Chapter 372 Chen Yinduo's Background

After arranging Yin Duo's study tasks for the day, Yuan Hongqu went to the palace.

Having been back for so long, she finally made a trip to the palace today, and also went to collect her monthly salary from the previous two months.

After learning that Yuan Hongqu had entered the palace, Empress Zhao Huajing immediately sent someone to follow Yuan Hongqu, hoping that she would come to her palace after she finished her duties.

If it weren't for her status, Zhao Huajing would have loved to come and follow Yuan Hongqu herself.

"Sir, I heard you've taken on a new disciple. What about Daiyu? Aren't you going to take care of her?" Zhao Huajing asked Yuan Hongqu as soon as she saw him.

There was a sense of crisis and even panic in her tone.

“No, not at all,” Yuan Hongqu denied outright.

“You don’t live in the Lin family anymore, and you don’t go with Daiyu when she goes out to socialize or to the palace. Is it because you have a new disciple that you’ve forgotten Daiyu? Back then, you forgot me because you lost your memory, and even after you remembered me after you met Daiyu, you only treated me as an ordinary student. Are you going to treat Daiyu the same way now?” Zhao Huajing was very anxious and couldn’t help but question her.

"Where did you hear these words?" Yuan Hongqu couldn't help but rub her forehead. Zhao Huajing's words made her sound like a scumbag and a heartless man, and she wouldn't take the blame for that!

"That's what everyone's saying!" Zhao Huajing had heard this a lot, and since she couldn't find Yuan Hongqu, she naturally had to ask her for confirmation as soon as she finally met her.

“I cook at least one meal a day for Daiyu and eat with her at least two.” Yuan Hongqu found it somewhat amusing. “Don’t believe everything you hear. You’re the Empress; don’t you even have this much judgment?”

“Sir, concern makes you confused. I truly consider Daiyu as my own sister.” Upon hearing Yuan Hongqu’s words, Zhao Huajing’s belief that “Master Yuan prefers new disciples to old ones”, which had been swirling in her mind for the past few days, suddenly took on a different meaning.

This is clearly a setup by someone with ulterior motives, designed to sow discord among them.

Daiyu must have heard these words before, but she didn't take them seriously at all.

After all, the person involved knows best whether Mr. Yuan still treats her the same way he used to.

But Zhao Huajing didn't know that!

She was also unwilling to ask Daiyu for advice, fearing that asking too many questions would upset Daiyu even more.

Yuan Hongqu chuckled, "Hua Jing, I was framed and imprisoned back then. Your rival knew you had become Empress and was afraid I would complain to you, so he had a sorceress possess my soul. At that time, I was devastated by Lin Yuanhang's death, so I fell for the spell and lost my memory. They didn't kill me, so you can't hold them accountable; losing memory is a very mysterious thing, and no one would punish someone for such an injury. I didn't forget you on purpose."

This was the first time she had been so open with Zhao Huajing about the reasons for her amnesia.

Zhao Huajing was heartbroken. In those years, her teacher had completely forgotten about her as his disciple. Those blank memories were completely filled by Daiyu, so when they met again, her teacher treated her almost like a stranger.

Even after the man regained his memory, a rift of several years had formed between them, and they could never go back to the way things were before.

After hearing Yuan Hongqu's explanation, Zhao Huajing was somewhat taken aback, but having been an empress for several years, she was quite good at controlling her emotions.

She put down the handkerchief handed to her by the palace maid, and then thought of the grassland girl that Yuan Hongqu had recently been teaching.

"Sir, what's so special about that woman that you would take her as your disciple?"

“She does have exceptional qualities. She is kind, sincere, resilient, and intelligent. More importantly, she is very independent and is a good candidate to be a female official.” Yuan Hongqu pointed out the qualities she had observed one by one.

“I am quite curious, sir. Could you bring her to the palace for me to see another day? I would also like to give this junior sister a gift.”

“That won’t be necessary. She’s not your junior sister; she’s a student specially trained by the academy. My only direct disciples are you and Daiyu, and there won’t be any more in the future,” Yuan Hongqu added.

Hearing this, Zhao Huajing felt a surge of secret joy, and her tone became more relaxed.

“Sir, she is very good. Otherwise, once she has been trained, you can put her here with me and I will give her a good position.”

Yuan Hongqu shook her head.

“I plan to train her to be the successor of the girls’ school. If the girls’ school can continue for twenty years, she will take over after Mi Ling and the others retire.”

Zhao Huajing was surprised.

“Sir, I always thought you would make Daiyu the successor of the academy.”

“Daiyu’s personality is not suited to doing such a thing; she has her own things to do.” Yuan Hongqu had considered having Daiyu become the successor of the academy in the future, but Daiyu’s ambitions lay in the world, and she harbored aspirations for the stars and the moon.

If she were a professor, teaching classes to the women of the academy in her spare time, that would be wonderful. But confining her to this place as a dean, I'm afraid she wouldn't be happy.

"Why do you think Chen Yinduo is suitable? Women with her qualities are not many, but they are not rare either. There are quite a few in the academy."

"I have my own selfish motives," Yuan Hongqu said quite frankly.

Zhao Huajing's heart skipped a beat again. The gentleman was still so blunt, directly criticizing her when he didn't want to answer a question. However, Yuan Hongqu's next sentence surprised Zhao Huajing once more.

"Chen Yinduo is Lin Yuanhang's cousin's daughter, and her mother is Lin Yuanhang's cousin."

She had seen Chen Yinduo's mother's belongings, which included some papers and items, all of which were related to Lin Yuanhang.

Combined with her understanding of Lin Yuanhang, she was able to piece together the truth.

Lin Yuanhang had a cousin whose father was a minor official in Beijing. He offended powerful figures, and his family was exiled.

Lin Yuanhang's aunt found him, hoping that he could marry his cousin and save her from exile.

At that time, Lin Yuanhang was not the resourceful and wealthy businessman he later became.

Although he wanted to help his aunt, he lacked the ability, and in the end, his aunt's family was still exiled.

Later, when he was able to, he went to the place of exile to inquire and learned that his aunt's family had all died there, and his cousin had died on the way...

This must be Lin Yuanhang's biggest regret in his life.

When Yuan Hongqu first met Chen Yinduo, she felt that Chen Yinduo looked familiar. Later, she learned about Chen Yinduo's background by chance and began to have designs on her.

This girls' academy also reflects Lin Yuanhang's hard work, and Chen Yinduo is related to him by blood.

I believe Lin Yuanhang in heaven would be happy to see Chen Yinduo become the headmistress of the girls' academy in the future.

Zhao Huajing naturally knew about the entanglement between Lin Yuanhang and Mr. Yuan. Lin Yuanhang had died while escorting her to the capital. Therefore, she should take care of Chen Yinduo, both morally and logically.