The construction of the academy was not as smooth as expected, but thanks to strong support from all sides, it finally took shape two years later.
Due to good publicity in the early stage, the academy is one of the best in the north in terms of scale and environment. Most of the teachers in the academy are from the century-old family Shen, and there are also some exiled people who were originally Jinshi as guest teachers. The academy's first year of enrollment was very smooth.
Although the school was not fully enrolled, it still managed to recruit more than half of the students.
You know, if their academy is full of students, it will be five times the size of the largest academy in the north, or even more.
In order to build momentum for the academy, Pei Xuanqing presented a generous gift: a plaque with the four large characters "Northern Frontier Academy" written by Lian Zong himself.
Lian Zong also liked to join in the fun, and in order to show his emphasis on education in the north, after learning that Wan Xueying was going to build the largest academy in the northern border, he not only named the academy, but also wrote a plaque in his own handwriting and asked the historian to record this matter in the book.
As a result, the reputation of Beijiang Academy grew, and more and more students enrolled. Eventually, due to the overwhelming number of students wanting to study at the academy, they had to implement an entrance examination system.
In order to address the large gap in knowledge among students, the academy implements a class and grade system.
There will be a small test every quarter and a big test every year. Students will be promoted, retained, or even demoted based on their test scores.
The academy awards generous scholarships annually to outstanding students. Healthy competition among students fosters a positive learning atmosphere, laying a solid foundation for future success and academic achievement.
The academy also places great emphasis on quality training. There are teachers who specialize in teaching the Six Arts, and regular assessments are also conducted.
We also organize some competitions from time to time. The top winners will receive generous rewards, and the participants will also receive commemorative prizes.
Those who excel in the six arts and competitions will also have a bonus effect on promotion and class placement.
For students with excellent academic performance but from poor families, the college will provide scholarships and some jobs so that they can earn a living.
All of these bonuses and awards were sponsored by the Cui family, who were often the "taken advantage." For this reason, the academy built a wall of merit, engraving the names and achievements of those who have contributed to the academy.
The Cui family specially sent fifty young family members in the first year. In order for them to keep up with the teaching progress of the academy teachers, Wan Xueying specially arranged a preparatory class for them to learn the Great Yan language and basic knowledge first.
The duration of the preparatory class will be determined based on each child's academic performance. The Cui family was very satisfied when they learned about this.
In the past two years, Wanfeng Trading Company, Wanfeng Restaurant, Wanfeng Pharmacy and Wanfeng Grain and Oil Shop have been opened one after another, and their costs have been recovered and they have become profitable.
The shops at the foot of the mountain of Beijiang Academy had already completed their investment promotion. As the academy opened, they opened one after another. Those small and exquisite houses had also been rented out. With the increase in the number of out-of-town students in the academy, the supply could not meet the demand.
Many people saw the business opportunities here and bought the surrounding land, following the trend to build shops and houses. However, when they bought the land here, they paid several times the price when Wan Xueying bought the land.
In short, everything is developing in a good direction, and the marriage of Wan Xueying and Shen Yu is also put on the agenda.
Since she had already decided on this person, Wan Xueying did not delay any further this time. She agreed with Shen Yu to wait until the end of the year after her birthday to choose an auspicious day to get married.
Their lives were thriving. Apart from the craftsmen who helped Wan Xueying build the academy, as well as those who went to Beijiang Academy and taught at a school run by Wan Xueying in his early years, and some people with skills who found work for themselves and lived quite well, the rest of the people had been idle for two years and were living on their savings.
Shen Rong had to find Shen Yu and Wan Xueying to discuss the construction of a new city with them.
"Brother, don't you understand yet?" Shen Yu said impatiently, "It's not that the Cui family doesn't intend to cooperate with the Shen family, but the premise is mutual benefit." The reason why he was impatient was that Shen Rong had approached him many times about this matter in the past two years.
"How else can we achieve mutual benefit? Their family is a businessman, and by then, there won't be much business in Xincheng, and they will be the ones doing it?" Shen Rong understood what Shen Yu meant, but when it came to power, he would never let go.
"If you still think this way, the new city won't be built in a day. That's not right. The Cui family can always find other partners." The Cui family, increasingly oppressed and exploited by the Xijiang Emperor, had decided to bypass Shen Rong and work directly with Shen Yu and Wan Xueying. The completion of the Northern Frontier Academy had also exposed them to Wan Xueying's abilities.
Shen Yu has established a firm foothold in the Ningjiang County reserve camp in the past two years. Almost all of the soldiers under him were trained by him personally, which shows his loyalty.
These people from the Shen family had long been dissatisfied with Shen Rong and also intended to get closer to Shen Yu, but they just couldn't do so openly.
As for the three Jinshi scholars, they really didn't give Shen Yu and Wan Xueying any face and refused to teach at the Northern Frontier Academy. When Lian Zong personally wrote the plaque, he regretted it so much, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them for help.
Wan Xueying decided to keep the three of them in the dark and talk about it when they finally faced reality.
"Don't you and Miss Wan have a good relationship with the Cui family? Can't you mediate and make peace?" Cui Rong still didn't give up.
Shen Yu smiled but said nothing. Why should he go and make peace? What business did that have on them?
Shen Rong didn't get what he wanted, and left dejectedly.
Seeing that the first batch of children had adapted well, the Cui family decided to send another batch. This time, Cui Jinhuan replaced Cui Yincheng in charge of sending the children.
Wan Xueying and Shen Yu met him at the Northern Frontier Academy.
As the founder, Wan Xueying naturally became the first principal of Beijiang Academy. She had a separate house in the academy.
Although the house is not big, it has everything.
She invited Cui Jinhuan to her study, which was not only her study and office space, but also a place for her to talk to people privately.
After the three of them sat down, Cui Jinhuan got straight to the point and talked about collaborating with them on building a city. One good thing was that, having done business with Dayan for many years, the Cui family, father and son, were all quite fluent in Dayan language.
Shen Yu asked, "After the city is built, who will your family want to manage it? We have to choose a city lord, right?"
"This..." Cui Jinhuan hesitated, obviously not expecting Shen Yu to talk about this as soon as the board opened.
"You want your father or you?"
Cui Jinhuan was speechless again.
Shen Yu continued, "Have you ever thought about how your family will manage this city? Just like how you manage the Cui family's business now? Or do you think that after becoming the city lord, no one will be able to control you, and you can do whatever you want?"
"No! If you want to build a city like this, then why not just move your family there and continue to cultivate the land and become the largest grain merchant?"
"So what does Lord Yishen mean?"
"Let me show you something first." Shen Yu looked at Wan Xueying. Wan Xueying nodded slightly and handed him a blueprint of the new city that she had drawn after many investigations.
Shen Yu gave it to Cui Jin to have a look at.
When Cui Jinhuan saw the magnificent new city design, he was shocked. "This, this is the new city you designed?"
"That's right," Wan Xueying nodded. "Master Cui, look carefully. In addition to residential and commercial areas, there are also entertainment areas, academies and schools, and even one or two temples and Taoist temples.
Large tracts of land will be reclaimed outside the city to grow food to feed the inhabitants. However, if a city wants to develop, simply growing and selling grain is far from enough, so some processing workshops will also be established. Most importantly, city defense—those walls, turrets, parapets, moats, and so on—are essential. Don't let outsiders attack before the city is complete, otherwise all your efforts will be in vain.
After a pause, waiting for Cui Jinhuan to digest most of this, she smiled and asked, "Then the question is, if outsiders attack, how will your family defend themselves no matter who becomes the city lord?"
Is it really that easy to be a city lord? Without a single soldier, let alone fighting a war, even managing the city's security is impossible. You want to point fingers at the Shen family, but why should the Shen family listen to you?
To take a step back, the Cui family can form their own army, but does the Cui family have people who are good at training and leading troops in battle?
Furthermore, can the Cui family control everything just by relying on money?
Of course not.
If that were possible, their family would not have endured and retreated again and again in Xijiang.
Since ancient times, whoever has the stronger fist has the upper hand.
The Shen family was originally more confident than the Cui family in this regard. What's more, Shen Yu now brought out a group of soldiers loyal to him, secretly trained a group of private soldiers, and gradually gathered the Shen family's original group of guards, making them even more confident.
"Then if Lord Shen becomes the city lord, what will our family get?" Cui Jinhuan was shocked by the new city design, and became much more sober after hearing Wan Xueying's words.
Wan Xueying slowly uttered two words, "Freedom!"
"Freedom?" Not to mention Cui Jinhuan, even Shen Yu felt that this word was relatively new.
"The City Lord's Mansion will absolutely not interfere with the Cui family's right to freely engage in business, nor will it force them to use their own money to support the City Lord's Mansion and the army." This is precisely the biggest conflict between the Cui family and the Emperor of Xijiang State. Of course, if the Cui family voluntarily agrees, that's another matter.
"Anything else?" Obviously, what Wan Xueying proposed could not meet the requirements of the Cui family.
"The Cui family will receive the highest title, similar to the Duke of a State, and be granted a golden certificate. This will ensure that the Cui family is the most distinguished family outside of the City Lord's Mansion, and the City Lord's Mansion will not easily punish the Cui family. In addition, capable members of the Cui family will be able to participate in government affairs and have a significant say." Doesn't the Cui family want power? Yes, but it must not exceed the power of the City Lord's Mansion.
"Anything else?" Cui Jinhuan continued to fight for his family's rights.
"What do you want?"
"Since it's our Cui family who's paying for the new city, what about the tax issue?"
This time Wan Xueying did not give an immediate answer, but looked at Shen Yu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com