Chapter 239 His smile was the smile of a devil…
The school for ordinary people was built quickly, completed in six months. It had a flat playground, a circular running track, swings, and a small pond. The school building had two floors; although not large, it was clean and tidy, with bright windows and neatly arranged desks and chairs, exuding a tranquil and studious atmosphere.
The books in the library were all selected by me, based on the books that the aristocratic children here often read, and the bookshelves are completely filled.
Sitting on the library floor, I felt a sense of bewilderment, as if in a dream.
Is all of this really mine? Or is it something I've been longing for in my dreams but have never been able to obtain?
Having lived in this other world for so many years, I've come to realize how easy it is to transform from an ordinary girl into an extraordinary one, even though I've always been pushed and forced to move forward. But through all that pushing and forcing, I've actually become truly excellent.
I am no longer the timid person who blindly follows behind handsome men. I have accumulated inner strength.
Love no longer dominates my life, and I will not be seduced by handsome men.
Countless brushes with death, betrayals, and assassinations forced me to climb higher. Downward, there was only death.
Another month passed, and all the teachers and administrators were present. I began recruiting students. Not many people enrolled, even though tuition and fees were waived and the school provided meals.
In this continent of scarcity and widespread poverty, studying isn't that important. Earning money through work is the most important thing.
I had to issue a mandatory order requiring families with seven or eight-year-old children to come to the school for an interview, or face additional taxes. Only then did the school become crowded with children coming to register.
But a new problem arose. The number of children applying far exceeded the number of students that could be admitted, so a screening process had to be implemented.
This is the same as in modern society. The reason why good schools cannot enroll a large number of students is because of a lack of resources.
I can only conduct exams. The children enter the exam room in several batches, and I ask them some simple questions, such as what their families do, whether they prefer their father or mother, and what they usually like to do. I score them based on their eloquence, responsiveness, and thinking.
Next, they will be taken into the classroom and let them attend a trial lesson, which is a very simple literacy lesson, to assess their classroom performance—whether they can sit still, listen to the lecture, and answer questions, and then they will be scored accordingly.
The final round of testing assesses their athletic abilities, not simply running, but through team sports to test their teamwork skills, such as the three-legged race, tug-of-war, and simple soccer games commonly found in modern schools.
I personally demonstrated to them how to play soccer and basketball, how to steal the ball, how to play goalkeeper, forward, and defender, etc.
I tied a knot in the hem of my skirt, revealing the specially made wide-legged culottes underneath, and started kicking a ball and running around the playground, even getting a few guards to help me. As I ran, I loudly signaled to them what to do, sweating profusely.
After two demonstrations, several clever boys understood and rushed onto the playground to kick the soccer ball, quickly getting the hang of it.
It was like playing a game; the children were very excited, and the playground quickly became bustling with activity.
Even the nobles who were watching from the sidelines were eager to try it out and were very interested.
Then the idea of a "military academy" came to me. If I could make my own military academy, I could train officers who would be loyal to me and give these civilian children a way out.
On this continent, military strength is especially important. Only with a strong military reserve can I establish myself here.
But establishing a military academy would certainly be opposed. The nobles would not allow me to openly strengthen my power.
I fell into deep thought.
Soon, the results for the commoners' school were released, with sixty students to be admitted out of nearly two hundred applicants. Fifty were boys and ten were girls. All the girls were children of merchants; not a single girl came from a commoner family that earned a living through manual labor.
Even boys here rarely have the opportunity to read and write, let alone girls.
Before confirming the admission list, school staff will divide into ten groups to visit each child's home to ensure the child will definitely attend before finalizing the list. Originally, we had one hundred admission slots, but fifty students declined, the vast majority of whom were girls who refused to attend no matter how much we tried to persuade them.
I later looked at the household registration list in Dawangcheng and suspected that many girls didn't even register. Even with the pressure of mandatory tax increases, they weren't giving girls the opportunity to study. They genuinely believed that education was useless for girls.
I sighed deeply. There was really no other way; this was the only way things could be here. I had no choice but to accept it.
The palace was brightly lit at night, with torches gleaming on the walls and beautiful chandeliers illuminating the hall as if it were daytime.
The robes of the nobles dancing shimmered in the firelight, sparkling so brightly it was almost blinding.
It was another social dance party, and I sat in a corner drinking alone.
I don't know when it started, but I've fallen in love with the red wine here. I used to drink very little, but I've found that drinking helps relieve stress, so I often have a glass at parties.
One cup at most. I can drink one cup for an hour, only taking tiny sips each time.
"Congratulations on your successful start of the new semester," Paria said with a smile as she sat down next to me, holding her wine glass.
"Thank you!" I raised my glass to him.
"What are your plans for the next phase of the straight road project? Will you do it yourself or delegate it to a few nobles?" he asked casually, sipping his red wine, but I knew he was there on a commission.
The Straight Road project is a money-making venture, and everyone wants to profit from it. Putting aside everything else, the kickbacks from purchasing various materials alone are enough for the nobles to make a fortune.
“Distribute them to the families of the Purchasing Minister, the Finance Minister, the Home Minister, and the Foreign Minister,” I said.
"Divided among four families?" He was somewhat surprised.
Normally, projects are assigned to one or two families, but I assigned them to four families for the purpose of "mutual checks and balances."
Of these four families, the purchasing minister has the greatest advantage; the resources he has accumulated over the years will allow him to thrive. However, the other three families won't let him gain so easily. If he takes more, they will take less. Who would willingly accept a loss of their interests?
Furthermore, the relationship between these four families is not good. The purchasing minister's family and the finance minister's family are rivals, and they will definitely not give an inch when it comes to dividing up the profits.
The four families were vying for profit and causing disputes, which actually made the straight road project more stable.
Neither of them wanted the other to benefit too much, so they would try to find fault with each other. The other party would be hesitant to act for fear of harming the other, and would naturally not dare to be greedy, which would benefit the straight road project.
“This project will take at least two years, which is too long. One or two families probably can’t handle it,” I said. “Adding two more families will give us more help. The weather here isn’t very good, and it’s easy to get sick. If there are more people, they can help out and prevent the project from being delayed.”
Paria smiled. "The Prime Minister is truly brilliant."
"Am I smart? I've never been smart." I smiled and placed my glass on top of the other glass. "I'm completely clueless about interpersonal relationships, this is just too difficult for me. But this project is very important to me. If it fails, I might have to step down as prime minister. Tell me, how can I not be cautious? Sending a couple more families, a few more helpers, will put my mind at ease."
Paria smiled and said, "I've been here for a few years now, and I must remind you that what you're doing is against the rules here."
"Rules can be changed," I said with an innocent smile. "If they don't meet the actual needs, they have to be changed, right?"
Paria smiled again and said nothing more.
The news spread that very night. I received a message from my secret guards that the four families were extremely dissatisfied, and I laughed.
The royal council meeting early the next morning erupted into chaos. The nobles all accused me of not knowing the rules, and that a woman like me was even less capable of governing the royal city.
After listening to their arguing for a while, I raised my hand to quiet them down.
“Alright, it was my mistake. I should have followed your rules,” I said. “But I’m satisfied with all four families. I don’t want to give up any of them. How about this: you choose two families from these four to manage the project.”
This caused another uproar. The four families argued vehemently, each believing their own family should be chosen. Other nobles also began heated discussions, each taking sides, and the argument dragged on without reaching a conclusion.
Nobody wants to back out. Just kidding, only a fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal.
Half an hour later, there was still no result. I stood up and said, "You guys continue the discussion, and give me the results later."
The result, naturally, was no result; neither side was willing to back down.
Finally, I announced that the four families would jointly manage the Straight Road. Of course, I would also conduct spot checks from time to time, "strictly investigating corruption, bribery, and dereliction of duty," I said.
The hall was quiet, with some nobles wearing amused expressions. It was impossible to avoid corruption and bribery, but now that the government was managed by four families, the extent of corruption and bribery depended on the strength of the checks and balances between them; they were inversely proportional.
After that was settled, there was another ball. I hid in a corner drinking, watching Princess Yanni flirting with two handsome men in another corner.
They sat together on a chair, feeding each other wine, laughing ambiguously, completely oblivious to the stares of others. Princess Yani glanced several times at Paria, who was dancing with a noblewoman. Paria noticed and gave her a sweet smile, which made Princess Yani laugh even more heartily.
As the dance ended, Princess Yani rushed towards Paria, pulling him to dance another tune. The two embraced and laughed uncontrollably to the cheerful music. Princess Yani's hand then skillfully moved downwards, slowly resting on his sexy, pert buttocks.
I swirled the red wine in my hand, a slight smile on my face.
“Madam, should I go and remind them?” Bai Ni, who had been beside me, couldn’t help but ask.
"What's there to remind them of? Let them be." I slowly finished my red wine; I'd been drinking for almost an hour, so it was time to go.
I slowly got up and left the banquet hall with Bai Ni by my side. I'm not a big drinker; I usually get a little tipsy after just one glass.
Upon entering the room, I didn't even bother to change my clothes before collapsing onto the bed. Just a minute after closing my eyes, I sensed something was amiss. I jerked my eyes open and saw a tall, imposing figure standing before my bed.
I was startled and stood up, watching him take off his clothes one by one, revealing his muscular chest and elegantly toned abdomen.
“You… Paria, what are you doing?” I stammered.
Paria didn't speak, but smiled. Suddenly, he took out a gleaming dagger and cut his wrist. Blood dripped down and landed on a test strip in his hand.
"See? It won't change color. I'm very clean." His smile was terrifyingly charming. "I'd like to invite you to enjoy it."
His smile was a devil's smile, with a deadly allure.
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