The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 624 On Stone

The academy's internal structure is very complete, although some courtyards are dilapidated and some tiles are broken, but overall it is still in good condition.

It seems that someone has come and looked after it briefly, but not very diligently; it's just that it's been preserved to the point of being unusable.

Ayu also discovered that there was a well in the academy, which was connected to an artificial river. All that was needed was to improve the water quality of the artificial river, and the students here would also be able to hear and see clearly.

Thinking that the future would belong to girls, Ayu didn't feel any heartache. Anyway, the Wanli Water in the space was now flowing in abundance, which would allow the girls to learn better, and perhaps it would be a good thing for the whole of Dachang.

"So, are you satisfied with this place? If not—"

When Ayu walked out of the academy with an excited expression, the carefree king knew from her expression that the matter was probably settled, but he still had to be polite.

Ayu's eyes darted around, and she answered in a way that did not meet the expectations of the carefree king: "If you are not satisfied, will you give me another academy?"

King Xiaoyao: “…”

He almost gritted his teeth. This little guy really had a big appetite: "Do you think the academy is like cabbage? This academy was something I put a lot of effort into getting it into my hands. It's one of the biggest things I own."

At the time, they thought the academy could be sold quickly, but they didn't expect it to become a burden. The main reason was that the buyer was later found to be corrupt, and his sister-in-law acted swiftly, discussing the matter with a group of ministers all night before confiscating the property.

The ministers were initially not entirely convinced, but Empress Qin made the decision to put all the money obtained from confiscating property directly into the national treasury, instead of going through the emperor's private coffers. What could they possibly be unhappy about?
In the past, when people confiscated property, half of what they took went into the emperor's private treasury.

With Empress Qin's support, the ministers also gave Emperor Minghua a thorough dressing-down for trying to gain a little something for himself.

The worst off is Prince Xiaoyao. The academy he had agreed to is now stuck in his hands, and no one else dares to take it over.

Everyone felt that this academy was unlucky. Those who came to negotiate with the Prince of Xiaoyao about this academy all ended up in trouble. The most serious ones were even exiled and their families were raided. No one without a bit of courage would dare to take it over.

Hundreds of thousands of taels of silver just went down the drain like that; they couldn't dismantle it, sell it, or throw it away.

This went on for many years until the carefree king finally found an opportunity to give the thing to Ayu.

He had a very good plan, since Ayu was his elder brother and sister-in-law's daughter-in-law anyway.

They can't possibly ignore it.

Even if the academy suffers losses in the future, her elder brother and sister-in-law will bail her out, unlike him who is all alone. Even if he cries in front of her, at most he can only give her a helpless look.

Even if we lose all those hundreds of thousands of taels and even go into debt, we're not afraid.

Even if the Emperor and his wife don't care, the Qin family of Jiangnan has a solid foundation. Qin Huai is a very good kid, and A Yu is even better. The Qin family of Jiangnan will definitely be satisfied.

Even if they don't become the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, they would definitely be talented individuals if brought to Jiangnan.

They would definitely be willing to spend hundreds of thousands of taels of silver to recruit two prodigies.

Ayu was unaware that the Carefree King had already thought so far ahead; she had no intention of profiting from the academy at all.

She was thinking of earning as much money as possible so that poor girls could study for a year without tuition fees, and then work part-time to study in the second year.

Working part-time while studying was also a concept that Tuanzi taught Ayu.

It's too early to talk about anything now, but Ayu has already started planning a lot.

Wang Wulang whispered to Ayu, "Sister Ayu, could you open a martial arts school in your academy in the future? If I become a general, I can take away any women who are willing to join the army. If they perform well, they might even be able to promote your academy."

Furthermore, Wang Wulang thought that since his sister wanted women to have the same freedom as men, it shouldn't just be about being able to study; it should also include being able to go to war. It was novel for women to take the imperial examinations, but what about women becoming generals?
Ayu nodded first, then shook her head: "Fifth Brother, this won't do."

The carefree king, with his keen ears and sharp eyes, naturally overheard Wang Wulang's whisper. He had just thought the boy was simple-minded, and upon hearing what Ayu said, he became interested.

Prick up your ears and hear Ayu say, "I know a story about someone who wanted to move a few stones at the entrance of the village to pave the road. Usually, those stones are not very useful; they are just used for shade or as stepping stones. When they saw that someone wanted to move one of them, they were not happy. But they thought that since there were still many stones left after moving one, it wouldn't cause a big fuss. At most, they would complain about stepping on more stones when they walked on the road."

Wang Wulang looked bewildered: "What does this have to do with what I was talking about?"

“Let me finish,” Ayu continued. “Later, everyone saw that the road was much easier to walk on after the stones were paved. So the others thought of using the remaining stones to pave more roads so that everyone could walk on them. But then the people at the village entrance disagreed.”

"Why not? If we use the stones to pave the road, they can still walk on it properly, right?" Wang Wulang was drawn in by Ayu's words and asked, puzzled, "How can such a small place as the village entrance compare to the importance of those roads?"

Ayu said, "Yes, but you've taken all the stones away, so they won't have any stones to sit on or step on. They'll definitely make a huge fuss, or they'll find new and better stones to use as stepping stones."

At this point, not only did Wang Wulang suddenly realize something, but even Wang Qilang chimed in, "So, the constraints people place on women are like those stones. Even if those stones have more uses, people only want to use them as stepping stones. Taking away one or two is fine, but taking too many makes them feel like they're getting in their way. Ayu opened a girls' academy just to allow women to leave their homes a short distance, not far, not much. But if you, Fifth Brother, were to take women to the battlefield, and they caused trouble or held back, everyone would think, 'It's exactly what happened.' But if women truly made great contributions and accumulated military merits over generations, then things would get chaotic!"

In terms of ideas and insights, Ayu and Wang Qilang are the most compatible and often think alike.

A hint of appreciation appeared in the eyes of the carefree king. Although the example Ayu gave was not particularly appropriate, it was still valid for the purpose of explanation.

Looking at these children, the oldest is only fifteen or sixteen years old, and the youngest is only eleven. It is truly remarkable that they have such insight.

Perhaps, even if Ayu doesn't become a benefactor in the future, she will definitely be able to make a name for herself on her own.

He was quite curious to see how far this little girl, who was suspected to be Aruan's child, could go.

"Uncle Ashu, Grandma said she's making Guiyi Yangyuan Soup today. Do you want to try it?" Xiaoyao Wang was lost in thought when he heard Ayu's cheerful voice. The little girl's face was full of smiles. "By the way, I'd like to ask Grandma to help me think about how to draft the academy's contract."

Helpless, the carefree king pressed the metal button next to the wheelchair with his finger, gently turned the handle, and after a few subtle sounds, the wheelchair moved forward nimbly.

"Okay." He had to go, even though he was in a wheelchair.

What's more, it's the legendary Guiyi Soup.

Wait, Guiyitang?!

The carefree king narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Ayu and the others who were completely unaware of what was happening.

Guiyi Yangyuan Soup was the favorite soup of Princess Yongchang back then.

Nowadays, although major restaurants are using gimmicks, no chef can make it anymore.

Could it be a coincidence?
The carefree prince remained calm and composed, leaving only two guards to operate his wheelchair and dismissing the others before heading to the royal residence.

This time, before the meal, he asked Wang Wulang about the widows in their village, offering ten taels of silver and a jade thumb ring.

Wang Wulang said, "Aunt Zhou? She's getting married in mid-June. We can make it back after we finish our imperial examinations."

"Is the groom's name Zhang Zhan?"

"You know Lord Zhang too?" Wang Wulang changed his address again, "Oh, I can't call him Lord Zhang anymore. He said that if his family doesn't agree, he will resign from his post."

The Carefree King: "?" Is this really the same playboy Zhang Zhan that he knows?

(End of this chapter)