Chapter 378 Extra Chapter: Song Erniang (20)
A small courtyard with two sections in Suzhou.
In the small courtyard, two girls who were so beautiful that you couldn't take your eyes off them sat in front of a stone table, along with Song Erniang and Long Hanshi, who had grown a beard.
Although Song Erniang, who was nearing forty, had wrinkles around her eyes, her face remained beautiful.
The two twin daughters, the elder named Long Fangwu and the younger named Song Moyan, were looking at Long Hanshi with longing eyes.
Long Hanshi felt a little guilty under the watchful eyes of his two daughters.
"Well... there are quite a few schools in Suzhou. If you really want to find a good teacher, how about I talk to Third Master Ye and Fourth Master Ye and ask them to let you two enter the Ye family's school?"
"We don't necessarily have to go to that... what academy again?" Long Hanshi looked at Song Erniang.
“Nanqing Academy!” Song Erniang said immediately.
“Yes! Nanqing Academy! That academy is too far away. After your father returns from escorting goods, you will have to come back to see him. It will take a whole day to travel by carriage!”
"What should we do if Dad misses you?" Long Hanshi decided to play the emotional card first.
Upon returning from escorting the goods, he was overjoyed. As soon as he entered his home, his two daughters told him what had happened.
"Father, we both want to study at Nanqing Academy!"
Long Hanshi racked his brains for a long time trying to figure out where Nanqing Academy was.
Later, I vaguely remembered that Nanqing Academy was the number one girls' academy in Chongqing, which seemed quite prestigious.
But that academy is far from Suzhou, and he really doesn't feel at ease sending two such beautiful girls to such a far place!
"My lady, tell me!" Long Hanshi looked at Song Erniang expectantly.
Song Erniang smiled, her eyes filled with amusement as she looked at her two daughters.
"Nanqing Academy, the best girls' academy in Dayu, has produced many talented women over the years. Even Wutong Academy, which used to be ranked first, once said that female students of Nanqing Academy accounted for 70% of the talent in Dayu."
Almost all the princesses, noble ladies, daughters of prime ministers, and young ladies from duke families in the capital studied at Nanqing Academy.
Women in Chongqing who study at Nanqing Academy consider it an honor to attend.
That Ye Xiang was once the most famous talented woman at Nanqing Academy!
Isn't Da Yu currently promoting the idea of allowing women to take the exams?
There are rumors that it will likely start with the major academies.
Fang Wu and Mo Yan want to go to Nanqing Hospital to study, that's a great goal!
Long Hanshi understood after hearing what Song Erniang said; his wife supported her daughters going to Nanqing Academy.
"I'm just... worried that since they've never left Suzhou, going to such a far place might lead them to encounter those ill-tempered young ladies from noble families..."
"You're right! In Suzhou, I can protect my two daughters, but outside... I'm powerless to help them!" Long Hanshi still wanted to struggle a bit more.
Long Fangwu and Song Moyan quickly looked at Song Erniang.
Song Erniang chuckled.
"Han Shi, you're overthinking it. The reason why Nanqing Academy has such a great reputation is not because there are many children from powerful and wealthy families studying there."
However, the teaching at Nanqing Academy is very rigorous.
Even a princess of noble status can only bring one servant when she enters Nanqing Academy.
If anyone bullies others in the academy, the headmaster will immediately expel that person and never allow them to enter Nanqing Academy again.
Think about it, even so, the noble family still wanted to send their child to Nanqing Academy.
In everyone's eyes, once you enter the gates of Nanqing Academy, you're guaranteed the title of a talented woman.
Furthermore, the great scholars who teach at Nanqing Academy are among the most famous in Chongqing, each one possessing vast knowledge and profound learning.
Studying there for a year is equivalent to studying outside for three years.
However... Nanqing Academy has extremely strict admission requirements. Not only do you have to pass all three exams, but you also need recommendations from at least two prestigious local families.
"Getting into Nanqing Academy... is very difficult!" Song Erniang continued.
Nanqing Academy... She wanted to get in back then, but she was too impetuous and failed the first exam...
My eldest sister was qualified to get in, but her father held her back.
That bastard father wants my eldest sister to get married early and won't allow her to study at Nanqing Academy...
Looking back now, I really regret it! I wish I could have studied at Nanqing Academy!
Seeing that Song Erniang seemed to be troubled by something, Long Hanshi quickly tried to change the subject.
"You two are good students, since you want to go... then go!"
You should come back to visit your mother and me often; she has had a tough time.
As for the recommendation from a prominent local family..." Long Hanshi paused for a moment.
Although her brother-in-law has been promoted a little, he is still far from being a member of a prominent family. Moreover, he is a military officer, so he probably can't help her with her studies at the academy.
Although he is now the chief镖头 (chief镖师, a term referring to a high-ranking bodyguard), his status is still somewhat different from that of the nobles in the capital.
If all else fails...
"I'll go talk to Third Master Ye and Fourth Master Ye! The Ye family is a well-known and prestigious family in Suzhou."
Although they were imperial merchants, the Ye family produced many remarkable individuals. There were even rumors that the first female emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty was a member of the Ye family, though she had separated from the family many years ago.
"I'm going to find the Ye family..." Before Long Hanshi could finish speaking, he saw his two daughters shaking their heads frantically.
"No way! The sixth young lady of the Ye family also wants to apply to Nanqing Academy this time."
The academy has a rule that families with members wishing to apply are not allowed to act as guarantors!
Long Hanshi...
Is that even possible? Who am I supposed to contact then? Isn't this just deliberately making things difficult for everyone?
If the Ye family isn't suitable, then who should we turn to?
Song Erniang knew that Nanqing Academy had this rule, and there was nothing she could do about it. In the beginning, Nanqing Academy enrolled many children from poor families and made the decision to only look at academic performance and not family background. However, later, some girls' families came to the academy, saying that the academy was delaying their daughters' marriage prospects, which caused quite a stir at the time.
Later... Nanqing Academy changed some of its admission regulations.
Now……
"I remember that Nanqing Academy used to have a rule that if a student's grades were in the top five, they could be exempted from recommendation, as long as their parents wrote a letter expressing their willingness to send them to the academy."
"Why don't you two..." Song Erniang looked at her two daughters.
Since you can't rely on your parents' connections, why don't you try your best on your own?
The two daughters immediately shook their heads again.
“Mother, you don’t know, but Nanqing Academy used to enroll eighty-eight students a year.”
However, this year only 48 students were enrolled, 40 fewer than before.
This year, a recommendation is required for admission, and the Master said that the students admitted this time will be taught uniformly, instead of the academy's great scholars selecting students themselves.
Instead, the college arranges enrollment uniformly.
Song Erniang...
Only forty-eight students will be admitted... and they will all receive the same instruction...
This is definitely a big deal...
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