Chapter 78
When Yue Mingzhang returned from his official duties that evening, he saw two people who had been waiting for him all day as soon as he entered the hall.
"Brother!" Yue Mingzhang, exhausted from his trip to the government office, hadn't even sat down when his cousin, who was practically a thief, came over eagerly, making tea, pouring water, massaging his shoulders and back, and showering him with concern.
Lin Yi could almost see a large canine wagging its tail wildly at its owner returning home from buying food.
Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; there's no smoke without fire. Yue Mingzhang gave him a suspicious look, dodging the claw that was groping along his back. "Just say what you want to say."
Feng Zhengxian offered freshly brewed hot tea with both hands, his eyes filled with unwavering determination, and said, "Brother, we are going to do something big."
Yue Mingzhang took the tea, gently blew on the rim of the cup, and the rising steam covered his face, just enough to dispel the chill from outside. He suddenly felt that having a favor to ask of him might not be a bad thing. "How big is it? Tell me."
Feng Zhengxian rambled on, his words rambling and irrelevant, leaving Lin Yi shaking his head in disbelief. Just as he was about to explain it again, Yue Mingzhang grasped the crux of the matter.
He bypassed the middleman and went directly to Lin Yi: "You want to start a school?"
"yes."
“The laws of Anguo allow private schools to be established, but no one has established one in Mingzhou for a long time. Do you know why?”
Lin Yi pondered for a moment, "Because the costs are high and the profits are low, while government schools not only have cheaper tuition but also more reliable teaching staff?"
“That’s right. Official schools are supported by the national treasury and backed by the imperial court. No one ever worries that the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy will run away with the money. Even academies jointly run by the government and the people are more secure than private schools.”
"Is Lord Yue trying to say that people won't choose to come to my school because they're unsure when the school might run off with their money?"
“What I’m trying to say is—no businessman would do a losing business without considering profits. Running a school isn’t a business, but you still have to consider what the students will eat and drink, what books they will read, and what kind of ink they will use. Have you thought about all of that? If you haven’t, how dare you let my brother be the sucker?”
His words were so sharp that Lin Yi was speechless for a moment.
Feng Zhengxian tugged at his brother's sleeve, "Brother, we're not being fools. If we really do this, our family's reputation in Mingzhou will be solidified..."
"Don't interrupt," Yue Mingzhang said.
"..."
He's right. Even if they find someone willing to fund the school temporarily, they can't rely on that small amount of capital to keep the school running. Even the largest initial investment will eventually run out; they need to find a way to make the money work for them. Lin Yi took a deep breath: "I was too naive. We can't just lose money without making any. I'll come back to Young Master Feng when I figure out a way for the school to make money."
"Hey—it's not that my brother is unwilling to pay..."
“Miss Qiu, running a school is no easy task. Not to mention raising funds and operating it, just registering with the prefectural government requires going through layers of scrutiny. If you really want to do it, you might as well find a school and humbly learn from it.”
"I've got it all figured out, thank you for your guidance, Lord Yue." Before leaving, Lin paused, then raised his voice, "Make sure the money is ready. Sooner or later, I will be able to give the Feng family a sufficient reason to fund this."
"Then we'll wait and see." Yue Mingzhang nodded, smiling gently.
Over the next two days, Lin spent his days visiting private academies in Mingzhou City to learn about their operating experience and procedures. In the evenings, he would stay in his room and brainstorm.
Lin Yi stayed up late into the night by candlelight, feeling as if she had returned to the time when she was preparing for the exam. Hard work pays off; on the third day, she finally produced a reasonably satisfactory execution plan.
For private schools to operate, they needed official permits, the first step of which was for a Ministry of Rites official to stamp the document. Only with this permit could the school be considered legitimate.
Originally, the state government could also handle the management of schools, but because it was located in the capital, things were divided into more specific tasks, and since it concerned education, all matters were handled by the Ministry of Rites under the Ministry of Rites. The Mingdu Prefecture, which was under Yue Mingzhang's jurisdiction, was more focused on tracking and handling cases, both large and small.
Upon hearing the name of the Ministry of Rites, Lin Yi had a bad feeling. Minister Lu Yuanchou was their superior, and just recently, he and Princess Chun'an had conspired to humiliate Lu Yanran.
On the bright side, perhaps this matter doesn't need to alarm the Minister, or perhaps Lord Lu Yuanchou is magnanimous and won't deliberately make things difficult for us because of what happened last time.
Lin Yi was not entirely certain, but the preliminary preparations were meticulously planned. It was like a grand game of chess, with the pieces already placed and the situation beginning to unfold. There was no reason to abandon a piece and admit defeat because of some unfounded doubts.
Although the report was just a thin piece of paper, it needed to condense all of Lin Yi's preparations for this matter and put them into practice one by one.
After three more days of running around, she finally gathered all the necessary documents and, with the school's planning documents, school building lease, teachers' resumes, and other materials, went to the Ministry of Rites.
Du Ping, a clerk in the Ministry of Rites, had been experiencing a persistent twitching in his right eyelid since morning, like a restless butterfly fluttering about erratically, causing him unnecessary annoyance. He swallowed the last mouthful of boiled egg, then sipped some tea to soothe his nerves, feeling that something ominous was about to happen and that he should ask for leave to rest. However, he had already used up all his monthly leave, so he could only suppress his anxiety and reluctantly head to the yamen.
They arrived at the government office a quarter later than usual.
The Ministry of Rites doesn't have many affairs. Apart from major events such as the annual imperial sacrifices and the imperial examinations, those are things that the Minister and Vice Minister coordinate and handle. It's not his place as the Director of the Ministry of Rites to get any recognition, so he doesn't have many things to worry about.
He stepped into the government office as usual, and as soon as he settled down, a clerk hurriedly reminded him: "Sir, a distinguished guest has been waiting for you for a long time."
Distinguished guests don't come unless they have a reason to visit—Du Ping didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment, so she forced a strange smile and went to greet this so-called 'distinguished guest'.
Upon meeting the man, Du Ping realized the minor official was exaggerating. After hearing Lin Yi's purpose, he felt even more disdain.
She's just a delusional woman. So what if she's the wife of a marquis? She's just like the new marquis, still a nobody. No matter how prestigious her reputation is, she's still coming to me for favors.
Having spent decades in officialdom, he could tell at a glance that this Madam Qiu was not the type to make a fuss or stir up trouble. Even if she was given the cold shoulder by him, she most likely wouldn't go back to complain.
He was already in a bad mood today, and someone just had to walk right into his trap, so he shouldn't blame him for being ruthless.
Seeing that Lord Du had remained silent for a long time after hearing his words, Lin Yi assumed that he had not heard clearly and earnestly said again, "Lord Du, I have come here today with a request. Although there are many schools and academies in Mingzhou City, there are none for girls. Unlike boys, girls in the countryside are not sent to school from a young age, making it very difficult for them to pursue their education. Therefore, I would like to establish a girls' school. The petition is ready, and I hope that you can stamp this petition and grant this good deed."
Du Ping took the thin, flat piece of paper, waved it in front of her eyes, and chuckled, "A good thing?"
Lin Yi sensed his unfounded malice, so she didn't rush to explain and quietly waited for him to finish reading.
Lord Du glanced through the petition regarding establishing a school and said, "Establishing a school is indeed a virtuous act, and in principle, I should fully support it. However..."
"But if there is anything wrong, please feel free to speak up, sir."
"Then I will speak frankly." Du Ping reached out and stroked his not-so-long beard. "Since ancient times, it has always been men who study and enter officialdom. Women are considered virtuous if they are not talented. Yet you insist on doing this useless thing."
"How can it be considered useless? It has existed since ancient times, and that doesn't necessarily mean it's right. If it's wrong, it should be addressed sooner rather than later—"
Du Ping reached out to stop Lin Yi from finishing her sentence, looking at her with a playful and amused gaze: "Will you put this seal on it, or will I?"
Lin Yi was momentarily speechless, but since his life was in the other person's hands, he couldn't refute it. He said expressionlessly, "Of course, you should build it."
"I won't say anything else, just talk about your report. The teachers and the funding are full of loopholes. If it is stamped here, how can I, as an official, live up to this official robe?"
“I have been very careful when I wrote this report. Is there anything you don’t understand? Let me explain.”
Du Ping shook her head, thinking to herself that this woman was really clueless, but she had already said enough about how difficult things were, and if she continued, she would offend someone. So she put on a smiling face and said, "Madam Qiu, look, it's getting late. Why don't you come another day? You can also take this petition back and revise the fundraising part carefully."
This time, Lin Yi understood. This Lord Du was implying that "if you want things done, you have to pay first." She truly hadn't expected that such blatant bribery would exist within the prestigious Ministry of Rites.
This is a disgrace to this official robe.
Lin Yi was angry, but he pretended not to understand even though he understood. He took back the petition, said a simple goodbye, and turned to leave.
She hadn't gone far when she heard a sarcastic chuckle behind her. Her anger flared even more, and she pressed on, determined to leave as quickly as possible.
As she walked, Lin Yi stopped. She had suffered a setback here, and when she returned, she had no one to talk to. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.
So he took the petition and went to the Yue residence again.
Her original intention was to find Feng Zhengxian, since his family had been in business for generations. No matter how pampered he was, he would have been more skilled in business than others, so she could ask him to help her check if there was really a problem with raising funds. However, she unexpectedly ran into Lord Yue at the mansion.
Yue Mingzhang was on leave at home today. When Lin Yi arrived, he was in the yard with Feng Zhengxian, teasing the goldfish in the pond.
"Brother, if you feed it any more, it will really die from overeating."
Yue Mingzhang, not wearing his official robes, was dressed in casual clothes, which made him look more like someone in his early twenties. He was currently squatting beside a small pool, barely wider than a bathtub, with Feng Zhengxian, completely unconcerned about his appearance.
"What do you know? Goldfish have soft yet resilient bellies. If you feed them a little more at once, they won't die; in fact, they'll swim even more happily."
Lin Yi walked closer, her footsteps crunching on the fallen leaves, startling the person who had their back to her.
When Yue Mingzhang turned around and saw the person who had come, his gaze changed from relaxed and gentle to polite and formal in an instant.
Lord Yue rarely takes a day off, and Lin Yi felt that he had come at a really bad time.
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