Legend of the Embroiderer

In the early morning, sunlight streamed into the classroom through the windows, creating a bright and warm scene. However, the atmosphere inside the classroom was unusually solemn.

At the front of the lecture hall, an old scholar who was over 70 years old, with a kind face but serious expression, was standing steadily, holding a ruler.

He was dressed in a dark grey robe with flowing sleeves, giving him a certain air of immortality. He sat upright behind the podium, his eyes piercing as he scanned the palace maids below.

The old scholar spoke slowly, his voice, slightly weathered but full of energy, echoing throughout the entire school.

What he taught were the classic chapters in The Analects of Confucius, and every sentence contained profound philosophy and wisdom.

The palace maids listened attentively, holding pens in their hands and carefully recording every key point the old scholar said.

However, most of these palace maids came from ordinary families with poor backgrounds. They had no chance to receive high-quality and systematic education since childhood, and their cultural background and knowledge reserves were relatively weak.

Even though they had tried their best and concentrated their attention to follow the teaching pace of the respected old scholar, once they faced those difficult and obscure texts like heavenly books and unfathomable philosophy, they still couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and felt deeply powerless.

In this slightly crowded classroom, whispers as soft as mosquitoes and flies could be heard from time to time.

All that could be heard was one of the young palace maids complaining in a voice so low it couldn't be lowered: "Oh my! There are so many words in this book! I don't recognize any of them!"

A hint of distress was visible on her young face. Her companion, upon hearing this, couldn't help but frown and nod in agreement.

At this moment, another palace maid, who was more calm and cautious, quickly reached out and gently tugged at the young maid's sleeve, and warned her in a low voice, "Hush—be quiet! If the master hears you, it will be very troublesome!"

However, the little maid seemed to have completely ignored her companion's well-intentioned warning. Instead, she pouted like a child and continued to mutter:

"Oh, this school is simply my nightmare. I have to learn so many complicated and tedious things every day. It would be much easier to just go back to the palace and sweep the floor..."

At this moment, the old scholar's eyes, which were originally focused on teaching, suddenly swept across and landed accurately on the palace maids who were whispering to each other.

His face darkened and he slammed the ruler in his hand hard on the podium, making a crisp and loud sound.

Then, his voice became particularly stern. "The Imperial Academy was specially established by His Majesty to improve your cultivation. How can you be so lazy? If you don't listen carefully, don't blame me for punishing you severely!"

The little palace maid was so frightened that her whole body trembled, and she quickly shrank her neck like a frightened rabbit, then lowered her head deeply as if she had made a mistake, not daring to say another word.

Su Mengyao, who was sitting in the back row, saw the whole scene, and a hint of worry appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Su Mengyao thought to herself: Opening this school should be a great thing, as it can help the palace people improve their knowledge and literacy.

The cultural foundation of these palace ladies is too weak. If we cannot effectively stimulate their strong interest in learning, it will be difficult for them to persist for a long time.

Thinking of this, Su Mengyao couldn't help but frowned slightly, thinking secretly in her heart: These palace maids have long been accustomed to the complicated and trivial daily affairs in the palace. Now they are asked to suddenly calm down and concentrate on studying. It is really not an easy task!

So, she turned slightly to the side and whispered softly to Li Zhao beside her: "Brother Zhao, in my opinion, we must come up with a good way to make them more interested in this school."

Hearing this, Li Zhao nodded in agreement. A glimmer of thought flashed across his bright eyes, and he immediately responded:

"That's right. We must not let them feel that this school has become a heavy burden. Perhaps we can try to start with something that interests them."

At this moment, Su Mengyao seemed to have a sudden flash of inspiration, her beautiful eyes lit up, and she said excitedly:

"Yes, yes! Why didn't I think of that? Most of the palace maids love to listen to all kinds of interesting stories. So why don't we start by telling them stories and slowly guide them into a learning atmosphere."

After class, Su Mengyao walked lightly to the respected old scholar with a heart full of worry and expectation.

She bowed respectfully first, then opened her red lips and said softly, "Sir, you don't know that these palace maids have been in the palace all day and have long been accustomed to the tense and busy pace of life.

"Now, suddenly asking them to calm down and concentrate on studying is really a bit difficult. So I boldly suggest that you start with some easy-to-understand and interesting short stories, and gradually guide them into the palace of knowledge?"

The old scholar was slightly startled when he heard this. His wise eyes stared at the beautiful and intelligent woman in front of him. After a moment of thought, he smiled and nodded, and replied:

"Miss, what you said is quite insightful. I will certainly listen to it." After saying that, he stroked the few strands of gray beard on his chin, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window lattices into the spacious and bright classroom. The old scholar stood at the podium, vigorous and energetic, holding a yellowed ancient book in his hand, and began to recount those fascinating, simple and interesting stories in a voice full of emotion.

The palace maids sat upright, listening attentively to the wonderful world described by the old scholar, sometimes laughing knowingly, sometimes showing surprised expressions.

The classroom atmosphere, which was originally a bit dull and depressing, now gradually became relaxed and lively like a spring breeze.

Su Mengyao sat quietly in the back row, her eyes gently sweeping over the faces of each palace maid. Seeing their innocent smiles as they were immersed in the story, Su Mengyao's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally relaxed a little.

She knew that this was just a small step towards success. She still had a long way to go and much more effort to put in if she wanted this palace school to truly become a spiritual haven for the palace residents to improve themselves and enrich their inner selves.

But she always believed that as long as she worked hard and explored with all her heart, her future in the palace would be like the colorful morning glow, full of hope and beauty.