Chapter 1052: Ruoshui Mountain Courtyard
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
However, in a battle between experts, life and death were often decided in just one move. Yin Huaixi had let Meng Duo have three more moves, and allowed Meng Duo to have an advantage. No matter if he won or lost, the Northern Barbarians naturally had nothing to say.
Meng Duo did not agree easily. He turned to look at Rada Khan.
Rada Khan acknowledged Meng Duo’s strength and allowed him to take advantage of these three moves. Meng Duo had a high chance of winning this battle. In addition, King Yue Fei of the Great Zhou had already said this. If Meng Duo did not fight, wouldn’t it mean that the Northern Barbarians did not dare to fight? Wouldn’t that increase the ambition of the enemy and reduce the prestige of the Northern Barbarians?!
What was the Northern Barbarian army thinking?
Where was their morale?!
He could not refuse this battle.
Rada Khan looked at Meng Duo. “Go play with King Yue Fei!”
Meng Duo’s breathing stopped for a moment. He clamped his horse’s stomach and drove it to the place where the two armies were facing each other. In the empty s.p.a.ce in the middle, Yin Huaixi was already waiting.
As soon as the two sides met, Meng Duo swung his saber and aimed at Yin Huaixi’s vital points.
Yin Huaixi raised his knife to block.
The two of them rode back and forth. The saber shadows intertwined, and there was a clang. Every strike collided, causing sparks to fly.
Yin Huaixi said slowly, “Three moves have pa.s.sed. It’s my turn to attack.”
Meng Duo had extraordinary strength, and his saber aura was wide and powerful. His mastery was born from his clumsiness. Every move was unhindered on the battlefield and was endlessly powerful.
Yin Huaixi was not inferior at all. His saber techniques focused on sharpness. He was as fast as and as powerful as lightning. In an instant, he fought Meng Duo for more than ten rounds.
For a moment, they were evenly matched.
Both sides cheered non-stop.
Yin Huaixi looked at its weakness and quickly realized that there was something wrong with Meng Duo’s left arm. He guessed that although Meng Duo had luckily dodged the arrow back then, the arrowhead had been quenched and smeared with black poison. Even if his injuries recovered, he would still have hidden injuries.
This hidden injury was usually not obvious, but on a battlefield where life and death were at stake, it was fatal.
Hence, when Meng Duo’s saber slashed over, Yin Huaixi pretended to be forced back by the saber force, revealing a flaw. Meng Duo took the opportunity to pursue him. Yin Huaixi feinted and struck from the left. Meng Duo subconsciously turned his body to the side. Yin Huaixi flipped his wrist and cut off Meng Duo’s head.
The outcome was already decided.
The Northern Barbarians army let out sorrowful cries and scolded.
The You army was like the heavens.
The sound of war drums and horns intertwined in the wind, and a huge battle erupted.
This battle lasted from dawn to noon.
The Di Army retreated step by step, with heavy casualties.
However, the You army became braver and braver as they fought.
In late March, there was a report from the front line.
King Yue Fei led his army at the narrow Yu Pa.s.s and beheaded Meng Duo to avenge General Ming Wei. He captured the leader of the Zamo Tribe, Zamo He, and more than 30 people from the four tribes. The Di Army had more than 30,000 soldiers and annihilated more than 50,000 people. Rada Khan was not a match and retreated from the narrow Yu Pa.s.s. King Yue Fei led his army to chase after him.
As soon as the news spread, the entire North was in an uproar.
This battle of disparity in strength finally became clear.
Yu Youyao finally heaved a sigh of relief.
In the blink of an eye, it was June. The Women’s Mountain Courtyard was finally built. Yu Youyao personally looked for Mr. Xian Yun and Mr. Hu Shan and asked them to name the academy.
After Mr. Xian Yun and Mr. Hu Shan discussed it, they said, “Good things are like water, and water benefits all things without competing. Nothing in the world is weaker than water, yet nothing can defeat water. This is called gentle virtue. Let’s call it the Ruoshui1 Mountain Courtyard.”
Yu Youyao was very satisfied. “Teachers, you’re wise. Women should be like water. They should be gentle and kind. They shouldn’t be high or low. They should follow the shape of things, calm their hearts, cleanse their bodies, soften their character, and clear their temperaments. They should be humble but not inferior. They should be obedient but not compet.i.tive. They do not contend but still strive.”
At the mention of writing an inscription, the two of them smiled and rejected it. “The Eldest Princess’s reputation for being virtuous is widespread, and she’s the model of all the women in the world. The Ruoshui Mountain Courtyard was founded by the Eldest Princess, so it’s only right for the Eldest Princess to write the inscription to show the name of the academy and complement your virtue. Everyone will imitate you and treat you as their model.”
In July, Ruoshui Mountain Courtyard officially enrolled students.
The first batch of 300 female students was recruited. A hundred places were given to the n.o.bles who had sponsored the establishment of the academy.
The other 200 spots were only for female students with a certain foundation, regardless of their background.
As soon as the news spread, it attracted the mockery of many people.
Yu Youyao did not care about this.
Although the commoners supported her, their lives had just improved. Not many people were willing to spend money to send their daughters to the academy to study. Even if their families had extra money, they had to prioritize the men in the family first before their daughters.
This was the case in the country, and perceptions needed to change slowly.
The Ruoshui Mountain Courtyard had only taken the first step.
However, it announced to the world that women could also read and write.
When the first and second batch of female students completed their studies in the Ruoshui Academy and obtained a good reputation and a good future, there would be more and more women who yearned to study and change their fate.
At that time, all kinds of female schools would bloom everywhere.
Only then would it become normal for women to read and write.
Yu Youyao had built more than ten cottages at the foot of the mountain of the Ruoshui Academy. Ordinary women could go to the cottage to study and read after paying ten copper coins.
The cottage was only for enlightenment.
The mocking voices gradually subsided, and everyone understood Eldest Princess Shaoyi’s good intentions.
However, to Yu Youyao’s surprise—
The establishment of the cottage had a profound impact on the North. Some women who were knowledgeable but did not have a good family background secretly set up a female school in the courtyard to earn money for the family.
All of this was done in private.
In the autumn of August, Liaodong welcomed a b.u.mper harvest. The Ruoshui Mountain Courtyard officially began cla.s.ses.
The female students left their homes with excitement and arrived at the Ruoshui Academy. They looked up at the majestic door of the academy and read the inscriptions on it.
The inscriptions were personally written by Eldest Princess Shaoyi.
The words “Ruoshui Mountain Courtyard” revealed a majestic aura that was endless. It was graceful like a dragon, and there was still a lingering desire in the area where the brush stroke ended. It seemed gentle but firm, and it had the demeanor of a great family.
They did not expect the Eldest Princess’s calligraphy to be so outstanding. Her calligraphy made many men feel ashamed.
The students became excited.
On this day, they met Great Master Ye, who they had admired for a long time.
Her student, Eldest Princess Shaoyi, was famous throughout the world in the name of virtue. Everyone had also called her “Great Master Ye.” No one paid attention to the fact that she was a divorcee anymore.
No matter if it was a man or a woman, they should establish themselves in the world with virtue.
Great Master Ye was a model of virtue.
They also saw Eldest Princess Shaoyi, whom they admired. She gently rolled up her sleeves and held a brush in her slender hands.
The stroke of the brush was soft but sharp. It was far more shocking than the inscriptions they had seen at the mountain gate just now.
“People who are like water are gentle and kind. They should calm their hearts, cleanse their bodies, and clear their temperaments. Then, one’s nature can be seen clearly. They should be humble but not inferior. They should be obedient but not compet.i.tive. They do not contend but still strive. This is what is meant by gentle virtue.”
On this day, Yu Youyao planted a seed of independence in these female students’ hearts.
They should be humble but not inferior. They did not contend but still strived.
They were determined.