Eavesdropping on Fu Bao's inner thoughts, emptying the stored grain and fleeing the famine

"Chief Lady?"

Lian Rongrong chuckled, thinking that Hua Ling was coming for her, but unexpectedly the gun was ultimately aimed at Yan Mingyue.

Lian Rongrong was unaware of the previous grudges between Yan Mingyue and Hua Ling.

However, there was one thing she did understand.

Yan Mingyue was personally promoted to the position of Chief Female Teacher by her. If Hua Ling were to replace her, it would be a slap in the face.

Moreover, if Hua Ling were to take the chief position, the Bright Moon Hall would essentially fall into the hands of the Empress Dowager.

The abacus beads were practically flying into Lian Rongrong's face; how could she not retaliate?

"Miss Hua, this Mingyue Hall was opened by me. So naturally, I am in charge."

I admire Mingyue's talent and decisiveness, so she is undoubtedly the chief of Mingyue Hall.

As for you? If you really like to always be the best, then with your wealthy and powerful family, you can go out and start your own business.

Why do you have to come to my Mingyue Hall and become an eyesore?

Lian Rongrong went all out right up to Hua Ling's face, showing absolutely no mercy.

Hua Ling was furious, her face flushed red, but she didn't dare to confront Lian Rongrong directly. After all, she knew exactly what kind of temper this Princess Qi was.

Hua Ling steadied herself, her smile never fading.

“What the princess says makes sense. It’s just that Ling’er is not as intelligent as the princess and really doesn’t have the ability to run a girls’ school of this scale.”

However, she could still do her part in the school. Ling'er didn't covet the position of head female teacher.

These are all just rumors made up by Xiao Tao. She only heard people talking about Miss Yan outside today, and that's why she's worried because of Miss Yan..."

Hua Ling stopped speaking halfway through her sentence. She looked around at the crowd and saw some students whispering among themselves, which made her feel a little happy.

"Actually, what that little girl said makes sense. Miss Hua's talent is on par with Miss Yan's in the capital."

"Yes, yes, I was fortunate enough to hear Miss Hua play the zither, and the lingering sound was truly breathtaking."

"I've heard that Miss Hua's paintings are also excellent."

"In fact, the fact that Miss Hua, as the daughter of a merchant, could be on par with the daughter of the Minister of Rites at that time is enough to explain the matter."

"Yes, it's clear that Miss Hua is truly talented."

"And Miss Yan's reputation..."

"Who says otherwise? If that's the case, I'd rather the head lady were Miss Hua."

"Keep your voices down, everyone. Don't let the Princess hear. She's clearly on Miss Yan's side."

Despite saying that, the conversation was so loud that not only Lian Rongrong, but also Yan Mingyue and Lin Chuyue could hear it clearly.

At this moment, Lian Rongrong was furious, but at the same time she also felt helpless.

Lian Rongrong knew that even in modern society, it was extremely difficult to get people to treat women completely equally, let alone in Dasheng, which was corrupted by feudal ideology.

Even so, Lian Rongrong still felt annoyed and sad.

It is already difficult for women to live in this world. Since that is the case, why should we, as women, make things difficult for each other?

Lian Rongrong knew that the current situation was not entirely due to human error, and everything she was doing today was to break this situation.

Lian Rongrong took a deep breath and took a step toward the crowd, but just as she was about to speak, Yan Mingyue's voice came from behind her.

"Your Highness, since Miss Hua wants to be the head female teacher, it wouldn't hurt to let her have it!"

Upon hearing Yan Mingyue's words, Lian Rongrong's anger intensified.

But just when she felt that Yan Mingyue was disappointing, this former princess, who was criticized by many, slowly spoke up again:

"However, it would be an insult to give it to Miss Hua like this. I think it would be better to do it this way."

"Let me have a proper competition with Miss Hua, and the winner will be the chief disciple of Mingyue Hall, shall we?"

The annoyance in Lian Rongrong's eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by appreciation and relief.

Meanwhile, Hua Ling was eager to show off her talents, as she had come here to get closer to Li Yuanqi.

Li Yuanqi will definitely come to oversee the important competition for the chief of Mingyue Hall. As long as she can perform well in front of Li Yuanqi, who knows, the proud Prince Qi might even get to see her?

Hua Ling, fearing that Lian Rongrong might disagree, quickly chimed in, "What Miss Yan said is exactly what I was thinking."

If we're choosing a top performer, it has to be the best. Empty words don't count; a real, fair competition is the most convincing.

Lian Rongrong turned her head and glared at Hua Ling, then retorted without any politeness:

"Miss Hua, there's no need to be in such a hurry. Are you afraid that I won't agree?"

Don't worry, since Mingyue has said she wants to compete, I have no reason to stop her.

Both of you are renowned talented women in the capital. In that case, let's have a competition in each of the four arts: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

The winner will be the Head Madam, and the loser must obey all of the Head Madam's instructions. Do you two agree?

"Agreed," Yan Mingyue and Hua Ling said in unison.

"But what if it's a draw?" Hua Ling asked.

"If it's a draw, we'll have to play an extra match. But we can't say for sure about this last match yet. It will test our adaptability."

Hua Ling nodded slightly and said nothing more. She couldn't guess Lian Rongrong's thoughts and ideas.

However, Hua Ling felt that with her abilities and Yan Mingyue's current reputation, there was no need for that final round at all.

But Hua Ling still has to be wary of one thing: who will decide the outcome of the competition.

If Lian Rongrong is ultimately the one to decide the winner, I'm afraid she will never be able to defeat Yan Mingyue.

Thinking of this, Hua Ling spoke again: "Ling'er has one more request."

Lian Rongrong glanced at Hua Ling with some impatience: "Speak!"

"This competition needs a judge. Since it's a contest of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, then we should invite masters of these arts to give their evaluations to ensure fairness."

Lian Rongrong sneered; she could see through Hua Ling's plans perfectly well.

Judging from her background and reputation, Yan Mingyue is clearly at a disadvantage right now, while most of those so-called masters are just mercenary people.

In addition, Hua Ling's family is very wealthy, so bribing a few judges would be a piece of cake.

However, such petty tricks were simply no match for Lian Rongrong.

Lian Rongrong stared at Hua Ling for several breaths before a slight smile appeared on her lips, and she said loudly:

“Miss Hua is right. Since we’re going to have a competition, let’s have a proper one, a grand one.”

As for the person who will make the judgment, I will find them myself. Miss Hua, rest assured, they will surely be a leading expert in their respective fields!

Since things had come to this point, Hua Ling naturally had nothing more to say.

Anyway, the big names in the capital are already there, so even if Rongrong wanted to favor Yan Mingyue, she couldn't just bypass them.

As long as she has a target, Hua Ling is confident that she can win over some of them.

While we might not be able to defeat them one by one, we should be able to take 60% without any problem.

"Alright, since Miss Hua has no further questions, the competition will be held in three days. Do either of you have any questions?"

Lian Rongrong looked at Yan Mingyue and then at Hua Ling. Both of them nodded in agreement to the three-day agreement.