Blurb: His brushstrokes stir up wind and rain; his poems make ghosts and gods weep! A literary genius from Yangzhou, Xu Zishou.” Beneath his imperial yellow robe, the man shifted slightly and rolled up the bamboo scroll in his hand. “Tell me, what would happen if I used this man to teach those little brats a lesson...”
“I am the Crown Prince. Teacher should be considerate of me and assign less homework. That's what a pillar of the nation who loves his country and its people would do.” The ten-year-old Crown Prince spoke with a perfectly serious expression.
“Teacher, surely you know the state of affairs in court. Do you really think Second Brother can remain Crown Prince and make it through unscathed?” The nine-year-old Third Prince whispered softly in his ear.
“What good is all this bookish stuff? It's nowhere near as thrilling as killing enemies on the battlefield...” The Tenth Prince disdainfully tossed his book onto the floor.
“Teacher...”
“Smack!” The sharp, forceful crack brought silence to the little schoolroom. Xu Zishou looked at the uneven row of little turnip heads before him. They stared in shock at the wooden ruler he'd just snapped in two on the desk. Satisfied, he said, “Ten times. No bargaining.”
