Duke of Zhenguan

Chapter 127 The First Meeting of the Two Women

In Chang'an, a city with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, many things happen every day, and the opening of the Gewu Academy did not cause much of a stir.

No one cared that the court assembly was missing a fifth-rank official.

Although the academy has started, classes have not yet officially begun. Instead, Su Lie is training the students for fifteen days, which is called military training.

Although it was different from his own experience, Su Lie lowered the standards for training the soldiers and used them to train these students. Although they were all around ten years old, children at this age are generally more precocious, so appropriate training was still necessary.

Lin Chuan intends to continue this system indefinitely.

He and a group of teachers were preparing test papers for the students. The first two hundred students of the academy had completed their elementary education, while others could not even write their own names.

We can only conduct a test first, and then divide students into classes.

The test results were naturally disastrous. The teachers remained silent while holding their test scores, but Lin Chuan was not worried at all. Isn't it better to draw on a blank sheet of paper?

During this time, Lin Chuan also went to the Gewu Research Institute to ask Gongshu Qi to help him get chalk, and at the same time, he asked someone to set up a blackboard in the classroom.

He had seen the place where Li Chengqian had his classes in the Eastern Palace, and there was something similar called "wall writing," which involved painting the wall white and then writing on it with easy-to-clean ink, serving the same purpose as a blackboard.

But in his opinion, it was still inconvenient; a blackboard was better.

The academy teacher greatly appreciated the chalk Lin Chuan had sent and openly asked Lin Chuan for a lot to take home.

I was busy with the academy's affairs from early morning to late at night, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

In addition to the teachers invited by Yan Xiangshi, teachers introduced by Wang Ji also arrived at the academy one after another.

After all the teachers arrived, classes officially began at the academy.

Those gentlemen were all learned men with high aspirations. Lin Chuan knew his own situation and didn't try to deal with them. He left everything to Yan Wencheng, with Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi endorsing the texts. These people had a high opinion of Yan Wencheng.

Lin Chuan never offered any opinions on their courses, letting them do as they pleased. Sometimes he would even sit at the back of the classroom and listen to their lectures.

They didn't know that Lin Chuan genuinely didn't understand and was attending the classes; instead, they felt that Lin Chuan was showing his support for them through his actions. In addition, the academy offered generous benefits, so no unpleasant things happened after the teachers arrived.

As a return gift, they naturally attended Lin Chuan's math class.

Upon hearing this, their impression of Lin Chuan changed drastically.

The mathematical symbols Lin Chuan used, in particular, broadened their horizons. They had long heard that Lin Chuan was a master of various disciplines and a grandmaster of mathematics, and now they were truly convinced of his abilities.

The students were very obedient, probably because they had been carefully instructed by their parents before entering school. Although there were some playful students, they were all very obedient, and there were no instances of them talking back to their teachers.

The rulers on the teachers' desks were never used.

As the academy gradually got on track, Lin Chuan focused most of his attention on it, occasionally taking a trip to the Institute of Gewu.

I also occasionally have to visit the Imperial Palace and the Ministry of Rites.

It looks busy, but it's actually not easy at all.

But these things didn't require Lin Chuan to spend too much energy on. What really annoyed Lin Chuan was teaching the students.

Some students aren't unserious, but they just can't grasp the concepts, and no matter how you teach them, they just won't learn.

As the weather warms up and everything begins to revive, Chang'an becomes even more bustling.

Rumors about Li Shimin's moral failings and his favoritism towards sycophants continued to circulate, but Li Shimin seemed to have no intention of intervening and simply let the rumors spread.

Lin Chuan was also paying close attention to this matter. The Hundred Cavalry Division and Huang's Trading Company had already been dispatched to various parts of Guanzhong and Hedong to keep a close watch.

Pay attention to any clues related to the drought and locust plague.

Li Shimin entrusted this matter to Lin Chuan, who then handed it over to the Hundred Cavalry Division and Huangji Trading Company.

The spies from the Hundred Cavalry Division kept sending back messages, and Lin Chuan also had a copy.

The drought has begun to show in the Guanzhong area. It is said that spring rain is as precious as oil. After the beginning of spring, the rainfall in Guanzhong has been significantly less than usual. In addition, there was not much snowfall in the past winter. The drought is almost a certainty. The only difference is how severe the drought is.

The situation is not yet very obvious near Chang'an due to its well-developed water system, but in some areas where water resources are not abundant, people have begun to worry about the dry land.

In response, the well-prepared imperial court quickly took action, sending officials to guide local areas in digging wells and building waterwheels, and began planning disaster relief.

As for locusts, they have not yet appeared on a large scale.

On the second day of the third lunar month, the academy was closed for the holidays and it wasn't a grand court assembly, so Lin Chuan was able to rest at home, which was a rare treat.

Around noon, Yan Liu Niangzi followed Er Ya to the Lin family.

In the small pavilion in the east wing courtyard, Meixiang brought in hot tea, curtsied, and withdrew. Yan Liu Niangzi's gaze lingered on Meixiang's hair for a moment, then she glanced at Lin Chuan and said in a somewhat displeased tone, "Brother, you're truly blessed to have such a well-behaved and considerate person in your room!"

"It's not like you've never seen her before—" Lin Chuan rubbed his nose, then shamelessly grabbed Yan Liu Niangzi's hand and awkwardly explained, "Although Master Yan agreed to our request, he still wants to keep you at home for a few more years. I need someone to serve me, and besides, Mei Xiang is the only one in the east wing—"

"So, should I still praise Brother for his chastity?" Yan Liu Niangzi asked irritably.

"There's no need for Yu'er to praise me!"

Lin Chuan said with a smile, and shamelessly pulled Yan Liu Niangzi to sit on his lap.

Yan Liu Niangzi struggled for a moment, then obediently leaned on Lin Chuan's shoulder and said softly, "I'm not your wife, so I have no right to interfere in these matters!"

"Haha, I thought Yu'er didn't care about these things! I have already asked His Majesty to grant Yu'er an imperial title, and His Majesty has verbally agreed."

"Although I can't give Yu'er the title of official wife, at least I won't wrong her!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

No woman would willingly become a concubine. Mei Xiang knew she wasn't even qualified to dream of it, while Yan Liu Niangzi only humbled herself because she truly loved Lin Chuan. Hearing Lin Chuan's words, any unpleasantness she felt vanished, and she asked with delight, "Is what you say true, my lord?"

He paused, then said hesitantly, "But this doesn't conform to etiquette—"

"Whether it conforms to etiquette or not is up to His Majesty to decide, so don't worry!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Bang!"

With tender affection in her eyes, Yan Liu Niangzi couldn't help but lean in and kiss Lin Chuan on the cheek.

Lin Chuan was not about to let her off the hook; he cupped Yan Liu Niangzi's soft face and retaliated.

Just as the two were lost in their kiss, Cheng Churou led her people through the Lin family's gate, rushed into the east wing, and crossed the hanging flower gate between the front yard and the central courtyard of the east wing, just in time to see the sweet scene in the pavilion.

Yan Liu Niangzi happened to be facing the hanging flower gate, and she saw Cheng Churou and Cheng Chun standing at the gate.

This was the first time the two women had truly met.

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