Hearing the two of them mention the female education in Nanchu, Su Rong became interested, no longer feeling drowsy. She straightened up, looked at Ye Guixue, and asked him how things were going five years after women’s education had been established. She wondered if the lack of female officials in the Nanchu Dynasty was due to the initiative not being successful.
Ye Guixue shook his head, responding, "The female education in Nanchu is actually doing quite well. Every year we select some individuals, and over these five years, we’ve nurtured female scholars who are proficient in history, revising historical texts, and others gifted in literature, teaching in royal families’ personal educational institutions. Some are competent in business and have already made some achievements, while others stay to teach at the women’s academy. His Majesty has not bestowed official titles upon women yet, with plans to leave this precedent to be set by the princess returning to court."
Su Rong understood, "It seems the Nanchu King goes beyond the traditional male dominance, appointing people based on their merit, not bad."
From the documents regarding Nanchu held in the Eastern Palace, it was clear that the Nanchu King had the skill and strategy of a good ruler. However, it was unfortunate that he fell in love with her mother; ever since then, he was trapped by that love, without the time or energy to rejuvenate Nanchu. Otherwise, under his rule, Nanchu would not have turned into a place where all kinds of forces were entrenched and difficult to remove.
Ye Guixue nodded, "His Majesty loves the princess and naturally wishes to smooth her path."
Su Rong smiled and said no more.
The smoothest path, along with the backing of the Ye Xiang Residence and Ye Guixue’s tiger talisman for a hundred thousand troops, gave her some confidence. But this smooth path demanded a price.
She had thought that it would be an acceptable trade, she didn’t care too much. Sacrifice small for a larger gain, weighing the pros and cons, it seemed the best choice for her, and she had no reason to refuse.
But now, how she should walk on this smooth road, she found herself a bit at loss. No, not lost, rather, she was somewhat uncertain.
She was very clear about the source of this uncertainty.
Noting that she had fallen silent, Ye Guixue began to discuss the situation at the women’s academy over the last five years. He listed the names of the top-performing women, discussing their family backgrounds, their temperaments, their proficiency areas, and so on.
Su Rong listened to his detailed report, but his tone was steady and calm. Apparently, in his eyes, these female scholars were like commodities waiting for a buyer, and for her, they could only be of use or not.
Su Xingze had picked up on this too, glanced at Su Rong but said nothing, just thought that the Second Young Master Ye was really thorough. Such a thorough person, as their mother said, was simply too good.
The carriage arrived at the marketplace and came to a stop. Everyone got off the carriage.
Being new to Nanchu Capital, they naturally wanted to admire the city’s streets and bustling cityscape, as well as see novel items and things that weren’t available in Jiangzhou. Their intention was not to buy anything, only to wander around leisurely. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The lady of the Su Family sighed, "Capital City is indeed lively."
Ya Qiuying looked up with a smile and said, "Lady Su, Our Nanchu Capital is even livelier than Daliang’s."
"Oh, really?" The lady was quite surprised; after all, Nanchu was a small country, a tributary of Daliang, with a territory less than a third of Daliang’s. She didn’t expect to hear Ya Qiuying say that Nanchu Capital was busier than Daliang’s.
Ya Qiuying nodded vigorously, "Yes, it’s true."
Ye Guixue also nodded with a smile on the side, "Indeed, it’s true. Dawei and Daliang trade with each other, and there are no restrictions on trade with Nanchu. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, the national treasury is plentiful, and Nanchu Capital is prosperous. The status of Nanchu merchants is higher than that of merchants in both countries, so it’s not surprising that Nanchu Capital is prosperous."
The lady nodded in understanding, "Ah, if it weren’t so far, I’d really like to go to Nanchu."
"It’s not too far," Su Rong took over, "Mother, just wait. After I return to Nanchu and sort everything out, I’ll invite you to stay in Nanchu for a while."
Even though the lady wasn’t sure she had the strength to travel such a long way, Su Rong’s words made her look forward to it, and she smiled happily, "Good, I’ll wait for you to invite me."
The young ladies also took the opportunity to say: "And us too, Mother, don’t forget to take us with you."
With a wave of her hand the lady said, "As long as you can handle the long journey and can tolerate hardships, it’s okay."
The group chatted and laughed as they walked through the marketplace, stopping occasionally. Because everyone was attractive, whether it was Su Rong, Ye Guixue, Su Xingze, or the six ladies of the Su Family, each was appealing in her own way. The lady looked younger than her age due to her good maintenance. She did not grind daily with her husband, nor did she have to deal with the squabbles of wives and concubines. Except for the times when Su Rong gave her a headache, her life was generally good, which made her look very youthful. The passer-by’s eyes lingered on this group, all marveling at their appearance.
While they were leisurely strolling around, the close watchers from the various mansions in Nanchu Capital had received the news that Ye Guixue was accompanying the lady and daughters of the Su Family to the market. The people of the Su Family were really underestimated; the lady was clearly a person of significance, and the daughters were highly capable. Who could have imagined that they had only escaped danger a few nights ago and, as per common logic, the vulnerable ladies would have needed a few days to recover from the shock. As it turned out, they were not affected at all. They leisurely and audaciously strolled around the marketplace the very next day; it was not something any ordinary person would do.
Many families in Nanchu Capital heard that the six daughters of the Su Family were not yet betrothed. Those families with eligible, unmarried sons sent out capable wet nurses and smart maids to observe them covertly in the marketplace, hoping to gather first-hand information and assess the possibility of establishing matrimonial ties with the Su Family.
In particular, the current political climate clearly showed that the Crown Prince was gaining power. Those who used to tread carefully around him were now unable to get close to him. Therefore, they thought it better to approach the Su Family as they were now part of the Eastern Palace faction.
There were quite a few families with this in mind. As a result, half an hour later, Su Rong noticed that their party seemed to have attracted quite a number of tails.
Ye Guixue and Su Xingze also noticed it, but none of them said anything. It was not until the lady also noticed and worriedly asked Su Rong, "Xiaoqi, I feel like someone is secretly monitoring us."
Smiling, Su Rong answered, "Not monitoring, they are probably just curious about you and my sisters, and have sent people from their residences to observe us."
The lady understood, "I see."
She became interested, "Let them have a good look then!"
Thent, she advised the six ladies, "Learn from your younger sister, don’t be too prim and proper, loosen up a bit. We are not in the house receiving guests, we are in the marketplace. It’s all about fun and a festive atmosphere, and being carefree. As a person who has seen life, I know very well that as elders, we prefer gentle and virtuous daughter-in-laws. But as for men, they fancy girls who are playful and charming. You don’t have to restrain yourselves too much. The elders’ fondness is not as important as the man you’ll marry."
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