Chapter 79: Virtue is not alone. The tea soup is bubbling, and Yunqi is holding the public...
The tea was bubbling, Yunqi picked up the fair cup to serve the tea, and held the teacup in front of Muxue with both hands.
Muxue opened the lid of the cup, blew on it for a while, and drank it slowly.
The tea was pure, without milk, and had a light green color. It was Lu'an Guapian, a tribute from Anhui. Yunqi brought it back on his return trip, and it was originally enough for a year. But after the beginning of spring, the snow will be naturalized, so there is no need to be stingy with it.
She sipped her tea, thinking about something in her mind, which was as complicated as a ball of gauze.
Coming to this grassland, she was unwilling to go with the flow and tried to control her own destiny. But how to do it was actually unclear, like standing in a thick fog, vague and dark.
It seems like there is a grand vision, but it is difficult to get through the fog.
Despite this, we have to keep going. Maybe there is an opportunity ahead?
Mu Xue began to move forward vaguely, hoping to earn more money to ensure the living standards of herself and her dowry. Starting from the silk and Hada franchise, she gradually raised sheep, traded sheep, requested the opening of the Beijing Sheep Road, set up the Beilaixian in the capital, assisted the princes in the annual work, and made loans.
She moved forward step by step, and realized a possibility, which was to quietly cultivate her own power from the economic point of view.
The economic base determines the superstructure. First, lay a solid foundation, and then gradually build influence on other aspects in the future.
I don't know where the road leads, but I'll take a step forward anyway. Once I start, I'll find a way. She thought vaguely.
She didn't know what the future would bring. At the end of the year, she was looking forward to it.
After finishing a cup of tea, Mu Xue smiled and said, "Let's go to the school and take a look."
The school tent was set up within the tent area of the princess's people.
Such a winter day with white snow and ice covering everything is a good day for studying.
Li Wen, an official sent by the Lifanyuan, walked to the long table and stood still. He looked at the tent full of students and curled his lips.
Have you ever seen such a school that teaches without discrimination?
He started learning since he was young, and his teacher taught boys of similar age. But here, the students were really mixed, with children of seven or eight years old, adults of seventeen or eighteen years old, little boys who looked like warriors, and a few Mongolian maids.
A group of students of different heights, weights and bodies sitting on the floor looks weird no matter how you look at it!
When he saw this scene for the first time, he protested a little, but the princess stopped him by citing Confucius' words.
"Confucius said that there is no distinction in teaching. Besides, Mobei has always lacked literary style. I am not asking you to teach the top scholar right away. Lord Li will not be afraid of the difficulty and refuse to teach because of this, right?"
Although the princess spoke in a gentle voice, her attitude was not yielding at all. Li Wen had no choice but to teach her.
Fortunately, he was only invited to give these students two classes a month. The rest of the time he was busy investigating the actual situation in Mobei. Considering the money the princess offered for teaching, he could still tolerate it.
Li Wenwang stood in front of the lecture desk, and all the students stood up and greeted him, "Hello, teacher."
He stroked his beard and smiled. He had to admit that the rules the princess set for her students were still useful to him. Respecting teachers is always a good thing.
"Today, I will tell you about the principle of loyalty to the emperor. As the saying goes, one should serve his parents with all his strength and serve his emperor with his whole life..."
While telling a story, the curtain was suddenly raised, and two or three people came in with one person. At first, Li Wen thought it was a late student, but when he took a quick look, it was not the princess, but who else?
However, the princess gently waved her hand at him, indicating that he should not interrupt the lecture.
Li Wen continued speaking, making his voice louder.
"...What do you think?" He was afraid of making the conversation awkward in front of the princess, so he pointed at the nearest child and said, "You go ahead."
The child had dark skin and spoke with some disdain: "Loyalty also depends on the person."
The Mongolian maid sitting next to him frowned and said, "How can you say that? Since you are under the master's command, you must be loyal. That's what the master just said."
The child sneered: "My family's ranch once belonged to Galdan, and he killed my parents. So according to your logic, should I still be loyal to Galdan?"
"You - you -" The Mongolian maid was choked by this sentence and didn't know what to say.
A soft female voice came from the back of the tent. "If the king treats his subjects as his own hands and feet, then the subjects will treat the king as their own heart and soul; if the king treats his subjects as his own dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the king as their own countrymen; if the king treats his subjects as dirt, then the subjects will treat the king as their own enemy. This child is talking about this truth. Only those who are virtuous and behave like a king can be followed and loyal to for a long time."
All the students turned around and stood up to greet the princess.
Mu Xue walked forward slowly and said, "For example, the current emperor showed favor to the Mongolian tribes, sent troops to suppress rebellions during wars, and allocated disaster relief funds during snowstorms. It was because of this that the tribes became more loyal."
She stopped beside the child: "You are very good."
The child smiled and said, "Thank you, Princess."
At first, because she was far away, she thought it was a strong boy. Now that she was closer, Muxue realized that it was actually a girl, but with her hair cut a little short.
Mu Xue smiled at her, turned around and said to the students, "The Spring Festival is coming soon, so I brought you some freshly made white snacks, just to wish you all a happy new year."
The servant behind him brought up a large box of dairy products, including milk tofu, milk cakes, cheese sticks, etc.
There was a burst of cheers in the tent, and everyone, young and old, was smiling.
The Mongolian maid received the snacks that the princess distributed personally and thanked her again and again happily: "Princess, you have allowed us to study and given us some snacks. The Eternal Heaven will surely bless you forever!"
She blinked her eyes, hesitated for a moment, and asked softly, "I heard that you are going to Mo Nan in the spring, right? Then can we still follow you?"
As soon as this question was asked, the other students pricked up their ears consciously or unconsciously.
Some of them were children from poor families selected by various banners, and some were orphans of war. It can be said that if there were no Princess School, they would have no chance to learn to read and write. Besides, there is no tuition fee here, and meals and accommodation are provided! They are all happy to be selected to enroll. However, they have heard that the princess is leaving this place recently, and they are worried.
Mu Xue thought for a moment and said, "Although I will open a government office in Guihua City, it does not mean that I will never set foot in Kulun again. This school will still be run, so you don't have to worry. Lord Li, do you think the court has agreed to allocate funds to set up an official school?"
Li Wen nodded: "The decree has been issued, and the official society will continue to operate."
The girl who was praised by the princess came over and stared at her with her dark eyes. "Princess, can I go with you to naturalize? I am very well behaved. I can ride horses, hunt, make fires and raise sheep."
Mu Xue tilted her head and asked curiously, "Why?"
She doesn't show any overt domineering air.
The girl said, "The official academy is still there, but it may not have anything to do with me. Following the princess, I can read books and have food to eat."
The Han Chinese teacher had said before that there had never been any girls studying in the official school! Perhaps for one or two years, these people would tolerate her for the princess' sake, but a wolf without a leader would eventually be driven out.
Girls understand this principle.
After hearing this, Mu Xue was a little stunned. She raised her hand and patted the girl's shoulder: "What's your name?"
"My name is Toya."
"Toya," Mu Xue said her name, "If you are willing to follow me, you can."
Toya cheered and said, "I do."
"I'm willing too..." the Mongolian maid squeezed over and said.
Mu Xue remembered her. She was the round-faced Mongolian maid, Jiaya, who called her the Princess of the County when she first came. "You are Jiaya, right? But aren't your family members in the Tushetu Khanate? I originally thought that after I left, I would let you all go home."
"As for my family, I've let them sell me once, so I've repaid their kindness." Jia said, tears welling up in her eyes, "If the princess had left me here, I might have been sold again even if I went home. Maybe I wouldn't have had such a good fate to meet a master like you."
…
There were not just one but several children who begged to go with the princess. The situation was similar to that of Toya and the maid Jia, with both girls and boys.
Mu Xue asked her attendants to register the names of the students who voluntarily followed her. Of course, not all of them, there were still many who wanted to stay here for various reasons. Originally, these people were worried that if they did not follow the princess, they would be disliked by the princess and lose the qualification to attend the official school. But the princess' attendants repeatedly emphasized that this would never happen, so they stopped talking about it.
Even so, Muxue was still a little surprised.
Coming out of the tent, the sunlight shone quietly on the snow-covered wasteland.
She put her hand in the heater and squinted her eyes for a while. In the princess's tent in the distance, many people took advantage of the short sunshine to hang clothes on the trees, using sticks to brush off the dust. They chatted with each other while drying clothes, perhaps imagining that it would be more convenient to dry clothes after having a house to live in.
These people had to follow her here because of the emperor's order. Mu Xue was not surprised that they followed her back.
However, the eager voices in the school tent were different. No one was forcing them to follow her or they would die. However, Toya and Jiaya were still willing to follow her away from the land where they grew up.
This realization made Muxue feel unusually happy. She had a feeling of being affirmed. She pursed her lips, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
It’s really... good? It makes me happy.
"I never thought that there would be someone willing to follow me." Mu Xue sighed.
Yunqi, who was standing next to him, said, "What's so strange about this? Virtue is never alone, it always has neighbors."
She bowed to Mu Xue and said, "I dare to say that sometimes you are too modest and even a little self-deprecating. You are very kind."
Mu Xue touched the hair beside her ear and said, "Is that so?"
She thought about it quietly, and suddenly felt a little apologetic: "It's a pity that I'm here and I can't do more to help the people here."
Yunqi looked at her and smiled, as if saying "here we go again".
Mu Xue changed her words and said, "...Okay, I will remember this friendship. Even if I leave here to naturalize and establish my own government, I will still be the future mistress of the Tushetu Khanate. I must never forget the people's livelihood. Yunqi, you also help me remember and remind me when necessary."
Standing on this frozen wasteland, she looked forward to the future even more.
After all, it's good to come to this grassland. If the world can have some good changes because of her arrival, that would be very good.
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