The Second Sister of a Farmer's Family's Path to Imperial Destiny

"No! What if you take this wolf home and it hurts the villagers?" Guo Ruo said urgently. She saved the wolf because she felt it was helpless and pitiful, and she didn't intend to take it home.

"Sister, please, I'll get him in a cage when we get back." Guo Zhi looked at Guo Ruo and Guo Xin with a pleading look in her eyes, "Besides, we don't know if this wolf can survive, so just let me try."

She knew that this gray wolf might cause harm to the villagers, but this wolf seemed different from other wolves, although she had never seen other wolves before.

In the end, Guo Xin was unable to resist Guo Zhi's request and had to repeatedly emphasize that if the wolf came back to life, it must be locked up.

The three of them dragged the wild boar down the mountain, and Guo Zhi held the wild wolf.

The way to the workshop was by the workshop. When the aunt outside the workshop saw such a big wild boar with a large piece of meat dug out of it, she asked curiously, "Xin'er, is this what you just shot?"

Guo Xin said with a smile: "I found a bargain."

Another aunt joked: "You three sisters are now stronger than all the men in the village!"

When Guo Ruo heard this, her face turned red. She had always prided herself on being a weak woman. Why did this village aunt compare her with a man? She said, "It's just luck. I'm still not that strong."

"Hey! What is Guo Zhi holding in her arms?" An old lady saw the black thing in her arms and exclaimed, "Why does it look a bit like a wolf?"

Guo Zhi hugged the wolf tightly in her arms. She didn't expect to be discovered so soon. When she was in the mountains, her elder sister reminded her not to let the villagers know it was a wolf. She said, "No, it just looked like a stray dog. I picked it up on the road. I felt sorry for it and my family was in need of a guard, so I brought it back."

Grandma took another look and saw that it did look a bit like a wild dog. She nodded with relief and said that this family was not that brave. If they brought back a wolf, would there be any peace in the village?

……

Time flies and it's almost the end of the month. Thinking that I haven't been to Suining City for some time, Madam Ying who was outside Guyue Tower before should have helped me to arrange for Guo Zhi's schooling.

Guo Xin and Guo Zhi arrived at the town early in the morning on their family's donkey cart, and then rented a horse carriage to rush to Suining City.

"Sister, this Suining City is truly worthy of being called a provincial capital!" Guo Zhi stuck her head out of the carriage, looked left and right, and exclaimed at the towering city walls and the bustling crowd.

"Let's go to Yuanlin Academy to ask you about the women's school first, and then go for a walk in this city. There are really a lot of new things in this city, and there is also a night market in the evening, which is brightly lit~"

"So are we staying in the city today?"

When Guo Zhi heard that the city was still brightly lit at night, she blinked and looked at Guo Xin, hoping to stay. She had never experienced the city with bright lights.

Guo Xin shook her head. "No, my elder sister is still waiting for us at home. If we don't go back, she will be very worried."

When Guo Zhi heard this answer, she shook her head dejectedly. She had been trying to persuade her elder sister to come to Suining City with them last night, but her elder sister refused. Otherwise, how could she not stay in Suining City to enjoy the night market?

Guo Xin naturally loved Guo Zhi very much. Seeing her expression, he comforted her, "Next time you come to Suining City, bring Big Sister and Xi'er with you. Stay here for a night and feel the atmosphere of the night market."

Guo Zhi nodded, looking at the shops on both sides of the street, her thoughts already drifting far away.

This was her first time to go to a girls' school. What if they didn't accept her? Wouldn't it be a wasted trip?

If the academy doesn't accept students like her, then where should she go to study...

After a while, the carriage stopped at the side of Yuanlin Academy, and the two jumped off the carriage and walked slowly towards the main gate of the academy.

Guo Zhi looked up at the plaque, which turned out to be four words handwritten on a large beige paper - Yuanlin Academy. It was framed and hung above the academy, which was somewhat different from the stone plaques of other academies.

"Hello, I am a friend of Madam Ying. I want to ask Madam Ying about women's education." Guo Xin explained his purpose to the doorman and waited on the side.

The location of this academy is not like the Donglin Academy where Xier is located in a downtown area. Instead, it is in a quiet street corner. There are very few shops next to the academy, only a study, a wine shop, and a clothing store.

Occasionally, one could hear the sound of reading aloud coming from the academy. When several women passed by here with their children, the children would inevitably be lectured by the students.

"Young lady, please follow me." The doorman said to Guo Xin.

Guo Xin led Guo Zhi and followed the gatekeeper into the academy, and the sound of reading became clearer.

The winding paths in the academy lead to two courtyards. The west courtyard is where girls are taught, and the east courtyard is where ordinary men study. Further back are the residences of scholars and professors. Madam Ying is waiting for Guo Xin and Guo Zhi in the garden of her residence at this time.

"Oh, my lady, you are finally here. I have been waiting for more than ten days. I thought you were not going to come to school." Ying Niang was wearing a light blue silk dress with delicate flowers and butterflies embroidered on it. When she walked, the butterflies seemed about to fly out.

Guo Xin smiled and said, "I have been busy lately and haven't had time to look for my aunt. This is my sister. I came to look for her because I want to send her to study."

Guo Zhi greeted generously: "Aunt Ying, your skirt is very beautiful, the butterflies and flowers look like real ones."

When Lady Ying heard this, she laughed out loud, asked everyone to sit down, and said, "I embroidered this skirt when I had nothing to do. It was because of this embroidery that the academy hired me as a professor. Otherwise, I could only work as an embroiderer in the embroidery room, but that is not as comfortable as teaching."

After that, he did not forget today's business, and continued: "I asked the dean about what you said that day, and the dean said that there is no such precedent, but it is not impossible to set this precedent for you.

In the past, the dean's daughter also studied in this academy. When she was taught books like "Legislation for Women", she got angry and refused to learn. But now she is also a famous talented woman in Suining City.

So the dean can understand your feelings, but this precedent cannot be set just because of you, and it cannot be set just because you don’t learn the female precepts, so do you have any good ideas?"

After listening to this long string of words, Guo Xin sorted them out and understood what the dean meant. He wanted her to provide a new school system. If it was good and worthy of being adopted by the academy, Guo Zhi could be admitted smoothly.

If it is not good, then Guo Zhi should either enroll in the academy according to the old rules or not study in this academy.

But will the new system and regulations of this dynasty really not disrupt the existing order?

But if a new system was not provided, Guo Zhi would not be able to enroll. She had been inquiring for a long time and found that Yuanlin Academy was indeed the best academy for girls.

Seeing that Guo Xin hadn't spoken, Madam Ying didn't interrupt him.