The emperor's new policies were not well-received by those in the court, as they went against established rules and threatened the interests of powerful clans. Their implementation faced numerous obstacles.
Even though Lu Zhaoan himself came from the Lu family, he didn't dare to openly admit to being with Zhao Yao. Yet this Gu Niangzi in front of him was willing to enter this quagmire.
"I am a woman, how could I have the opportunity to assess the situation? Mr. Lu, the new policy may be dispensable to you, but for me, it is a new beginning."
Helping others is helping yourself. Women have suffered for far too many years. The sage has opened a door; we must seize it.
"But nowadays, even the wives of officials are laughing at the Emperor's new policies. Madam Gu, not all women are willing to walk the world on their own."
Lu Zhaoan was still puzzled.
Nowadays, many women are unwilling to leave their families to survive.
Why does the woman in front of me, like Yao Yao, believe that the new policies can change the predicament that has lasted for thousands of years?
It's common knowledge that women depend on men. This applies to both men and women.
Women like Yao Yao and Gu Yaoniang, who are like men, are too few and far between.
“That’s why there must be girls’ schools!” Gu Yaoniang’s eyes sparkled. “They are unwilling and do not believe because no one has ever told them that they can make their own decisions since they were little. What they have been taught since childhood is how to please their husbands. Now that they have grown up, how can they suddenly see the vastness of the world outside?”
Boss Lu, the girls' school is meant to show them that they don't have to be caged birds; they can also be eagles soaring in the sky!
The princess said that the purpose of women's education is not to make every woman who has reached adulthood stand up and compete with men; rather, it is to let women know that they do not only have the path of marriage and having children!
Women's education is not about telling women what to do, but about telling them what they can do in this vast world!
The princess doesn't dictate a woman's fate, but rather empowers her to choose her own destiny!
"Mr. Lu, isn't this a good thing?"
Gu Yaoniang had always been somewhat timid and gentle. This was the first time Lu Zhaoan had seen her express her inner thoughts so clearly and passionately.
He saw her glowing.
He felt a corner of his heart tremble slightly.
It seemed as if something had suddenly sprouted and blossomed.
A feeling I'd never experienced before welled up inside me. A slight soreness, a bit of tension.
He suddenly had a strong urge to touch that round head and ruffle that head of hair.
The gates of the Gu family were now almost in sight. Lu Zhao'an felt he had to exert tremendous willpower to resist the urge to stroke Gu Yaoniang's long hair.
He didn't know if a long time had passed before he finally said, "Okay."
Gu Yaoniang looked at him and smiled.
Lu Zhaoan inexplicably felt somewhat embarrassed.
He was a well-known Boss Lu in Shuojing City, but no one knew his past.
No one knew that despite his coldness and strategic brilliance, he was actually insecure.
He was a man abandoned by his family.
People say that he was a great contributor to the Lu family, and that the Lu family was fortunate to have produced such a talented businessman as Lu Zhao'an.
His family protected him in his business endeavors, and he repaid his family with his wealth.
Although there were many who spoke sarcastically, saying that he had willingly debase himself, that he came from a prestigious family but insisted on being tainted by money.
But who knows, if he had followed the path of the son of a noble family, whether through education, patronage, or the imperial examinations, the grass on his grave would probably be taller than a person by now.
Perhaps it's a matter of self-degradation, but isn't it also a matter of destruction before construction?
"Boss Lu?"
Lu Zhaoan snapped out of his daze and, seeing Gu Yaoniang looking at him, quickly forced a smile.
Seeing that he had come to his senses, Yao Niang smiled politely: "Mr. Lu, thank you for today. I'm home now, would you like to come in and have a seat?"
Lu Zhaoan readily agreed: "Okay."
Gu Yaoniang was dumbfounded.
She was just being polite, thinking Lu Zhaoan wouldn't agree, but to her surprise, he readily agreed, leaving her in a dilemma.
They had no choice but to bite the bullet and invite Lu Zhaoan inside.
Lu Zhaoan laughed heartily: "Madam Gu, I won't go in. There's a lot to do today, so you should go back and get some rest. In a few days, I'll invite you for tea, and we'll sign the contract."
His face was full of mischievous smiles, and Gu Yaoniang blushed slightly. After saying goodbye in a hurry, she ran into the Gu family's gate.
Lu Zhaoan stood outside the door until he watched the vermilion door slowly close before turning to leave.
When Yao Niang returned home, she thought that Gu Xingzhi and Qiao Niang would not be home at noon, but to her surprise, the two were waiting for her in the flower hall.
Gu Xingzhi, who was sitting in the hall, went to the hall door to greet Yao Niang after hearing the servants report that she had returned home.
"You silly child, why did you let the driver bring Zhaocai back first?"
Yao Niang chuckled, "Second Uncle, the road near the clinic is only so wide, and there's no backyard where we can park, so of course we have to get back first. Otherwise, we'd block the whole road!"
Gu Xingzhi looked at her with disgust and hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Are you stupid! Why don't you just let Zhaocai circle around the clinic?"
Gu Yaoniang was speechless. She truly hadn't expected it to turn out this way.
Qiao Niang glared at Gu Xingzhi and pulled Yao Niang to sit down: "Alright, alright, isn't it enough that the child is back?"
Gu Xingzhi, with his hands in his pockets, blew on his non-existent beard: "They walked back!"
He couldn't help but stand up again and walk up to Yao Niang: "Yao Yao, you're a young lady, walking back in this heat must be tiring, right? What if you get sunburned? What if you run into a lecherous man?"
“It’s not just one person,” Gu Yaoniang interrupted him.
“Yes, yes, even if it’s not just one person…” Halfway through his sentence, Gu Xingzhi suddenly looked around the hall suspiciously and asked, “Where is your little girl, Bitao?”
“I left Bitao at the clinic.”
Gu Xingzhi felt another wave of frustration: "I won't stop you from doing good deeds. But shouldn't you think about yourself first?"
Seeing that Gu Xingzhi was about to launch into a long speech, Gu Yaoniang cast a pleading look at Qiaoniang.
Qiaoniang received the signal and said with a smile, "Second Master, you're not old yet."
The implication is, stop nagging.
Gu Xingzhi choked.
Forget it, I won't argue with a woman.
Qiaoniang smiled, pretending not to know, and asked Yaoniang, "You said you weren't alone, but did someone take you home?"
Yao Niang nodded: "The second young master of the Lu family brought me back."
Upon hearing this, Gu Xingzhi looked wary: "Is Lu Erlang really that kind? Offering to take you home?"
Are they up to something?
Stealing his business, and now sending the beautiful woman home. Is that something a normal person could do at the same time?
He clasped his hands together, palms facing up, and clapped them three times with each sentence he spoke, which made Gu Yaoniang laugh out loud.
Gu Xingzhi glared at Yao Niang, glanced at his hands, and then put them behind his back.
Qiao Niang smiled and exchanged a glance with Gu Xingzhi. Seeing Gu Xingzhi nod, she said to Yao Niang, "It's really inconvenient that you only have Bi Tao by your side. The Second Master picked someone else to teach you earlier."
She paused, then continued, "I had already trained her enough and was going to give it to you soon. Since you left Bitao at the clinic today, I will give it to you here today."
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