Chapter 753 The Emerging Girls' School
"Madam Sui has no idea how badly the Zheng family has been implicated by the He family..."
Madam Zheng complained with a bitter face, her expression full of sorrow.
Zheng Wangfeng married a woman from a close collateral branch of the He family, who was also the legitimate daughter of the He family. After the He family's downfall, all of Zheng Wangfeng's maternal relatives were arrested.
His wife, being a married woman, was not implicated. However, she was the daughter her parents had doted on and could not bear to watch them being arrested and imprisoned. So, despite her husband's and mother-in-law's objections, she went around begging for help while heavily pregnant. She was more than eight months pregnant and her body was very heavy. In addition, she was physically weak and had a poor constitution. After kneeling outside for two days, she fell ill.
Not only did she fall ill, but it also led to premature birth.
"She struggled in the room for three days and three nights, but couldn't give birth. She bled a lot..." Madam Zheng's face was pale. "In the end, it was a double tragedy. The mother died, and the baby was born dead too. It was a son, and he looked like Feng'er..."
Cheng Wanwan was extremely shocked. Had her life been too isolated lately? She hadn't heard anyone mention this at all.
"Madam Sui, tell me, can this be blamed on the Zheng family?" Madam Zheng looked aggrieved. "That was Feng'er's eldest son, and he died just like that. Feng'er and I were heartbroken and did our best to handle the funeral... But people outside are saying that Feng'er deliberately killed his wife, who was eight or nine months pregnant, to avoid being implicated by the He family. I don't know who started this rumor, but more and more people believe this absurd talk, and it even reached the Ministry of Rites. When Feng'er's superior heard about this, he gave Feng'er a three-month leave... Isn't that a disguised dismissal?"
Cheng Wanwan put down her teacup: "So, Madam Zheng came here this time to..."
"Madam Sui, you are now a second-rank official, the only Madam Sui in the Great Yu Dynasty. You are deeply favored by the Emperor and Empress. With just a word from you, Feng'er's superiors will surely rescind their order." Madam Zheng's eyes were full of pleading. "Please, Madam Sui, for the sake of being from the same hometown, help Feng'er."
"Madam Zheng overestimates me." Cheng Wanwan's voice was very calm. "No matter how high my rank is, I am still just a woman. Even the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, let alone a court lady from another family like me?"
“It was my mother who was being presumptuous.” Zheng Wangfeng stopped Madam Zheng from continuing to speak, and cupped his hands, saying, “I apologize for the inconvenience caused by my visit today, Madam Sui.”
He gave a farewell bow and prepared to leave.
Cheng Wanwan spoke up: "Before Lord Zheng leaves, may I say a few words that are not to my liking?"
Zheng Wangfeng stopped in his tracks and immediately adopted a respectful demeanor: "As the saying goes, honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial. Only true elders would say such unpleasant things to juniors. I humbly request Madam Sui's guidance."
"In my opinion, whether it's being a person or doing things, you must be down-to-earth and take one step at a time. When you take each step firmly, you won't fall when the road ahead is bumpy," Cheng Wanwan said slowly. "You and Zhao'er are classmates. I've seen how you two got to where you are today. Do you think each of your steps has been solid?"
Zheng Wangfeng lowered his head and remained silent.
Long ago, in order to stand out at Nanfu Academy, he conspired with Qian Hui to frame Cheng Zhao for cheating, which led to Cheng Zhao's expulsion.
Later, in order to curry favor with the Lin family, he and his mother staged a scene of falling into the water in an attempt to marry the Lin family's daughter.
Later, after becoming a tribute student, in order to achieve a good ranking in the palace examination, he joined the He family. The He family did not disappoint him and allowed him to enter the Ministry of Rites.
Later, wanting to climb the ranks further, he married the legitimate daughter of a fourth-rank official from a collateral branch of the He family, thus rising to the sixth rank...
If the He family hadn't met with this misfortune, perhaps he would have done even more things that he himself could never have imagined.
It turns out that, without realizing it, he had become the very person he once despised most...
“If you understand what I’m saying, you should know what to do next.” Cheng Wanwan picked up her teacup. “Madam Zheng, Lord Zheng, please take care. I won’t see you off.”
Zheng Wangfeng bowed again before turning and walking out of the flower hall.
The mother and son walked silently to the gate of the house. Looking at the passersby coming and going, they both felt a kind of indescribable melancholy.
“Mother, I plan to go back to Fenghuang County.” Zheng Wangfeng said softly, “My superiors have given me three months of rest, and I can stay at home for two months. It’s a good time to sort out my thoughts.”
Madam Zheng grew anxious: "Why go back to Fenghuang County? Wouldn't that be embarrassing? People will think you've been dismissed from your post..."
“Go back and find the child.” Zheng Wangfeng looked up at the sky. “Back then, in order to marry a so-called wife of equal social standing, I sent away all my concubines and even my own son. Because I ignored my illegitimate son, my legitimate son couldn’t survive either. Perhaps this is retribution.”
Madam Zheng's fingers suddenly clenched, and she murmured, "Retribution...is it retribution?"
“I took the wrong path from the very beginning.” Zheng Wangfeng pursed his lips. “Fortunately, I still have a chance to start over, like Cheng Ziyu, to be down-to-earth and take it one step at a time…”
Madam Zheng opened her lips, unsure of what else to say.
On the third day, Cheng Wanwan heard from Gu Bing that Zheng Wangfeng had taken Madam Zheng and the coffins of his wife and children back to Fenghuang County for burial.
She thought that Zheng Wangfeng must have listened to her.
Going back to where we started, rediscovering our initial passion, perhaps we can start all over again...
At the end of January, Cheng Wanwan took the proposal for the girls' school to the palace.
She is now a second-rank lady, and with the Empress's permission, she can go directly to Kunning Palace without presenting a palace token.
The Empress was delighted to see her enter the palace: "The girls' school has been entrusted to Lord Cheng. I heard that the site has been renovated and is ready to open as soon as the school's rules and regulations are in place."
Cheng Wanwan handed over the thick folded document: "This is the system I wrote about girls' schools. Please take a look, Your Majesty."
The Empress opened the memorial and read it carefully, becoming more and more astonished: "So many subjects, such a comprehensive system, even the Imperial Academy can't compare. Wanwan, how did you come up with this?"
"Does Your Majesty think this is feasible?" Cheng Wanwan asked with a smile. "Although Your Majesty's original intention was to provide a place for ordinary women from lower social classes to study, since Your Majesty is initiating this school, I think nobles will also be willing to send their daughters to school. Therefore, the girls' school will be divided into two main classes. One is a basic introductory class, mainly teaching literacy and basic principles. The second is a skills enhancement class, which is elective. In other words, enrolled girls can choose to study two or three courses..."
She drew on some modern educational concepts and models and applied them to the girls' school.
In those days, daughters from poor families were illiterate, while young ladies from wealthy families spent their days embroidering and playing musical instruments. Regardless of their social class, women's social circles were very closed before they got married, and they had limited access to information. The establishment of girls' schools could enrich their lives and broaden their horizons. When a person's spiritual life is enriched, their life will undergo tremendous changes.
In feudal times, the expectation was not that "women could hold up half the sky," but rather that women should be virtuous and talented.
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