Chapter 34 The Haunted Yunshao Girls' School (Part 2)...
Upon hearing the scream, Shen Lingyue dashed out, heading straight for the haunted back window. She forcefully pulled it open from the outside, braced herself against the windowsill, and climbed inside.
"Guan Xiaocao, don't be afraid, the ghosts are all fake!"
As soon as Shen Lingyue jumped into the house, she couldn't wait to shout out loud.
However, the room was pitch black, and Guan Xiaocao on the bed was still screaming and thrashing about.
Only when a light appeared behind her did Hu Minniang, holding a candlestick, ask in a trembling voice, "Teacher Shen, what brings you here?"
She was still trying to mislead, deliberately speaking in a terrified tone: "You heard it too, didn't you? There really was a ghost knocking on the window..."
"Stop pretending, those were the bats you attracted with eel blood!"
Shen Lingyue bluntly exposed her trick, snatched the candlestick with a stern face, and shone it on the bed.
It turned out that Guan Xiaocao wasn't scared by the sound of bats knocking on the window. Despite the commotion inside, she was still fast asleep with her eyes closed, or as if she were having a nightmare, frantically waving her hands out of fear.
"Little grass, Guan Xiaocao, wake up!"
Shen Lingyue was anxious and pushed her a few times, slapped her cheeks, and pressed her philtrum. After a long while, Guan Xiaocao finally opened her eyes and burst into tears.
"There's a ghost! A ghost is chasing me and choking me..."
Shen Lingyue hugged her with one arm and patted her back repeatedly, "It's okay, it's okay, it was all a dream, it was all fake."
At this moment, Yan Yi and Tao Li, who had come around from the other side, also pushed open the door and quickly walked in.
Seeing that the group were all neatly dressed and had clear expressions, Hu Minniang realized that they had been keeping watch all night, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.
"you……"
"Hu Minniang, you've been playing tricks, causing panic and spreading rumors throughout the girls' school. Her Highness the Princess won't let you off easily—seize her!"
Tao Li shouted sharply, and several lithe female guards rushed in from behind, and without saying a word, tied Hu Minniang's hands behind her back and pressed her to the spot.
Hu Minniang's face turned pale. She still wanted to deny it, shaking her head repeatedly, "It wasn't me, I didn't do it, how could I harm my own sister-in-law?"
Guan Xiaocao was also bewildered by the scene before her, and weakly asked, "Lady Tao, are you sure you've made a mistake?"
My sister-in-law abandoned her eldest brother at home to stay in the capital with her. Why would she do this to herself?
Moreover, they had no worries about food and drink at the girls' school and could even save money to send home. Wasn't that a good life?
Seeing that Hu Minniang still refused to admit it, Yan Yi stepped forward and waved a small triangular paper package in front of her.
"This is what Lady Tao had her men find under your pillow tonight."
Hu Minniang's eyes flashed, and she lowered her head, stubbornly saying, "I'll go to the temple to get a protective amulet for Xiaocao, and I'll get one for myself too, is that not allowed?"
"Since it's a talisman, why not carry it on your person instead of hiding it in your pillow?"
As Yan Yi spoke, she unwrapped the paper package, brought it close to her nose, and smelled the powder inside, revealing a knowing look.
Just as she thought...
She gestured to Shen Lingyue to bring over the copper basin from the washstand in the corner; it still contained half a basin of water.
Yan Yi flicked her hand, sprinkled the powder into the water, and stirred it a few times to dissolve it completely.
He turned to Guan Xiaocao and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'll show you how the bloody handprint came about."
She immersed her entire right hand in the basin, then slapped it, still wet, against the white wall opposite.
In the dim light, a bloody handprint was clearly visible, with traces of water dripping down, just like the color of blood.
"Ah!" Guan Xiaocao exclaimed, pointing at the wall and shouting, "It's exactly the same bloody handprint as this one!"
Forgetting her fear, she jumped out of bed and ran to the table, staring intently at the water in the basin. It was only slightly yellowish, not blood red.
Guan Xiaocao tried dipping her finger in, then pressed it against the wall, leaving another bloody fingerprint.
"It really turns red..." At this moment, she had forgotten her fear of ghosts, and all that remained was curiosity and doubt, "How does that work?"
Yan Yi glanced at Hu Minniang, whose face had turned ashen after her scheme was exposed, and coughed lightly. "It's a trick used by charlatans to create the illusion of blood talismans with this powder, in order to swindle money from people. It can be done with turmeric powder, lime water, wood ash, or soapberry water."
There are several chemical principles and different schools of thought regarding "drawing blood talismans," and Yan Yi was unsure which raw material Hu Minniang used, so she simply tried to swindle them all.
Tao Li was also hearing about this kind of trickery for the first time tonight. She couldn't help but lean closer to the wall and stare at the lifelike bloody handprint. Suddenly, she exclaimed, "The color seems to have lightened a bit."
Yan Yi: "Lady Tao, you can go find some fans and fan the wall to speed up the evaporation."
Unable to find a fan for the time being, Taoli had a sudden inspiration. She picked up a book from the table next to her and started fanning the wall vigorously.
The others also stepped forward to help, and with the whooshing sound of fans, the bloodstains on the wall began to fade visibly.
Yan Yi added, "It's early summer now. The temperature gradually increases from night to dawn, so even without a breeze to speed it up, the traces will basically disappear completely after dawn."
This natural phenomenon appears even more mysterious and unpredictable to those who lack scientific knowledge and are superstitious.
Tao Li breathed a sigh of relief.
It's good that someone is causing trouble.
She said to the two of them, "I will take Hu Minniang away and keep her under guard first. When the princess wakes up tomorrow morning, I will hand her over to her for questioning and to decide what to do. Is that alright?"
After saying that, he glared at Hu Minniang with disdain.
It's not worth disturbing the princess's rest for someone as insignificant as her.
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi exchanged a glance and nodded, "Everything is up to Lady Tao to arrange."
If Hu Minniang has a mastermind behind her, and her intentions are directed at Yunshao Girls' School, then it would be best if Princess Tongan interrogated her personally.
Hu Minniang was taken away bound hand and foot. Taoli bowed to the two of them and said, "You've been keeping watch for half the night, you must be tired. Before dawn, why don't you go back and get some more sleep?"
Shen Lingyue glanced back at Guan Xiaocao, who was sitting blankly on the bed with a look of bewilderment and confusion, and said to Yan Yi, "Let's stay and keep her company."
"good."
Shen Lingyue sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "You can't believe it, can you? Why would your family hurt you?"
Guan Xiaocao nodded, then shook her head. "No, my sister-in-law is really, really good to me... She washes my clothes, secretly cooks special meals for me, and buys me new hair ties every time we go shopping..."
For more than a year, only the two of them, the aunt and sister-in-law, depended on each other in the girls' school. Sometimes Guan Xiaocao even felt that she was closer to her than her own sister.
"Why? Why would she do that?"
Guan Xiaocao said this sentence countless times that night, but no matter who she asked or herself, she couldn't find the answer.
"Let me tell you a story about my friend."
Shen Lingyue coaxed Guan Xiaocao to lie down, looked up at the empty sky, and spoke softly.
“I have a friend who was an only child. Although her family wasn’t particularly wealthy, her parents treated her exceptionally well. They never looked down on her because she was a girl, and they never even considered having a son.”
Guan Xiaocao listened attentively, a look of envy on her face.
Her parents had four sons and three daughters, and she was the youngest and the least favored in the family since childhood.
"Later, when she was five years old, her parents had an accident and both died."
Shen Lingyue said softly, "She was only five years old at the time and didn't understand anything. She only knew that her parents, who loved her the most, were gone, and all she could do was cry loudly. Then her grandparents, uncles and aunts suddenly came to the door and said that they couldn't leave her alone and that she should go live with her uncle. As for her house, it was entrusted to her uncles and aunts to take care of it."
Guan Xiaocao was instantly wide awake, her eyes wide, and she blurted out, "Isn't this just taking advantage of someone who's already destitute?!"
Don't let her young age fool you; this kind of thing happens all the time in the village. Families without sons who suffer an accident are often the targets of being divided and plundered by other families in the same clan.
Shen Lingyue smiled and said in a light tone, "That's right, it's about taking advantage of someone's family's wealth, without any pretense."
A worried look appeared on her face. "Instructor Shen, your friend is only five years old. Can she protect the house?"
Shen Lingyue shrugged. "Of course not. She's still so young. She only knows how to bite when she fights."
"But her parents taught her that when she encountered difficulties, she should seek help from the government or the yamen."
Guan Xiaocao listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "But the government won't interfere in such family matters, will they?"
Let alone the government, even the village chief of their village wouldn't dare to interfere in other people's family affairs.
Shen Lingyue frowned slightly. Making up a story was so difficult, especially considering the historical context…
She gave a perfunctory reply: "The local government in my friend's hometown is very responsible. They take care of everything... Anyway, she reported it to the authorities, and then the officials came to mediate. They told her that her grandparents, uncles, and aunts were not allowed to bully a child like that. The house belongs to her, and no one can take it by force."
"But she's only five years old. She can't live alone, right?"
"Don't let my friend's young age fool you, she's very clever. She negotiated with the government officials to help rent out the house, and the rent will be used to support her living expenses so she can be sent to a place that cares for orphaned children..."
Yan Yi listened quietly, then suddenly said to Guan Xiaocao, "It's either a charity or a charitable institution built with funds from wealthy families."
Guan Xiaocao nodded, "Instructor Shen, your friend is really smart! And the officials there are so kind, they even care about things like this..."
"Yes, they are all very, very good. Without their help, my friend... wouldn't have been able to keep her family's house and go to school and grow up smoothly."
Shen Lingyue's voice trembled slightly, but she quickly suppressed it with a light tone.
She will never forget the policewoman who stood up for her and scolded her uncle and aunt, the grandmother and aunt from the Women's Federation who took the initiative to help her with all kinds of procedures, and the director and teachers of the welfare home who tolerated her naughtiness and allowed her to grow up sunny and cheerful.
Shen Lingyue only lived in the welfare home until she graduated from elementary school before moving back to her own home. By then, she had already learned to cook, do laundry, and other housework, and could live independently.
With the help of the school's scholarship and the monthly orphan subsidy from the civil affairs department, she was able to live without worrying about making a living. She successfully entered university, applied for student loans, and worked part-time during winter and summer vacations. Before graduating, she paid off her student loans in advance and even saved a small amount of money!
Shen Lingyue often thought that it was fortunate she had paid off all her student loans before she transmigrated, otherwise she would never be able to die in peace, and would rather hang herself than not find a way to go back... The country has already taken good care of her, she can't become a deadbeat QAQ
Guan Xiaocao listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "So how is she now?"
Shen Lingyue looked at Yan Yi and gave her a bright smile at her slightly reddened eyes.
"She's doing very well now. She has her best friends, married a very good and handsome husband, and has a very easy-going mother-in-law... In short, everything is great for her, and she's very happy!"
Yan Yi looked back at her smiling face, pursed her lips, and nodded in agreement: "That's right, what Instructor Shen said is true. Her friend... is doing very well and is very happy."
"So, no matter how your relatives treat you, as long as you are self-reliant and study hard, your future will be very bright."
Shen Lingyue gave a clichéd concluding speech, patted Guan Xiaocao's head, and winked encouragingly: "Forget about these past few days as if they were a nightmare. Have a good dream, and tomorrow will be a brand new day."
"Yes, I want to learn from Teacher Shen's friends!"
Guan Xiaocao closed her eyes with longing and anticipation.
She is already a student at Yunshao Girls' School and a disciple of Princess Tongan. How wonderful!
She will make close friends, marry a good husband, have a kind mother-in-law, and obedient children in the future...
Guan Xiaocao drifted off into a sweet dream.
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi left the room and gently closed the door.
The next second, she was hugged tightly by Yan Yi.
Yan Yi rested her head on her shoulder, and Shen Lingyue could feel a slight dampness.
She quickly hugged her back even tighter, patting her with a wry smile.
"Alright, didn't you already know about these things in my family?"
Yan Yi's voice was muffled, "No matter how many times I hear it, I still feel the same heartache for you, is that not okay?"
"Waaaaah, our Yanyan is the best..."
Shen Lingyue was deeply moved. She hugged Yan Yi and pretended to cry a couple of times, then tried her best to liven up the atmosphere, "Actually, I was just trying to distract Guan Xiaocao, so I deliberately made it more emotional! See, now she won't be bothered about why Hu Minniang tricked her, right?"
I never expected that I would have such a talent for storytelling. I not only moved Guan Xiaocao, but also made Yan Yi cry.
The two hugged at the door for a while, then separated, wiped each other's tears, and smiled at each other.
"Oh dear, I'm so sleepy. I need to go back and catch up on some sleep. I have to cut melons with the princess tomorrow morning!"
*
Princess Tong'an slept very soundly that night.
She trusted those she employed and didn't employ those she didn't trust. Since she had entrusted Shen and Zhou with the entire task, she believed they would be able to provide a satisfactory answer.
Sure enough, early the next morning, Tao Li was already waiting outside the door. Despite having stayed up all night, her eyes were bright and she showed no signs of fatigue.
"Your Highness, the person who was pretending to be a ghost has been caught."
Princess Tong'an was doing her hair in front of the mirror when she said slowly, "Go and see if the two young mistresses are up yet. Tell them to come over for breakfast. We can ask them questions slowly after they've eaten."
Working on an empty stomach is not her style.
Soon, Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi arrived together. Princess Tong'an invited them to sit down and they had a sumptuous breakfast together.
“These are the same dishes that are served to students in the cafeteria. Try them. I haven’t been mistreating your precious niece.”
"Your Highness is too kind. Heng-jie eats well at home and is very easy to take care of."
Shen Lingyue was very supportive, trying everything and then giving all sorts of compliments.
To be honest, although the dishes in the girls' school canteen were far less refined than those in the Marquis's mansion, they were already quite impressive for a school canteen, being clean, hygienic, and offering a wide variety of ingredients with a balanced nutritional profile.
As expected of a top-tier royal girls' school wholly funded by Princess Tong'an!
After eating and drinking to her heart's content, and then having a pot of jasmine tea to cleanse her palate, Princess Tong'an casually waved her hand and said, "Bring the person up."
After being locked up for half the night and threatened and frightened by Tao Li, Hu Minniang, looking listless, was brought up.
She only dared to glance up at Princess Tong'an briefly before being overwhelmed by her imperial aura and trembling with fear. She dared not hide anything any longer, pressed her body tightly to the ground, and confessed everything cleanly, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. I had absolutely no intention of sabotaging the girls' school. I just... just wanted my sister-in-law, Guan Xiaocao, to drop out of school and go home to obey her family's arrangements and marry into the Wu family, the wealthy landowner in town who wanted to bring good luck to his son..."
Princess Tong'an paused in her nail-playing, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
That's it?
For such a trivial matter, she dared to play tricks at Yunshao Girls' School, scaring several students into asking for leave to go home, causing chaos and confusion everywhere.
Perhaps sensing the incomprehension and contempt in Princess Tong'an's words, Hu Minniang suddenly raised her head and mustered her courage to retort: "The Wu family promised our family a dowry of one hundred and eighty-eight taels..."
Princess Tong'an burst out laughing.
An incredulous shout came from the doorway.
"You're going to trick me into going back home to marry someone just for a dowry of 188 taels?!"
Guan Xiaocao stepped over the threshold and rushed into the courtyard, not even bothering to pay her respects to Princess Tong'an. Standing in front of Hu Minniang, she repeated herself with a shocked expression.
"One hundred and eighty-eight taels? Sister-in-law, is that all I'm worth in your heart..."
"I think you've been blinded by the allure of the capital, and you don't even care about 188 taels!"
Hu Minniang glared at her with bloodshot eyes, "Do you know how much the bride price is in the village? When I married your older brother, I only asked for five taels of silver as a bride price, five taels!"
She's the eldest daughter-in-law of the Guan family; she's worth five taels of silver.
Guan Xiaocao was just a young girl, not as pretty as her, and not as efficient at work. But because she could do a few math problems, she caught the princess's eye. Master Wu was willing to pay 188 taels of silver as a bride price to marry her and let her bask in the royal princess's nobility. What more could she ask for?
Guan Xiaocao felt extremely wronged. "Sister-in-law, I've never forgotten where we came from. But 188 taels really isn't much. You get a monthly wage, and I get a bonus for doing well on my exams. We save up together..."
"Would it take forever to save that up?"
Hu Minniang impatiently interrupted her, a self-deprecating sadness flashing in her eyes. "Xiaocao, you've really forgotten your roots by staying here. One hundred and eighty-eight taels may not be much to your classmates and roommates, but a set of clothes for them costs tens of taels, and a set of jewelry costs hundreds of taels. But have you thought about your family? Your eldest brother and I have to raise children, don't we? Your second sister and third brother are not yet married, and there are three younger siblings to support. We also have to support our grandparents, buy seeds and farm tools, and everything costs money."
As long as Guan Xiaocao agrees to marry into the Wu family, with 188 taels of silver, the family can build a house, buy land, send their sons to school in town, and even pay for their parents' medical treatment and medicine to treat their old ailments...
"Tell me, how long will it take for the two of us to earn this much money!"
Hu Minniang felt wronged. If she hadn't received a series of letters from her family urging her to do so, and hadn't tested Guan Xiaocao several times only to be rejected, she wouldn't have resorted to this tactic, scaring her sister-in-law half to death.
Didn't she want to stay in the capital and enjoy such a comfortable and carefree life? But one can't be too selfish. Now that she's become a daughter-in-law of the Guan family, she has to think about the whole family.
Even now that the truth has been revealed, Hu Minniang is still trying to persuade Guan Xiaocao: "Listen to me, go back with your sister-in-law and get married. What's the use of just learning those arithmetic and divination skills? You'll never have another chance like this!"
Guan Xiaocao was furious. "I'm not going back! And I'm definitely not getting married right now!"
Instructor Shen said that girls can be self-reliant and have a bright future as long as they study hard. She has only been studying for a year and has only learned the basics. The more she learns and the better she becomes, the better she will be able to marry in the future, instead of being used as a bride for some rich man's son to bring him good luck!
"You're insane! I think you're really insane! What's the use of math then!"
"Sister-in-law Hu, you're wrong. Mathematics is indeed very useful."
Yan Yi frowned and stepped forward. "Does the Ministry of Revenue need to know arithmetic to collect grain and taxes every year? When fighting on the border, how many troops need to be dispatched and how much supplies and provisions need to be transported? Does the Ministry of War need to know arithmetic to write plans and submit them to the emperor? And does the Ministry of Works need to know arithmetic to build houses, control floods and build dikes, and how much timber, stone and sand is needed?"
"Let's not even talk about these national affairs. How many people are born and how many die in your village each year? Registering these is arithmetic. In the spring, how many kilograms of seeds to plant on how many acres of land, how much water to irrigate, how much fertilizer to apply, what the yield per acre will be in the autumn harvest, and how much grain tax and poll tax to pay—that's also arithmetic. Even keeping track of your family's monthly expenses, the price fluctuations of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, how much you spend each month—doesn't all of these require arithmetic?"
She looked at Hu Minniang disapprovingly, "You say you don't know many characters, that's fine, but don't you have your own unique way of keeping accounts? Can you honestly say that you've lived for over twenty years and never used any mathematical knowledge in your daily life?"
Yan Yi pointed at Guan Xiaocao, her tone serious: "Why did Yun Shao Nu Xue Xue make an exception to admit her and even give her free room and board? Because Guan Xiaocao, who you only value as a dowry of 188 taels, is a mathematical genius, and her value is far beyond measure."
Guan Xiaocao's heart, which had been somewhat confused by Hu Minniang's words, suddenly became firm again. She sniffed and nodded vigorously: "Yes, I will definitely earn more than 188 taels of silver in the future, I definitely can!"
"Where are you going to earn that?" Hu Minniang scoffed, then looked at Yan Yi. "Instructor Zhou, I admit you're right, arithmetic is important, but what does that have to do with Guan Xiaocao? Is she going to become an official in the imperial court, or is she going to be a female accountant in some shop? If she studies here for a few years and still ends up getting married, what's the point of her learning all this?"
Hu Minniang glared at Guan Xiaocao, "Tell me, where can you earn more money?"
Yan Yi was speechless for a moment, biting her lip in distress.
Yes, Guan Xiaocao can neither participate in the imperial examinations nor become an official in the court. Even if a shop is willing to hire her as an accountant, how can she quickly earn her value?
For the Guan family, Guan Xiaocao's future was uncertain and unpredictable; all they could see was the 188 taels of betrothal gift they could immediately receive to improve their lives.
All they needed to do was marry off one of their daughters—how simple!
A faint sadness welled up in Yan Yi's heart.
If she and Xiaoyue were to be placed in such a family, would they have to fight tooth and nail to prove that their value was more than that?
"Your Highness!"
Guan Xiaocao suddenly turned around, knelt down and kowtowed to Princess Tong'an, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Your Highness, I am willing to sell myself into servitude, for as little as 188 taels of silver... I will serve you for the rest of my life without complaint!"
Hu Minniang's pupils contracted, and she struggled violently. "Guan Xiaocao, are you crazy? You're a free person!"
Guan Xiaocao glared back fiercely, gritting her teeth as she said, "I'd rather be a maid in the princess's mansion for the rest of my life than go back with you and get married!"
She absolutely, positively wants to never go back to that kind of life, where you toil in the fields with your back to the sky and can see your entire future laid out before you!
Hu Minniang's heart sank. The capital city was too big and too prosperous. Everything at Yunshao Girls' School seemed to float in the clouds, making Guan Xiaocao witness a kind of extravagance that didn't belong to her at such a young age. She was no longer the obedient and well-behaved second daughter of the Guan family.
"Still serving as a slave..." She must be out of her mind to say such a foolish thing. Does she really think she's some kind of genius who deserves the princess's attention? Those in power are capricious. If you offend her one day, what's a few maids being beaten to death?
Hu Minniang closed her eyes, and a single tear slowly rolled down her cheek.
"Fine, fine, fine, I can't control you anymore, do whatever you want..."
She gave up struggling and knelt quietly on the ground, speaking in a flat, even voice: "Your Highness, my grandmother used to be a shaman who roamed the streets when she was young. She used eel blood to lure bats and drew bloody handprints with plant ash and water. These were all tricks that I heard her tell me when I was a child. I did all of these things by myself. Your Highness can decide what to do with them. They have nothing to do with Guan Xiaocao. She is innocent."
"sister in law……"
When Guan Xiaocao met her deathly pale face, she couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. Memories of their past life together flooded her mind.
With tears streaming down her face, she kowtowed repeatedly to Princess Tong'an, pleading, "Your Highness, please forgive my sister-in-law this time! She will never dare to do it again!"
Princess Tong'an had been wearing a faint, enigmatic smile on her face since earlier. She listened quietly to the heated debate between the two women, then picked up the jade roller beside her and pressed it against her face twice before asking Guan Xiaocao, "Do you want to sell yourself to me?"
Guan Xiaocao bit her lip and nodded.
Princess Tong'an smiled and shook her head, "But one hundred and eighty-eight taels is too expensive. I have never used such an expensive maid in my mansion."
Guan Xiaocao's face turned pale, and she lowered her head in shame.
She knew she had acted impulsively and fantasized. Indeed, aside from that inexplicable Mr. Wu, no one thought she was worth that much silver...
"But if you achieve something in your studies, make a contribution to mathematics, or even write books in the future, then in my heart you will be a priceless treasure that I would not exchange for ten thousand taels of gold."
Princess Tong'an put away her playful expression and looked over with her phoenix eyes, exuding a majestic aura.
"Guan Xiaocao, do you dare to make a bet with this princess, betting your immeasurable wealth and future?"
Guan Xiaocao seemed stunned by the princess's bet, biting her lip tightly and remaining silent.
Shen Lingyue, watching from the side, grew anxious and clenched her fists, whispering, "Silly child, just say yes!"
As long as you catch Princess Tongan's eye once, what is 188 taels?
It felt like an eternity before Guan Xiaocao finally moved. She solemnly kowtowed to Princess Tong'an.
"Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. I... would gladly die for you."
Princess Tong'an smiled and said, "Very good. I'll be waiting for your good news in the year-end exams."
She beckoned to Taoli, "Go to the accounting office and get 188 taels of silver. Have Hu Minniang take it home and she doesn't need to come back."
Tao Li's eyes widened: "Your Highness?"
Instead of severely punishing Hu Minniang for her charlatanry, they even gave her money.
Even Hu Minniang herself looked up in disbelief.
Princess Tong'an's gaze was indifferent: "Hu Minniang, you are right about one thing. One hundred and eighty-eight taels is indeed nothing to me, but this is not my way of giving you charity. It is to make you and the Guan family understand that Guan Xiaocao's value is not just about getting married and exchanging dowry. This money is to buy off the connection between her and the Guan family during these years of study—from now on, unless she takes the initiative to come back to you, none of you should disturb her. Anyone who dares to disobey will have their legs broken by me."
She gestured to the maid beside her to untie Hu Minniang, then waved her hand at her, "Anyway, isn't there a saying that once a daughter is married, she's like water spilled from a bowl? You've received the 'bride price,' so you can go home and report back."
After the ropes were untied, Hu Minniang was still standing there in a daze when Taoli had already sent someone to retrieve several silver notes and a small bag of silver ingots, which she stuffed into Hu Minniang's arms and said coldly, "Why aren't you leaving yet? Are you waiting for the princess to send a carriage to take you away?"
This Hu Minniang has caused panic in the girls' school; she can't be as magnanimous as a princess.
Tao Li was initially quite angry, all for such a small amount of money? But she quickly remembered that before she was sold into the princess's mansion, her entire family couldn't afford that much money.
She didn't suffer much hardship in the princess's mansion. The princess hired teachers for all the young maids, and she was the one who learned the fastest and best. She passed the exam smoothly and became a female official. She was then entrusted with the important task of managing Yunshao Girls' School.
Why not eat meat porridge?
After reflecting on her actions, she couldn't quite describe her feelings towards Hu Minniang, so she could only sternly and fiercely shoo her out.
Hu Minniang hugged the silver tightly, glanced at Guan Xiaocao one last time with reluctance, and left hurriedly with her head down.
Guan Xiaocao held back her gaze until she heard the sound of footsteps leaving, at which point she shed a few more tears.
Princess Tong'an instructed Taoli, "In a little while, have Yanyi and Ayue explain the principles behind those two magic tricks to you in detail. Then, organize all the teachers in the various schools and classrooms to listen to them and explain it clearly to the students below. Make sure they are not afraid, as it was never the work of ghosts."
"And those girls who shared a dorm with Guan Xiaocao, take some gifts and visit their families to comfort them. Explain the situation to their parents and let them know when they can come back to class after they've recovered."
She then looked at Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi, and said with a smile, "It feels a little awkward to call you sister-in-law and brother's wife. How about we just call you by your names? Is that alright?"
"Princess is mighty!" Shen Lingyue raised her hand in complete agreement.
Yan Yi smiled at her and said, "I will do as Your Highness says."
Shen Lingyue walked over and patted Guan Xiaocao's head, encouraging her: "Her Highness the Princess has spent a 'huge sum' on you. You must work harder in the future and solve more math problems."
Guan Xiaocao did not feel the expected joy and relaxation; instead, her face was even paler than before, and her hands were nervously twisted into a knot.
"What's wrong?"
Yan Yi noticed her unusual behavior and came over to show her concern. "Are you still worried about your sister-in-law and family? With this money, they shouldn't be thinking of using you to exchange for a bride price anymore."
Princess Tong'an even threatened that she would break anyone who dared to come again.
"No, it's not..."
Guan Xiaocao shook her head vigorously, her expression becoming even more conflicted, her lips biting down harder, and her body trembling slightly.
Finally, she made up her mind, took two quick steps, and knelt down in front of Princess Tong'an, who was about to get up and leave.
"Your Highness, I am guilty, I...I lied to you!"
A look of confusion flashed in Princess Tong'an's eyes. "What did you lie to me about?"
Guan Xiaocao cried even harder, "Actually, I'm not a math genius at all... I cheated!"
"impossible!"
Even more shocked than Princess Tong'an was Taoli. She rushed forward and said urgently to Princess Tong'an, "Your Highness, I have seen Guan Xiaocao's coursework and her exam papers. Her tutor also said that she has exceptional talent and will achieve great things in the future!"
After saying that, Taoli turned back and winked at Guan Xiaocao, "Silly child, I think you've been having too many nightmares, you're starting to talk nonsense. When did you cheat?"
Guan Xiaocao snapped out of her daze and quickly shook her head: "No, no, I didn't mean I cheated in school... Ever since I entered the girls' school, my exam results have always been genuine, I absolutely haven't cheated!"
She wiped away her tears and choked out, "Last year, people from the Princess's Mansion came to our village to recruit students. The last bonus question was too difficult, and I couldn't do it, so I secretly copied it down and asked Sister Silly Yu next door..."
This was the biggest secret hidden in Guan Xiaocao's heart for more than a year. She knew that her special admission and free room and board were obtained by cheating. But she wanted to leave that remote mountain village so much that she studied twice as hard after she was admitted, staying up late every night to solve problems... just because she was afraid that she would be exposed one day. She wanted to learn more and more.
But today, Princess Tong'an said that she was a rare treasure in her heart... Guan Xiaocao could no longer bear this pressure and tearfully confessed everything.
"Sister-in-law Shayu is the wife of Wang Erlaizi next door. He brought her back from outside five years ago, saying that he found a fool outside and brought her back because she was young and pretty."
Guan Xiaocao reminisced, "Her name seemed to have the character 'Yu' in it, but she always seemed a bit slow and silly, so everyone called her 'Silly Yu's Sister-in-law. But she was very pretty and clean; she didn't seem like a lost fool at all..."
Wang Erlaizi treated her very badly. Fearing she would run away, he tied her to the kang (a heated brick bed) with thick hemp rope every day. As soon as he got home, he would have sex with her. If she dared to resist, he would beat and scold her, forbidding her to make a sound.
The worst injury broke her left leg. She didn't see a doctor afterward, and the bone healed crookedly on its own, leaving her with a limp.
The windows of Guan Xiaocao's room and Sha Yu's room faced each other. Sometimes she felt sorry for her and would secretly break off a small piece of the maltose she had saved and give it to her.
After being given the gift a few times, it seemed that Sister-in-law Shayu would become more sober whenever she saw her. She would mysteriously beckon Guan Xiaocao over and watch her draw and write incomprehensible things on the ground.
Later, Guan Xiaocao learned that those incomprehensible formulas were actually mathematical calculations.
"Silly Sister Yu doesn't remember where her home is or what her parents' names are, but she can calculate a lot of things. Even if a passerby mentions something like buying things and keeping track of the expenses, she can immediately give the answer, and she's more accurate than an abacus."
Guan Xiaocao said that after she solved the first few math problems, she couldn't figure out the last one no matter what she did, so she copied it down and went to find Sister-in-law Shayu to try it out.
"As soon as she saw the question, she seemed to come alive. She quickly wrote and calculated on the ground for a long time, and then figured out the correct answer..."
With teary eyes, Guan Xiaocao pleaded with Princess Tong'an, "Your Highness, Sister-in-law Shayu is the real mathematical genius. Please have mercy and rescue her from Wang Erlaizi's clutches!"
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Author's Note: Yan, the Math Addict, Yi (angry): Mathematics is the jewel in the crown of science! I won't allow you to say that mathematics is useless!
/Ding ding ding! Bonus chapter! I've paid off my debts, hahaha! (Smug hands on hips) (Pointing and gesturing) You guys haven't been feeding me fast enough these past few days~ More, more!
//And today I finally got to write about Yuezai's background! Actually, before it went premium, I saw a lot of comments saying that I messed up the character development, saying that Yuezai, being an orphan, should XXXX instead of XXXX...
...Actually, I don't quite understand either. It seems like everyone knows many orphans, so why do we have to have these stereotypes? Yuezai's story has only just begun, so why jump to conclusions so hastily?
I had considered whether or not to explain, but if the plot isn't well-written and I can only frantically patch it up in the author's notes, it would make the author seem incompetent.
What I'm trying to say is that although Yuezai is an orphan, she is a child who grew up in love. The orphanage is not a social Darwin experiment, so she doesn't need to learn to read people's expressions and moods at a young age. On the contrary, I think her level of "socialization" is not as good as Yan Yi's, who has a more complete family. This is because many subtle and imperceptible emotions and relationships between people are actually thought out within the family, the smallest social unit.
For example, Yan Yi would reflect on how her parents would treat her if her grades were bad, but Yue Zai wouldn't, because her childhood memories only included her parents' love, and she hadn't yet come to think about "academic performance = family treatment".
Yuezai envies Yanyi because Yanyi's family appears to be a perfect and harmonious model family on the surface. However, it's difficult for outsiders to know whether Yanyi herself is feeling wronged behind closed doors. This is a kind of atmosphere that is not easily noticed within the family...emmm, it can't be called passive-aggressive behavior, but it is a rather subtle atmosphere.
Similarly, Yan Yi envies Yue Zai's freedom, cheerfulness, and vitality, but outsiders can't truly understand how much loss and loneliness Yue Zai feels on every day when families are reunited under the bright lights.
I designed this book to be a dual-female protagonist narrative, but I didn't just want them to be unconditionally loving and inseparable perfect sisters. They are also two independent individuals with their own thoughts and choices. Perhaps my writing skills are limited, and my experience isn't very rich, so some parts aren't quite there. I hope that everyone who has read this far can be understanding of these two still-developing sisters and continue to accompany them on their journey, even if they stumble and fall along the way. [heart emoji]
This novice author will try my best to write more diverse stories about girls, both good and bad, for you all to see! Don't stop me, I'm going to write! [cheering emojis] [cheering emojis]
P.S.: One more thing to add. Although legally, Yuezai's grandparents, uncles, and aunts do have inheritance rights to the house left by her parents, and can claim a share, in practice, family ties usually take precedence. In a "normal family," grandparents won't fight with their granddaughter for the inheritance. They usually sign agreements relinquishing their inheritance rights one by one, and then the transfer of ownership can be completed when the child grows up.
Furthermore, the subsidies and care provided by the Guo family to orphans are real. The specific amount depends on the financial situation of each region, but it's definitely not as dire as people used to think... Although our story is set in a fictional world, I've tried my best to maintain logic. In short, everything serves the plot! [dog head with rose in hand][dog head with rose in hand]
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