Ever since the family sold Guan Muning's house and built a new one, beggars have been coming to their door asking for money, which is incredibly annoying.
"Mother! It's me! Mu Ning is back!" Guan Mu Ning cried out, her voice choked with sobs.
Guan Qibei was so startled that he stood up, and the teacup fell to the ground and shattered.
Liang glanced back at him, and Guan Qibei quickly waved to her, signaling her to go open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Guan Muning rushed straight into Liang's arms, sobbing uncontrollably, "Mother! My mother! I thought I would never see you again!"
Madam Liang raised her hand, her expression awkward, and patted her back stiffly, saying, "It's good that you're back..."
Her money-losing products are back, so she can make money again.
How could it not be good?
Guan Muning's eyes, nestled in her arms, were filled with coldness.
Just as Sister Panjiu predicted, the Guan family will definitely be happy for her to come home.
I just hope this happiness can last all the way to jail!
On the other side, Ye Ming arrived at the academy at his usual wake-up time, Mao Shi (5-7 AM).
It was still dark at this time.
He then picked up a book, lit a lamp, and began to read.
Time seemed to stand still, with only the faint sounds of pages and brush rubbing against the paper.
Bai Zhiyuan is getting old and can't sleep much, so he wakes up early in the morning.
Pushing open the door to the room, one could see Ye Ming's focused back.
He was initially dissatisfied with only ranking third, but all ten of his apprentices who needed to take the provincial examination were ranked first!
This third point made him a little embarrassed.
But seeing how hard Ye Ming was working, his dissatisfaction disappeared.
He coughed and stepped forward.
Ye Ming was awakened by the coughing. He looked up and saw his master. He quickly got up and bowed, "Master, your disciple is back."
Bai Zhiyuan snorted coldly, "It's a wonder you even knew to come back. The prefectural examination is only a little over a month away. If you don't get into the top three in the prefectural examination, don't go out and say that I'm your master!"
Ye Ming felt uneasy and looked at him pitifully, "Master... your disciple will work harder!"
These words sounded a bit scary, so Bai Zhiyuan quickly waved his hand, "No, if you try any harder, you'll end up not eating or sleeping. That's fine. I know you've done your best."
Ye Ming nodded, convinced that he hadn't wasted a single second.
Bai Zhiyuan asked him to sit down and took out a piece of paper. "For the prefectural exam, focus on these. Your senior brothers' annotated books have already been sent over. Take a look. If you don't understand anything, come and ask me immediately."
Ye Ming was very excited; he felt that his senior brothers' annotations were really good!
It was deafeningly clear and crystal clear!
He took out a copy of the Records of the Grand Historian, which he had been reading during the ten days he spent at home.
The Records of the Grand Historian is very long and contains a lot of complex information, so he found it somewhat difficult to read.
"Master, there's something I don't understand about this part."
Bai Zhiyuan glanced at it and began to explain, "The saying 'preventing the people from speaking out' is more dangerous than preventing flooding. If water is dammed and bursts, it will cause great harm; the same applies to the people. It means..."
The master and apprentice were equally focused: one taught diligently, and the other listened attentively.
After Bai Zhiyuan finished explaining the questions Ye Ming had accumulated, the person waiting at the door finally knocked.
Bai Zhiyuan walked towards the door, not intending to invite anyone in.
The person who came was Chu Guan.
Bai Zhiyuan stroked his beard and looked at him, "Young Chu, what brings you to the mountain to see this old man?"
Chu Guan bowed respectfully to him first, saying, "This junior greets Headmaster Bai."
Bai Zhiyuan waved his hand, "No need for formalities, just get to the point, I still have to teach my apprentice."
Chu Guan took out a piece of paper with Princess Shengping's seal on it, indicating that it was an official document, not a private letter.
He handed it to Bai Zhiyuan with both hands.
Bai Zhiyuan took it, opened it and read it. "Good, as expected of my student, a good disciple and a good daughter-in-law!"
This official document concerns measures and procedures related to girls' academies or co-educational institutions, and this has been included in the county magistrate's performance evaluation.
She also set some rewards, not gold or silver, but real promotions in power for princesses.
If this matter is handled well, it will be a great achievement, and Princess Shengping will help him rise to prominence!
The first prize was also a form of help from Princess Shengping, whatever that help may be.
That's Shengping, the emperor's darling and most favored favorite!
Even Chu Guan was incredibly tempted.
Bai Zhiyuan patted Chu Guan on the shoulder, "You really have some good fortune. My Bailu Academy was the first to recruit women, and now women make up 20% of the men's class. That's already the minimum reward standard in Shengping!"
Chu Guan laughed heartily. Qingshui County was truly a wonderful place; it had brought him so much good fortune!
Bai Zhiyuan stroked his beard, turned around and walked away, "You should thank my disciple's wife for this. More women come to the academy from her side."
Bailu Academy was too far from the city, and some of the men there were already resistant to women entering the academy, so they would not mention it again after returning home.
It was mainly through the tireless nagging of Jiujiu Lupuzi that some poor families were able to send their daughters to academy.
After all, it's a nice place since it provides food and lodging.
A small number of women from wealthy families, mostly unfavored illegitimate daughters, were sent to the academy with many ulterior motives.
Chu Guan had some suspicions, but wasn't sure. "I wonder who the headmaster's disciple's wife is?"
Bai Zhiyuan patted him on the shoulder, "You know Su Yan is my eldest disciple."
Chu Guan nodded repeatedly, "Sister Pan Jiu is so kind."
He's done so much quietly and without a trace of fame; how can someone be so low-key?
Bai Zhiyuan looked at him and said, "My disciple's wife is the smart one. Power is a sharp sword, but you never know when it will pierce you."
Chu Guan was stunned for a moment, and his heart, which had been boiling with excitement from being promoted two levels in a row, calmed down a bit in an instant.
His father said the Chu family shouldn't be too conspicuous, but he hadn't paid much attention to it yet.
Thinking of what Sister Panjiu and the former Grand Tutor had said, he suddenly understood something.
"I have learned a great deal."
Bai Zhiyuan glanced at the kid; there was still hope for him.
Chu Li holds military power and has climbed to his current position through military merit.
He knew that Chu Li had tried to relinquish his military power many times, but Ning Xuan had refused to accept it.
This is trust, and also a balance.
Although Emperor Ningxuan was a rare good emperor, neither overly greedy for power nor for wealth, and not the kind of person who would kill meritorious officials, he was still the emperor after all.
Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.
After Chu Guan visited Bailu Academy, his heart sank when he saw Princess Shengping's reward.
Although I'm not doing this for the reward, the fact that Sister Jiu is doing this behind the scenes shows that it's a good thing.
He will certainly try his best, but he can no longer stand out.
The girls' academy project did not go as smoothly in other places as it did in Qingshui County.
The more populous a place is, the more difficult it is to promote.
Ye Panjiu and Heng Tong rested at the inn at night and traveled during the day.
That night, he casually inquired about the girls' academy in various places.
Everyone in the city knew about this, but most of the comments were negative.
It's nothing more than the same kind of criticism Di Yushu used.
There was even a hint of disdain for the women who went to the academy.
Many men say they would never marry a woman who has attended an academy, regardless of the reason for her attendance.
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