Song Yaozhu glanced at Song Wenyue. This little girl was saying this on purpose, trying to ruin her image in the eyes of these servants, and then use the servants' words to influence the poor students she was helping.
"This is a secret between me and my sister, the Princess Consort Xuan. You insisted on coming along, and now that you know, it's already out of necessity. How can we let the Prince know?"
She smiled and unfolded the booklet that Bai Xiucai had prepared for her, called out a few names, and had them come to see her one by one.
Song Wenyue twisted her handkerchief and noticed that the servants on the estate were looking at her with suspicion!
When did Song Yaozhu become so clever?
Back when she lived with the Song family, she acted silly and like a country bumpkin.
Immediately, Song Wenyue realized something: Song Yaozhu was looking at that booklet!
"You can read?" she blurted out in surprise, not realizing how offensive her tone was.
Song Yaozhu said calmly, "Yes, Your Highness teaches me every day. If I still can't learn it, wouldn't I be letting down Your Highness's painstaking efforts?"
Song Wenyue almost ground her back teeth to powder!
How lucky she is! Xie Liwei actually taught her to read himself, how could she possibly be worthy of him!
So many talented men in the capital hoped to receive some guidance from Xie Liwei, but he was the one who enlightened Song Yaozhu!
"Your Highness, Scholar Li has arrived," a servant announced.
The scholar, Li, stood awkwardly behind the screen. He appeared thin and timid, with his shoulders hunched together.
Song Yaozhu couldn't see his face, so she only asked Caijin a few questions, which he answered haltingly.
"You are over twenty years old, why are you still unmarried?"
"If there's no rice in the house, how can I get married?"
Song Wenyue, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but scoff: "You're already a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), and the government will give you a monthly salary. You can also find a minor official position in the government office. How can you be as miserable as you say!"
Song Wenyue's words undoubtedly tore away the fig leaf of this scholar Li. His dignity as a scholar infuriated him, but because he was tongue-tied and didn't know how to refute, he actually burst into tears!
"Does Miss think I'm pretending to be poor to gain sympathy? If I weren't truly in dire straits, how could I, a self-proclaimed scholar with official rank, have the face to ask a woman like Madam for help! A true man should stand tall and upright, but we all have to bow down for a meager living! I know my self-respect is nothing, but Miss shouldn't trample on it like this!"
The scholar Li cried so bitterly that Song Wenyue froze in place.
But Song Yaozhu, always eager for a good show, chuckled and said, "My sister is really something, making a scholar cry with just one sentence!"
Song Wenyue: I'm so angry! But what can she do?
"Sister, what exactly is going on?"
Song Yaozhu looked at her, her tone suddenly becoming serious, and said, "Officials in various places are corrupt and accepting bribes, thus squandering the monthly salaries of these candidates."
Song Wenyue frowned. "It's just a monthly salary, how much money could that be? They have hands and feet, why don't they find work to do!"
It's basically confirmed that Song Yaozhu is still Song Wenyue.
“They did no work at all, they ate and drank at the government office, but they did the most work and didn’t get paid a single penny.”
"How is this possible!" Song Wenyue didn't believe it. It was just an ordinary shop. If the shopkeeper didn't pay, the employees would take him to court!
Thinking about this, she realized that these scholars were just working in the government office, so how could they file a complaint?
The scholar, Li, cried and sobbed, “It’s not easy for someone from my hometown to become a scholar, and that county magistrate tried every means to detain me and make me do all sorts of dirty work! If it weren’t for Brother Cao, I might not have even been able to leave the county!”
The "Brother Cao" that Li Juren mentioned was the representative who had just spoken; his name was Cao Zhi. True to his name, he was extremely upright. On his way to the capital for the imperial examinations, he passed through the county where Li Juren lived and, seeing Li Juren looking dazed, realized something was wrong and rescued him.
Along the way, we encountered many situations similar to that of Scholar Li.
“The powerful families control the local areas. You must have endured a lot of hardship to make it all the way to the capital,” Song Yaozhu sighed. She waved her hand, and a little maid handed a plain handkerchief to Li Juren to wipe his tears. “Li Juren, go back and rest. Adjust your mindset. The examination is approaching, so don’t let it interfere with important matters.”
Scholar Li thanked him repeatedly and then withdrew.
Even now, Song Wenyue still doesn't understand what Song Yaozhu is trying to do.
"Why did you take in these scholars, sister?"
"What are you doing? Doing good deeds!" Song Yaozhu thought to herself, "She really isn't born to the same parents as me; she hasn't quite figured it out yet."
"Call Cao Zhi over here to talk."
Cao Zhi arrived quickly. He was tall and burly, with broad arms and a thick beard that covered most of his face. He had a rugged and bold air about him, looking more like a chivalrous knight than a scholar.
"A native of Anping County, nineteen years old this year?"
“Yes, Madam!” His voice boomed, making everyone in the hall tremble.
Song Yaozhu asked him a few academic questions, which he answered fluently, and Song Yaozhu was very satisfied.
"Your parents are farmers, and you've been farming with them since you were little. What opportunity did you have to learn to read?"
"The village chief was a scholar, and he valued education the most. He made sure all the children in the village learned to read! All the kids in our village who were my age could read!"
Now it was Song Yaozhu's turn to be surprised, but thinking back to the turmoil in the past, it was possible that some capable people from the previous dynasty would find a village to live in seclusion.
Looking at Cao Zhi, he exuded righteousness. Although his speech contained some local dialect, it did not make him seem uncouth at all.
"Someone, remove the screen."
The steward of the manor paused for a moment, then quickly removed the screen. Song Yaozhu saw Cao Zhi's true face and was startled.
This... if you told anyone, twenty-nine people would believe it!
"Are you married?"
Cao Zhi wasn't stupid, so he naturally guessed that the lady wouldn't take them in for no reason.
"No."
"You grew up in the countryside, and you're still unmarried?"
"I do want to have a wife and kids and a warm bed as soon as possible, but once the girls in our village start reading and writing, they look down on us roughnecks!"
Song Yaozhu became interested, "How do you look down on it?"
"They're better than me at reading, writing essays, and poetry, so of course they look down on me!"
Cao Zhi, a man from the countryside with no family resources, who had to farm every day after school, was able to pass the imperial examination. That was no small feat; it was as if his ancestors had burned down the Yama King's palace underground!
There are actually women whose knowledge surpasses his?
Song Yaozhu thought, "The predecessors planted the trees so that the successors could enjoy the shade. I'm determined to enjoy this shade!"
"Alright, since that's the case, I'll arrange your marriage. Will you accept or not?"
The steward of Prince Xuan's mansion stared wide-eyed at the man who looked like a black bear.
Without saying a word, he knelt down on the ground with a thud and cried out, "Princess Consort Xiaoyao, you mustn't!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com