Chapter 470 Preparations
Seeing the worry in Jiang Huan's eyes, Huo Lin took her fingers in his hand, cupped them in his palm, and gently stroked them.
"I know." His voice was low, but much gentler than before. "I am not a bloodthirsty person. All those punished are based on solid evidence and deserve their punishment."
[I know perfectly well that these parasites have been entrenched for years and should have been eliminated long ago.]
[If I had to say, I was already showing leniency; I only punished the ringleaders and didn't implicate others.]
[But look at that worried look in her eyes... Alright, alright, I'll tone down my temper in the future, lest I really scare her.]
Jiang Huan listened to his inner monologue with a sense of helplessness.
Very well, very well. Confiscating property and imprisoning people is considered lenient treatment. Your Majesty's standards for leniency are truly unique.
However, knowing that he had taken her words to heart, Jiang Huan felt relieved.
"Well, it's good that you know what's going on." She smiled and waved the list in her hand. "Then I'll gladly accept this funding for the school. I guarantee that this girls' school will be a great success and will not let down the Emperor's confiscation of property... uh, rectification efforts."
Huo Lin was amused by her playful remark and smiled, reaching out to pinch the tip of her nose.
With Huo Lin's strong support and ample financial guarantee, preparations for the girls' school were quickly put on the agenda and officially launched.
Jiang Huan cast aside her previous concerns and devoted herself wholeheartedly to the task.
She personally led people from the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Works to survey the allocated villa and plan the layout of the school.
“This place is sunny and well-ventilated, so it can be converted into a lecture hall.”
"This open space in the backyard is flat and perfect for use as an experimental field, where the girls can plant crops by themselves."
“The east wing is quiet and suitable as a medical pharmacy and a reading room.”
......
The officials from the Ministry of Works were initially somewhat reserved, but seeing that the Empress was clear-headed, had specific requirements, and was easygoing, they gradually opened up and actively offered suggestions.
He Ling was even more enthusiastic, and she contributed a lot of materials and teaching materials using the system.
"Your Majesty, look at this arithmetic textbook! I start with the most basic number recognition, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and use real-life examples, such as bookkeeping and land measurement, to teach it. I guarantee it will be much more interesting than dry memorization!"
He Ling presented a textbook to Jiang Huan like a treasure, her eyes shining like stars.
Jiang Huan flipped through the pages, nodding repeatedly: "Very good, putting what you've learned into practice."
Mingzhu wasn't idle either. When she heard about the girls' school, she was extremely excited and immediately started recruiting.
Using his connections among the noble ladies of the capital, he hosted a series of small banquets and tea parties over the next few days.
That day, in the pavilion of the Imperial Garden, Mingzhu once again gathered several familiar young ladies.
"Really, I'm not lying to you!" Mingzhu sat on the stone bench, leaning forward, her face flushed with excitement.
"What they teach in school is so practical. If you learn arithmetic, you'll have a better grasp of your family's accounts. If you recognize herbs, you can help your family when they have a headache or fever. If you understand farming, you can at least tell whether the harvest on the farm is good or bad... Isn't that wonderful!"
The young ladies sat around, initially just curious, but as they listened to Mingzhu counting on her fingers one by one, their eyes gradually became serious.
A young lady from a vice minister's family hesitated and said, "But won't people gossip if a woman learns these things?"
“Who cares about them!” another daughter of a military family, with an even more straightforward personality, chimed in. She had long been tired of embroidering and reciting poetry all day long. “It’s more important to learn some practical skills. Princess, count me in.”
“I want to see too,” another person whispered in agreement.
Seeing this, Mingzhu smiled broadly: "That's right. We're not trying to become the top scholar, we're just learning some skills that will benefit ourselves and our families. Who would dare to gossip?"
The atmosphere in the pavilion gradually warmed up, and the group began to chatter about what the school might need to prepare and what kind of students would be more suitable.
Just then, a voice with a drawn-out tone broke in.
"Oh, it's so lively here? I could hear our princess giving orders from far away."
Everyone turned around and saw that Shen Yi had strolled over at some point, dressed in a brocade robe and waving a fan in his hand.
Mingzhu's eyes lit up when she saw it was him, but then she pouted and said, "Chen Yi, you were eavesdropping on our conversation!"
"Is this Imperial Garden Her Highness's private property? Is it not allowed for me to come here?"
Shen Yi strolled closer, his gaze sweeping over the papers with writing and drawing on them on the stone table.
"Preparations for a girls' school? Wow, quite a grand undertaking! Is our princess about to become a saint and educate all the women in the world?"
His tone was clearly teasing, without any malice; it was more like banter between acquaintances.
A young lady beside her smiled and said, "Lord Shen is joking. The princess is just helping Her Majesty the Empress."
"Help?" Shen Yi drawled, his gaze falling on Mingzhu's small face. He deliberately said, "I'm afraid that the princess might rush to teach others before she even understands how to move the abacus beads herself. If she gets confused herself, that would be quite a mess."
"Shen Yi, don't look down on me!" Mingzhu's competitive spirit was aroused, and she straightened her back like a little peacock that had been provoked.
“I’m good at math. Besides, with the Empress and Sister He Ling around, I’m sure I can learn it. But you, what can you do besides playing with cats and dogs, listening to music and watching plays? You have the nerve to criticize me.”
"Me?" Shen Yi pointed at himself with his fan, his smile becoming even more irritating. "I know a lot more than that. At least I won't mistake chives for weeds."
"You! You're the one who can't tell the difference!" Mingzhu retorted instinctively, exasperated. "I just didn't look closely before!"
"Oh? Didn't you look carefully?" Shen Yi leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of mischief, "Then Your Highness, you'd better be careful. Don't spend all your time watering and fertilizing only to end up with nothing to show for it."
Mingzhu was both embarrassed and annoyed by his sarcastic remarks. She raised her hand to hit him, but Shen Yi nimbly dodged it.
“Hey, a gentleman uses words, not fists.” Shen Yi wagged his finger, his eyes full of triumphant smiles. “It seems that Your Highness’s temper needs to be tempered before becoming a teacher, lest you frighten your students.”
"Mind your own business." Mingzhu made a face at him. "Anyway, we're determined to run this school. Just you wait and see, it'll definitely be a huge success and make you furious."
"Alright, alright, I'll wait and see." Shen Yi shook his head with a smile, but then casually took out a small brocade pouch from his sleeve and tossed it onto the stone table.
"Here, I got a little something from overseas the other day, they say it's carrot seeds. It looks interesting, so I thought I'd give it to your experimental field to add some good luck. Don't let it die and then say the seeds I gave you are bad."
After saying that, without waiting for Mingzhu's reaction, Shen Yi turned around and strolled away.
Mingzhu stared at the brocade pouch for a moment, then grabbed it and shouted at his retreating figure, "I don't care! I just want to prove that I can definitely grow them well!"
With his back to her, Shen Yi waved lazily, his smile deepening.
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