Mingxiu and Kangxi set off again.
Inside a small courtyard in Jiangnan.
Looking at the storybook in her hand, Mingxiu couldn't help but sigh to Yulan, who was serving her, "Of all the storybooks I've read, the ones from the South are still the best. I've never seen a storybook that's better written than those from the South."
Yu Lan pouted: "I've heard that before that there are many scholars in the South, so it's normal that they can write interesting and unusual stories."
Mingxiu found the sour topic somewhat amusing. She only learned about it later. Yulan was from the North, and perhaps because the North was her hometown, she always cared a lot about comparing the North and the South, and felt that her hometown was the best.
Yu Lan continued to sigh, "Madam, why are the four great academies mostly located in the south? Why aren't there any in the north? If you ask me, we should build more large academies in the north so that students from the north don't have to travel thousands of miles to the south to study."
Mingxiu nodded thoughtfully, then closed the storybook. "That's true, you're right. But the court is already starting to favor the north. I believe it won't be long before the north has its own academies, and then they won't need to come to the south to study." Mingxiu knew this news. Yinreng had always hoped to build more schools so that more talent could be cultivated. Mingxiu had even suggested building a one-stop academy, from primary school to middle school to university, so that everyone wouldn't have to travel so far.
"Really? That's great! Now students from the north can study locally, and they'll definitely be very talented!" Yu Lan said excitedly.
Mingxiu smiled and nodded, then continued to look down at the storybook in her hand. Although the story in the storybook was not very new, the writing was very delicate, making people feel as if they were there.
Mingxiu and Kangxi originally planned to set off directly by large ship, but they were delayed by sightseeing along the way. So, the seventh and eighth princes had already set off and wanted to go on their own, but the children absolutely refused.
So they can only stay in Jiangnan for a while and wait for the children to return before setting off. Fortunately, they won't be gone for long this time; they're just delivering supplies, and they should be back in about half a month at most.
So Mingxiu had time to read storybooks again, and she bought a lot of them from Jiangnan. When she had time, she could also stroll around the streets with Kangxi. Thanks to the spiritual spring water and the fact that Mingxiu was living a very comfortable life, she didn't look old at all. Kangxi was the same. Moreover, because he had time to exercise after abdicating, his health had improved a lot, and he looked even younger. So when Mingxiu and Kangxi walked on the street, seeing handsome men and beautiful women, it was very enviable.
Similarly, they are also easy targets.
For example, the person sitting in the hall right now!
Mingxiu sat in the hall early in the morning, still a little dazed, looking at the person sitting in front of her. Was this the village head or some other kind of woman? Mingxiu wondered groggily.
Her daily routine was actually quite normal, because Emperor Kangxi was by her side and wouldn't allow her to stay up late. However, Mingxiu was a sleeping god and always slept for a long time. In the morning, Emperor Kangxi had already gone out for a stroll and went fishing, but Mingxiu was still not awake. Then someone came, and Yulan specially pulled her up.
"Good morning, Madam Tang. I'm so sorry to bother you so early." The woman opposite Mingxiu appeared to be in her forties, smiling at her. Behind her was a beautiful young girl, who looked pure and lovely. (Mingxiu and Kangxi's identities had been revised several times by Mingxiu herself before finally settling on the surname Tang.)
Mingxiu nodded: "Good morning, Madam Village Chief. Please have a seat. Yulan, serve the tea." Actually, the servants would have served the tea even if Mingxiu hadn't asked. Mingxiu usually disliked these formalities, so Yulan and the others always served it themselves. But today, this woman looked like she had ill intentions, so Yulan and the others didn't make a move.
"Thank you, Madam." The village head's wife sat in the seat below Mingxiu. Looking at Mingxiu sitting there with elegance and grace, a thought flashed through her mind. The village head's daughter also curtsied and sat down next to her mother.
"I wonder if you two have come here today for any particular reason?" Mingxiu asked directly.
"I have no choice but to come today. I can tell that you come from a noble family. I have come today to ask you for a favor," said the village head's wife.
Mingxiu thought about what Yulan had told her when she got up—the long string of gifts the village chief's wife had brought—and realized it was indeed an important matter.
"Madam, please speak frankly. We're all women, so naturally we'll listen and be understanding." The village head had helped them a lot when they arrived, and although they didn't really need it, she was very grateful for his kindness.
The village chief's wife had been subjected to a lot of cold treatment these past few days. Upon hearing these words, her eyes immediately welled up with tears, her nose tingled, and she even choked up slightly. The village chief's wife's daughter quickly comforted her.
Mingxi sat silently, waiting for the other person to compose herself. Fortunately, the village head's wife knew why she had come today, so she quickly adjusted her emotions and smiled at Mingxiu: "It's like this, to be honest, I'm a bit ashamed to say that my wife has been well-read all her life, but unfortunately, she lacks talent, so she is only a minor village head. But my husband is very content, so we live happily. I am also a bit disappointing, as I haven't given my husband a son. Fortunately, my husband doesn't mind, and we only have this one little girl, Ming Huanpeng, and our family is very happy."
As he spoke, Peng'er stood up and bowed to Mingxiu.
Mingxiu nodded. She had only been here a few days, but she already knew a lot about the village chief and his wife. After all, in this day and age, everyone values offspring. It's hard to hold your head high without a son. But this village chief didn't abandon his wife or take a concubine just because she didn't give birth to a son. He was really quite good.
When Mingxiu first heard about this, she had a good impression of the family, which is why she didn't refuse the neighborhood chief's offer to help.
The village chief's wife glanced at her daughter and continued, "We only have this one child, so we never thought about marrying her off. We've always been thinking about bringing someone in so the two of us can live together as a couple, and that way the family won't be separated."
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