The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

"Big Brother, what do you think is the purpose of human life?" Cen Jiexiao asked suddenly, holding her chin and looking at the starry sky outside the window.

Chen Zigui pondered for a moment and said, "Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages, and bring peace to the world for all eternity."

Cen Jiexiao was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "Big Brother, you're being too official! However, I agree with you. We should do something meaningful in life to make our lives worthwhile."

"Sister Cen, what are your ambitions?" Chen Zigui looked at Cen Jiexiao with admiration in his eyes.

"As for me, I want to live in a society where there is no mutual oppression between men and women, and where men and women are equal. Everyone, regardless of gender, can freely pursue their dreams without being restricted by their status." There was a glimmer of idealism in Cen Jiexiao's eyes.

"Gender equality..." Chen Zigui muttered to himself, a storm of emotions stirring within him. He had never considered such a thought before, and he didn't even dare to think about it.

"Senior Brother, do you think my idea is ridiculous?" Seeing that Chen Zigui remained silent, Cen Jiexiao thought that he did not agree with her point of view, and felt a little uneasy.

"No, Sister Cen, your idea is very bold and worthy of praise. From ancient times to the present, women have also made amazing achievements in the creation of the world, and there are even those who have saved their country and their people. So I support what you have been advocating. It is very attractive to me."

Once the two of them started talking, they couldn't stop. They talked about everything from Cen Jiexiao's wild ideas to Chen Zigui's plans and prospects for the future of the Zhou Dynasty, from poetry and songs to the philosophy of life. Before they knew it, it was already late at night.

"It's late, Sister Cen, go to bed early. I'll go back first." Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Zigui stood up and said goodbye.

"Okay, big brother, take care." Sister Cen Xiao stood up to see him off. When they reached the door, Chen Zigui suddenly stopped and turned around and said, "By the way, Sister Cen, if you come into contact with other men in the future, you must be more careful. Or you can let me observe whether this person is a gentleman first."

"Other...men!" Cen Jiexiao was shocked, her face seemed to be dyed with color by the colorful clouds, her eyes were evasive with a bit of embarrassment, and her shy expression made her hands unconsciously fiddle with the corners of her clothes.

"Uh, this... I, I understand. Thank you for reminding me, Senior Brother. Actually, it's not what you think."

"There's no need to thank me between you and me. If you need anything, just tell me. I will do my best to protect you, even if you get married in the future." After Chen Zigui finished speaking, he looked at Cen Jiexiao deeply, turned around and left.

"Alas!" Cen Jiexiao gazed at Chen Zigui's receding figure, a chorus of emotions welling up within her. She knew she harbored a special affection for him, but they were not from the same era. If she could return to the present, all her experiences here would seem nothing more than a beautiful dream. Cen Jiexiao didn't want to embarrass herself, nor did she want to feel indebted to others. Therefore, these stirrings of her emotions ultimately left her in a state of confusion and unease.

After the eldest brother left, Chen Zigui's words kept echoing in Sister Cen's mind. Marrying a woman... What was he implying? Didn't he know that in this era, what man would dare to marry a woman as rebellious as her?

She rubbed her hair irritably, and decided not to think about these troubles. She buried her head in the soft pillow and fell asleep.

A few days later, Cen Jiexiao received a letter from the Xixiang tribe. The envelope was unsigned, bearing only a strange totemic seal. Curious, she opened it and pulled out the letter. The bold handwriting was vivid, and the paper carried a faint scent of ink.

"Dean Cen, how are you? I missed you terribly since we last met. Your speech on gender equality was refreshing and I admire you deeply. You are incredibly courageous and dare to challenge convention; you are truly a heroine. I look forward to meeting you next time. Then, I will make you kneel before me willingly and submit to me."

At the end of the letter was the familiar totem seal and a bold and unrestrained signature - Xia Chenghao.

"Snap!" Cen Jiexiao slammed the letter shut, and the delicate letter was deformed in her hands.

"Damn! Is this the guy? Is he crazy?" Cen Jiexiao slammed the letter on the table, her eyebrows raised in anger, her eyes wide. If this wasn't ancient times, I would call the police and have you arrested in a second!

What does "make you kneel before me willingly" mean? What does "submit to me" mean? The tone and wording, if you didn't know better, you'd think we were in some melodramatic drama where a domineering CEO falls in love with me!

"This bastard! Despicable! Shameless!" Cen Jiexiao cursed with gritted teeth. If she hadn't cared about her image as a "civilized person", she really wanted to tear the letter to pieces and then send a box of "blades" to Xia Chenghao, so that he could feel what "the mysterious power from the East" was.

Want her to kneel down? Maybe in the next life!

The more Cen Jiexiao thought about it, the angrier she became, and she threw the letter aside without thinking.

Cen Jiexiao struggled to calm her agitated nerves. She couldn't understand why the Xixiang royal family would favor someone as arrogant as Xia Chenghao, allowing him to take such a risk by smuggling arms to the Great Zhou. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She crumpled up the letter and tossed it into the charcoal basin. The blazing flames seemed to devour her rage.

At this moment, Yu Lan pushed the door open and saw Cen Jiexiao looking angry. She asked with concern, "My dear Dean, what's wrong? Who made you angry again? Tell me, or I'll go and teach him a lesson for you!"

Seeing that it was Yu Lan, Cen Jiexiao forced a smile and said, "It's that Xixiang tribe caravan leader, Xia Chenghao. He actually had the nerve to write me a letter, saying he wanted me to kneel before him and submit to him the next time we meet. He's like a toad wanting to eat swan meat, without even realizing his own character!"

After hearing this, Yu Lan smiled instead of getting angry. She walked over to Cen Jiexiao, gently patted her shoulder, and said, "My dear Dean, why are you so angry with this guy? He's just a wild boy from a barbaric land. It's understandable that he speaks and acts rudely. Why bother to argue with him?"

Cen Jiexiao sighed and said, "I'm not angry with him, I'm just worried..."

"What are you worried about?" Yu Lan asked.

"I'm worried the Xixiang might harm the Great Zhou. Think about it, Xia Chenghao brazenly smuggled weapons and armor in Linkang Prefecture. Now the Xixiang are growing stronger and are eyeing the Great Zhou covetously. If the Xixiang led a large-scale attack on the Great Zhou in the future, it would be hell on earth, and the people would suffer."

Yu Lan walked to the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and said slowly, "You just like to worry about things that are beyond your control. Now that the Great Zhou is at its peak and well-equipped, you don't have to worry. Besides, what kind of place is the Xixiang tribe? It's a bitter and cold place, and the people are fierce and fierce. They will draw their swords at the slightest disagreement. It's not uncommon for fathers, sons, and brothers to turn against each other for water and pasture. They grew up in this environment, and naturally developed a survival code that is completely different from ours. If you use our Great Zhou's propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame to restrain them, isn't that as ridiculous as using our Confucian classics to teach a cow to read and write?"

"That being said, but..." Cen Jiexiao wanted to say something but was interrupted by Yu Lan.

"Okay, Dean, stop worrying about nothing! The Xixiang may be barbaric, but they're not fools. They know that the Great Zhou is vast and populous, and if a war breaks out, they might not gain the upper hand. Besides, our Great Zhou is no pushover. How could our young talents be any worse than those of the Xixiang? So are you still afraid of what kind of trouble those barbarians might stir up?"

Cen Jiexiao thought about it and decided to stop dwelling on it. Instead, she asked Yu Lan about the customs and practices of the Xixiang people. Yu Lan had lived in the border area for a period of time in her early years and had some understanding of the Xixiang people. She told Cen Jiexiao some of what she knew.

"I've heard that every member of the Xixiang tribe is a master of archery. They've been raised on horseback since childhood, and every one of them is a master archer. Hitting the target from a hundred paces away is child's play for them. They also have a special type of soldier called the 'Wolf Riders.' Each of them carries three to five prairie wolves. These wolves are domesticated from prairie wolves, and are incredibly fast and have incredible attack power. A normal warhorse would be terrified at the sight of them, let alone continue fighting."

"So powerful?" Cen Jiexiao was stunned.

"That's right!" Yu Lan took a sip of tea and continued. "But you don't have to worry too much. Although the wolf riders are powerful, they are extremely rare and difficult to train. They won't be deployed easily."

"So that's how it is," Sister Cen Xiao nodded thoughtfully.

"It can be said that the people there are bold and straightforward in their love and hate, and they are good at fighting. In their eyes, any problem that can be solved by force is not a problem. This also led to the fact that the Great Zhou had more losses than victories against the Western Xiang."

"Speaking of which, the Xixiang Kingdom was established only 20 to 30 years ago. At first, the leader of the Xixiang Kingdom was just a deputy general of a foreign country under the previous emperor. As the previous emperor fought in the south and the north, he made great military achievements and was granted the land of Qinzhou. After that, he gradually swallowed up the surrounding tribes and slowly grew and developed to this day." Yu Lan continued.

"Then why did they invade the Great Zhou?" Cen Jiexiao asked in confusion.

"This is because the land of Xixiang is barren and there is very little land suitable for grazing and planting at this stage, so they launched a military plundering campaign against Dazhou." Yu Lan explained.

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Prince Xixiang is a man of great talent and strategy. He's only twenty years old, but he's already made countless military achievements and expanded the territory by hundreds of miles. It's said that soon, Prince Xixiang will come to pay homage to the Emperor of Great Zhou and request to be canonized."