Chapter 92
Just as Wang Shuhuai expected, the next day the court rewarded the merits of the battle against Western Chu. The Minister of War was dismissed for dereliction of duty. Wang Shuhuai was promoted from the third-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue to the second-rank minister of War. At the same time, he entered the cabinet and became the youngest cabinet minister in the history of the Great Jin Dynasty.
He became a general and a prime minister at a young age. He was not only a leader of his generation, but also a pillar of the court.
A minister wrote a letter suggesting that they should pursue the victory and teach Western Chu a lesson.
The emperor also wanted to establish some reputation, so he privately summoned Wang Shuhuai into the palace to discuss strategies for conquering Western Chu.
On the day Wang Shuhuai ascended the throne, Xie Yunchu also welcomed her first batch of female students.
On the tenth day of July, the first women's academy in the capital officially opened.
Xie Yunchu was very famous in the capital, and with two royal relatives, Princess Zhaoyi Wang Yining and Princess Fuyuan, in charge, the Women's Academy attracted much attention. The academy had a total of more than ten courses including poetry, flower arranging, painting, zither, embroidery, polo, etc., which met the girls' various talent needs.
There was a shortage of manpower on this day, so each of the young ladies dispatched a group of maids from their own homes to help.
Xie Yunchu and Wang Yining sat in the Shanchang Courtyard west of the academy to receive the visiting ladies and young ladies.
The other ladies were busy in an orderly manner, each doing their own job.
In the wide field below the mountain gate, clusters of sedan chairs and horses were parked along the way. Starting from the age of five or six, all children, regardless of whether they had reached the age of marriage or not, married or not, could attend the school. Under the shade of the lush green trees, lively and pretty smiling faces, full of curiosity and hope, stepped into the academy one after another.
Compared with the magnificent Imperial Examination Hall in the capital opposite, the gate of the Women's Academy is unique and magnificent. After entering through a huge round door, you will see a rocky mountain with grotesque rocks, which completely blocks the view inside the courtyard. After going around the left and right corridors, there are beautiful mountains and rivers inside, with green mountains and clear waters stretching out in front of you. There is the majestic Qingxin Hall with five rooms for female students to study, and there is also a magnificent building with a size of about 10 meters for people to enjoy the view and play the piano. The courtyard is filled with fragrance and green vines are hanging down. The scenery is exquisite everywhere, and fallen flowers are floating in the air.
The ladies paid their tuition and took their daughters for a stroll, all dressed in silk and satin with flowers, like colorful ribbons running through the courtyard.
The eldest wife's daughter, Wang Shuying, now called Duan Shuying, also came with her maid to help.
She and Wang Shuqin stood outside the mountain gate to welcome and see off guests. Duan Shuying couldn't help but sigh as she watched this grand occasion.
"I never thought that one day I would be able to follow Chu Er out of the backyard and see this prosperous scene."
Ever since the Wang family supported her, her life in the Liu family has been getting better and better. Now her parents-in-law value her and her husband has gradually changed his mind. She has finally made it.
Wang Shuqin was even more excited. "I plan to move to the academy and never go back. Look, there are so many girls waiting for me to teach them. I will grow up with them, and they will grow old with me."
Duan Shuying got anxious when she heard this, "How old are you? You keep saying 'old' all day long."
Wang Shuqin was about to say something when she saw a young man in a moon-white robe walking towards her. His eyes fell on her cheek and he quickly smiled.
"After twenty, you are really considered an old girl."
Wang Shuqin glared at Xie Yunyou, "So what if I'm an old maid? Youth is fleeting, and beauty fades. This is true for everything in the world. Young people have their own way of living, and old people have their own way of behaving. I'm very calm about this."
Xie Yunyou bowed to Duan Shuying first, then put a document in his hand and slowly put it behind his back. He stood beside Wang Shuqin and looked at the bustling crowd with her.
"Nothing, I'm only half a year younger than you, and I'm also an old scholar."
Wang Shuqin rolled her eyes at him.
Duan Shuying looked at Xie Yunyou. He was tall and thin, with a straight waist and aggressive eyes. He had a very handsome look. Compared with Xie Yunchu's graceful and elegant demeanor, her brother was very sharp.
"I haven't congratulated Mr. Xie on his success yet."
Xie Yunyou returned the greeting, "Thank you, ma'am."
Duan Shuying's eyes moved between Xie Yunyou and Wang Shuqin, and suddenly asked with a smile, "May I ask, is Mr. Xie engaged?"
In the past, Xie Yunyou hated people talking about his marriage. Now that he is older, he has also put away his stubborn temper and can respond to people in a friendly and cordial manner.
"No, I am like Miss Wang San. I don't plan to marry or have children."
Wang Shuqin glanced at him in surprise, "Really? Now your sister is going to have a headache."
Xie Yunyou was speechless, "I haven't told her yet, you are not allowed to reveal the secret."
Wang Shuqin smiled and said, "My mother couldn't do anything to me, so she told my second sister-in-law that it was my second sister-in-law who opened the academy and made me want to be wild. She asked my second sister-in-law to persuade me. My second sister-in-law has been in a lot of trouble all day long. Now that you are involved, she will definitely be angry."
Xie Yunyou glanced over and said, "Wang Shuqin, you can't possibly betray me just to distract my sister's attention?"
"What do you think?" Wang Shuqin winked playfully.
Xie Yunyou was speechless.
Madam Ming has recently arranged a marriage for her brother Xie Yunzhou, and is now gearing up to deal with him. If Xie Yunchu is added to the mix, one can imagine how Xie Yunyou's life will be.
Wang Shuqin glanced at the document in his hand and asked, "What is this?"
Xie Yunyou lowered his eyes and looked at it. "Oh, I just got my exam resume document from the Imperial Examination Hall. Now the Ministry of Personnel is selecting candidates. After the selection, I will be appointed as an official."
Wang Shuqin asked, "What are you going to do?"
The newly-appointed scholars all had great ambitions, "I want to be an imperial censor, report on the affairs of the state, and uphold justice and eliminate evil."
Wang Shuqin was very pleased to see his upright character. She patted his shoulder like an elder and said, "Well done. To be an imperial censor, you must be upright. I think you have the courage to do so."
Xie Yunyou: “…”
Just at this time, the eldest princess heard that the academy had opened, and specially bestowed a plaque. Xie Yunchu and Wang Yining brought people out to welcome the plaque. Onlookers swarmed in, and Wang Shuqin and Xie Yunyou were squeezed aside. The entrance was surrounded by people.
Chaoyun stood under the plaque and passed on the message.
"Your Highness means that he hopes you can teach women with insight and knowledge, and select a group of them to serve as female officials in the palace in the future."
Xie Yunchu smiled and returned the greeting, "Please tell His Highness that I will definitely fulfill your orders."
Regardless of the eldest princess's merits and demerits, a woman who disregards worldly etiquette and is able to maneuver freely in the court is a woman with unparalleled courage and spirit.
Xie Yunchu welcomed Chaoyun inside to drink tea.
Wang Shuya arrived a little late because the fourth wife caught a cold in the morning. There was a large crowd of people ahead and the carriage could not pass, so it had to stop in a corner of the tree-lined avenue in a hurry. When she got off the carriage, a fast horse came running behind her, and the horse was startled and suddenly ran away. Before Wang Shuya could hold the maid's hand steadily, she was thrown off the shaft of the carriage. At this moment, a handsome young man on the side of the road suddenly stretched out his hand and blocked the attack with his arm. Wang Shuya pushed the maid and bumped into his arm. Although it was a bit rude, she was able to stand intact.
Wang Shuya raised her eyes and met the young man's gaze. The young man was about eighteen or nineteen years old, and was a little thin, but he was smiling and looked very friendly.
"Are you okay, girl?" He quickly withdrew his hand, put it behind his back and greeted Wang Shuya.
Wang Shuya looked shy, but she still returned his greeting politely.
"Thank you for your help, sir."
"It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning." He said in a clear voice.
Wang Shuya was shy and didn't dare to look at others for too long. She bowed her head again and left with her maid.
After walking a few steps towards the mountain gate, she couldn't help but turn her head to look. The young man was still standing under the tree looking at her. Wang Shuya looked embarrassed and turned her head back in a hurry.
The maid saw this and became alert. She turned her head and glanced at the man. Seeing that he was reluctant to leave, she frowned and said to Wang Shuya, "Miss, I see that the young man is wearing a plain blue shirt. I'm afraid he is a student of the Imperial Examination Hall. He doesn't have any valuable decorations on him. His pair of black boots with white soles are the most common styles on the market. It can be seen that he has no academic achievements and no rich family background. You should be careful."
Wang Shuya was impatient to hear her say this, "What are you imagining? They helped me out of good intentions, how can you guess their opinions?"
The maid dared not say anything more.
By the afternoon of Shen, the academy had enrolled a total of 85 female students, ranging in age from five to eighteen years old. They were divided into three dormitories according to their age. What courses to teach every day and who would be the teacher were all things that needed to be decided. Xie Yunchu was the head of a family in her previous life and was a businessman in this life. Her planning ability was first-class among all the ladies. After most of the day, everything was arranged in an orderly manner.
During the break, he suddenly heard a commotion down the mountain, so he told Xia An,
"Can you go and see what's going on?"
Xia An left, and soon returned, his face pale with fright.
"Miss, something happened outside. Someone is leading a commotion in front of the mountain gate, saying that our academy is corrupting the morals and encouraging girls to show their faces in public, which is immoral. Many women and old ladies brought basins of dirty water and poured them at the gate. The students from the Imperial Examination Hall opposite are even making a fuss, scolding us for not cultivating women's virtues."
Xie Yunchu's face turned pale when he heard this, "I'll go take a look."
Xie Yunchu brought Xia An and Chun Qi to the mountain gate in a hurry, only to see Xiao Youran, Princess Fuyuan and others, surrounded by the girls, having already gone to the Imperial Examination Hall opposite.
Xiao Youran was always aggressive. He was wearing a red peony brocade jacket. He held his waist and scolded the old scholar with a three-goat beard in front of him.
"What's wrong with women? Without women, where would you be? Your wife beside you is not a human being, and your mother is not a human being? What do you mean women should stay in the backyard and behave themselves? We are just opening an academy, how can it bother you? On the one hand, you are talking nonsense here, and on the other hand, you go to a brothel to fool around. What a hypocrite!"
The old lady's face turned red after being scolded by Xiao Youran, "You...you...are simply hopeless!"
Xie Yunchu stood at the threshold, seeing that the situation was getting worse, and fearing that it would be reported to the emperor, which would be disadvantageous to the academy, so he quietly called Qi Wei, who had been guarding him,
"Call the guards, tie up the troublemakers and send them to the government office for disrespecting the princess."
"Second, you see, those women are dressed very strangely. Their gorgeous clothes don't fit them well. There must be someone behind this. Go to the teahouses and restaurants around to investigate. If you find any suspicious people, come back and report to me."
The women who were causing trouble were arrested.
Half an hour later, Qi Wei came to report, "Madam, it was the young lady of the Zhenguo Mansion, Jiang Cairu, who was secretly causing trouble. She and several other women were drinking tea at the Jinling Teahouse across the street. She arranged for some old ladies in the mansion to disguise themselves as noble ladies and cause trouble."
Xie Yunchu was so angry that she laughed, "I said it, she is the only one I have offended in the whole capital, who else could it be?" Even if this matter was really reported to the government, they could not do anything to Jiang Cairu. After all, her father is the governor of Jiangnan and her father-in-law is the duke of the current dynasty. She is now fearless.
But Xie Yunchu couldn't bear this loss in silence.
The normally elegant and graceful young lady suddenly looked cold, "Well, bring a few people with you secretly, cover your heads, and beat him up for me!"
Qi Wei: "Yes, sir."
The tactic of killing a chicken to scare the monkey was very effective. The old scholars were scolded by Xiao Youran, Princess Fuyuan and others. The troublemakers were sent to the yamen, and the rest dispersed without causing too much trouble.
As for Qi Wei, he followed Xie Yunchu's instructions and secretly disguised himself as an assassin, and beat Jiang Cairu and the other noble ladies from Jiangnan beside her until they were black and blue.
Jiang Cairu vomited a mouthful of blood and lay on the ground in pain, unable to get up. She knew without hesitation that it was Xie Yunchu's work.
The maids and old women tried to help and carry their half-blind master, and finally managed to get her up.
Jiang Cairu covered her swollen eyes and roared angrily,
"No, I can't swallow this. I must make Xie Yunchu pay the price."
The friends around him were all spoiled and pampered. They had never been so embarrassed before. They all scolded Xie Yunchu for being insidious and gave Jiang Cairu advice.
"Look for your father to decide."
Jiang Cairu shook her head aggrievedly, "My father almost treats Wang Shuhuai as his son-in-law, how can he make the decision for me? Besides, my stepmother is Xie Yunchu's biological mother, how can she help me? No, this plan won't work."
"Then find the young master to support you."
When she thought of Lin Xiyue, Jiang Cairu cried even harder.
Didn't she choose Lin Xiyue because she was angry with Xie Yunchu? Unexpectedly, she jumped into a fire pit. Not only would Lin Xiyue not support her, she would probably give her a good beating.
"No, I don't want to go back..." She shrank back into the armchair.
One of the women suddenly had an idea.
"Whether it's the Jiang family or the Lin family, they are all afraid of the Wang family's influence and will definitely keep quiet. If I were you, I would go to the palace to file a complaint today. The master in the palace will make the decision for you no matter what for the sake of your father and father-in-law."
Jiang Cairu regained some spirit and looked up at the woman, "But we have no evidence, how can we sue Xie Yunchu?"
The woman snorted softly, "Madam Lin, this matter does not require any evidence at all. You just need to go to His Majesty and confess, saying that you can't stand Xie Yunchu instigating women to show up in public and ruin women's reputations, and you asked people to question Xie Yunchu. As a result, Xie Yunchu was resentful and sent people to beat you up in private. She is so arrogant, she must be relying on her husband's overwhelming power. If you were His Majesty, what would you think?"
Jiang Cairu's expression brightened when she heard this, "Good idea, I'm already in this situation anyway, I might as well just go for it."
Jiang Cairu ordered the coachman to hang the sign of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, lay down in the carriage, and quickly rushed to the palace.
When Xie Yunchu finished his work in the evening, a eunuch came to the academy in a hurry and announced in front of Wang Yining and others, "Your Majesty has ordered Madam Wang Er to enter the palace as soon as possible."
Wang Yining immediately stuffed a silver ingot into the eunuch's pocket to inquire about the situation. Upon learning that Jiang Cairu went to the palace to file a complaint, his face became solemn.
Xiao Youran was startled. "Could it be that today's incident has become a big deal and has displeased His Majesty?"
Shen Yi and Jiang Fan were both worried.
"This academy is everyone's business. If something goes wrong, Chu'er can't be left alone to bear the consequences. Let's go to the palace together."
"Yun Chu, I will go with you. I will take care of today's matter for you." Wang Yining stood up with a majestic posture.
Princess Fuyuan raised her hand to stop her.
"Don't say anything, I'll take care of this. No one is more suitable than me."
The emperor and the eldest princess both doted on Princess Fuyuan, so any small matter could be resolved with just a few words of comfort.
Everyone discussed countermeasures.
But Xie Yunchu, the real boss, drank his tea calmly, "Why are you so anxious? What are you worried about? This matter has nothing to do with any of us."
"Ah? Yun Chu, do you have any idea?"
Xie Yunchu smiled and said, "You guys should do whatever you need to do, leave this matter to me."
No one believes it.
"Please don't send us away. Let's take care of it by ourselves." Xiao Youran's eyes were red. She hugged her arm no matter what. "I must go with you."
"I'm going too."
"Don't leave me."
Xie Yunchu looked at them one by one. Each girl had a determined look, without any sign of retreat or hesitation.
It is enough to have so many close friends around me in this life.
She shook her head and said, "It's a huge show, like forcing the emperor to abdicate. It won't do me any good if you go."
Seeing that Xie Yunchu insisted, everyone had no choice but to let her do what she wanted.
Chunqi immediately returned home to get the imperial edict and make-up for Xie Yunchu, while Xie Yunchu took Xia An to the palace first.
Maybe the news had spread. As soon as Xie Yunyou came out of the mountain gate, he rode his horse and rushed over. He insisted on going to the palace with Xie Yunchu. Xie Yunchu told him about his plan and told Xie Yunyou to go back home and wait for news. He said that Xie Yunyou was no longer the young and naive boy he used to be. He had become more sophisticated. "I'll wait for news outside Donghua Gate."
Everyone was driven away by Xie Yunchu
As dusk fell, the carriage slowly drove to the Donghua Gate. A man, wearing a second-rank official uniform with a peacock patch, stood alone under the palace wall.
The lights were like the moon, stretching his tall figure. He stood tall and graceful, his eyes were like water, and he gently extended a large hand towards her.
Xie Yunchu came up to him calmly, smiling faintly.
"Why are you here?"
Wang Shuhuai looked unhappy, "Can I not come?"
Xie Yunchu pursed his lips and said nothing.
No matter how many ups and downs she had experienced in her previous life, she had handled them all by herself, and she never asked Wang Shuhuai to worry about her.
"Grandfather and the Duke of Zhenguo are like brothers. You have deep interests in the Jiang family. You still need Jiang Cheng to help you stabilize Jiangnan. You coming forward will not help me."
"It's best if I handle this alone. If I add one more person, I'll lose a share of the profits."
Her slender body stood upright, extremely firm.
Wang Shuhuai looked at his wife who seemed confident, and suddenly he felt a sense of confusion in his heart.
Sometimes it is not a good thing to marry a wife who is too capable, because you will find that her talents are no longer useful.
He hoped that she would act a little coquettishly, throw a tantrum, and not be so indestructible.
"Xie Yunchu, even if you have another way, I, Wang Shuhuai, will never leave my wife alone and let her face the mighty king alone."
"Don't be afraid, I'll take care of everything." He held her wrist tightly.
The vast palace walls stood majestically in front of him. The night wind swept in, lifting his wide sleeves. He was like an immovable mountain, blocking all the wind and rain behind him.
Xie Yunchu's eyes warmed slightly, and he held his hand and said softly, "Okay."
At the beginning of the hour of Xu, the Fengtian Hall was silent and hushed. Everyone who should have come and shouldn't have come had arrived.
The emperor sat behind the desk with his head pressed down, while the empress and the eldest princess sat on his left and right.
Below, the Duke of Zhenguo and the Duke were speechless. Jiang Cheng and Qiao Zhiyun also rushed over after hearing the news. After Wang Shuhuai and Xie Yunchu stepped over the threshold, Lin Xiyue in a plain robe also arrived late. He came in and first stared deeply at Jiang Cairu who was kneeling on the ground. Jiang Cairu shrank back in fear when she saw his gaze.
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