Chapter 435 Miss "Stone"
Seeing the Tenth Prince's flushed face, Daiyu knew she had spoken too harshly, so she softened her tone and said, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I did not mean to question your character. It's just that the academy is newly established, and many eyes are watching us, so we have to be extra cautious."
The Tenth Prince's expression softened slightly, but he was still unwilling to give up: "I understand the Princess's concerns. However..." His eyes suddenly lit up, "If I could find a legitimate pretext, such as an inspection of educational affairs..."
“Your Highness,” Daiyu interrupted him, her tone gentle yet firm, “Although the academy was built by order of Her Majesty the Empress, it is under the jurisdiction of Lord Yuan and me. Even if the Emperor himself were to come, he would have to inform us beforehand. If Your Highness truly wishes to help, perhaps you should pay more attention to the construction of the official schools in Suzhou?”
These words were so well-chosen that the Tenth Prince was speechless for a moment and could only reluctantly take his leave.
Two days later, to everyone's surprise, the Tenth Prince actually went to inspect the official school and even donated five hundred taels of silver out of his own pocket to repair the school buildings. When the news reached the girls' academy, Daiyu felt somewhat guilty.
“After all, the prince is a member of the royal family, and most of them are unaware of the hardships of ordinary people. It is truly rare for him to do such a thing,” Daiyu said to Yuan Hongqu.
Yuan Hongqu snorted lightly: "I'm afraid his real intention is not what he seems. Just you wait and see, within three days, he will definitely come to the academy to cause trouble again."
As Yuan Hongqu had predicted, she was right.
Early on the third day, the Tenth Prince came to the academy again, saying that the layout of the girls' academy needed to be referenced when the official school was being renovated.
Daiyu was teaching her students how to arrange flowers when she heard this, so she had to put down her scissors and come out to meet them.
“Your Highness may not know this, but the layout of the academy has already been submitted to the Ministry of Works for filing. If Your Highness wishes to refer to it, you can go to the Ministry of Works to retrieve it,” Daiyu politely declined.
The Tenth Prince was rebuffed, but he still didn't give up.
In the following days, he kept finding excuses to come to the academy. One day he said he was recommending a female teacher, the next day he said he was donating books, and the day after that he said he was here on the Empress's orders to check on the progress of the academy.
Daiyu handled the situation appropriately, but she was still quite annoyed.
"Granny, since the Prince is so persistent, should I go and speak to the Empress on his behalf?"
Yuan Hongqu sneered: "Royal children have always been like this; they have to get what they want. The more you refuse, the more they want it."
Meanwhile, the Tenth Prince was brooding over his words in front of a bronze mirror in his residence. The young eunuch De'an advised him, "Your Highness, why insist on entering that girls' academy? If the Emperor finds out, he will probably reprimand you again."
"What do you know!" The Tenth Prince waved his hand irritably. "I just don't understand why Jia Baoyu can enter, but I can't?"
De'an whispered, "This servant has inquired and found that although Young Master Jia helps, he has never entered the inner courtyard of the academy. All affairs are handled in the side room of the gatehouse."
The Tenth Prince was taken aback: "Is this really true?"
“Absolutely true,” De’an said. “Young Master Jia is extremely disciplined; he hasn’t even stepped into the academy’s gate. All the handover of items was handled by the academy’s matrons.”
Upon hearing this, the Tenth Prince was not relieved at all; instead, he became even more curious: "When did Jia Baoyu become so well-mannered? Is there something special about this academy?"
The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Suddenly, an idea came to him: "De'an, go and find me some women's clothes."
De'an was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness! This is unacceptable! If someone finds out..."
"What's there to be afraid of!" The Tenth Prince raised an eyebrow. "I simply don't believe that I can be recognized as a woman."
De'an tried to persuade him again, but the Tenth Prince had already made up his mind.
On this day, a "new student" arrived at the girls' academy.
She wore a light pink dress and a veiled hat. She was taller than the average woman and walked with a slightly stiff gait, but her manners were still quite proper.
Granny Li, who guarded the academy gate, stepped forward and asked, "Miss, which family are you from? What brings you to the academy?"
The "woman" lowered her voice: "My surname is Shi, and my father is Magistrate Shi of Suzhou. I have come here to enroll in school."
Granny Li looked her over suspiciously: "The daughter of Magistrate Shi? I remember Miss Shi registered the day before yesterday..."
“That’s my sister,” Miss Shi said hurriedly. “My father said I should also come to the academy to study.”
Although Granny Li found it strange, seeing that the other person was dressed in fine clothes and spoke with elegance, she didn't ask any more questions and let her in.
This "Miss Shi" was naturally the Tenth Prince in disguise. He kept his head down the whole way, afraid of being recognized, but he couldn't help but look around.
The pavilions and towers within the academy were arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern. Female students strolled by in twos and threes, some carrying books, others embroidery frames, all with focused expressions. In the distance, the sound of reading aloud drifted up, accompanied by the gentle strains of a zither—truly a place of refined elegance.
As the Tenth Prince was secretly admiring the sight, he suddenly saw someone walking towards him—it was Daiyu leading several students. He hurriedly turned around, pretending to admire the chrysanthemums by the roadside.
"This young lady looks unfamiliar. Is she a new student?" Daiyu's gentle voice came from behind.
The Tenth Prince stood frozen, not daring to turn around, and only mumbled a reply: "Yes..."
Daiyu walked around to stand in front of him and carefully examined him.
The Tenth Prince's heart pounded like a drum, fearing that Daiyu would recognize him.
To everyone's surprise, Daiyu simply smiled and said, "You are quite tall, which is unusual. Are you from the North?"
The Tenth Prince nodded hurriedly and said in a high-pitched voice, "My mother is from the capital."
A barely perceptible smile flashed in Daiyu's eyes as she turned to the students behind her and said, "You all go ahead, I'll show this new student around."
After the students bowed and took their leave, Daiyu said to the Tenth Prince, "Since you're here, why don't you come with me to a medicine class? Today we'll be discussing acupuncture."
The Tenth Prince was inwardly distressed, but he couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Daiyu to the classroom.
In the classroom, female students are practicing acupuncture.
Seeing that Daiyu had brought a new classmate, they all looked over curiously.
The Tenth Prince felt extremely uncomfortable under their gaze and wished he could escape immediately.
Daiyu, seemingly oblivious, addressed the group, saying, "This is Student Shi, who just arrived today. Everyone, please continue practicing."
She turned to the Tenth Prince and asked, "Has Student Shi studied acupuncture?"
The Tenth Prince hurriedly shook his head.
“Then we can start from the beginning.” Daiyu took a silver needle. “Let’s begin with recognizing the acupoint. Please extend your right hand, Shi.”
The Tenth Prince had no choice but to extend his right hand. Daiyu grasped his hand, her fingertips gently pressing on the web between his thumb and index finger: "This is the Hegu acupoint, used to treat headaches, red and swollen eyes..."
The Tenth Prince only felt that Daiyu's fingers were soft and warm, and felt a tingling sensation on his hand. He immediately blushed and his heart raced, and he didn't hear what she was saying at all.
"Why is Shi's face so red? Are you feeling unwell?" Daiyu asked, feigning concern.
"N-nothing..." The Tenth Prince hurriedly pulled his hand back, but accidentally knocked over the needle box on the table, scattering silver needles all over the floor.
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