Chapter 120: Craftsmanship

Not many people think the same as Wu Fang, but there are undercurrents in the court. Si Li's promotion has played a big role in the trend of novel crops. People who think she is just playing around will ignore her, while people who realize the problem will help. Those who really want to stop this have been more or less suppressed in the previous actions of the prince's wedding and have no time to care about other things. They can only choose the lesser of two evils and temporarily put aside the promotion of crops that seem to be able to be stopped in time, and deal with other matters first.

With the help of the Crown Princess's reputation, after the spring ploughing preparations were completed, because more and more people mentioned potatoes and sweet potatoes in restaurants and bars, as well as the demand for corn in the residents, the county officials who went door to door to check on the spring ploughing situation wrote a summary report and submitted it to the Ministry of Revenue.

The same news was also placed on the prince's desk. Si Li came back from the Imperial Household Supervisor and took a look at the memorial Jiang Hengyun had sent over. He read the words on it and laughed, "The number of sweet potatoes and potatoes has increased, and many people are watching... This is a good thing. The state's promotion will always attract attention. Let the people decide for themselves what to plant. Only when they are full will they have the energy to do other things."

Jiang Hengyun put his hands around her waist and hugged her, holding Si Li who was walking by in his arms, and rubbed her hair, "Sweet potatoes are difficult to store, rice is the right way."

"Growing these is just like growing vegetables. Compared with the staple food, it is a minority after all, but the yield is large. It's just expanding the previous half acre of land to one or two acres. Even if the capital city really can't eat so much, it would not be a bad idea to transport it to the northwest and southwest. Madam Li told me that she wanted to look for other places to recruit culinary students. I think this is a good idea." Si Li turned around and kissed the tip of his perky nose. The rosy lip balm left on it showed that he was a bit weak and pitiful.

Jiang Hengyun touched his nose, coughed lightly, and stepped back slightly to avoid Si Li's kiss, but his grip on Si Li became tighter.

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore." Si Li smiled like a fox that stole some meat. "I'm going to the academy. You, the nominal dean, do you want to come with me?"

The Qunying Academy and the Qunying Craftsmanship School next to it have changed their appearance. As March approaches, the registration for the Autumn Examination has ended, and the results of the first county examination have come out. The students walking on the street have lost their confidence just by looking at the top ten scores of the female students. Walking on the street, the culinary students who have just started to try to attend the academy are more upright than others.

"After all, only a few people are gifted in studying, but there is no harm in learning to read and do arithmetic. There is no need to force children without talent to follow the same path. People have to survive. There are top talents in every field, such as cooking, embroidery, and medicine."

Si Li's words convinced the teachers in the academy, who were already at the forefront of the thoughts of the time, and they were no longer limited to one subject. Even when they asked someone to treat a disease, they would ask if they were willing to teach.

The ancient custom of keeping things clean and thrifty made the clinic feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy when they saw the teacher from the academy. When the news spread, people led by Si Baifu said that she was just a crazy woman. Xiao Qian also restricted Xiao Qi's socializing and only asked her to study hard, but Si Li tasted some other meanings.

In the note written by Queen Yun Sheng, it is said that Xiao Qian is too controlled by her family. The elders in the court each have their own little calculations, but they all agree that the general direction is controlled by Jiang Hengyun. However, Si Baifu, who has been inclined to the reformists, is still in power, and the court has been balanced for many years. As Si Baifu is a well-known opponent of Si Baifu, it is obvious which faction Xiao Qian leans towards.

Perhaps Xiao Qian was also conflicted. She had met the reformer Yun Sheng and acquiesced in her daughter's pursuit of reform. But it was hard to say whether she or her family had a hand in Yun Sheng's death.

Si Li accepted the invitation sent by the Xiao family and sighed.

The arrival of the embroidery master Zhong Qianzhen also accelerated the establishment of the Qunying Crafts School. The Qunying Academy in the north of Xicheng began to survey the terrain outside the capital. For the first time, the skill gained a status in the hearts of the teachers in the academy, which was not as good as reading, but was not far behind.

Most of the culinary students studied for half a day and went home to help for half a day. During the half day at home, the night school organized by the employees of the traversing houses in the south city also received help from these half-knowledgeable little teachers. Reading and writing have always been worthy of respect in the eyes of the people. The children who received the favor spread this matter far and wide, and it left a faint impression on the craftsmen who heard that craftsmanship needed teachers from all walks of life.

Another day, Si Lifang finished his class. A few people squatted or stood in front of the craftsmanship school. Their rough clothes were washed white, and their hand bones had traces of people who were used to hard work, but they were washed clean. When they saw Si Li coming out, they knocked on the door several times in a row, and several middle-aged people knelt in front of Si Li, "Your Highness!"

Di Leyu, who was seeing Si Li off, was startled. Qinghe stood in front of Si Li with an unfriendly look. Si Li was stunned for a moment before saying, "What's the matter? What can I do for you?" She was never used to being called "Your Highness". When she was called, she almost turned around to see if Jiang Hengyun was behind her.

"I, I can farm!" "I'm a carpenter!"

There was a lot of chatter, but Si Li could hear their request. These people came to apply for the job because they heard that the Qunying Artisan School was short of teachers. Their skills might not be top-notch, but compared to the previous experience of the female school teachers who were repeatedly rejected when they tried to hire people, having someone come was a big improvement.

"I understand." Si Li smiled, "Everyone, please go into the courtyard and wait. To be a teacher of the elite craftsmen school, you must have real skills. I will have someone test you, and those who pass will stay."

This request was reasonable, and most of the seven or eight people who came nodded, clasping their hands and looking at Si Li awkwardly. Some people rolled their eyes and said loudly, "We can't read. If we don't want anyone, just say it! I don't want to use the craftsmanship passed down from my ancestors!"

"The assessment is conducted by specially invited officials from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Revenue. They will naturally judge the skills and heritage. Literacy is not included in the assessment." Si Li pretended not to hear the malicious words and kept her voice gentle. The craftsmen of the Ministry of Industry and the agricultural sciences of the Ministry of Revenue are basically equivalent to the national team of Daning. Although their skills may not be the most advanced, their vision is broad and no one can match them.

Si Li took a step forward and opened the door. This action made the two people hiding in the crowd shrink their necks and step back. "Everyone, please?"

The man who had spoken just now followed the crowd with his neck stiffened, and followed the guards behind Di Leyu into the house. The man who had been standing next to him and whispering just now sneered and turned away, "You don't have any real skills, and you still want to hire someone?"

Si Li glanced at him, lifted her skirt and got on the carriage parked nearby. As soon as she lifted the curtain, she met Jiang Hengyun's serious eyes and burst out laughing, "Why are you so stern? Can they eat me? I have exaggerated everything. Your Highness, can you lend me a few of these people?"

As she spoke, she sat up and leaned forward to hook Jiang Hengyun's chin, fiddling with the knot of the gold thread crown on his chin. Jiang Hengyun, who was dressed in court clothes, had a more restrained look on his face after just returning from a meeting in the pavilion. His Adam's apple moved, and he lowered his head to kiss the lips that were offered to him. A hoarse call came out of his lips amid the ambiguous sound of water, "Li Li."

"Your Highness, the person has been caught, uh..." Qinghe, who had just lifted the curtain after Si Li's hint to catch someone, dropped it with a snap. The girl in the carriage, with her hands on the prince's knees and her head tilted up to let him kiss her, had a bit of a bright color in her beauty, and even she felt her face blush and her heart beat fast when she saw her.

Si Li blinked, and saw that Jiang Hengyun's low pressure had been interrupted. She stepped back a little, wiped the water stains from her lips, and deliberately dragged out her tone, "It's important, Your Highness."

Jiang Hengyun's pale lips were red as they fought each other. The ice-snow beauty was dyed with a soft red, and her face was gorgeous. She raised her eyebrows and glanced at Si Li, which made people's hearts itch. He slowly wiped off the lip balm on his lips with the back of his hand. As soon as he finished wiping, Si Li reached out and hooked the gold thread under his crown, closing the distance between them, and quickly leaned over to kiss him again.

"Let Hulu judge it." Jiang Hengyun's voice quickly returned to calmness. He changed his sitting position and said, "Return to the palace."

The arrested instigator turned out to be an idle man in the city. He only knew that someone had paid him to cause trouble, but he knew nothing else. After getting the appearance of the person who paid him, someone came to Liu Ge's home that night.

The few families who had received the warning gradually stopped their work. The first batch of craftsmen and farmers who came to the school were tested that afternoon. The clerks and craftsmen from the two departments set up a venue outside the craftsman school, and everyone could watch and participate. After selection, only one carpenter was left among the remaining six.

But the others could not find any fault with the test, and they were not selected only because they were not as skilled as others. Even so, they were greeted and honored by the master of craftsmanship and their peers, which made these craftsmen who originally lived in the lower class feel trembling with fear and warmth in their hearts.

The attitude of the Qunying Craftsmanship School was very clear: if you have a skill, you will be respected, and there will be no shady operation in the assessment. Most of the truly capable craftsmen who were waiting to see what happened were disturbed, and the officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue who were transferred to conduct the assessment were unable to return to their own departments for ten consecutive days after they came to the Qunying Craftsmanship School again.

The teachers of the artisan school gradually arrived, and the young and middle-aged embroiderers called by Zhong Qianzhen also came to the capital one by one after traveling thousands of miles. When Si Li came to the artisan school again, Zhong Qianzhen, with her silver hair, was patting two middle-aged women who were crying on her knees with a kind smile.

"I'm old, I can talk but my eyes can't keep up when it comes to teaching people to sew. I still have to rely on you to write teaching materials and train apprentices. Even if I ask you to come here, you won't make much money, so don't blame me in your heart."

The middle-aged woman who was crying and hiccuping shook her head, "Wherever Master is, we are there! If you hadn't taught us, how could we be where we are today?"

Si Li had heard the story of Zhong Qianzhen, the self-taught No. 1 embroiderer in Jiangnan who had not produced any new works for many years. If the teacher of the Embroidery Department had not remembered her, she might not even have looked for her. During her middle age and old age, Zhong Qianzhen traveled through the southwest of Jiangnan, and along the way, she taught countless people her unique craft.

When the master and the apprentice met, Si Li did not want to disturb them and quietly left. According to the elementary textbooks of the dietetic department that she had written, the newly separated women's needlework department and the newly formed miscellaneous textbooks were also put on the agenda. The new teachers who entered the Qun Ying Craftsman School learned the characters while getting along with the teachers of the Qun Ying Academy.

At the beginning of March, students preparing for the provincial examination in April were already in a state of anxiety, while scholars preparing for the autumn examination began to submit their papers. The homes of the chief and deputy examiners, the Hanlin scholars and powerful figures in various ministries, all received invitations, all hoping to become a familiar face before the autumn examination.

Scholars from all over the country who came to the prefectures became the main consumers of the month. As the capital and prefecture, the capital also welcomed scholars. Si Li changed the appearance of glutinous rice cakes and named them "Dengke Cakes" to make money.

In such a tense and lively atmosphere, the Qun Ying Craftsmen School welcomed a guest who was beyond Si Li's expectations.

"Taotao?" Winter passed and spring came. It was the first time Si Li saw her after marriage. Meng Taotao, who was detained in Qin Xueshi's house to study, seemed to have grown a few points taller. Her eyes were bright. Si Li took her hand and led her into the house. "Xueshi Qin is willing to let you go? I thought I had to wait until I passed the spring exam and became the top scholar before I could see you."

"It's good to alternate between work and relaxation. There were too many people submitting their papers, and the teacher thought they were noisy, so he sent me out for a few days off." Meng Taotao looked at the students who had just finished class in the newly established Craftsman School and were seizing the time to learn Chinese with the students from the academy next door. The scene was full of vitality and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Then go back and live there? Or I can ask Shi Zhi to take you back to the East Palace to live there."

Meng Taotao shook her head. "Is it convenient for me to stay in the dormitory?" Seeing that Si Li was still lively and cheerful after marriage, she put aside many of her previous worries.

"Why is it inconvenient? They are going to take an exam, and they will be very happy to have your guidance." Si Li's eyes lit up, and he pulled Meng Taotao through the space where the miscellaneous subjects were prepared. "Since you are here, why don't you also come and give Jiang Xue two classes?"

Si Li hadn't expected to convince her to come to the school to teach, after all, the exam was in August, and there wasn't much time left, but Meng Taotao nodded unexpectedly. Meng Taotao agreed, which made Si Li nervous, "Don't be so stubborn, if you delay the exam, I will regret it so much."

"Hold the knife, don't drop the sandbag..."

Meng Taotao stopped outside the catering department window. The newly replaced glass window was bright enough for people to see the teaching scene in the hall. The person standing in front of the stage was obviously still a child. Si Li blushed. Just now, the doorman said that Miss Meng was here, so she asked the best student in the class to review the content of this class with everyone. Meng Taotao felt like she was being lazy and exploiting the labor force.

Before he could explain, Meng Taotao laughed and said, "Why, you don't want me to teach you how to make tofu?"

Si Li was stunned. Her best plan was to ask Meng Taotao, who had the most solid basic skills, to teach her basic skills. Who knew she would skip the basic skills and teach her family's inherited recipes? Si Li remembered how much Meng Taotao valued the No. 1 Tofu Recipe in the past, and hesitantly said, "Isn't this... bad?"

"You said that every profession has its top scholar, but who knows if there is a top scholar among my students?" Meng Taotao exhaled, looking at the children learning the basic cooking skills in the hall, as if she saw her past self. In the past, she was afraid that her incompetence would bring shame to her mother's reputation, so she only dared to call her scholar tofu, but now she dared to say it out loud.

"Okay." Si Li saw her determination and stopped trying to persuade her. "The exam is coming up soon. There are kids here. Just don't complain about them wasting things."

"How could that be? Whoever cooks it, gets to eat it." Meng Taotao raised the corners of his lips, and one could vaguely see the sinister look on his face when they first met.

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Sorry it's a bit late today! I'll post a fat chapter! Dear all the cute people who are following the update~