Chapter 72: Discipline my sister and brother-in-law with both literary and military strategies.

The victory in the Qinglun Debate made Taiyi Girls' School famous. The government no longer equated it with the Keats Hall for sheltering orphans and began to take its effectiveness in teaching seriously.

Some enlightened officials, especially those of the Qingliu faction who supported Princess Chun'an to fight against the aristocratic families, discussed selecting girls from their families to study at Taiyi. There were also women from the royal family who were well versed in poetry and prose who sent in letters, expressing their willingness to become teachers in the girls' school.

Princess Chun'an had been in high spirits for the past two days, deciding to hold a banquet at her residence to invite her teachers. She discussed with her staff and teachers the expansion of the Taiyi Women's School's student enrollment for the second half of the month. This time, the princess personally selected the list, inviting only her own people. Unexpectedly, just as the invitations had been sent out, an unexpected guest arrived at the princess's residence.

"The Emperor has been hesitant to issue a decision on Wang Zhaoshen, and Prince Huai's faction is already on edge. Now that Prince Jin has come to visit me privately, if they suspect you and I are collaborating, aren't you afraid they'll be driven to desperate measures?"

The Prince of Jin calmly sat down at the table opposite the princess. "Everyone knows I will never join forces with the princess. There's no point in doubting me."

Princess Chun'an sneered: "Then what are you doing here?"

"I've come to ask for the favor the princess promised me. Taiyi Women's Academy has become so prosperous today, and the one Your Highness should reward the most is the girl who won the debate that day."

"Why, did you find out who she is?"

The Prince of Jin said bluntly, "Old Censor Jiang's granddaughter, Jiang Congying."

The princess raised her eyebrows slightly, with a look of sarcasm in her eyes. She looked at the King of Jin quietly and remained silent for a while.

Seeing her reaction, the Prince of Jin said, "Everyone in the audience that day had a background. The princess has already found out her identity, right? Why hasn't the princess taken any action to recruit someone with such a graceful demeanor and a talent for chanting about catkins?"

Princess Chun'an said, "Both Mrs. Xie and the Prince of Jin's Mansion want to marry her. Why should I join in the fun?"

Upon hearing this, the King of Jin sneered, "It seems the princess doesn't value talent."

Princess Chun'an replied, "The rebellious words of the old censor Jiang in his 'Collection of Remonstrations' are still fresh in my memory. His granddaughter has inherited his teachings and has studied the Xie clan's traditions deeply. I'm sure she's determined to marry into the Xie family. Even if I were to recruit her, she might not agree. And even if she did, how could I dare to employ her?"

The King of Jin said, "If the princess continues to look at people with suspicion, it will be difficult for her to cultivate talent... It's a pity that she misjudged you."

Princess Chun'an: "I am only seeking to protect myself. If you want to compete for her to be the Princess of Jin, then go and ask for it yourself. Don't use me as a scapegoat."

After saying this, he lifted the teacup and poured it on the ground, then drove the man away without mercy.

The Prince of Jin suffered such an insult. If it had happened in his previous life, when he was young and hot-headed, he would have been at loggerheads with his master. But now he simply stood up slowly, supported by his jade crutches and walked out slowly. His heart was filled with more sorrow than anger, and he was filled with pity for Cong Ying's hard-won opportunity.

Outside the flower hall, dark clouds gathered and thunder rumbled. The waiters were running around in the courtyard, busy moving the delicate flowers and precious plants into the house. As they moved, they prayed to God to slow down the floods, their faces full of anxiety.

Prince Jin paused at the door, then leaned slightly to the princess and said, "I was reading yesterday and saw a saying: 'A good match is easy to find, even red leaves can be a matchmaker, but a true friend is hard to find, even a white jade cannot find its master. Princess, please consider this for yourself.'"

After saying that, he stepped out of the door and left in the rain.

Long after the Prince of Jin left, Princess Chun'an was still sitting in the same spot. Gan Jiulai served her tea and, noticing that she seemed upset, he tried to comfort her, saying, "Your Highness is wise and impeccable. You must know that talent is easy to find, but loyalty is hard to find. We have the Taiyi Women's Academy, so we don't have to worry about finding talent. Why bother playing into the trap set by Xie and the Prince of Jin? Who knows, Di Zhiqing, the challenger, was probably arranged by them in the first place."

Princess Chun'an glanced at her and asked, "Do you think so too?"

"Could it be that Your Highness and I have the same aspirations?" Gan Jiu said with a hint of joy, "It's all thanks to the princess's good teaching."

Princess Chun'an smiled and touched her face: "Good child."

But I secretly thought that something was wrong.

Gan Jiu was like a stubborn stone, loyal but lacking in wisdom. Whenever she asked for her advice, she would suffer if she followed her ideas, and benefit if she disagreed. Over time, Princess Chun'an began to treat her like a mirror turned upside down, forcing her to interpret her words in reverse.

Unexpectedly, today, regarding the matter of Jiang Congying, she and Gan Jiu actually had the same idea.

Princess Chun'an tapped her forehead with her fingers, reflecting for a long time before giving the order, "Go to the Imperial Court and summon all the students who participated in the debate on the platform that day."

"yes."

Gan Jiu brought the person back in the rain. A dozen girls stood in a row under the hall. Their eyes and hair were washed clear by the rain. They looked at the princess at the top with awe and expectation.

Princess Chun'an asked, "Do you still remember the girl who defeated Di Zhiqing in the debate that day?"

Everyone said in unison: "Remember."

"Who can repeat what she said that day?"

Everyone was stunned. Some only remembered the general idea, or just a few words. After piecing together the memories for a long time, they still couldn't fully recreate the scene of that day.

It can be seen that the man's quick wit and ability to respond are difficult for others to achieve even if they think carefully.

Just as the princess was sighing inwardly, she suddenly heard someone in the hall timidly say, "Your Highness, I can repeat it."

Seeing the princess nod, she stepped forward and recounted what Jiang Congying had said. Her speech was neither too fast nor too slow, but her pronunciation was clear and steady, almost word for word.

"What is your name?" asked the princess.

"The name of the child is Wei Yin'er, and she is from Hedong."

Wei Yiner hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Your Highness, are you going to marry that girl? I know who she is."

Princess Chun'an's heart moved slightly: "The rest of you step back, Wei Yin'er step forward."

Wei Yin'er walked to the princess's desk and stopped where the Prince of Jin had been. She knelt and bowed respectfully, recounting how she had met Fourth Lady Jiang. "...Fourth Lady Jiang is not only chivalrous and courageous, having the guts to enter a bandit's den to rescue us weaklings, but is also incredibly talented and learned. While I was staying at the Jiang residence, I received her guidance and felt I had made significant progress. I have a bold statement, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate to share it. Your Highness, please forgive me."

"Go ahead."

"The female servants around His Highness, and the teachers of the Imperial Court Female School, despite their combined talents, are still inferior to Jiang Si Niang, just like, just like..."

The princess' voice was as cold as water: "Just like what?"

Wei Yiner swallowed hard, mustering her courage and said, "Just like all the counselors in the Eastern Wu, they are no match for Zhuge Yiyu."

Princess Chun'an suddenly sneered.

Wei Yiner kowtowed quickly: "This is from the bottom of my heart, Your Highness, please understand!"

Princess Chun'an stared at Wei Yin'er lying on the ground, thinking quickly in her mind.

This sounded really harsh, as if she was surrounded by useless people, which was rather arbitrary. Regardless of other people's comments, at least she had Luoxi Mountain People, so wasn't she worthy enough to compete with this useless Jiang Si Niang?

It's a pity that Yiyun from Luoxi Mountain has been in seclusion recently to serve her master, otherwise I could ask her for advice on Jiang Si Niang's matter.

"What are you afraid of? I won't punish you." The princess said coldly, "Get up and leave."

The princess sat alone and pondered for a while, then summoned Gan Jiu and said, "Go and send an invitation to Jiang Congying. Invite her to the teacher's banquet the day after tomorrow. I want to take a good look at her and see what kind of spirit she is that has so many people praising her."

＊

I couldn't sleep because of the firefly night, and woke up late in the morning. I opened the curtain and heard Ah He talking happily outside. Although he deliberately lowered his voice, he was still very excited.

She thought Sanlang had given her some exquisite weapon again. Cong Ying smiled helplessly, put on her clothes and got out of bed: "Ahe, come in."

Ah He rushed in like a gust of wind, holding a red scroll with a phoenix and gold pattern in its hand, and shouted loudly, "It's victory news, it's victory news! General, it's urgent news from eight hundred miles away!"

Ah Ying was amused by her: "What is it? Let me see."

After seeing the content of the invitation clearly, the smile in Ying's eyes gradually disappeared, but her heart began to beat rapidly uncontrollably.

Princess...why did she invite her again?

The elegant conversation should be widely known, so it is barely reasonable to invite her, but the guests at the teacher's banquet are all close ministers, what qualifications does she have to be present... Could it be that the Prince of Jin and the princess revealed her identity, or did the princess suspect something?

Ah He said cautiously: "Sister... I want to go see Yin'er..."

From Ying, she knew what she was thinking. It was probably more than just wanting to meet him. She patted Ah He's head and was about to say something when the maid outside with the washbasin said, "Madam, the Third Young Master is here to visit and is waiting in the front yard."

Cong Ying stuffed the invitation card into Ah He's hand and said, "Keep it safe. Don't let San Lang see it, and don't mention it to him."

She hurriedly washed and changed her clothes. After a moment's thought, she dabbed her lipstick in the mirror, lightly brushed her eyebrows, and when she saw that her complexion was okay, she hurried off to see Xie Xuanlan.

Xie Xuanlan was waiting in the front hall with his hands behind his back. When he saw her, he looked her over carefully and smiled meaningfully: "I won't stay at home today. I'll take you somewhere."

A flush of heat washed over Zeng Ying's face. "I'll go get the driver to harness the carriage."

“No need.”

Xie Xuanlan took her out and it seemed that they were going to walk. They walked south through an alley and stopped in front of Congshan Academy.

Outside the school gate, a woman was waiting. It was Mrs. Meng, the eldest daughter of the Xie family. Seeing the two of them, she came forward with a smile and said, "The Prime Minister just arrived. You are here so quickly. Come in with me."

Cong Ying was confused: "What is this...?"

Xie Xuanlan led her inside: "We'll talk as we walk."

Xie Xuanlan was worried she might be bored, and had been thinking about setting up a dormitory for her at Congshan Academy, allowing her to socialize and take in students. However, this was a bit of a challenge, and he had finally managed to convince Xie Xiang yesterday. This morning, he gathered the clan elders and the academy's teachers to finalize the matter.

After hearing this, Congying paused uncomfortably, remembering the invitation sent by the princess.

Xie Xuanlan and Meng looked at her at the same time: "What's wrong?"

Meng gently comforted her, "Don't be nervous. Third Brother has already made arrangements in advance. No one will make things difficult for you."

Xie Xuanlan whispered, "With your knowledge, you're more than enough to give these old thieves a hard time. Why should I interfere? What's wrong? Do you have other concerns?"

Zeng Ying suppressed the turmoil in her heart, lowered her head and smiled: "No, it's just a little sudden. Let's go."

In the Lixin Hall, Xie Xiang sat at the head of the table, with clan elders and great scholars from the academy sitting on either side. They all wore crowns and ribbons, and had serene expressions, creating the solemn atmosphere of a court trial.

In such a situation, even Meng had to hold her breath carefully. After bringing in Cong Ying, she and Xie Xuanlan retreated outside the door and waited.

Compared with Xie Xuanlan who was so nervous that he wanted to lift the tiles to take a peek, Cong Ying was respectful on the outside but actually very calm on the inside. After greeting each other, he quietly waited for the leaders to ask questions.

"Mrs. Jiang comes from a poor family. How will she serve her uncle and aunt, and take care of her husband and children when she marries into the Xie family?"

"I've heard that Madam Jiang is both virtuous and talented. Please use the 'Rules for Women' and 'Precepts for Women' as a basis to explain the original meaning of the 'Seven Reasons for Divorce and Three Reasons for Not Divorcing' in our dynasty's laws."

"Please tell me, Madam Jiang, how do you plan to teach the girls in your academy to cultivate women's virtues, speech, appearance, and skills?"

“…”

Although Cong Ying had anticipated these questions, he still cursed the old man coldly in his heart.

Thinking of the difficulty Xie Xuanlan had in arranging this matter for her, Cong Ying calmed down and answered the questions eloquently. These were simple questions that lacked depth and only examined attitude. After she finished answering, she saw the people at the table stroking their beards and nodding with satisfied expressions, having already concluded that she was worthy of being a virtuous wife of the Xie family.

Finally, Prime Minister Xie asked, "Madam Jiang, have you ever read 'Huainanzi Honglie'?"

Cong Ying nodded and replied, "I've read it briefly, but I don't understand it in detail."

"Orange trees north of the Yangtze River transform into citrons. Orioles never cross the Ji River, and raccoon dogs die after crossing the Wen River. Form and nature cannot be changed, and position and station cannot be shifted." Xie Xiang looked at her and said, "Madam Jiang, do you understand this?"

This was what Di Zhiqing said when he was debating at Tiannvqu.

This sentence is a forgery, a conclusion clearly reached by Xie Xiang through his own research. Why did he ask her about it again? Was it a test, or something else?

Cong Ying slowly clenched her palms, quickly pondering the purpose of Xie Xiang's question. Ultimately, she decided to follow suit, slightly modifying Di Zhiqing's answer: "It probably means... yin and yang each have their own responsibilities, men and women each have their own strengths, and women should stay at home and avoid doing things like the thrush crossing the Ji River or the raccoon dog crossing the Wen River."

Xie Xiang still maintained a serious expression and nodded: "Correct."

At this point, Cong Ying has passed all the tests.

After she left Lixin Hall, she still looked a little dazed. Xie Xuanlan approached her with concern: "But someone inside is giving you trouble. Who is it?"

Cong Ying chuckled and shook her head: "There's no difficulty at all, these are all sincere words."

Returning to Jisu Garden, Xie Xuanlan told Ah He about this happy news: "Now, you can walk sideways in the academy from now on. Your elder sister is a man of literary talent and your brother-in-law is a man of military strategy. Let's see who dares to exclude you."

Ah He's face changed when he heard that. He stared at Congying in a daze. Seeing her shaking her head and making a gesture to keep quiet, he suddenly felt very wronged. He bit his lips and tried to endure it again and again, but finally he couldn't hold it back and tears fell down.

Xie Xuanlan was startled: "What's going on?"

Cong Ying said calmly, "She's too playful and doesn't want to go to school. I just scolded her for this yesterday, and we haven't even gotten over it yet, and you're bringing up sad things again."

Xie Xuanlan couldn't help laughing and patted her head: "I see, it's my fault. Brother-in-law apologizes to you. How about giving you a hidden knife tomorrow?"

But Ah He pushed him away and ran away.

Xie Xuanlan looked at Cong Ying bewilderedly: "Why does it look like I've offended her?"

Cong Ying said, "No, I'll just go and persuade her."

Ah He ran back to the house in one breath, jumped onto the couch, buried his face in the pillow and cried loudly. He refused to pay attention to the cheese that Zi Su brought him.

Cong Ying walked in, closed the door, patted Ah He's back gently, and whispered in her ear, "Little Ancestor, if you cry your eyes into walnuts, it will not be beautiful when you go to the Princess's Mansion the day after tomorrow."

Ah He burped suddenly and looked at Cong Ying with tears in his eyes: "No... burp... Aren't you not going... burp..."

Cong Ying smiled sympathetically, "Of course I'll take you to see Yin'er, to see... Her Royal Highness the Princess."

Before, Cong Ying was still hesitant, but after the Rishin Hall test was over, she made up her mind.

Congshan School appears to be open-minded, but it is actually full of discipline. With a personality like Ah He, it would be like fitting a square peg into a round hole and she would never be happy there. How could her sister bear this?

A bird in a cage, a fish in a pond, having her is enough.