Fu Xinian could naturally tell that the woman was not trying to exonerate him at all, but rather was making every effort to expose Chen Yaozu's despicable behavior.
It seems that seeing Chen Yaozu's attitude towards him, he assumed that Chen Yaozu was someone who could take charge of the academy, so he wanted to use him to deal with Chen Yaozu.
He understood, but he didn't feel disgusted. Instead, he thought that forcing his own mother to scold her own flesh and blood like this showed how outrageous Chen Yaozu had been.
Moreover, he had heard what Chen Yaozu said earlier, and it was indeed outrageous.
Thinking of this, Fu Xinian frowned and looked at Chen Yaozu, slowly rebuking him:
“Since the founding of the Great Jing Dynasty, filial piety has been highly valued. As a son, you not only fail to be filial to your mother but also speak ill of her. You have wasted your time studying the classics!”
Someone like you won't learn your lesson unless you're punished. I will report this matter truthfully to Master Chen later.
He neither hit nor scolded him, but Chen Yaozu looked miserable when he heard his words.
Master Chen is the head of this school, and this new teacher is said to be highly regarded by Master Chen. If today's events are reported, who knows what punishment he will face...
If you are expelled from the school, even if you are able to pass the entrance exam for the academy in the future, you will inevitably become a laughing stock because of this stain!
Thinking of this, Chen Yaozu was terrified and looked pitifully at Fu Xinian, wanting to plead for mercy.
But Fu Xinian waved his hand dismissively: "You can talk to Master Chen about it later. Or if you're still not convinced, then let's go to Master Chen now and make things clear."
If he were to go see Master Chen now, there would be no way out! Chen Yaozu was terrified by these words and waved his hands repeatedly to take his leave, staggering out of the school.
Seeing Chen Yaozu's panicked and disorganized state, Gan Li finally felt a little better. She pulled Gan Tian along, bowed to the man, and thanked him.
"Thank you so much for your help, sir. My daughter and I are extremely grateful."
Fu Xinian looked at Gan Li, his tone much gentler:
“Although he is not my student, as the teacher of the school, it is my duty to advise a student when I see him being unreasonable. You... don’t need to take it to heart.”
He originally wanted to politely address her as "Madam," but from what they had just said, he knew that she seemed to be a divorced woman, so it would be inappropriate to address her as "Madam" again. However, he didn't know what else to call her, so he could only use "you" as a substitute.
But this was also a rude thing for him, so he felt a little embarrassed.
Gan Li noticed his embarrassment and quickly introduced herself: "My name is Gan Li. I wonder if you have heard of Gan's Dessert Stall? That's my family's business."
Fu Xinian lived a simple life, and his most important thing every day was reading. He didn't care much about anything else.
However, Gan's dessert stall was famous throughout the town, and even he had heard of it. Hearing Gan Li's words, he suddenly realized:
"So it's Manager Gan. I am Fu Xinian." After exchanging names, he asked, "Manager Gan, what brings you to the school today?"
Although her son studies here, judging from the tense atmosphere between the two just now, Ganli certainly doesn't seem to be here to visit her son who is studying. So her presence here must mean she has something else important to do.
Ganli was just figuring out how to start the conversation when she heard his question, so she answered naturally:
"Well, Mr. Fu, I'd like my daughter to study here so she can learn some classical texts and understand the ways of the world. I've come today to ask if you accept female students?"
Actually, it was pointless for her to ask that question; she already had the answer in her heart.
It is said that when the founding emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty implemented the policy of allowing girls to attend school, it aroused the dissatisfaction of many people. However, under his iron-fisted rule, no one dared to object and could only resort to some underhanded tricks.
For example, when schools admitted male students, they accepted anyone who wasn't blind or deaf. But when it came to female students, there were many requirements, which led to the new policy being promulgated but unable to be implemented.
When Emperor Taizu learned of this, he was furious and ordered that any school or academy within the Great Jing territory that refused to accept female students for any reason should be reported to the court for a thorough investigation. Several people were immediately arrested as a warning to others.
Seeing the Emperor's determination to implement the new policies, the people no longer dared to outwardly comply but inwardly defy him, nor did they dare to make demands to obstruct women's enrollment in schools.
As expected, upon hearing this, Fu Xinian immediately replied, "Yes, I accepted it."
He looked at Gan Li, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Although the new policies promulgated by Emperor Taizu have been in effect for nearly a century, stubborn ideas remain deeply ingrained. Apart from prosperous areas like Shengjing, very few people actually send their daughters to school, let alone in small towns like this.
After all, in most people's eyes, a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, and being a good wife and mother is the right path.
He had heard that the owner of the dessert stall, Ms. Gan, was vulgar and uncouth, but he never expected that such an enlightened woman would be willing to send her daughter to school. This shows that rumors cannot be believed entirely.
For this reason, he turned to look at Gan Tian and saw that the girl had clear eyes and was a pure-hearted person. When she saw him looking over, she gave a generous bow and loudly greeted him, "Greetings, Master."
Fu Xinian felt a slight fondness for this clever and quick-witted child and smiled:
"There are a few female students in the school, who attend school on time like the other students. However, they have been studying for a long time, and your daughter is new here, so I'm afraid she won't be able to keep up."
"I am actually a new teacher, and the students I currently teach are just beginning their studies. If Manager Gan doesn't mind, please allow your daughter to begin her studies under my tutelage."
At this moment, Gan Li suddenly realized that this Mr. Fu was probably the teacher the village chief had mentioned.
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