Chapter 107 Zhao Yunjing, you're not a man if you don't come!
After the annual examination, Zhao Yunjing was eager to return home. His grades and rankings were no longer of concern to him. He just wanted to go down the mountain immediately and go home to see his beloved.
The headmaster insisted on keeping him here, rambling on and on, mostly about whether or not to open a girls' college.
Zhao Yunjing was speechless: "Don't worry, Headmaster. Whether or not Huilan Academy sets up a girls' college, Ajiao said she would repair the academy, and she will definitely keep her word. If she does, I will pledge myself to you. Two years later, when I achieve academic success, I will come back to repair the academy as soon as possible."
"Once you pass the imperial examinations, your first priority should be to serve the court and relieve the emperor's burdens. What business is it of yours with our academy?" The headmaster spat at him. "It's not that I doubt Miss Zhou's promise, but I've thought about it carefully. It's not that a girls' academy can't be opened. What troubles me is, what should be taught in such a girls' academy!"
Since ancient times, women have not been allowed to hold official positions, so the courses offered by the academy are not suitable for women. However, if they only want to read and write, they do not necessarily have to come to the academy. As Zhao Yunjing said, the academy can be set up directly in the village.
The headmaster always felt that his prized son was going to make a name for himself in the future, and that his fiancée was probably even more amazing than him, and was already surprising people.
"Does the headmaster agree to open it?"
"Although there is no precedent, the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty do not say that women cannot go to school or study, nor do they say that opening a girls' school will result in the death of the whole family! Moreover, if a woman is well-educated and knowledgeable, she will naturally raise well-mannered and knowledgeable children after she gets married."
The headmaster gritted his teeth and made up his mind: "Here's what we'll do. If you can come up with a good course for me, I'll be the first to break the rules. If I succeed, I'll be remembered for my good name for generations to come. If I fail, I won't be able to harm the Great Liang, and I won't be remembered for my infamy for eternity!"
Zhao Yunjing bowed deeply: "I am here to thank the Headmaster on behalf of Ajiao, and also on behalf of the future female students for the Headmaster's courage. Headmaster, please rest assured, Ajiao and I will never let you down."
Women cannot serve as officials in the imperial court, but they can serve as female officials in the inner palace. Female officials are also officials. Since they can serve as female officials in the imperial palace, perhaps one day women can also go to the front court?
Besides entering officialdom, women had many other options.
Zhou Mujiao wanted to arrange for women to learn any skills that could enable them to make a living, such as medicine, jewelry design, clothing design, divination, education, and beauty and hairdressing. This educational direction would be similar to that of a modern vocational school.
As more and more women acquire skills to make a living, and as more and more women step out of the home and into society, women engaging in business will no longer be shocking. As the overall environment improves step by step, the day when women enter the imperial court will not be far off.
Of course, this goal is too ambitious and cannot be achieved in less than twenty or thirty years. So Zhou Mujiao divided it into more than a dozen phased goals, and then further subdivided the phased goals into small, easily achievable goals. Once the small goals are achieved, the big goal will be closer and closer, right?
Of course, she would never tell Liang Shanhai about these thoughts at this stage. If she did, Liang Shanhai would probably shrink back in a flash.
After finishing his exams, Young Master Chen returned to his dormitory and slept soundly. When he woke up, it was already dark. He opened his eyes and saw his pageboy, Si Jiu, dozing off at the table, his head propped up on his hand. He shouted, "Si Jiu! Who let you come? Didn't I tell you you weren't allowed to come? I came here to study, not to be a giant baby!"
The term "giant baby" originated from Zhou Mujiao. After hearing it, he remembered it. In order to get rid of this "giant baby" title, he insisted on driving Sijiu and the other servants down the mountain. He also made sure that all the food sent from home was taken back. After doing this several times, his family realized his determination and stopped sending things up. Naturally, they also stopped letting Sijiu and the others come to the academy.
Before he went to sleep, he was thinking that when he had a holiday, he would go to Peach Blossom Village and let Zhou Mujiao see the changes in him with her own eyes, so that she would know that he could become very good and excellent for her sake.
Of all things, 49 appeared!
If Zhou Mujiao found out, she would definitely think he was lying. Not only would she not change her opinion of him, she would look down on him even more. Do you think he wouldn't be angry?
Poor Sijiu was still dreaming of traveling around with the young master and enjoying the finest food and drink when she was startled by this shout and almost cried out: "Eunuch, eunuch, young master!"
"Who are you calling a father-in-law?!"
"Young Master!"
"Spit it out! This young master hasn't even started his vacation yet!"
"Oh! Oh!" Si Jiu slapped his forehead, remembering the important matter. "Master said that in previous years you would treat the students to a meal after the academy's annual exams. This year, the lake is frozen, so don't go out. The manor has already made preparations and asked you to invite your classmates to the house."
Young Master Chen frowned: "When did I say I was going to treat my classmates to drinks?"
“Yes, I didn’t hear you say you were going to treat people to drinks. Besides, treating people to drinks is expensive! Instead of treating others to drinks, why not use the money to buy new clothes for us?! But in previous years, you treated people to drinks before you entered the academy. Now that you’ve entered the academy and have so many classmates, you’re not treating them anymore. Young master, won’t people laugh at you for being stingy?”
Young Master Chen pulled a bag of loose silver from the bedside and stuffed it into Si Jiu's hand: "Take this and buy some new clothes! Don't make it seem like I don't treat you like human beings!"
"Young master is a good person, an incredibly good person—"
"Alright, stop being so sarcastic and get lost."
"Then about the banquet—"
"We invited them every year, so we must invite them again this year! Go back and tell my father to make the arrangements, so I don't lose face!"
The main thing is to prevent him from losing face in front of Zhao Yunjing.
Young Master Chen knew his own limitations; he couldn't outdo Zhao Yunjing in the exam, and he couldn't really change his personality and become a different person overnight. So, all he wanted now was to avoid embarrassing himself in front of Zhao Yunjing at the banquet.
Si Jiu brought a food box with him, but Young Master Chen had asked him to take it back. As soon as Si Jiu left, his stomach started growling with hunger, and he immediately regretted it. It was just a bite of food; he could have eaten it. Did he really become an incorrigible person who couldn't change his ways?
Zhao Yunjing had just returned to the dormitory from the headmaster when he ran into Young Master Chen, who was clutching his stomach and rummaging around for food among his classmates. He smiled slightly, rummaged through the dormitory and found about ten boxes of self-heating meals, and invited everyone to eat: "After this meal, we'll see each other again after the New Year tomorrow when we go down the mountain."
Young Master Chen shamelessly snatched a box, clutched it to his chest, and exclaimed, "Who said that eating this meal means we'll see each other again after the New Year? Besides, even if today's meal is the last meal of the semester, it's just food and no wine, so it can't be considered a farewell drink!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Only with wine, food, poetry, and painting can this sorrow of parting be properly addressed!"
Young Master Chen opened the package, poured water onto the fever reducer, cleared his throat, and adopted the air of a wealthy young master, saying, "After the results are released tomorrow afternoon, don't rush home. Everyone come to my residence tonight, and I'll treat you all to a big drinking party! Don't worry if you get drunk, I have plenty of rooms! Zhao Yunjing, you have to come, or you're not a man!"
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