"Your 'first kiss today,' my ass."
"This guy's obviously a veteran in romance. 'Today,' huh? Looks like his first kiss was stolen when he was three."
"As a girl, I feel so heartbroken."
"No wonder he came up with a title like 'The School Belle's Bodyguard'. That 'bodyguard' part is full of hidden meaning."
Of course, Huang Yifan couldn't hear any of these comments.
The next day, he was woken up by his alarm, hurriedly brushed his teeth, and rushed to school.
Although he hadn't pulled an all-nighter the previous night, he still stayed up quite late. From morning self-study to class time, he was drowsy, his eyes opening and closing. Eventually, he just fell asleep outright.
After who knew how long, his deskmate Ling Xue lightly nudged him.
When he opened his eyes, he saw that his homeroom teacher, Su Jingru, had already walked up and was staring at him.
"Huang Yifan, answer this question. Why was the State of Qin able to unify the six states?"
Su Jingru taught Chinese. This lesson was about a classical text called 'Unifying the World', written by the famous historian Gongyang Wang. In Huaguo's history, Gongyang Wang was quite renowned. Huang Yifan had read his works before, not only was he talented, but he also had a strong moral character.
If one had to compare, Gongyang Wang could be placed alongside Sima Qian from his previous life, the author of "the historian's masterpiece, a rhymeless 'Li Sao.'"
But right now, Huang Yifan was still half-asleep. Although he knew the teacher had asked a question, he had no idea how to answer.
"What, we just analyzed several reasons, and you've already forgotten?"
Su Jingru wasn't angry. She had just graduated this year and still had enthusiasm for teaching. This was the first time she had encountered a student sleeping in her class, and it reminded her of her own high school days, when many classmates would also doze off in class.
Still, while she wasn't angry, a reminder was necessary.
"Well… I think it was because of Mi Yue?"
Put on the spot, Huang Yifan felt embarrassed. Flustered, he suddenly thought of the TV drama 'The Legend of Mi Yue' from his previous life and blurted it out.
"Mi Yue?"
His answer caught Su Jingru completely off guard. "What does Mi Yue have to do with Qin Shi Huang unifying the six states? And who exactly is Mi Yue?"
"Well, Teacher Su, Mi Yue is Qin Shi Huang's grandfather's grandmother."
"…What?"
Such an unexpected answer instantly sent the entire class into laughter.
"Pfft."
"Is Huang Yifan still asleep?"
"Qin Shi Huang's grandfather's grandmother? How did he even come up with that?"
"That killed me. I've got great material to brag about at lunch now."
But with the laughter, Huang Yifan finally woke up.
Damn, the reasons Qin unified the six states were simple. Aside from the Shang Yang reforms that transformed Qin from weak to strong, it was also due to the constant wars between the other states, weakening them. And of course, Qin Shi Huang himself played a major role. As for Mi Yue, she wasn't directly related.
But now that he had said it, he had to justify himself.
After thinking for a moment, Huang Yifan continued:
"Well, Teacher Su, Mi Yue was actually called Mi Bazi. 'Bazi' was a title, similar to ranks like Noble Consort or Lady in the Qing dynasty. That means Mi Yue was a concubine of King Huiwen of Qin. After his son, King Wu of Qin, died, Mi Yue used palace intrigue and other methods to place her own son, King Zhaoxiang of Qin, also known as Prince Ji, on the throne. Because her son became king, she was later known in history as Queen Dowager Xuan."
The classroom, which had been full of laughter just moments ago, suddenly fell silent.
Mi Yue, Mi Bazi, Queen Dowager Xuan?
Qin Shi Huang's grandfather's grandmother?
Was this guy making it up or not?
If it was fake, he was incredibly good at bluffing, even pulling out historical references and relationships.
But if it was real, then this guy was seriously impressive.
"Queen Dowager Xuan… there is indeed such a figure in Qin's history. Go on."
Su Jingru's eyes lit up.
She hadn't really heard of Mi Yue or Mi Bazi, but she did know of Queen Dowager Xuan. Though not a history teacher, she was still a top student from Fudan University and had some knowledge of historical figures. While Queen Dowager Xuan wasn't particularly famous and historical records on women were limited, that wasn't the point.
Regardless of whether Huang Yifan was entirely correct, the fact that he could connect names, titles, and relationships like this showed he had solid knowledge.
She nodded slightly, thinking she should nurture this student more in the future.
Huang Yifan continued:
"Queen Dowager Xuan may not be very famous, but during her 38 years in power, Qin's military strength was at its peak. Her greatest achievement was…"
He had almost said "seducing the King of Yiqu," but quickly corrected himself:
"…eliminating the western threat of Yiqu, which removed Qin's major concern. From then on, Qin began to set its sights on dominating the Central Plains. With the military strength accumulated during her time, and after several outstanding rulers, by the time of Qin Shi Huang, Qin had become extremely powerful. Like the United States today, it had overwhelming strength. That's why Qin was able to unify the world. So as I said earlier, Qin's unification was largely due to Queen Dowager Xuan, who was the grandmother of Qin Shi Huang's grandfather, King Xiaowen."
"Very good. You may sit down."
Su Jingru nodded.
At this point, she herself felt a little dazed.
At first, she thought Huang Yifan just knew of Queen Dowager Xuan. But his explanation not only traced the relationships between several Qin rulers, it also brought in the historical and geographical context of the time.
The most important part was that even she, as a Chinese teacher, found some of it hard to follow.
After all, she didn't teach history. Naming a few Qin rulers was fine, but explaining all their relationships would be overwhelming. During the Warring States period, there were dozens of states and thousands of rulers. Even history teachers might struggle with that.
Still, even though she felt slightly embarrassed, she couldn't press further. Better to look it up later. As for reminding Huang Yifan not to sleep in class, she had completely forgotten about it.
"Thank you, Teacher Su."
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Huang Yifan let out a sigh of relief. He had managed to get through it.
He just wanted to quietly spend three years in high school. He really didn't want to become a "problem student" in the teacher's eyes so early on.
But unfortunately, while he might not have become a problem student, his performance just now was, in a way, even more problematic than that.
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