Chapter 363 Entering Beijing

"Granny, why is the Tenth Prince in the bandit suppression team?" Daiyu had been wondering to herself ever since she saw the Tenth Prince.

How could a nobleman like the Tenth Prince have so much free time to come and suppress bandits?

His status meant he could neither lead troops nor hold office; he could only be a leisurely prince.

They're probably just bored and have nothing better to do than come here to suppress bandits!

After all, he's still a minor, so it's understandable that he'd do something so childish.

Daiyu thought this to herself, but still asked Yuan Hongqu the question.

Yuan Hongqu did not know that the Tenth Prince was in the bandit suppression team, but as far as she knew, although the Dowager Consort was dead, the Tenth Prince's life was not much better.

The main reason is that the retired emperor is still alive!

Although the retired emperor no longer wields much power, the Tenth Prince, as his only son still by his side and the only son he can still control, is living a truly "wonderful" life.

It seems the Tenth Prince obtained an imperial decree this time to accompany General Liu to see the world.

They might even be able to gain some credit and ask for some favors in return.

However, his luck is truly hard to describe.

Daiyu told Yuan Hongqu everything that happened when the Tenth Prince was present.

After hearing Daiyu's description, Yuan Hongqu guessed why the Tenth Prince would go with General Liu to suppress the bandits.

Not only did he fail to achieve any merit, but he was also captured by bandits.

If the Emperor Emeritus found out, he would surely be reprimanded.

"I'm afraid he'll be punished by the Emperor Emeritus again this time," Yuan Hongqu sighed, sharing her suspicions with Daiyu.

Daiyu was somewhat annoyed. "Granny, actually it was a power struggle between the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor. He was caught in the middle and became the Emperor Emeritus's punching bag. I should have known better than to laugh at him. He's really pitiful."

She thought for a moment, then said,

"Granny, he did save me once, so why not give him some of the bandits we captured? We have no use for them. If he gets this credit, things might be a little better for him."

Daiyu recalled the carefree young man on the battlefield.

Oh well, I'll just consider it repaying a favor to him!

After all, he was the one who saved me last time.

"You can make your own arrangements, but you should keep your distance from the Tenth Prince in the future. He's not very lucky, and I'm afraid you'll be affected if you're near him," Yuan Hongqu thought for a moment and then instructed Daiyu.

As children get older, we have to be careful!

After all, the Tenth Prince was quite handsome, and if he were serious, he could even persuade the Emperor to stand up for him. If he wanted to deceive Daiyu, she would have no choice but to fall for it.

"Granny, I hate that arrogant and rude person the most. I hope I never run into him again. Every time I see him, I feel like nothing good ever comes of it!"

While she sympathized with Daiyu, she remained quite rational!

Seeing that Daiyu spoke with such certainty, Yuan Hongqu felt relieved.

The two met briefly in the space, exchanged some information, and then Daiyu returned to the carriage.

Upon learning that they planned to travel overnight, Yuan Hongqu also began making arrangements.

According to the original plan, the students of the academy will return to the capital tomorrow afternoon to spend their summer vacation at their respective homes. School will not start again until the summer heat has passed.

Now that the students have accomplished such a great feat, even if they enter the capital at night, the bustling scene at the city gates will likely be extraordinary.

Yuan Hongqu received the news earlier, but she returned to the academy to convene a small meeting with the teachers to unify their message to the outside world.

The students' achievements belong to the students; the academy takes no credit. Even if there are honors or awards, they belong to the students and their families. The academy cannot use this to promote itself.

Some teachers found it puzzling, as this was clearly a great publicity event that would greatly benefit the academy's reputation.

Yuan Hongqu disagreed. The girls' academy was now at its zenith, and there was no other girls' academy in the country like the one in the capital. It had become an authority in the capital.

This is not good for the long-term development of the academy.

The academy is already renowned and doesn't need any additional titles.

If a tree grows too tall, it will inevitably attract the wind. Yuan Hongqu felt that what needed to be done now was to prune the branches so that the academy tree would grow stronger and stronger, able to withstand storms, instead of letting it grow taller and taller.

The teachers all agreed with this.

Although everyone knows that the Empress is behind the academy, and even the Emperor has praised the girls' academy on many occasions.

However, the old-fashioned officials in the court were all criticizing the girls' academies, saying they were anti-female, shameless, and ignorant of female virtue. Some even took a book like "Instructions for Women" and sat on the ground at the academy's entrance every few days, reciting it aloud...

Yuan Hongqu wouldn't tolerate them, but it was getting annoying after a while.

For this reason, Yuan Hongqu even organized a public relations team specifically to "argue" with these old scholars who advocated "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent".

After angering three old men to the point of collapse, the girls' academy's "quarrel group" became infamous throughout the capital...

Yuan Hongqu had anticipated that there would be many people coming to welcome the students back, but she hadn't expected there to be so many.

When she arrived at the city gate, many high-ranking officials and nobles who had already received the news had arrived by carriage and were waiting near the city gate.

The capital city was destined to be anything but peaceful that night, and this night was recorded in history for posterity.

The courses taught at the girls' academies seemed to be designed to train qualified wives of noble families and capable female officials for the palace, helping them easily pass the imperial selection process and rise to higher positions.

However, the courses were actually designed for modern elite women, teaching them to adapt to society and thrive in the modern world, while also instilling in them independent personalities and ways of thinking.

Their thoughts had been subtly changed over the years in the academy.

The Emperor not only decreed that the curfew be extended, but also went out of the city incognito with the Empress to watch the event led by the students of the girls' academy.

The bandits were tied up, ten at a time.

Each family gathered their luggage together, freeing up a cart for the luggage. In order to speed up the journey, the bandits were also allowed to ride in the carts.

Each carriage was accompanied by mounted guards who kept a close watch on the situation inside. Even the slightest abnormality would not escape the guards' eyes.

Although it was nighttime, the advantage was that it was summer, so it got dark relatively late. In addition, each carriage had a lantern hanging on it, which made the official road as bright as day.