Chapter 230 The Family of the Minister of Rites
The Minister of Rites had long been dissatisfied with the girls' academy.
When the girls' academy was recruiting students with great fanfare at the beginning of the year, he submitted several memorials to the emperor.
It is said that the sages said that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Nowadays, the influence of girls' academies is even greater than that of the Imperial Academy. If this continues, there is a fear that it will lead to a situation where hens crow at dawn.
The emperor ignored him.
The Emperor has never liked to pay attention to the Minister of Rites, because when he ascended the throne, this old man also jumped out and said that it was against the ancestral rites.
The Minister of Rites was neither a member of the Crown Prince's faction nor a confidant of the retired emperor. He was simply stubborn and constantly invoked ancestral rituals and laws. He was manipulated into doing many foolish things, but he never thought he was wrong.
Clearly, someone had tipped him off about the girls' academy, and the old man jumped out to make himself look capable.
His memorials rarely reached the emperor's eyes.
As for memorials related to women's academies, the emperor would at most listen to them and then say, "The empress is the head of all women in the land. It is only right to leave matters concerning women's academies to the empress."
All of these memorials eventually ended up in the hands of the Empress.
The Empress herself was a graduate of a women's academy and had a deep affection for her alma mater. More importantly, the relocation of the women's academy to the capital was at her behest.
All the memorials were shelved; she couldn't be bothered with this old fogey. She also rarely summoned the Minister of Rites' family to the palace.
The Empress would occasionally invite the wives of other high-ranking officials into the palace to have tea and chat, as a sign of her concern.
The wife of the Minister of Rites, who had only been invited into the palace once by the Empress, actually advised her to go and pay homage to the late Empress and perform the rites of a concubine.
What a thick skin to say something like that.
The late empress was posthumously honored as empress; she never served as empress for a single day during her lifetime.
Did the late empress die a natural death?
He couldn't even enter the main mausoleum after his death; instead, a small tomb was built next to it for his burial.
The late empress died a year before the emperor ascended the throne, and she entered the palace several years after her death.
The Emperor once told her personally that she, Zhao Huajing, was the only Empress, and that the posthumously conferred Empress title was a product of compromise with the court officials.
Although men's words are not to be trusted, she believed that the emperor wouldn't make up such nonsense just to appease her.
She remembered what the Minister of Rites' wife said.
If my subordinate's wife is disrespectful to me, why should I let her come over and get in my way? That would only make things worse for me!
The Emperor was happy to indulge the Empress's little temper tantrums. It wasn't that the Empress was targeting the Minister of Rites; she simply hadn't shown them any affection. Even the Emperor himself didn't like that family.
The emperor and empress shared the same goal and, without prior arrangement, both treated the Minister of Rites and his family as if they were invisible.
The Minister of Rites is firmly seated on the sidelines.
Today, the daughter of the Minister of Rites publicly disrespected Daiyu, which greatly displeased the Empress. However, if she were to retaliate publicly at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the girl would not have a good ending.
The Empress glanced at the Minister of Rites' daughter without showing any emotion, secretly noting down this matter.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet ended, the Empress summoned Daiyu alone and bestowed upon her many gifts in the name of her senior sister.
Daiyu knew, however, that at least 50% of those things were meant for Granny Yuan, and that she was just there in name only.
The true relationship between the Empress and Mr. Yuan cannot be easily exposed to the public. Otherwise, the Empress will inevitably be accused of abusing her power for personal gain by giving the position of Dean of the Women's Academy to her teacher and, unprecedentedly, granting the Dean of the Women's Academy the position of Third-Rank Imperial Chancellor.
Daiyu could tell that the Empress's senior sister treated the nanny like a daughter would treat her mother, and Daiyu understood it all.
However, now that her daughter has grown up, the mother has withdrawn from her daughter's life, which the daughter is very reluctant to leave.
"Granny, when I grow up, will you treat me the same way you treated the Empress?" Daiyu asked anxiously.
Yuan Hongqu smiled, as if she had thought of something, and then said solemnly, "You are different. She is independent, brave, and resolute. Once she sets her mind on something, not even eight oxen can pull her back."
“You are different. You are Daiyu. You are my most beloved little Daiyu. I would never leave you alone.”
Yuan Hongqu thought to herself, if she had known from the beginning that she had transmigrated into the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, there wouldn't have been so many things to do before. She would have definitely stayed at the Lin family a long time ago, and it would have been best if she could have prevented Jia Min's death. In that case, Daiyu wouldn't have occasionally shown that lonely and sad expression.
On the other hand, the Minister of Rites was very proud of his daughter's actions. She was indeed his daughter, just like him, with an unyielding spirit.
However, a few days later, the Empress issued an edict, citing the need for manpower at the girls' academy, to allow the daughter of the Minister of Rites to work at the academy.
On the surface, it was to help her, but in reality, it was to give her some instruction at the academy and temper her character.
She's always felt that girls' academies shouldn't exist, so let her see for herself whether girls' academies should exist or not.
"Young lady, the headmistress of the girls' academy is named Yuan Hongqu. She was originally Lin Ruhai's daughter, and is now the governess of Princess Lin. I don't know what kind of luck she had to climb to such a high position. It's true that people's hearts have changed..." In the home of the Minister of Rites, a governess was comforting Qiu Hui, the Minister's daughter, who looked distressed.
“Granny Zhong, you used to teach the young ladies at the Rongguo Mansion, so you should know her a bit. Tell me more about her. Otherwise, when I get to the academy, I'll be completely clueless and won't even know if I've been tricked.”
Standing to the side, Granny Zhong, who was once Zhong Fang in the Jia family school, looked smug upon hearing this. However, thinking of the humiliation she suffered in the Jia family, being tied up and thrown out, she gritted her teeth inwardly.
She had no idea what kind of person Yuan Hongqu was. They had only met briefly that day and exchanged a few words before Lian Er Nainai came over.
Yuan Hongqu's methods are truly remarkable. Even someone like Second Madam Lian is completely subservient to her. Could it be that Yuan Hongqu has some kind of bewitching ability?
Zhong Fang thought for a moment before speaking, "Miss, this Yuan Hongqu is extremely shrewd and cunning. I heard that she was quite trusted by the Lin family back then, and later she even used some method to gain the favor of the matriarch of the Rongguo Mansion. I heard that although she is a guest in the Rongguo Mansion, she lives a more carefree life than her masters."
Qiu Hui frowned disdainfully, "Isn't this just usurping the host's place? She doesn't even understand basic etiquette, yet she's the head of the academy!"
"That's exactly what I meant!" Zhong Fang almost slapped her thigh, but she forced herself to hold back and stiffly straightened the wrinkles on her clothes.
“Miss, Lin Daiyu, who was originally by Hongqu’s side, is no pushover either. Not only is she extremely talented, but I’ve also heard that she’s the center of attention at the academy.”
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