I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

"You lecherous scoundrel, if you look at me again I'll gouge your eyes out!"

Liang San Niang crossed her arms in front of her chest and took half a step back.

Her face was flushed, and her ears looked as if they had been burned.

Lu Yuan's gaze remained fixed on the purse embroidered with cloud patterns on her waist.

"I didn't think about anything."

"You didn't even look away; your mind must be full of filth!"

"What's wrong with looking at me? Losing a couple of ounces of flesh isn't a big deal!"

Lu Yuan tapped his palm lightly with his folding fan and said slowly, "If you weren't thinking about those embarrassing things, why are you protecting your chest first?"

"I didn't!"

Liang San Niang immediately put her hands down, but after looking down, she felt it wasn't appropriate, so she quickly covered her hands again.

Lu Yuan almost burst out laughing when he saw her running around so busily.

"I'm here to check the money in your pockets to see if you can afford your tuition."

What does "束脩" mean?

"Didn't you want to learn 'Since You Parted'?"

Lu Yuan unfolded his folding fan, bowed slightly, and said, "If you want me to teach you, you'll have to become my disciple first."

"Would you like to become my disciple?"

The shyness and anger on Liang San Niang's face were quickly replaced by vigilance.

She was the third princess of Northern Liang.

If we were to take the Crown Prince of Dayong as our teacher, wouldn't Northern Liang be falling behind Dayong by a generation for nothing?

If this matter gets out, her father might be able to mobilize 30,000 iron cavalry to kidnap her and her horse and take her back to Northern Liang.

"Does being able to sing one song qualify someone to be my mentor?"

Liang San Niang raised her chin, a hint of provocation in her eyes, "At least let me see if you have any real skills."

Lu Yuan handed the folding fan to her.

"What would you do if I possessed any abilities?"

"Then I will become your disciple."

"That's not enough."

Liang San Niang took a half step back, staring at him warily.

"What else do you want?"

"My household is in dire need of a maidservant."

"If you lose, in addition to becoming my disciple, you'll also have to serve me!"

"Shameless!"

Liang San Niang snatched the folding fan and struck his arm.

Lu Yuan raised his hand and grasped the other end.

A folding fan was placed between the two people, its surface half-open, obscuring half of their figures.

Liang San Niang tried to pull back twice, but failed to snatch the folding fan. Instead, she was forced to take a step forward.

The two were now only an arm's length apart.

She could smell the faint scent of agarwood on Lu Yuan's clothes, and her heart inexplicably quickened.

"What, you're too scared to gamble?"

When Lu Yuan saw that her ears had turned red, his tone was sarcastic.

"Who says I wouldn't dare?"

Liang San Niang put down her folding fan. "Serving me is fine, but you can't make me do any messy things, and you can't touch me casually."

"I haven't even done my maid duties yet, and there's already so much to do!"

"Should I say yes or no?"

"agree."

"What if you lose?"

"Whatever you want to learn, I will teach you."

Lu Yuan extended his hand and clapped his hands in a gesture of oath.

Liang San Niang hesitated for a moment, but still handed over the money.

The two people's palms touched.

Lu Yuan closed his five fingers and gently clenched them.

As if burned by a spark, Liang San Niang immediately withdrew her hand.

"You took advantage of me again!"

There must be a basis for making a bet.

Lu Yuan spread his hands, looking completely at ease: "Besides, I have no interest in a stupid disciple."

After he finished speaking, he put away his folding fan and took a step back.

After grinding her teeth, Liang San Niang's earlier awkwardness quickly turned into anger.

"Just wait to be defeated!"

The music downstairs came to an end.

Shishi turned and gathered her sleeves as the last note of the pipa played.

He then bowed in greeting.

After a moment of silence, the hall erupted in cheers.

One by one, silver notes were delivered to the table, and the quantities of grain, medicine, and cotton clothing were recorded in the ledger in the accounting room.

"The Wang family donated three thousand taels of silver!"

"Yongtai Grain Store donated 800 shi of millet!"

"Changxing Cloth Shop donated two thousand bolts of cotton cloth!"

The sound of the beads colliding on the abacus was incessant.

Standing on the second floor, Liang San Niang watched as the young men who had just been drinking and chatting took off their jade pendants and called their attendants, and a strange feeling stirred within her.

A dance can truly provide disaster victims thousands of miles away with an extra bowl of porridge and an extra piece of clothing to keep warm.

Lu Yuan walked up the stairs into the hall.

When Shishi saw him coming, she immediately straightened her sleeves and bowed.

"Shishi greets His Highness the Crown Prince."

Many people in the audience had only heard the madam call him "Your Highness" before, and now that his identity was confirmed, they all left their seats.

"This humble subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Lu Yuan walked up to the high platform and raised his hand to support himself.

No need for formalities.

After everyone stood up, he first nodded to Shishi.

"I will remember your kindness in dancing for the disaster victims all night long."

Shishi lowered her eyes and said softly, "Shishi only did what she could. Compared to those people who lost their homes, it's nothing."

Good deeds have no limits, regardless of their size.

Lu Yuan turned to look at everyone in the hall.

"The dikes in Henan have breached, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless. I thank you all on behalf of the people in the disaster area for your generosity."

The young men quickly waved their hands.

"Your Highness is too kind."

"It is our blessing to be able to do our best for the court."

These people were often scolded by their elders as spoiled brats, but today, receiving a compliment in front of the Crown Prince, they straightened their backs a bit more than before.

Lu Yuan took the ledger from the accounting office and flipped through a few pages.

"You all love your country and its people, which is commendable. But we must not let those who do good deeds lose heart."

"The items donated today range from a few hundred taels to tens of thousands of taels."

"By the time the money arrives in the disaster area, the people may know that the imperial court has provided disaster relief, but they may not know who saved them."

The people in the audience looked at each other.

Their willingness to donate today is partly due to Shishi's dance performance, and partly because they want to make an appearance before the Crown Prince.

As for whether anyone will remember this event after the flood is over, no one dared to hope.

"Starting tonight, all donated funds and goods will be registered with the name, place of origin, business name, and amount."

"Once the floods in Henan are quelled, I will erect a monument to commemorate this achievement outside the south gate of the capital."

"The names of all the donors are engraved on the monument!"

Upon hearing this, the breathing in the hall became heavier.

The south gate of the capital was the passageway for merchants and officials from all over the country.

Once a name is engraved there, it means that the whole world can see it.

This good reputation can spread throughout the states and be left to future generations.

A restaurant owner couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, will this stele truly stand forever?"

"As long as the Great Yong Dynasty exists, the stele will remain."

Lu Yuan took the brush from Shi Shi's hand.

Their fingertips almost touched. Shishi paused slightly, then stepped back half a step and quietly supported the account book for him.

Lu Yuan put down his pen and wrote eight large characters on the first page.

Good deeds are exemplary and their benefits benefit the nation.

A merchant stared at the eight characters, his voice trembling slightly.

"We are merely merchants. If our names were engraved on a monument, wouldn't officials have to give way to us when they pass by?"

Why avoid it?

Lu Yuan put down his brush and glanced at everyone in the hall.

"In the face of disaster, those who open their granaries to distribute grain are righteous merchants. Those who save people's lives are meritorious to the nation."

Good deeds are not limited by social status, and merits should not be buried because of one's social standing.

He held up the account book, his voice echoing throughout the entire Poetry Pavilion.

"I will also ask my father to issue an imperial decree."

"Those who pass by this stele..."

Lu Yuan said, word by word, "Civil officials, dismount from your sedan chairs; military officials, dismount from your horses!"