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“Still the same,” Dechio replied, helping her sort letters into three stacks, sealing them with the emblem of the Phoenix representing different domains. “They either give the urine to a doctor to taste, or mix it into wine and watch for a change in color.”
The Queen paused for a few seconds, silent. “Anything else?”
“Or the old Egyptian method—directly urinate on wheat seeds and see if they sprout faster.” Dechio remembered something and asked, “Do you have a need for this?”
“No, not at the moment. Just curious.”
She didn’t want to see any of those three methods used.
After the last hunt, Hedy had noticed some regrettable things.
Since many nobles attended that hunt, a lot of young people were accompanying them as servants or game fetchers.
It wasn’t just the sons of farmers or hunters—some nobles traveled with at least a dozen young attendants. They were all in their prime years, yet lived like hunting dogs.
There was no need for any personal will; from a young age, they were taught how to be a better servant.
After entrusting the matters of the textile industry to Niccolò, Hedy left more of her time for the office.
She vaguely noticed that her calves were swelling, and her sleep duration was steadily increasing.
—Education was also something worth paying attention to.
Leonardo had noticed her recent lack of energy and handed over many of his tasks to Michelangelo and Raphael, asking them to take care of the more mechanical work on his behalf. He returned to her side with manuscripts and designs, spending each day with her in the office.
“Leonardo,” she dismissed the servants and asked, “What are schools like in this world?”
Hedy wasn’t very certain about the school systems of her previous life.
She had grown up in a Jewish educational system, and later, her children had been raised under the American educational model.
But at least in this era, there were no SATs, nor any Ivy League schools.
"Schools... there are probably two types," Leonardo replied, taking a sheet of paper and sketching a brief table for her.
"Church schools and city schools."
Knightly education had already fallen into decline during this period, becoming an old, laughable remnant of the past.
Hedy blinked and showed a regretful expression. “Theology is the most prestigious education today, isn't it?”
The man shrugged. “I’d love to know what people five hundred years from now are studying.”
As the name suggested, church schools were once the dominant force in education.
These schools trained devout followers, as well as students of noble birth or virtuous character.
According to the teachings of the Bible, they were expected to maintain obedience and chastity, with sufficient self-restraint to avoid desires.
However, after several centuries, schools that frequently produced various sexual scandals were often found to have deep connections with the Catholic Church.
In these schools, students studied grammar, rhetoric, and logic, and may have also learned basic knowledge like geometry and arithmetic.
But their ultimate belief always circled back to the Bible.
“What about the other type?” Hedy asked. “What does a city school mean?”
“Guild schools or schools for merchant children,” Leonardo casually wrote a few notes. “I come from one of them.”
