22 Girls County School

◎The biggest problem right now is lack of money◎

Ye Yunzhao had been gloomy these past few days, looking troubled, yet he had already arranged for Madam Zhuang Xue and her daughter to live. So, what on earth was County Magistrate Ye worried about? Liu Mazi couldn't figure it out.

It wasn't a big deal, but after Ye Yunzhao saw Xue Niang's situation with her own eyes the day before yesterday, an idea that seemed a bit outrageous to say out loud suddenly came to her mind - she wanted to set up a county school for girls.

What’s even more ridiculous is that Ye Yunzhao plans to recruit adult women.

Whether it is Cuihua or Xueniang, their marriages may be happy or quite bad, but they always have to dig for food in the fields and find a way for their future in the fields.

Ye Yunzhao never looked down on them for their dirty appearance. On the contrary, he felt lucky to meet such tenacious women like them in this strange world.

His unexpected arrival, coupled with a head full of fantastic ideas about modern society, if these methods could help them and improve their lives, why would Ye Yunzhao give up?

There are quite a few women in Lingnan County. Men can go into the mountains to hunt, but women are trapped in this small Lingnan County and the small fields.

Ye Yunzhao, the girl from the hunter's family, was not worried. If these girls from ordinary farmers' families could learn some ways to make money, wouldn't it be a great joy?

The most important thing is that every household in Lingnan County can use a three-legged plow. With this thing, every household will not need so much manpower to tend the fields. Moreover, when the weather gets colder, there will be less farm work.

Instead of staying at home all day, it would be better to go to Yuezhou City to work as a vendor or a saleswoman.

However, Ye Yunzhao had thought these things through well. If they were really put into practice, troubles would inevitably arise one after another.

The biggest problem at the moment is lack of money.

Ye Yunzhao took the crisp persimmons that Madam Cuihua had picked for her yesterday and took a bite helplessly. Although the persimmons were crisp and sweet, she really couldn't smile. She frowned and sighed deeply.

Let’s not talk about the money for now. Although Ye Yunzhao can be the teacher who teaches, she usually has to go to the fields to check on things, so at least two teachers are needed.

As for the other one, Ye Yunzhao already had his favorite candidate, and that was naturally the intelligent and introverted Sun Ning.

However, after Sun Ning refused to take up the position in the county government office last time, Ye Yunzhao was unsure of her thoughts. He was afraid that she did not want to be a clerk in the workshop, let alone a teacher. After all, carpentry was Sun Ning's ancestral craft that made her a living.

Thinking of this, Ye Yunzhao sighed softly again.

Her repeated sighs didn't solve the problem, but instead misled Zhuang Xue, who was standing by. "County Magistrate Ye, I've been looking for a few suitable houses these days. Don't worry, Chunhua and I will move out in a couple of days. I can't cause you any more trouble."

Zhuang Xue was extremely poor. Her bag contained only two sets of clothes, a roll of tattered hemp mat, and she was carrying a child who was even younger than Erya.

Ye Yunzhao's tone left no room for doubt: "Xue Niang, please rest assured and stay here! Don't get me wrong, I'm sighing because of official business, not because of you."

"Didn't you say you had two children? Why is there only Chunhua?"

Zhuang Xue bit her lip. Zheng was stunned for a moment and said, "The other one... he didn't want to give it to me."

Huang Sigou was now unable to get out of bed after being beaten and needed someone to take care of him. Moreover, he had always looked down on Chunhua, a little girl. In Huang Sigou's mind, having children was for the purpose of providing for old age, even though he had never raised any before.

In short, Shitou was forced to stay with Huang Sigou.

Ye Yunzhao was helpless in this matter. There were detailed regulations in the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty. If a couple divorced, their children could not be taken away. Now Zhuang Xue was lucky to be able to take Chunhua with her.

Ye Yunzhao comforted her with a few words, and made sufficient preparations in his heart. He walked out of the backyard, intending to tell County Magistrate Han about his extremely "treasonous" thoughts.

Because establishing a county school is such a major matter, the county magistrate alone cannot make the final decision. It requires the consent of the county magistrate, county magistrate, and county lieutenant. However, there is no county lieutenant in Lingnan County, so lobbying one person is always easier than lobbying two people.

Ye Yunzhao knocked on the door lightly a few times. When he heard some movement inside, he pushed the door open and went in. County Magistrate Han was sitting at the table writing something.

"County Magistrate Han, are you busy?" Ye Yunzhao rubbed his hands nervously and laughed dryly.

County Magistrate Han was filled with doubts. Although he had only worked with Ye Yunzhao for a short time, he had long known that she was a decisive person. When did she learn how to greet people?

"If County Magistrate Ye has anything to say, please speak up."

Ye Yunzhao asked indirectly, "Do you know why Lingnan County doesn't have a county school?"

Mentioning this, County Magistrate Han suddenly stopped what he was doing: "This is a long story..."

Ye Yunzhao straightened his head and said hurriedly: "Then please make it short."

Han Xiancheng looked up at her and blurted out two words: "No money."

This... Ye Yunzhao was so choked that he didn't know what to say.

She rubbed her hands and asked tentatively: "What if we have money?"

"You have money? Where does the money come from?" asked County Magistrate Han.

"County Magistrate Ye, are you planning to open a county school? I'm not trying to dissuade you, but I advise you to give up this idea."

Hearing this, Ye Yunchao became anxious: "Why is that? Don't you know that the county school is..."

Before she could finish, Han Xiancheng explained, "I naturally know that establishing a county school will be very beneficial to the people of Lingnan County, but this matter is not something you and I can decide."

"What? What does this mean?" Ye Yunzhao said at a loss.

"This matter is related to Yuezhou City."

More than ten years ago, the county magistrate of Lingnan County embezzled a lot of money under the pretext of running a county school. Since then, Lingnan County no longer has the right to run a county school.

If there were children of school age, they had to cross the mountains to go to Yuezhou City to study. However, there were three or five families in Lingnan County that were relatively wealthy, so they set up private schools and produced several scholars.

This would be troublesome. Ye Yunzhao still hadn't figured out the Yuezhou prefect's last advice, which sounded like concern but also like a trap. If he refused to agree, then the matter of the county school would naturally be out of the question.

After figuring out the twists and turns, Ye Yunzhao sighed uncomfortably.

Seeing her reaction, County Magistrate Han actually felt relieved. He was originally afraid that this stubborn county magistrate would make a fuss in Yuezhou because of this matter. If he offended the prefect, his promotion would be over.

However, his idea was totally wrong. Ye Yunzhao, who came out of the house dejectedly one second ago, became stubborn the next second. Because of the principle that everything depends on human effort, he made up his mind to go to Yuezhou City to find out the truth.

Therefore, in a place where County Magistrate Han could not see, County Magistrate Xiaoye borrowed a small donkey, based on the principle of not making a wasted trip, tied his big bamboo basket, and set off happily.

When Ye Yunzhao arrived in Yuezhou City for the third time, she had lost her former excitement. She rode her donkey straight to the Yuezhou government office to show her certificate.

The six yamen runners at the gate of Yuezhou government office seemed to recognize her. They glanced at the little donkey behind her, but let her in without even looking at the ticket.

They did not treat her as an outsider, and Ye Yunzhao did not treat himself as an outsider either. He tied the donkey to a place as if he was familiar with the place, and asked three or two yamen runners before he could sneak into the magistrate's office.

The green bamboo outside the house was elegant and quite interesting. Ye Yunzhao liked bamboo, so she looked at it reluctantly for several times before entering the house.

Ye Yunzhao acted in a humble manner, smiling flatteringly: "Your Excellency the Prefect is truly working day and night, I will definitely follow your example!"

Upon hearing this, the Yuezhou prefect raised his head, frowned, and asked, "Ye Yunzhao? Why are you here instead of staying in Lingnan County?"

Ye Yunzhao's expression remained unchanged as he smiled and said, "I came here specifically to report on the results."

"Results?"

The prefect of Yuezhou couldn't help but find it a little ridiculous. Lingnan County has always been poor and the terrain is really ordinary. What kind of results can be achieved in just over ten days?

“That’s right!”

Ye Yunzhao originally didn't want him to know about the three-legged plow cart, but now, the three-legged plow cart has become her stepping stone.

"The wheat fields in Lingnan County have all been reclaimed, and many autumn vegetables have sprouted. The next step is..."

Before Ye Yunzhao could finish, the Yuezhou prefect narrowed his eyes and exclaimed in astonishment: "All the wheat fields are overturned?"

“It’s all overturned.”

How is that possible?

Although the terrain of Lingnan County is rugged, the per capita farmland is not small. In addition, the people of Lingnan are notoriously lazy, so how could all the wheat fields be turned over?

The governor of Yuezhou looked the man in front of him up and down. It was no exaggeration to say that he was frail. How could he possibly have the ability to encourage everyone to cultivate the land?

Are you just bragging?

The Yuezhou prefect snorted coldly, "Ye Yunzhao, if you deceive your superiors, you will be punished."

Ye Yunzhao quickly knelt down in fear and trepidation. "How dare I deceive you, sir! I have only invented a three-legged plow, which has greatly improved the efficiency of land reclamation. I dare not speak nonsense."

"A three-legged plow? What is that?"

Ye Yunzhao quickly got up, first walked to the door and looked around, then locked the door and closed the window, looking very cautious.

Seeing her mysterious look, the Yuezhou prefect sneered, "What are you doing? Could it be that that three-legged plow you're talking about is something shameful?"

Ye Yunzhao seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in his tone. She tiptoed to his desk, and the two of them stared at each other across the table. She lowered her voice and said, "A three-legged plow can be used for both clearing the land and sowing seeds. It can plow three acres of land in a day!"

"You still say you are not talking nonsense! How is it possible to plow three acres of land in one day!" Although the words of the Yuezhou prefect's reprimand were unquestionable, his tone was not as firm as before.

Ye Yunzhao said confidently: "If you don't believe it, you can go to Lingnan County to see for yourself."

Once these words were spoken, all the previous disbelief turned into absurdity. How could such a thing exist in such a small Lingnan County?!

Ye Yunzhao had already figured out his thoughts: "Sir, this thing can be called a divine tool, but it is something passed down from someone else's ancestors, so there are only three or five of them."

The Yuezhou prefect naturally understood the hidden meaning in her words. After a brief thought, he asked, "Since it's inherited from our ancestors, can this person accept a disciple? If so, you can find a suitable person to fill the position."

Ye Yunzhao lowered his head and sighed, then shook his head weakly and sat down on a round stool beside him. "If it were so simple, so easy, I would have brought it to you long ago."

"What do you mean?"

"That person's family is quite wealthy. Although he has many abilities, you know who in the world doesn't want to be an official? That person is no exception. He wants his younger brother to study and become an official, and he has talked to me about it several times." Ye Yunzhao frowned, his tone very low.

She didn't say that she was the one who came up with the idea for the tripod plow, nor did she say that Sun Ning was the one who built it. To be honest, Ye Yunzhao didn't understand the character of the prefect in front of him, let alone his thoughts.

If I say it too clearly, it will bring trouble to myself and Sun Ning.

The Yuezhou prefect was puzzled: "Could it be that he doesn't want to hire a private school teacher?"

Lingnan County is really remote, and the man has no power or influence. Many scholars look down on such places. The Yuezhou prefect is quite understanding of this.

"That's right! That's right!" Ye Yunzhao was secretly delighted, as she didn't know how to explain it.

The Yuezhou prefect was speechless, and wanted to blurt out "It's really a rotten tree that can't be carved." He suppressed his dissatisfaction and thought Ye Yunzhao was a fool:

"Isn't this a simple matter? Why don't you send his brother to the county school? Could it be that he looks down on the teachers there?"

Ye Yunzhao pretended to be suddenly enlightened, bowed hurriedly, and spoke unclearly: "Sir, do you agree to let him study at the Lingnan County School?"

"certainly!"

Ye Yunzhao lowered his head and added, "It's just that his younger brother is a bit old now, he's already thirteen or fourteen years old..."

"What's thirteen or fourteen?" the Yuezhou prefect interrupted her, saying firmly, "Even if he adds another ten years, making it twenty-three or twenty-four, I will still allow him to enter the Lingnan County School!"

Hearing this, Ye Yunzhao smiled brightly and this time bowed willingly: "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will definitely see to it!"

"That three-legged plow..."

Ye Yunzhao knew that this thing would be known to others sooner or later, but he could delay it for a day, and Lingnan County had not yet escaped poverty. Could it be that they were helping the wealthy Yuezhou City to become even richer? Ye Yunzhao was unwilling to do so:

"Don't worry, sir. I will find a wise man to teach me, and I will try to learn how to make a three-legged plow before next autumn planting."

The governor of Yuezhou did not notice her little thought, thinking that the item was too complicated to make, and expressed his understanding very considerately.

Although we have the right to run a county school, the money to run a county school...

The Yuezhou prefect stood up and opened the door. Just as he was about to see the guest off, he turned around and saw Ye Yunzhao laughing.

"What else?"

Seeing Ye Yunzhao's embarrassed face, he rubbed his index finger and thumb secretly a few times, and said in a rather aggressive manner: "Sir, a building in the county school has collapsed, you see..."