Chapter 136 A United Family (First Update)
Xiao Liulang attracted considerable attention after entering the Imperial Academy, for no other reason than that his appearance was too reminiscent of the young Chancellor.
All the teachers who had seen the young chief priest were amazed that there could be someone in the world who looked so alike.
Despite the similarities, the young priest had already passed away, and they had all attended his funeral, so they naturally wouldn't confuse the boy in front of them with him.
Moreover, Xiao Liulang only resembles him at first glance; upon closer inspection, his eyes and temperament are completely different from those of the young chief priest.
In addition, his temperament, behavior, and even his handwriting and writing were different from those of the young priest.
How much effort does it take for a person to undergo such a complete transformation?
Furthermore, if he is the young priest, why doesn't he return to the Xiao family?
He was also a cripple.
In the previous dynasty, people with serious illnesses were unable to take the imperial examinations. It was only after the change of dynasty that the old system was abolished.
Few students had seen the Junior Priest, so it didn't cause too much of a stir.
"What brings the Prince to the Imperial Academy today?"
Inside the Mingzheng Hall of the Imperial Academy, Zheng Siye received Prince An, who was dressed in brocade robes.
Although Prince An was a student at the Imperial Academy's Shuaixing Hall, he had special privileges and did not have to come to school every day. This was the first time he had made an appearance since the start of the semester.
Prince An smiled and said, "I heard that a very talented new student has arrived at the Imperial Academy."
He didn't name names, but Zheng Siye immediately guessed Xiao Liulang's name. Zheng Siye smiled ingratiatingly and said, "He's nothing special, he's worlds apart from you, Your Highness."
Prince An smiled faintly and said, "You can't say that. He is someone I have high hopes for."
Zheng Siye was taken aback.
Prince An laughed and said, "Our Zhuang family originally planned to recommend him for admission, but he passed the exam on his own. Does Zheng Siye really think he's nothing special?"
Zheng Siye broke out in a cold sweat. This prince was too unpredictable. Wouldn't an ordinary person be wary of such a student?
Judging from what the prince said... the Zhuang family is trying to win him over?
Prince An did indeed intend to win over Xiao Liulang. Although the Zhuang family had produced many talented individuals, who would complain about having too many talents? Having one more pawn meant increasing the chances of winning in this grand game of the world.
Prince An looked at Zheng Siye and said, “Tell me the truth, how much real talent does that Xiao Liulang actually possess?”
"This..." Zheng Siye hesitated for a moment, then said, "In terms of true talent and learning, he is indeed outstanding, but I still maintain that he cannot compare with you."
“No need to compare yourself to me,” Prince An said casually.
Zheng Siye paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "If we exclude you, he should be the number one freshman this year."
Prince An smiled and said, “Very good. We will cultivate him well. Our family wants him.”
Zheng Siye gave a forced smile: "Being chosen by the dealer is a blessing he's accumulated over eight lifetimes!"
To be honest, Zheng Siye didn't like Xiao Liulang very much, mainly because the guy wasn't respectful enough to him. Every time they met, he had the illusion that he didn't know who the teacher was.
“Your Highness, what about this humble official…” Zheng Siye looked at Prince An meaningfully.
Prince An said, “With the Imperial Academy reopening, the position of Chancellor cannot remain vacant indefinitely. I will inform my grandfather and ask him to put in a good word for Zheng Siye in court if necessary.”
Zheng Siye repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Prince! Thank you, Grand Tutor!"
Gu Jiao didn't hide the fact that she wanted to join the second boss in opening a clinic from her family. Of course, she didn't mention that she would contribute her technical expertise as equity; she only said that by investing 800 taels of silver, she could own half of the clinic.
The family members expressed their strong support for this.
After dinner, the old lady found Gu Jiao and threw her a money pouch.
"What?" Gu Jiao asked.
The old lady said calmly, "Pay me back when the clinic makes money."
This is the old lady's savings for her funeral. Inside are the money Gu Jiao gave her as a filial gift, the money she made from reselling wound medicine, and the money she earned from various scams, such as telling stories, exorcising evil spirits, and reading palms.
It was quite a lot, a full fifty taels!
Gu Jiao: I didn't know you could make such a fortune quietly until you opened your clinic!
Gu Xiaoshun also gave Gu Jiao the money he usually couldn't bear to spend.
Needless to say, Gu Yan gave all her pocket money to her sister and even borrowed ten taels of silver from the little monk in advance. From then on, she began her miserable life of doing odd jobs for the little monk to pay off her debt.
After Xiao Liulang entered the Imperial Academy, he earned a small fortune by doing homework for wealthy students, but he felt that it wasn't enough to open a clinic.
He found Lin Chengye, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Are you still worried about not being able to do your homework? Are you still losing hair because you can't write the eight-legged essay? Top-notch tutoring, sprint to the spring examination, preferential prices, half money back if ineffective."
Lin Chengye: "..."
When Gu Jiao met the second boss again, she had just as much silver as he did.
Second boss: ...That's pretty confusing.
After all, the second boss has been the boss for so many years and still has some connections. Gu Jiao doesn't need to worry about manpower. The biggest problem right now is where to open the clinic.
For Gu Jiao's sake, it would be best to open the store near the Imperial College.
Gu Jiao sought out Zhang Baoren.
Zhang Baoren took the two to see the shops and houses on Chang'an Avenue and Xuanwu Avenue. Chang'an Avenue had a larger flow of people and was more bustling, but all the good shops had been rented out, and the remaining ones were either too expensive or too bad, which explained why they couldn't be rented out.
"Shall we go take another look at Xuanwu Street?" Zhang Baoren said.
Xuanwu Street isn't as lively as this side, so if you're doing business, this side is definitely a better choice.
Zhang Baoren laughed and said, "It's more convenient to get to the Imperial College from Xuanwu Street, so business won't be bad!"
"Let's go take a look," Gu Jiao said.
"Fine," the second landlord sighed.
The three of them went to Xuanwu Street. To be honest, this street looked more orderly and planned than Chang'an Street, but there were fewer people.
Zhang Baoren introduced a mixed-use commercial and residential property to the two of them: "This used to be all residential, but it was later converted into shops. What do you think of this one?"
This shop is much better than those on Chang'an Avenue, but the second owner prefers the one next door.
“That one has already been bought,” Zhang Baoren said.
"How much is this?" the second landlord asked.
"Three hundred taels," Zhang Baoren said.
"Three...three hundred taels?" The second landlord felt like he had misheard.
Zhang Baoren laughed and said, "Yes, it's paid once a year, with a deposit of one thousand taels."
"You, you, you, this is way too expensive!" Even the second boss, who was from Beijing, felt that the price was unacceptable.
Zhang Baoren said helplessly, "Prices are all going up. Last year, I could have bought it for you for 250 taels, but this year, the Imperial College has reopened, and all the houses in this area have gone up in price!"
The second landlord looked at the house, then at the larger and more magnificent one next to it, and said, "Three hundred taels is more like the rent for this one!"
"Are you sure you want this?" Gu Jiao asked.
The second landlord said, "This one is bigger!"
Gu Jiao nodded to Zhang Baoren, who then took out a document and said, "Shall we sign this deal?"
The second landlord was taken aback: "Didn't you say it had already been bought?"
Gu Jiao slowly took out the property deed from her sleeve: "That's right, it was bought by someone, and the owner is my Xiao Jingkong. Come on, let's keep the good stuff in the family, three hundred taels it is, I'll rent it to you cheaply."
The second landlord pinched his philtrum, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed...
When Xiao Jingkong learned that Gu Jiao was going to open a clinic with someone, he immediately offered up his house deed.
Gu Jiao certainly couldn't let the little guy suffer a loss. Renting someone else's place was still renting, so why not rent from her own? But if the second landlord didn't like her, she wouldn't force him. Who knew he would take a liking to her?
Gu Jiao shrugged: "You can't blame me for this, can you?"
When the second employer woke up, the contract had already been drafted. He paid the money and signed it with his fingerprint with a heavy heart.
To be honest, he still looked down on the location. Although it was convenient to go to the Imperial College, one Imperial College couldn't support a large medical clinic.
The second landlord's worries continued until the second day of the clinic's renovation.
He was discussing with the carpenter where to build the medicine cabinet when Gu Jiao took a broom to sweep the hall and saw a handsome young scholar passing by the door.
The young scholar glanced at Gu Jiao unintentionally, and then stopped.
The young scholar turned back, stood before Gu Jiao, pointed to himself with his folding fan, and said, "Miss, do you remember me?"
"I don't remember," Gu Jiao said without hesitation.
The young scholar bent down to meet Gu Jiao's eyes, looking her in the eye: "How could you not remember me? Look at me!"
Gu Jiao ignored her and turned to sweep other areas.
The young scholar then turned to Gu Jiao: "You must remember me! I still remember you!"
This logic is quite interesting.
Does she have to remember her just because she remembers her?
The young scholar's persistence exceeded Gu Jiao's expectations. Gu Jiao ignored her while sweeping the floor, so the young scholar simply squatted down and stared at Gu Jiao longingly.
Gu Jiao sighed helplessly: "What exactly do you want?"
The young scholar chuckled: "You finally remember me, don't you?"
Gu Jiao said calmly, "Our clinic hasn't opened yet. If you need medical treatment, you'd better go somewhere else."
"Oh, so this is a clinic. Will you be working here from now on?" the young scholar asked, clearly not believing that Gu Jiao, with her attire and appearance, could afford to run a clinic and was probably just hired to work.
Gu Jiao gave a casual "hmm" and continued sweeping.
The young scholar exclaimed excitedly, "Then we'll be able to see each other often from now on!"
Gu Jiao looked at her strangely: "Do you have many illnesses?"
The young scholar shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum. To be honest, she had a really good temper; anyone else would have gotten angry if asked that, but she didn't feel unlucky at all.
She said, "Do you know what people are doing with the houses next to yours that have been bought up?"
"I don't know," Gu Jiao said.
"We've set up an academy!" the young scholar exclaimed.
"Oh," Gu Jiao replied calmly.
The second employer, who had been discussing the cabinet with the carpenter, became agitated. He rushed over and looked at the young scholar, asking, "What did you just say? What academy?"
"Haven't you heard? The Crown Princess is going to open a girls' school! Right here on this street, she's bought up all the houses on the west side of your place, as well as a large plot of land behind them." The young scholar said, pointing to their clinic. "I remember this shop was also going to be bought up, but they couldn't find a tenant. By the way, how did you manage to buy it? Even the Crown Princess couldn't find it, so how did you manage to find it?"
The second landlord thought to himself, "Because the head of the household is a young monk in a temple, you can't find him!"
If the Crown Princess's girls' school is right next door, would the clinic still have to worry about business?
Suppressing his excitement, the second landlord asked, "You're not mistaken, are you? We haven't heard anything about this!"
The young scholar said, "It's inside information, of course you haven't heard about it!"
Inside, Gu Jiao glanced at the young scholar.
The young scholar clapped his hands: "Alright, I'm leaving now. I'll come back to find you when the girls' school opens! The Crown Princess is such a kind person. She actually went against all odds and opened the first girls' academy since the founding of Zhao Kingdom. In the future, girls will be able to study at the academy just like boys! Don't you think the Crown Princess is outstanding? A hundred years from now, the Crown Princess will surely be recorded in history and go down in history!"
Gu Jiao didn't care whether anyone could go down in history or not, but with the establishment of the girls' school, their clinic did indeed have business.
The second landlord couldn't stop smiling.
This location is fantastic! It's amazing!
He could almost see the gleaming silver coins rushing toward him!
The news of the Crown Princess opening a girls' school quickly spread among the nobility. Although Zhao Kingdom did not adhere to the principle that women's virtue lay in their lack of talent as in the previous dynasty, women could only be taught at home by private tutors.
The former Crown Princess was like this, and so is Gu Jinyu now.
However, today, Gu Jinyu received an admission notice.
Gu Jinyu only then learned that the Crown Princess had actually opened a girls' school near the Imperial Academy.
"It seems that the gift she sent me on the day I came of age was not because His Majesty conferred upon me the title of County Princess, but because she wanted me to go to school there."
She thought to herself, how could the high and mighty Crown Princess possibly think highly of a mere county princess like her?
The girls' school had just been established, and only a few were willing to send their daughters there. She had an excellent reputation in the capital, and if she enrolled, many others would surely follow her.
(End of this chapter)
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