Chapter 636: Stone Theory

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The internal structure of the academy is well-constructed, but some of the courtyards are in a state of disrepair, with broken tiles here and there. However, overall, it is still in decent condition.

It seems that someone has been taking care of it to some extent, but not with great dedication. It can be said that it has been preserved enough to prevent it from being completely abandoned.

Ah Yu also realized that there was a well in the academy which is connected to an artificial canal. By improving the water quality of the canal, the students here will have their overall well-being and senses enhanced.

With the realization that it will be a world dominated by girls in the future, Ah Yu did not feel her heart ache at all. In any case, there was already an endless supply of Myriad Spirit Water in the spatial pocket. If the women could learn better, it might be a good thing for the entire Great Chang.

“How is it? Are you satisfied with this place? If you’re not…”

When Ah Yu walked out of the academy excitedly, King Xiaoyao saw her expression and knew that this matter was probably decided, but he still had to ask.

Ah Yu’s eyes darted around. She didn’t answer according to King Xiaoyao’s expectations at all. “If I’m dissatisfied, are you going to give me another academy?”

King Xiaoyao:”…”

He almost couldn’t help but grit his teeth. This little fellow’s appetite was really not small. “Do you think academies are like cabbages? Back then, I spent a lot of effort to obtain this academy. It can be considered the largest one in my collection.”

At that time, he thought that the academy could be sold easily. He didn’t expect it to fail in the end. The main reason was that the buyer was later found guilty of corruption. His sister-in-law acted swiftly and, after consulting with several ministers overnight, their entire household was confiscated.

Initially, some of those ministers were not very pleased with the decision. However, Empress Qin made the final decision, ordering that all the confiscated money be directly deposited into the national treasury instead of the Emperor’s private treasury. With this arrangement, what reason did they have to be dissatisfied?

Usually, when they raided a household, half of the confiscated goods would go into the Emperor’s private treasury.

With Empress Qin backing them up, the ministers even went so far as to scold Emperor Minghua, who had intended to benefit himself. They criticized him harshly, leaving him in a humiliating situation.

The most miserable person was King Xiaoyao. The agreed-upon academy ended up in his hands, and the others did not dare to take over at all.

Everyone felt that the academy was cursed. Those who had negotiated with King Xiaoyao regarding the academy had all encountered troubles, and the most severe punishment was being exiled after having their homes confiscated. People without any courage were certainly unwilling to take over.

Tens of thousands of taels of silver went down the drain, and they couldn’t dismantle it, sell it, or discard it.

This situation lasted for many years. Finally, King Xiaoyao took the opportunity to throw this thing to Ah Yu.

He’d considered it very well. In any case, Ah Yu was the daughter-in-law of his brother and sister-in-law.

It was impossible for them to ignore her.

Even if the academy suffered losses in the future, his brother and sister-in-law would also cover for it, unlike him, who was alone. Even if he cried in front of them, they would only give him a helpless look.

Even if he took a step back and considered the loss of those tens of thousands of taels of silver, he wasn’t afraid even if more investments were required.

Even if his brother and sister-in-law didn’t care, the foundation of the Qin Family of Jiangnan was not to be underestimated. Qin Huai that brat was not bad, and Ah Yu was even better. The Qin Family of Jiangnan would definitely be satisfied.

Even if they did not become the Crown Prince and Crown Prince Consort, they were definitely still considered as talents in Jiangnan.

They would definitely be people who are willing to fork out hundreds of thousands of taels to poach two geniuses.

Ah Yu still didn’t know that King Xiaoyao had already thought so far ahead. She did not intend to use the academy to make a profit at all.

She was thinking of earning as much money as possible to allow impoverished girls to study without financial burden for one year, followed by a year of part-time work and study.

Working and studying was also a concept that Meatbail had taught Ah Yu.

It was still too early to talk about the details, but All Yu had already started planning a lot.

Wang Wulang whispered to All Yu, “Little Sister All Yu, can you open another academy to teach martial arts in the future? If 1 become a general in the future, I’ll take away the women who are willing to join the army and fight in the war. If they perform well, they might even be able to promote your academy.”

Moreover, Wang Wulang thought that since his sister wanted women to have the same freedom as men, they should not only be able to study but also be able to go to the battlefield.

It would be something novel if women could participate in the imperial examinations, but what about women becoming generals?

Ah Yu nodded first before shaking her head. “Fifth Brother, this won’t do.”

King Xiaoyao had sharp ears and eyes, so he naturally heard Wang Wulang’s secret words. He just felt that these children were innocent, but when he heard Ah Yu say this, he became interested.

Eager to listen, he heard All Yu saying, “I know a story about someone wanting to move a few rocks at the entrance of the village to pave a road. Usually, those rocks had no particular use; they were used for sitting, resting, or propping up feet. When people saw someone wanting to take away one of the rocks, they weren’t too happy about it. However, they thought that since only one rock was being taken away and there were still many left, it wouldn’t cause a big fuss. At most, they would be mindful of stepping on the rocks when walking on the road.”

Wang Wulang was dumbfounded. “What does this have to do with what I’m talking about?”

“Let me finish.” All Yu continued, “Later on, after seeing that the road became much easier to walk on with the rocks paved, others started thinking about using the remaining rocks to pave even more roads so that everyone could walk on them. But now, the people at the village entrance disagreed.”

“Why won’t they agree? Won’t they be able to walk well if they use the stones to pave the road?” Wang Wulang was hooked by Ah Yu’s story and asked in confusion, “The village entrance is so small. How can it be more important than the road?”

Ah Yu said, “That’s right, but if you move all the stones away, they won’t have any more stones to sit on or step on. They would definitely create a big fuss, or maybe they would find new and better rocks to use as footrests.”

At this point, not only did Wang Wulang come to a realization, but even Wang Qilang said at the side, “Therefore, the restrictions of the world on women are actually those stones. Even if the stones are more useful, people only want to use them as stepping stones. It’s fine if they take one or two pieces away, but if they take too much, they’ll feel that they’re obstructing themselves. Ah Yu opened the women’s academy only so that the women can walk out of the house for a while. It’s not far, nor is it much. However, Fifth Brother, if you bring the women to the battlefield and they cause trouble or drag you down, everyone will think that it’s as expected. But if women truly contribute and achieve great military accomplishments, it will create chaos!”

In terms of ideas and insights, Ah Yu and Wang Qilang are most in sync and often think alike.

A hint of appreciation appeared in the eyes of King Xiaoyao. Although All Yu’s analogy was not particularly fitting, it was still applicable for explanation purposes.

Looking at these children, the oldest was only 15 or 16 years old, and the youngest was only 11 years old. It was really rare for them to have such knowledge.

Perhaps, even if Ah Yu did not become a noble in the future, she could definitely rely on herself to make a name for herself.

He was looking forward to how far this little girl, who was suspected to be Ah Ruan’s child, could go.

“Uncle Ah Shu, Grandma said that she wanted to make the Return to One Essence Nourishing Soup today. Do you want to try it?” King Xiaoyao was in a daze when he heard Ah Yu’s cheerful voice. The little girl’s face was filled with smiles. “At the same time, we can ask Grandma to help us with the drafting of the deed for the academy.”

King Xiaoyao was helpless. He stretched out a finger and pressed the metal button beside the wheelchair and gently turned the handle. After a few faint sounds, the wheelchair moved forward effortlessly.

“Alright.” For the sake of the wheelchair, he had to go.

Moreover, it was the legendary Return to One Soup.

Wait, Return to One Soup?!

King Xiaoyao narrowed his eyes and looked at the oblivious Ah Yu and the others in front of him.

The Return to One Essence Nourishing Soup was Princess Yong Chang’s favorite soup back then.

Now, although the various restaurants had created similar imitations, no chef could make the real thing anymore.

Could it be a coincidence?

King Xiaoyao remained calm and composed, leaving only two guards to operate the wheelchair for him. The others were dismissed before going to the Wang Family.

Before having his meal, this time, Xiaoyao Wang asked Wang Wulang about the widow in their village, offering ten taels of silver and a jade finger ring in exchange for information.

Wang Wulang said, “Auntie Zhou? She’s getting married. She’s scheduled to get married in mid-June. When our examinations are over, we’ll slowly go back. We’ll be able to make it in time.”

“The groom’s name is Zhang Zhan?”

“You know Lord Zhang too?” Wang Wulang changed his words. “Oh, you can’t call him Lord Zhang anymore. He said that if his family doesn’t agree, he will resign from his position.”

King Xiaoyao:”?” Are you sure this is the silk pants Zhang Zhan I know?