Chapter 79

Even though his holiday was interrupted, Yue Mingzhang was not displeased at all and treated Lin Yi with politeness and courtesy.

"This is Junshan Silver Needle tea, a gift from the Emperor. Miss Qiu, please try it."

Lin Yi didn't know much about tea. She took a sip, held it in her mouth, tasted the bitterness on her tongue, and then swallowed it. "It is indeed good tea." She really didn't have much knowledge about tea ceremony, so she changed the subject: "Lord Yue seems to be in better health. You don't cough like you used to."

Yue Mingzhang's lips twitched slightly. "Thanks to Miss Qiu's medicine, I'm much better now. I haven't had a chance to properly thank you though." He refilled his teacup and asked directly, "Has there been any progress at the school?"

Just a few days ago, Lin Yi was being chased away and was wondering how to bring it up when a way out was offered to him.

She sat up straight, took out the carefully folded document from her sleeve, and handed it to Yue Mingzhang: "It certainly took a lot of effort."

Yue Mingzhang carefully read through each item, nodding occasionally.

He asked with great interest, "How did you come up with the idea of ​​subletting the school in shifts?"

“The school is for daytime classes, so the school buildings are hardly used at night. But renting a house doesn’t distinguish between day and night; it’s rented for a whole year. Since we’ve paid money, why not make use of the resources at night? The learning atmosphere in the school is definitely better than a cheap inn or a lively house, which is exactly what scholars need. The rent is paid by the hour, so there’s no fear of credit, and tenants can save costs according to their needs. It’s a small amount of money for him and me, but the advantage is high volume with low profit.” Lin Yi couldn’t help but feel a little proud. This was something she had racked her brains for several days and combined with modern wisdom, so of course it had to be a little ingenious.

Yue Mingzhang pointed to the next line of text and asked, "What about this practical teaching that drives industrial economic development?"

"I want to combine the school with the clinic's name, using the clinic's reputation to establish the school. Graduates can then be returned to the clinic. While the effects of learning poetry and arithmetic in a regular school might not be immediately apparent, medical training can be integrated with education. Once they have the ability to independently diagnose and prescribe medicine, they can practice medicine at the clinic with a 50% discount. Those who don't complete their studies can make herbal sachets, health-preserving hammers, and other items at the school and sell them at the clinic. If they sell well, they can even open another shop..."

In fact, Lin Yi's ambitions go beyond this. If all goes well, he might be able to expand into a business empire.

Yue Mingzhang's admiration was evident in his eyes, and Feng Zhengxian finally understood this time, excitedly taking out his money box.

Yue Mingzhang grabbed his belt: "What's your hurry?"

"This is definitely going to work out, bro! This is such a great opportunity, I'm afraid someone else will snatch it up if you don't take it."

"When did I say I didn't want it anymore?"

Feng Zhengxian asked happily, "So you agree to let me host the event?"

Instead of answering, Yue Mingzhang asked, "Since Miss Qiu has come up with so many ideas, why not write them down in the report?"

"It's all plain language, and besides, there are already enough words on the document, so there's no more room to attach it."

Yue Mingzhang suddenly laughed: "If you can't write it all, then just add a few more pages. So what if it's written in plain language? This is not a written examination essay. There's no need to talk about the progression of the topic and every word is precious. What Miss Qiu just told me is the essence of this essay. It would be a real pity not to include it."

Lin Yi then realized that her habit of writing academic papers filled with technical jargon had actually "harmed" her.

"If I revise this petition to be more accessible and detailed, will the Minister of Rites stamp it for me?"

"That's hard to say. If I were in charge, the seal would be affixed," Yue Mingzhang said sincerely. "Have you been to the Ministry of Rites? Is Du Ping in charge of the seal?"

"It's him." Lin Yi sighed and said with a wry smile, "This Lord Du is not as reasonable as Lord Prefect."

“I didn’t have much contact with him. I only heard that Du Ping was quite talented when she was young, but she became obsessed with making money as she got older.” Yue Mingzhang said with regret.

“Indeed, when I went to see him this morning, he was subtly reminding me to do things for money. I was angry and left immediately. Then I came to your residence.”

After a moment's thought, Yue Mingzhang said, "It's still early. Miss Qiu, draft another report. After lunch, I'll have Ah Xian accompany you there again."

Lin Yi was somewhat surprised.

Feng Zhengxian asked, "Brother! You agree?"

Yue Mingzhang found him amusing and glanced at him, saying, "I agree."

Feng Zhengxian grabbed the man without any restraint, causing the delicate and frail Lord Yue to cough again.

The man, who had been so excited just moments before, immediately deflated, looked at his brother with pleading eyes, and asked cautiously, "Brother, I was wrong. Are you alright?"

Yue Mingzhang paused for a moment before waving his hand.

"Sister-in-law, your medical skills are superb. Can you completely cure my brother's illness? I can get you even the most precious medicinal herbs!" Feng Zhengxian said.

Lin Yi didn't immediately agree, not because she was unwilling. In fact, she had long wanted to cure Yue Mingzhang, but her abilities were insufficient. At first, she thought it was because she hadn't read enough medical books and hadn't yet unlocked a way to cure him. However, the more she read, the more thorough her understanding of medical principles became. Now, even without the system, she could see that Yue Mingzhang's condition was congenital, a problem he was born with, not something that could be cured later in life. She could only use herbal medicine to regulate his body and alleviate his symptoms.

"..."

Seeing Lin Yi's hesitation, Feng Zhengxian seemed to understand something. Unexpectedly, he didn't make a fuss and pretended nothing was wrong, but the smile on his lips was really forced.

Yue Mingzhang ruffled his hair.

"Alright, I haven't taken my medicine yet. You can't expect Miss Qiu to brew it for me, can you?"

"I'm going right now!" he said, and then ran off in a flurry of activity.

Yue Mingzhang shook his head and chuckled as he watched the man's retreating figure. "He was born even earlier than Young Master Xie, yet he never seems to grow up."

"Because someone loves you, you don't have to grow up."

Feng Zhengxian has a carefree personality; he cries out in pain and laughs heartily when he's happy, and he can even fight with his cousin without any regard for seniority. He was raised by a wealthy family, loving parents, and an indulgent cousin.

Xie Chengnan and he could get along well, but their personalities were completely opposite. His lazy and carefree attitude served as a protective shield for over a decade; even his complaints seemed to be disguised with deliberate teasing and languor. When truly in pain, he would simply endure it alone. And that sharp, indelible edge and brilliance inherent in his bones—only a glimpse of it at this palace banquet—was enough to instill fear in others.

For no apparent reason, Lin Yi had never seen many sides of him, yet she knew that he was the kind of person who would hide his pain.

She had truly hurt him this time, but she simply hid away, afraid to see him.

Lin Yi suddenly became angry again. Although he had concealed the truth first, couldn't he have said more? He could tell him all his displeasure and frustration, and Lin Yi would give him a guarantee and a time limit to tell him everything.

People always have to grow up. Even Feng Zhengxian, who never pretends, is learning to hide his emotions so as not to worry his family, although he's not very good at it.

Xie Chengnan hadn't been home for a long time, did he never think that he himself would worry?

When will he ever grow up?!

But Lin Yi knew that this was just a momentary emotional outburst. She couldn't deny that Xie Chengnan was capable enough to stand on his own in every aspect.

As for herself, she had been in this other world for quite some time and had experienced many things, big and small, yet she hadn't developed an immune system. The slightest emotion could easily sway her.

Between them, she is the one who should strive to grow.

That's enough.

"People are always growing," Lin Yi said softly.

A long time had passed since the last topic, and Yue Mingzhang suddenly heard her say this.

"He's already trying to grow up, isn't he?"

After having lunch at the Yue residence, when the sun was at its zenith, Feng Zhengxian accompanied Lin Yi on a surprise return trip to the Ministry of Rites.

Feng Zhengxian knew that Yue Mingzhang's intention in sending him along was not only to help Qiu Qingye, but also to give him experience and challenges. So he pushed forward with all his might, wanting to do everything he could for Lin Yi to prove himself to his brother.

The young master of the Feng family, who was a powerful figure in the Lingnan business world, also got a cold shoulder from Du Cibu.

Du Ping's attitude this time was much more amiable than before. The impatience she showed in the morning was gone. She spoke slowly: "Madam, I have never heard of this kind of work-study program before. There is no precedent for women running schools in Anguo either."

It's the exact same excuse again.

Lin Yi argued, "There's always a first time for everything. If there's no precedent, we'll have one after we've done it this time."

Du Ping shook her head quietly.

Lin Yi wanted to argue further, but considering that he was asking for a favor and the school was of utmost importance, he swallowed his anger and gave Feng Zhengxian a wink.

Feng Zhengxian understood immediately, took out a few glittering golden leaves from his sleeve, and smiled as he blocked Du Ping's way.

“My lord, from now on I will be the owner of the school. Have you heard of the Feng family’s reputation? Our family is so poor that all we have left is silver. There will be no problem with the school’s funding.”

Using his body as cover, he slipped the few gold leaves into Du Ping's hand.

Gold is soft, and in ancient times when technology was not advanced, forging it into the shape of a leaf would have taken a lot of time. Even the imperial palace bestowed small gold melon seeds as gifts. This gold leaf must have been made at great expense by an extremely wealthy family to show off their status. Du Ping couldn't take her eyes off it at first sight.

He held it in his hands and kept touching it, trying to suppress the upturned corners of his mouth several times.

He changed his tune, saying, "I see that this petition is well-written and sincere. Establishing schools is a good thing for the people, and I can't let down your good intentions, Madam. Let's leave the petition here for now. I'll hand it over to the prefect for filing, and I'll come back to pick it up tomorrow."

If he accepts it, the deal is practically done.

The two quickly thanked them, and their feelings were quite different when they left.

Lin Yi planned to come and pick it up himself tomorrow, but Feng Zhengxian insisted on coming as well. "My brother entrusted this matter to me. It's rare for him to assign me anything, so I have to make sure this school is up and running. Besides, given my relationship with Cheng Nan, we're practically family, so my sister-in-law doesn't need to stand on ceremony with me!"

Lin Yi couldn't refuse him, so she had to agree to come with him the next day.

The next day, just when I thought I would be able to get the stamped document and approval documents smoothly, I was told that this could not be done.

Why not?

Du Ping's attitude was much more conciliatory this time, almost to the point of bowing and scraping to these two powerful figures. "As I said yesterday, this girls' school is unheard of and violates the rules."

It's against the rules again; I don't know where all these ridiculous rules come from.

"Which rule is being violated? As far as I know, there is no provision in the laws of Anguo that prohibits the establishment of schools for women."

"This... if it can't be done, it can't be done. There's nothing I can do." Du Ping reluctantly handed back the gold leaves she had just received yesterday, which she hadn't even had a chance to warm up yet, to Feng Zhengxian. "This matter is beyond my ability. You two should find someone else."