The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

The news of the teachers' arrival quickly spread throughout Chongshui and even Hezhou.

Hezhou is close to the south of the Yangtze River, where the academic atmosphere is flourishing. Many wealthy families send their children to study in the south of the Yangtze River. Most of those who come here because of its reputation are families with small assets or families that rely on farming and studying to pass on their family heritage.

They wanted to study at Shuangqing Academy, and many of them came to find acquaintances and build connections, and they all came to Lu Linlang for help.

"Everyone, rest assured. After the New Year, we will post the academy's admission requirements. Anyone who meets the requirements can enroll. However, the number of places is limited, and the specific number will depend on the teachers' requirements. You can go back and celebrate the New Year with peace of mind. The rest will be discussed next year."

Lu Linlang had said before that anyone who wanted to enter the academy had to take an examination. Students from Chongshui County had relative priority, but that was based on passing the examination.

After hearing this, they knew that they could not get any information in advance, so they could only go back one by one and decided to come to Chongshui after the New Year.

After the teachers knew that Lu Linlang wanted to teach girls to read, they also vaguely realized her intention, but they said nothing. They just prepared the student requirements according to her ideas.

After the New Year, Shuangqing Academy posted its admission requirements in Chongshui County. It stated that regardless of gender, those with academic records would be the best, but those without academic records could also be admitted as long as they could pass the academy's assessment.

There are dormitories in the college, separate for men and women, but students can also go to school as a day student.

The academy's assessment is mainly divided into morality and knowledge. In addition, if you have certain skills or interests, you can also join the academy's skill learning class. The skills learning class learns more diverse things, divided into a variety of skills, and the learning time is shorter than other imperial examination classes. As long as you pass the assessment, you can leave. The academy is only responsible for teaching, and improvement depends on personal understanding.

This was opened after Lu Linlang heard feedback from many villagers. If ordinary people wanted to learn a craft from a master, they would have to serve the master day and night, serving tea and water, and endure being beaten and scolded, and they might not even learn it in the end.

Therefore, by opening this class, ordinary people can also come to learn the craft. If they learn the craft well, they will not starve to death, and they can also earn a living through their own hard work. In the future, one person may be able to support a family business, so this is also for both men and women.

After asking around, Lu Linlang found a number of people with skills, both men and women. As long as they had no moral faults, the academy would be responsible for their retirement.

Moreover, the ones who teach women how to do work and crafts are the maids from the palace who were brought in by the emperor during his last trip to the capital. They are all people with great wisdom and talent. If girls from ordinary families are willing to learn from them, they will benefit greatly in the future.

As soon as the academy made this request, many people realized that something might be about to change in Daqi.

Allowing women to study under the scholars who are taking the imperial examinations is probably the first signal released by the emperor. What is the point of these women learning? Do they really have to take the imperial examinations like men?

Families who guessed the result urged their daughters to give it a try. As long as they passed, there might be many benefits in the future. However, they were still worried that if both boys and girls studied in the academy, it would affect the girl's reputation.

"Never mind all that. I think women can study for the imperial examinations alongside men now. The Emperor must want women to take the exams as well. They'll all become officials in the future, working alongside men in government offices. They'll also have to worry about their reputations. It's better for them to just stay indoors like they do now."

Some ladies were delighted when they heard the news, while others thought of what Lu Linlang had said before. Could it be that the woman was really going to make a name for herself? If their daughters went to the yamen, would their innocence be slandered? It seemed that it would be better not to go in the first place.

"I heard that the skills training class is pretty good, and there are palace maids teaching them. My daughter doesn't have a natural talent for studying anyway, so it would be good for her to go and learn some etiquette. They used to serve the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, so their etiquette is definitely better than ours. It can also help improve her status when she gets married."

"My little girl has always loved reading with her brothers since she was little. Anyway, our family can afford to raise a little girl. If she can't get married, then we'll just keep her. When we get old, I want her to experience what it's like for a woman to be in politics."

"Yes, in the past everyone said that women have long hair but little knowledge, because we don't have the opportunity to study like men. Now we women are going too, I want to see if women can do it."

"That's right. They just look down on us for not knowing anything. Not everyone can take the imperial examination. My daughter wants to take it, and I plan to take her to register tomorrow."

Since hearing the news, these ladies have contacted each other privately to discuss registration. They all have their own considerations.

The next day, on a sunny spring day with flowers blooming, Shuangqing Academy welcomed a group of people who came here to admire its reputation.

Everyone who walked on the road leading to the academy from Xishan Village had to stop and walk up the mountain. The 999 steps on the mountain had to be climbed by the students themselves.

There is a couplet written on both sides of the stairs: The ninety-nine steps leading up the mountain are only opened where there is sincerity.

Lord Xu was the first to walk with his family. With his lead, many families followed suit.

However, many people, faced with so many ladders, felt like giving up. If they went to school in the future, they would have to go up and down the mountain, which would be really torturous. Many girls who usually took the bus to go out on weekdays gave up and made a fuss.

However, many girls in cloth clothes, accompanied by their families, climbed up step by step. In their eyes, these ladders were not as long as the way to go up the mountain to cut grass.

At the entrance of the academy, people slowly walked up. Lu Linlang and a group of teachers were waiting for the students to arrive.

"Master Xu, Madam Xu, you are here too. Please come in. Today's assessment will be held in front of the academy. Only those who pass the first assessment can enter the academy for the second. Those who want to learn a craft must also pass the first assessment before entering. And they can only enter alone. The elders will wait outside the door."

When Lu Linlang saw Lord Xu coming up first, she also walked over to tell them the rules. Behind them were their children, who had heard of the academy's reputation a long time ago. Today was their first time there, and they were all watching secretly.

Above the academy, the four characters "Shuangqing Academy" are written in flowing strokes, and there is a couplet around it. The upper line reads: The sound of wind, rain and reading is pleasant to the ear; the lower line reads: Family affairs, national affairs and world affairs, everything is of concern to me.

Lord Xu was also looking at the couplet and nodded repeatedly. The fact that they could come up with such a couplet showed the ambition of the teachers. If his children had the opportunity to study here, they would have met a good teacher.

"Miss Lu, this academy has a great name. Shuangqing Academy will definitely become famous!"