had brought.

“Have you ever read the Great Learning, Your Majesty?”

“I have not.”

Even during Yesugei’s time, I rarely read books. So there was no way I would have read the Great Learning.

“That’s fine. We can start learning slowly from now on.”

Lee Hwang smiled gently as he addressed me.

“May I ask when you mastered the Great Learning?”

“Are you referring only to the Great Learning? Or are you asking about all Six Classics?”

The Four Books and Five Classics. The Four Books referred to the Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean. The Five Classics were the Book of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Changes, Spring and Autumn Annals, and Book of Rites.

In our country, they were better known as the Four Books and Three Classics rather than the Four Books and Five Classics. This was because during the Joseon Dynasty, civil service exams combined the Four Books and Three Classics.

Unlike our country, China often used the term Four Books and Five Classics. Perhaps that’s why in this era, after Joseon had disappeared, they used the term Four Books and Five Classics.

But wait. Did he say Six Classics, not Five?

Something seemed odd, but I decided to listen further.

“I’m asking about all Six Classics.”

“I humbly report that due to my inadequacy, I barely mastered the Five Classics at age 9 and was able to complete the Six Classics at age 10.”

“…”

Again, the Four Books and Three Classics were subjects for the Joseon Dynasty’s civil service exams. In modern terms, it would be like an elementary school student mastering the entire bar exam curriculum.

But in this changed world, it wasn’t Four Books and Three Classics but Six Classics. Three more subjects had been added, and Lee Hwang had mastered them all by age 10.

He was truly a monster of intellect.

“I have another question. I understand that the Four Books and Five Classics consist of the Four Books—the Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, and Doctrine of the Mean—and the Five Classics—the Book of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Changes, Spring and Autumn Annals, and Book of Rites. But why are you calling them Six Classics?”

“Your Majesty has omitted the Muscle Classic.”

“Muscle Classic…? What’s that?”

“The Muscle Classic combines the muscle philosophy created by the Mongolian scholar Batur with the Elementary Learning’s principle that keeping the body healthy is the foundation of filial piety, as our bodies are gifts from our parents.”

This concept sounded familiar. It was very similar to a concept I had read about in a modern novel, though slightly different.

In that novel, it was an independent discipline focused on making the body stronger and healthier as a gift from one’s parents. In contrast, in this altered world, muscle philosophy had merged with Elementary Learning, an introductory Confucian text, to create the new discipline called the Muscle Classic.

In that novel, there was significant resistance to this idea. Unlike that world, in this one, muscle philosophy had existed since the 12th century and had been integrated with Confucianism after four centuries, so there was no reason for resistance.

Moreover, the Goryeo-Liaodong Federation was ruled by Belgutei’s descendants. For such a nation, following Mongolia’s advanced learning was only natural.

Still… I wondered if this was right.

“Though you’re starting a bit late, Your Majesty’s interest in Confucianism suggests you’ll master it quickly.”

“Quickly meaning…”

“Let’s aim for you to master it within a year.”

The Direct Scholar’s eyes gleamed with light. They looked somewhat maniacal, which seemed quite dangerous.

Just like my PT instructor who tormented me in the modern world.