Chapter 464 Liu Mingxin's Dialogue with Sun Daoxue!
"The first girl was kind-hearted and knew how to protect herself. The second girl was clever and quick-witted and also knew how to protect herself. The third girl calmly stated the facts..."
"The twenty girls we recruited are all people with their own ideas, who are very brave and can handle things independently."
"If you have any ideas, the academy will teach you how to deal with such situations next time, so that you can help others without getting involved yourself."
The people had never heard such words before, and for a moment they looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
The mother of the first daughter from a wealthy family stepped forward to speak.
"My lord, my husband is a cloth merchant, and I would like to donate a batch of clothing to the teachers and students of the academy to make school uniforms!"
Shen Lanxi glanced at Ji Xiuran. Money, here it comes.
The girls' academy received no government funding and therefore had no accounting department. Ji Xiuran personally intervened to negotiate with the wealthy merchant's wife.
After that, there are still the styles of school uniforms and the fabrics to choose from, and there's still room for discussion.
Those with quick wits also stepped forward.
“Sir, I am willing to donate desks and chairs to the academy.” Her family makes furniture.
“Sir, I am willing to donate writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones to the academy.” Her family was in the business of the Four Treasures of the Study.
"Sir, I am willing to donate five hundred taels of silver..." This was the mother of the girl who hadn't been selected earlier, but she wanted to ask for a spot for her daughter.
Shen Lanxi handed everything over to Ji Xiuran for handling.
...
"The academy's desks, chairs, benches, writing implements, and students' uniforms are all available now!"
"yes!"
"The tuition fees for the gentlemen have been paid!"
"yes!"
"Lord Ji, when selecting students to teach, choose more impoverished students who are of good character and come from poor families!"
"The civil service examination is about to begin. Those who come to participate are the best of the best from all over the country, the cream of the crop. Many of them can only stay in dilapidated temples outside the city or squeeze into shared dormitories, where conditions are extremely difficult."
Ji Xiuran's eyes welled up with tears. He looked up at Shen Lanxi, and the next moment, he respectfully clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"On behalf of those impoverished students, I thank Lord Shen!"
After discussing for a long time and finalizing the next steps, Shen Lanxi handed over the girls' academy to Shen Yuanxu and Ji Xiuran, while she went to attend to other matters.
The girls' academy was thriving, but many officials in the court were not optimistic about it.
"Women should stay at home and learn to be thrifty and manage the household; how can they be out in public every day?"
“This is utterly heretical! I want to see how Shen Lanxi will explain to those women when the girls’ academy becomes a filthy and corrupt place.”
“Shen Lanxi is definitely harboring evil intentions. People are talking about her now, saying that she opened a girls’ academy to teach girls from poor families to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy.”
"She shouldn't even think about teaching those maids the dirty tricks of the inner quarters. She's not teaching them right from wrong; she's ruining them!"
"Lord Liu, we need you to take the lead in stopping this. We must not allow the girls' academy to continue operating!"
Liu Mingxin was also extremely stressed and had a terrible headache.
These past two days, the girls in the house have been clamoring to go to the girls' academy. The teacher we have at home, though not a great Confucian scholar, is still a very prestigious teacher in the capital. How can he compare to a small girls' academy?
“A group of women surrounding a young student, what kind of behavior is this?”
Liu Mingxin's eyes lit up. He had a good idea that would allow him to close the girls' academy without having to do it himself.
After the morning assembly ended, Liu Mingxin immediately went to see the dean of Bailu Academy.
"Brother Daoxue, the imperial examination is approaching. Students should focus on studying and learning, instead of running around fooling around and wasting their studies."
Sun Daoxue put down his book and looked at Liu Mingxin, whose face was clearly filled with anger.
"Brother Mingxin, what do you think is the essence of the imperial examination?"
Liu Mingxin was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Naturally, it's to pass the imperial examinations, enter the court as an official, and benefit the people of this region!"
Sun Daoxue sighed, "There are countless scholars in the world, but can they all pass the imperial examinations and become officials in the court?"
These words startled Liu Mingxin. He hesitated and said, "Of course not. The imperial examination is for selecting talents, so naturally it is a selection process based on merit!"
Sun Daoxue: "What about those who weren't hired?"
Liu Mingxin was stunned again.
Sun Daoxue: "I remember that Brother Mingxin also presided over the imperial examinations. I wonder if you have ever been to the city wall where the results were posted. Many students were already old and frail, yet they failed the exams again and again, and had to repeat the examinations time and time again."
After a moment of silence, Liu Mingxin said, "What does this have to do with what I told you?"
Scientific expeditions are like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank boat; those who fail can only blame themselves for not studying hard enough, and have no one else to blame.
Sun Daoxue glanced at Liu Mingxin and smiled helplessly, "Of course there are connections. Those who pass the exam will naturally be able to rise above their circumstances and enter the imperial court to become officials and receive a salary. But how are those who don't pass the exam supposed to make a living and support their families?"
Liu Mingxin fell silent.
Sun Daoxue: "Do you expect them to study until they are old, do nothing but accept their family's support, and devote all their energy to studying?"
Is that realistic?
How many students were well-off in the past and didn't have to support their families? How many students' families could truly support someone who failed the exam year after year without complaint?
“Brother Mingxin, studying is also a way to make a living and support your family!” Sun Daoxue said meaningfully.
Liu Mingxin wanted to refute, but didn't know how to put it into words.
He had already risen to the position of regent, wielding immense power. He couldn't very well tell his old friend directly that he was preventing the students from the academy from teaching at the girls' academy, implying that he was trying to make things difficult for Shen Lanxi, could he?
“Brother Mingxin, we both came from the imperial examination system and were classmates and friends. However, we have different aspirations. You went to serve as an official in the court, while I came to teach at the academy. Because we have different directions, our understanding of things is also different.”
"For teachers, the hope is that everyone in the world can read and write, and understand the principles of life. Education should be accessible to all!"
Liu Mingxin remained silent for a long time, and then left in silence.
Even so, he still didn't think Shen Lanxi was right.
The court officials were all waiting for the higher-ups to take action against the girls' academy. They waited and waited, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Even after all grades of the girls' school were filled, no one came forward to protest.
Some people couldn't contain themselves and went to find the Left Chancellor, Wu Yanzhi.
"Prime Minister, we cannot allow Shen Lanxi to continue to be so arrogant. Shen Lanxi is simply ruining the foundation of our Great Zhou Kingdom."
Wu Yanzhi replied dismissively, "It's just a few girls going to school, nothing serious. The foundation of our Great Zhou is its men. As long as Shen Lanxi doesn't harm the men of our Great Zhou, let her cause trouble. If she makes too much of a fuss, His Majesty will naturally intervene."
He wouldn't be the one to stick his neck out and incur His Majesty's dislike.
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