Chapter 86 Love Yourself

"Si Li! Why is it you!" Si Tang stood up suddenly. In the hall where one could hear a pin drop, the sound of the chairs moving and her voice that was almost like yelling were really irritating. Di Leyu frowned and said coldly, "Si Er, sit down!"

Si Li smiled gently, "This is an academy, you can call me Master Si, or elder sister. Father attaches great importance to rules and manners, you are being rude. We are sisters so I can let it go, but others may not. Okay, you don't have to apologize to me, sit down, and don't be late for class." She knew that this was a bit mean, but in the past, when the original owner did something wrong, her stepmother would scold her like this no matter where she was, and Si Tang just took it in stride.

"You...I..." Si Tang sat down in despair under Di Leyu's cold eyes, her face burning, unable to utter a complete sentence. When she lowered her head to move the chair, she saw the sleeves embroidered with orchids. The orchids were faintly visible, and the fabric was also the finest brocade, but compared with the hundred flowers brocade on Si Li on the stage, it was simply heaven and earth.

At the front of the hall, Si Li took out tea leaves and other materials, and began to talk about how to make a cup of milk tea from the ingredients. Si Tang stared at her intently. She had a gentle smile and bright eyes. After losing weight, her appearance was bright and attractive. If she were a wild flower hit by the rain, she was like a branch blooming in the sunlight. The stupid sister who used to follow him and did nothing well was standing at the front, wearing a pearl hairpin and a brocade dress, and looked past him with contempt as a winner.

And I still have to call her Master.

The current situation is so different from what Si Tang had imagined, that Si Li was ridiculed for doing business. Si Tang simply cannot accept it. She has obviously taken away Si Li's chance to study, and Si Li obviously doesn't know anything anymore... Si Li, why do you want to come back?

Si Tang's lips trembled, and his eyes gradually changed from panic to a little resentment.

Si Li paused and called on someone, "Si Er, what did I just say? Can you repeat it to everyone?" Calling on students to answer questions in class is one of the teachers' common hobbies, and even if Si Li is just a temporary lecturer, he has this authority.

"I..." Si Tang opened her mouth and subconsciously looked in the direction of An Yao and Lin Ying, but they didn't even look at her. Si Tang glanced at the things in front of Si Li and said, "Boil the milk..."

Si Li frowned, "It's to add sugar to the milk and blend it until it's smooth and has no residue. Pay attention to the class."

She did not punish him, but after she pointed out the fact that Si Tang did not listen to the class, there was another crack in Si Tang's character of a talented woman who respected teachers. Master Di said coldly, "Si Er, stand up and listen to the class."

"Yes." Si Tang held back the tears in his eyes and tried to listen to what was said in front of the stage, but the more he listened, the more shocked he became.

She casually mentioned ancient books such as The Classic of Tea and Dream of Bianjing, but Si Li, who fell into the water a month ago, could not say such profound and simple words about cooking, citing classics! She is a complete idiot, she has learned to steam glutinous rice cakes for ten years!

Seeing his classmates gradually being impressed by Si Li's talk about milk tea, tea art, and tea culture, Si Tang felt cold in his heart. If Si Li was pretending before, how many years had she pretended? And how many years had she hated herself?

Si Li used the ancient method that Meng Taotao used to make milk tea today. She couldn't match Meng Taotao in terms of etiquette, but she was still pretty good. The tea foam was fried to produce fragrance, and the milk was slowly boiling in the pot. Amid the gurgling sound, Si Li asked a second question, "Who do you want to give milk tea to after learning how to make it today?"

Di Leyu watched from the side and nodded secretly. Si Li had a perfect grasp of the time and atmosphere. After the long speech before, she showed a delicate technique and asked questions at the right time to liven up the atmosphere and avoid too much stalemate. If Si Li didn't have her own business to run, she would have wanted to invite Si Li to be a formal lecturer. The food sold in Wanglaiju alone is enough to open a catering department course for ten days or half a month.

Students in the hall spoke one after another, and Xiao Qi's voice was the loudest, "Give it to my mother!"

Parents, brothers and sisters, teachers... there were all kinds of answers. Some were engaged and said with a blushing face that they wanted to give it to their future husbands to try.

After a round of speeches, Si Li stopped the discussion and said, "I have heard many different answers, but if you ask me, I would give it to myself first."

Daning's requirements for women were very relaxed, but they also emphasized that they should serve their parents first and then the elderly and the young. For example, if they had something delicious, they should give it to themselves first. This was almost like heresy.

The remaining whispers suddenly fell silent. Under the complicated gaze, Si Li seemed to be unaware of how unorthodox her words were. She continued with a faint smile, "A man must love himself before others can love others. I read this in an ancient book, and I wish you all would share it."

The history of Daning is similar to what Si Li learned in his previous life. The Han and Tang dynasties also existed. Yang Xiong's "Fa Yan" was also mentioned by Meng Taotao before. The girls of Qunying Academy are already the most advanced women of this era. They must have heard of this book. However, due to long-term family education and customs, they have never forgotten the dedication of putting others before themselves. It must be said that this is a sad signal.

Si Li and the students stared at each other in silence for a while. Knowing that changing one's mindset would take time, she smiled and livened up the atmosphere, "After all, we don't only have this one cup. It's not impossible for us to taste it first."

The silent classroom regained its liveliness, but Si Li saw someone lowering his head and quietly wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

Milk tea's teaching was still going on. Outside the hall, two people stood silently by the window. The academy manager who welcomed Si Baifu in saw him standing still for a long time. He didn't know what this chief minister who suddenly came to check the academy's facilities on behalf of the Ministry of Rites was thinking. He was a little embarrassed and said, "Master Si, do you want to look elsewhere? This is the case with the catering department. There are many students who come to listen to the class. Although it costs more, it will be useful in the future, right?"

Si Baifu raised his hand to silence him and stared at the girl standing at the front of the hall. He realized for the first time that his daughter really looked like him.

A skin that looks like him, a heart that shines like Yue Niang, when Si Li stood in front and talked about self-love, he thought he saw his wife who had passed away many years ago. But in just a moment, he recognized who was standing in front of him, not Yue Niang, but the child who caused Yue Niang and him to be separated.

"I'll wait for her here. You can go and take care of the household affairs." Si Baifu concealed the turmoil in his eyes and was determined to take away this unruly daughter who had been hiding from him.

The steward also saw the girl standing in the hall who looked like Chief Assistant Si. He didn't know who he was talking about for a moment, so he smiled and said, "The young lady still has classes to attend. Why don't you go back first?"

Si Baifu waved his hands, and the servant beside him stepped forward to separate the steward. The guards clamped the steward's hands and dragged him back. The steward's face changed drastically, but he remembered not to alarm the students in the class, and shouted, "Master Si, what are you going to do?!"

The girl who was being helped out of the corridor witnessed this scene. Her snow-white face flushed with anger, "Let go of Manager Qi!"

Manager Qi tilted his head and said in surprise, "Ms. Liu? It's been a long time since we last met. Are you here——"

Liu Wuling smiled bitterly and said, "I'm here to drop out." She said softly to the maid beside her, "Can you please ask the deputy headmaster and all the teachers to come? Someone is causing trouble in the academy."

The maid said in a flat voice, "Miss, it's time for you to go home."

After saying this, he pulled the thinner and sickly Liu Wuling to leave. From beginning to end, Si Baifu, who was standing outside the hall, did not pay any attention to the noisy voices. He looked at the girl in the hall with reluctance and anger. The opposite emotions almost split him in two.

Just like he was in love with Yue Niang back then, and yet he felt miserable.

The quarrel between Liu Wuling and Manager Qi soon caused the people on both sides who were controlling them to cover their mouths, and the conflict quietly dissipated.

——If someone else hadn’t come out from behind the rockery.

The young man's white clothes are whiter than snow, and the scholar's feather hat makes him look like an immortal, as white as ice and as bright as the moon, untainted by dust.

"No noise is allowed in the academy," Jiang Hengyun said calmly. Two rows of guards rushed out from his side and rescued Manager Qi and Liu Wuling. He looked at Liu Wuling first, "Do you want to drop out of school?"

The moment he appeared, Liu Weiling could hardly control her turbulent heartbeat. After Yunqi Jushi founded the academy, his son inherited his ambition. Everyone who studied at the Qunying Academy knew that the prince was the headmaster. It was precisely because the headmaster was the prince of the dynasty and with his blessing that the Qunying Academy, a newly-established academy that belonged to the Ministry of Rites together with the Imperial College, could get money from the Ministry of Rites.

Perhaps some people came to study in order to "accidentally meet" His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but after years of hard study, almost no one has ever seen the Crown Prince. Over time, people in the Qun Ying Academy only heard of the deputy principal and the master, but no one would mention the Crown Prince.

How lucky she was to meet this prince before dropping out. Liu Wuling thought about why she had to drop out, and her mood became low again. She bowed her head and saluted, "I am Liu Wuling from Class A, and I pay my respects to the headmaster. I have made a big mistake, and I know I am not ashamed to continue to learn from the saint. I have come here to drop out, and I have completed the procedures. I hope the headmaster will approve of it."

While speaking, Liu Weiling subconsciously glanced at the maidservant who was taken to the side by the prince's guards, and her mood was very complicated. She knew why the headmaster had such doubts. There were many girls in the history of Qun Ying Academy who were expelled from school because they were considered heretics by their families. Therefore, the academy stipulated that the expulsion must be handled in person. If it were not for the academy's regulations, she might have been in the temple and never seen the light of day again.

Jiang Hengyun nodded gently, but did not let go of the Liu family maid. Liu Wuling was not controlled, but she did not want to leave so quickly. She noticed that many teachers who had no classes at the moment came hurriedly from the corridor and behind the rockery, and their eyes were full of surprise and admiration.

At this moment, the food science building, which was not a popular subject, became the focus of attention.

Jiang Hengyun opened his thin lips and said, "Master Si, please do not disturb the quietness of the academy."

"Your Highness." Si Baifu had to pull himself out of his emotions, and returned to his usual serious demeanor, bowing and saying, "My eldest daughter is naughty and ignorant. She came to the academy and disturbed the peace. I will take her home and will discipline her."

The tone was arrogant, a common fatherly manner in the academy. The teachers all frowned at the same time.

Jiang Hengyun brushed his sleeves and said coldly, "Today, Miss Si will be the lecturer of the academy. Sir Si, do you mean that I don't know people well?"

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The author has something to say:

Quoted from Yang Xiong's "Fa Yan·Gentleman", a person must love himself before others will love him; a person must respect himself before others will respect him.

During the Han and Tang dynasties, people were less restricted and more open and reasonable. Then Confucianism flourished, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties it became very outrageous (stand up)