Chapter 1050: Countless Plans for the Common People
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After deciding to come to Xiangping, Old Madam Su helped to pack her things. Unknowingly, she had also made a lot of preparations and sorted out four to five boxes of teaching materials.
“Ms. Ye has agreed!” Yu Youyao was pleasantly surprised, as if she was worried that she would go back on her word. She quickly said, “This matter is settled!”
The only teacher she acknowledged in her heart was Ms. Ye.
Ms. Ye had never been biased. She had never thought that women were born weak and sensible. She also had the confidence and calmness of a talented woman.
Yu Youyao continued, “In the past, I told you that I wanted to establish a women’s school, but when I really arrived in Liaodong, I realized how naive I was back then. Liaodong is bitterly cold, and the commoners don’t even have enough to eat. How can they have the money to study and read? Survival is a problem. How can they have the mood to spend on the upbringing of their children?”
It was also because she truly recognized all of this that she suppressed the innocent thoughts in her heart and tried to change the living environment in Liaodong.
Ms. Ye smiled. “Jiangnan is an outstanding place. Every time there’s an imperial examination, the students from the south are far better than the students from the north. It’s because Jiangnan is rich and the commoners are living well that they have the mood to spend more effort on their children. Therefore, in the prosperity of Jiangnan, the value of a book is about a hundred copper coins. The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone are all tools that ordinary families can’t afford. The strategies of the people are the foundation of teaching. You’ve done very well.”
The teacher and student looked at each other and smiled. There was nothing else to say.
Ms. Ye had only brought the heir and Old Madam Su over. The residence did not have to be too big. Yu Youyao asked around carefully before choosing three good small courtyards. She took a look at them herself before personally bringing the gifts to the Ye Residence to officially meet Ms. Ye and mention the matter of the small courtyard.
Ms. Ye took a fancy to a small courtyard that was quiet.
After that, Yu Youyao found a craftsman and carefully renovated the small courtyard. She asked the immortal of the Wanjun Mountain to determine the feng shui and decorate the small courtyard. Everything in the courtyard was complete.
Ms. Ye was very satisfied with the small courtyard. “You’ve put in a lot of effort.”
Yu Youyao was also happy. “I’m a thousand times happier that you can come to Xiangping. I also hope that you can settle down as soon as possible so that you won’t suffer.”
After moving on an auspicious day, Ms. Ye finally settled down in Xiangping City.
The matter of establishing a women’s school was also on the agenda.
As soon as the news spread, it attracted a lot of criticism. Due to Eldest Princess Shaoyi’s reputation in the North, no one openly objected, but there were still many doubts.
In the face of doubt, Yu Youyao only said, “Women read and write for the sake of being sensible and virtuous. Women also have the Four Books for Women. Since these books have been pa.s.sed down for generations, they’re for women to learn. It’s said that a woman’s lack of talent is a virtue. This sentence makes it clear that if a woman doesn’t have the talent she’s proud of, she should have morals. It doesn’t mean that women can’t read and write. On the contrary, the goal of reading and writing is to be sensible and virtuous. It coincides with the deeper meaning of this sentence. It’s only logical for a women’s school to be established.”
The Four Books for Women referred to “Lessons for Women”, the “Internal Training”, the “a.n.a.lects of Women”, and the “Records of Women.”
These books advocated the hierarchy of men and women, but there was no lack of morals, self-cultivation, prudence, hard work, acc.u.mulation of kindness, and so on. They taught people to understand etiquette and virtue.
The Four Books for Women were compulsory.
The Four Books and Five Cla.s.sics was also a major course, but the content of the cla.s.s could be chosen. It mainly touched on etiquette, understanding, virtue, and cultivation. It would not be so detailed.
The compulsory cla.s.ses included the Six Arts of a Gentleman; zither, chess, calligraphy, painting; and poetry and tea ceremony. Each student had to choose two subjects.
Female needlework, such as silk embroidery, was also a choice.
This way, Yu Youyao’s goal for setting up a women’s school was very clear. Not only did she have to let women be sensible, virtuous, knowledgeable, and polite, but she also had to let them have a skill.
This was not deviant.
However, sages like Mr. Xian Yun and Mr. Hu Shan often looked at problems more deeply.
Eldest Princess Shaoyi had been deeply influenced by Yin Huaixi. She respected the heavens and did not propagate social rankings. She advocated balance and nature.
What was balance?
It was when two items were equally matched.
The word “equal” was obvious.
However, Eldest Princess Shaoyi would not deliberately pursue “balance”, nor would she advocate any concept of equality. She would teach women to be sensible, virtuous, and sensible. The more they understood logic, the more paths they could take and choices they could make.
Balance was nature.
However, one should not interfere too much. Things followed the law of the development of everything on their own, allowing them to reach a balanced state.
The two of them looked at each other and Mr. Xian Yun smiled. “It seems that Eldest Princess Shaoyi is playing a very big game!”
Mr. Hu Shan put down a black piece. “In terms of chess skills, we can praise them. However, in this real-life game of chess, this couple is very impressive.”
Mr. Xian Yun laughed. “In your opinion, what kind of chess game are the two of them playing?”
Mr. Hu Shan thought for a moment and said, “One of them is making countless plans for the common people and playing a game of chess for the common people. The other one is making big plans for the citizens and playing a game of chess for the citizens. How virtuous.”
Mr. Xian Yun stroked his long beard. “Since it’s a way for the people of the world, why not give it a push?!”
In the blink of an eye, it was March.
Yu Youyao received a secret letter sent through the clan’s channels. The letter mentioned that most of the clansmen had returned to the clan, and the clan had already begun to close off.
The entire Zhenguo Marquis Residence had moved to Xi’an. It was said that they had some connections there. If they went there, they could take care of each other. Only the Marquis of Zhenguo stayed in the capital. Clearly, he wanted to live and die with the Great Zhou. It was really a pity.
The Qi family went south and returned to the Hangzhou clan. Lord Qi was from the Qi family, a preeminent family in Hangzhou. He was also a powerful family in the south.
As for the Tang Residence, the letter did not mention it, but it mentioned Tang Yunxi, who had already married into the emissary’s family. It said that she had accompanied her husband’s family south to the Wenzhou clan.
Yu Youyao thought of her childhood friend and felt a pang of sadness.
She did not know when they would meet again.
The women’s school had caused a huge commotion in the North.
There were many doubts but more supporters.
Many n.o.bles valued the upbringing of the young misses in the family. It was normal for them to hire female teachers, so they did not reject the establishment of the female school. They also admired Ye Yingqiu, the teacher of Eldest Princess Shaoyi. They hoped that the young misses in the family would be taught by Ms. Ye and even publicly sponsored the school.
The people of the North were valiant to begin with, so they did not think that the women’s school was rebellious. Instead, they felt that since Eldest Princess Shaoyi had done so many good things for the country, it would definitely be a good thing to establish a women’s school. They just had to support her.
In addition, many refugees had surged into the Liaodong area. Those who were literate and knew a skill would receive preferential treatment. This also affected many people to a certain extent. They felt that reading and literacy brought true benefits.
Eldest Princess Shaoyi resolved the food problem and encouraged the raising of silkworms. She also promoted the method of green manure and fertilizer, increased crop production, and implemented the “Records of Feeding”. She encouraged the development of livestock. The lives of the commoners improved, and families gradually had spare money. They also gradually placed their attention on the upbringing of their children.