Meanwhile, Yin Li, having a new job, naturally wanted to chat with her friend for a bit.
After finishing his business, he had dinner with Xiao Yi that evening.
"So, the chief has handed over the teaching and nurturing of students to the strategist?" Xiao Yi asked with a complicated expression. "Then, won't all the officials, big and small, of Chaoyang Manor become your students?"
"Strategist, you already have the authority to command a large army, and now you've been given such a good job. The chief really values you highly."
His smile was a little stiff: "But that's normal. Strategist, you are very knowledgeable and talented. It's only natural that you can gain the trust of the leader."
"My lord, you..." Yin Li was naturally perceptive and immediately sensed that something was wrong with Xiao Yi: "Are you alright?"
Xiao Yi lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time before smiling bitterly and saying, "It's nothing. It's just that I haven't been getting along very well with the Crimson Soul Army lately. It's okay, it's okay, I'll handle it."
He raised his glass, forcing a smile: "Let's not talk about that today. Come, strategist, let me toast you and wish you continued success."
After saying that, he gulped it down in one go.
Seeing him like this, Yin Li could no longer drink: "My lord, how about I go and talk to General Qi Lei tomorrow?"
"The Crimson Soul Army has been stationed on the frontier for many years. They are all men of courage and integrity. They are not unreasonable."
"Haha, no need." Xiao Yi laughed heartily instead: "Don't worry, strategist. No matter what, I am now the Grand General personally appointed by the Chief. Whether it's our original troops or the Crimson Soul Army, they all have to listen to me."
"To be honest, I come from a humble background, and I am already very satisfied with my current success."
Yin Li looked him over again before saying, "Alright then, but my lord, feel free to contact me if you need anything in the future."
"No matter what, you will always be my best friend."
A hint of warmth appeared in Xiao Yi's eyes.
He raised his hand and patted Yin Li on the shoulder, smiling, "I know."
Seeing that his expression had returned to normal, Yin Li felt relieved and began to drink her wine in peace.
In the following days, he focused all his attention on the academy, mainly because there were just too many and too complicated things to do.
The construction of the academy, the selection criteria for teachers, and what students should learn—everything had to be carefully considered. The light in Yin Li's study hadn't been turned off for the past few days.
After several days of effort, he finally sorted everything out, wrote it down, and showed it to Rose.
Luo looked at his panda-like dark circles and sallow complexion, and felt a little guilty.
"Strategist, you've worked hard. Have some tea to refresh yourself." She coughed lightly, picked up the tea brewed with spiritual spring water, and poured him a cup.
Although Yin Li was tired, his eyes were still bright. He respectfully accepted the tea and said, "This is my duty, nothing to brag about."
He quickly took a sip, and the sweet taste refreshed his mind. It was indeed that magical spring water; after drinking it, his energy and spirit returned.
He had always known that the leader possessed a magical spring. If he wasn't mistaken, the magical seed must also be related to this. But since the leader himself wouldn't say anything, he pretended not to know anything.
Luo Xi naturally liked people who knew their place: "Xiaoyu, prepare the strategist's portion for breakfast as well, and remember to make it lavish."
Liu Xiaoyu placed the pastries in front of the two of them and nodded with a smile: "Don't worry, Master. You and the strategist can have some pastries first. I'll go prepare them right away."
She learned a lot of new ways to cook food from Mr. Chu a few days ago, which will come in handy.
Luo Xi was now deeply captivated by the documents. It must be said that Yin Li was indeed very talented. Whether it was the layout of the academy, the selection requirements and precautions for teachers, or the arrangement of students' coursework, everything was arranged perfectly.
"Well done," Rose sincerely praised.
Yin Li remained humble: "You flatter me, Boss."
Rose smiled and then offered him a few suggestions based on modern schools.
Yin Li's eyes lit up even more after hearing this: "How could I not have thought of that? It is indeed better this way. I will go and change it in a moment."
How could it not be good? This is experience accumulated over thousands of years, Rosie thought to herself.
Yin Li put away the document: "Chief, once it's revised, we can send the document to the various counties, but..."
He paused for a moment: "Our books and writing materials?"
It would be a joke if all the students entered the academy but they couldn't publish their work.
"Moreover, how much tuition fee will you charge? If it's too much, not many people will be able to afford it, which would probably not be in line with your original intention of establishing the academy."
"Don't worry." Luo Xi smiled mysteriously: "The tuition will be ten taels of silver a year. We will provide all the books and writing materials, and give each person two sets of clothes. I think most people will be willing to come."
"Ten taels? And clothes too?" Yin Li's expression changed for the first time: "No, no, boss, this little bit of silver isn't even enough to cover the monthly cost of hiring a tutor, let alone the cost of books."
“I know the boss has a lot of money, but the academy isn’t something that can be run for a short time. We can’t just keep it open for a year or two, can we?”
Before Luo Xi could speak, Chu Zhe came in carrying a bunch of things.
"Don't worry, strategist. It won't just be open for a year or two. The books won't cost much."
He put what he was holding on the table and handed a book to Yin Li: "Strategist, take a look, is this book alright?"
Isn't this the Three Character Classic he wrote for Mr. Chu a few days ago? Yin Li took it with suspicion.
But when he opened it, he was once again shocked, his eyes widening in astonishment: "This, this..."
It's clearly his handwriting, but it doesn't quite look like it; it has a stamp-like feel to it.
Yin Li remembered something and quickly opened the other books on the table. Sure enough, they were all exactly the same as this one, even the way he habitually wrote them was the same.
"Mr. Chu, how...did you do that?"
Chu Zhe didn't mince words, simply uttering a few words: "Modular type printing!"
He picked up the jade seal on Luo Xi's table and stamped it onto the white paper with a "bang." When he picked it up again, the two characters "Luo Xi" were clearly visible.
Yin Li was a smart person and immediately understood: "So, as long as we carve each word like a seal and then arrange them according to the words in the book, we can print out a page of the book instantly."
“That’s right.” Chu Zhe nodded: “Once the printing plates are ready, printing several thousand copies a day is no problem, so it won’t cost much.”
"Of course, if there are more words, it will be slower and more expensive."
Yin Li controlled her slightly trembling hands, took a deep breath, and asked, "How much did this copy of the Three Character Classic cost?"
Chu Zhe thought for a moment and said, "It's only... a few dozen coins. Of course, if we print tens of thousands of copies, a dozen coins would be about right."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
