The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Seeing Jing Anle receive so much praise, Jing Rou felt a pang of unease, as if a cat were scratching at her heart.

Seeing Xiao Heng chatting with the princess, Crown Prince Xia Tingfu of Xia Kingdom was not willing to fall behind and interrupted, saying, "I heard that His Majesty has invited Mr. Chi Wenyuan of Tai'an Mountain to come out of seclusion." He then turned to Chi Wenyuan at the end and said, "I see that you are a gentleman of noble character, untouched by worldly affairs. You must be Mr. Chi Wenyuan."

Everyone's eyes turned to Chi Wenyuan. He was wearing a light blue robe today, with a handsome and refined face. He occasionally waved a folding fan in his hand.

He was indeed otherworldly, unlike any ordinary person, but in two months, this person would disappear from the world, Jing Anle thought to himself.

Upon hearing Xia Tingfu speak, Chi Wenyuan cupped his hands and said, "I am but a commoner and do not deserve such praise."

Prince Yelü Yuanxiu of Dongyuan Kingdom challenged, "Our Dongyuan Kingdom has visited Tai'an Mountain many times, but we have not been able to even meet you. Why are you willing to come out of the mountain today? Could it be that our Dongyuan Kingdom has been impolite and has offended you?"

Before Chi Wenyuan could speak, Luo Wei, the crown prince of Shu, disagreed, saying, "Sir, you are a peerless genius, and you have your own judgment in doing things!"

Xiao Heng remained silent, smiling as he drank, thinking to himself, "This man is no ordinary person. If I could be of use to him..."

Emperor Jing, seated on his high throne, spoke up: "Sir, you are a man of extraordinary talent. I also have my doubts, and I would like to ask you to enlighten me."

Chi Wenyuan stood up, walked to the center under everyone's gaze, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "This humble subject has come for the sake of universal harmony."

Upon hearing this, the crowd reacted with varying expressions, some doubtful, some scoffing. To break the awkward silence, Emperor Jing could only praise, "Sir, you are a wise man."

"This humble subject is not talented, but if the princes do not find me unworthy, I am willing to set up a six-month classroom to impart knowledge and benefit the world," Chi Wenyuan continued, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although the princes of various countries harbored the desire to seize it, they were helpless and did not want to make a wasted trip.

At this moment, Prince Qing stood up and said, "My Jing Kingdom is a great nation. The princes and princesses have already troubled you, sir. If we were to add a few more people, I'm afraid..."

"What I seek is the happiness of the people and the world. If I can bring happiness to the people, I, a humble commoner, will dedicate myself to this cause and die without regret!" Chi Wenyuan replied.

Xiao Heng stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Chi Wenyuan, and said, "Sir, you are kind and righteous. I am willing to become your disciple."

The other princes did the same, catching Emperor Jing somewhat off guard. What if he refused and Chi Wenyuan was snatched away? At least he was under the watchful eye of the Jing Kingdom, so he smiled and said, "How could I not comply with your courtesy, sir?"

Chi Wenyuan then expressed his gratitude, while Jing Anle silently observed, thinking: If this person is truly virtuous, why not save him and make him his own?

Three days later, at the Hall of Heroes.

The princes of the four kingdoms all came to the classroom. The women were still separated by curtains, while the other half were arranged in two rows of three. Jing Fengyao, Xiao Heng, and Yelü Yuanxiu sat in the first row, and the rest sat in the second row.

Before class, Chi Wenyuan bowed again and repeated his previous words, "In the classroom, we address each other as teacher and student, but outside the classroom, we observe the etiquette of ruler and subject."

“Classes will be held every three days with one day off. If you need to take leave, please give advance notice,” Chi Wenyuan continued, sitting on the futon.

Everyone answered in unison, "We know."

The four students who had attended the class earlier thought that Chi Wenyuan would still talk about the Four Books, but to their surprise, he did not. Instead, he said, "You are all members of the royal family and have been familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood. I talked about the Analects earlier to see your attitude. Today is the first lesson."

The students looked at each other, all puzzled.

Chi Wenyuan continued, "Everyone calls me a prodigy, but does that mean everything I say is necessarily true?"

"Therefore, I would like to remind you all to always maintain an inquisitive and skeptical eye."

Everyone was stunned. This was completely different from the education they had received since childhood, and they couldn't help but admire Chi Wenyuan's uniqueness.

"This person is indeed different," Jing Anle thought to himself, his resolve to save him strengthened.

While some praise it, others naturally have doubts and dissatisfaction.

After sitting down, Yelü Yuanxiu saw two women sitting behind the curtain and felt displeased. In the Eastern Yuan Kingdom, women had a low status, and men were superior to women. They didn't even eat at the same table, let alone study together.

However, since they were in Jing Kingdom, Yelü Yuanxiu could not go too far. He looked at Jing Anle and said loudly, "What you say is true. Men should be quick-witted to achieve great things, unlike women who only need to know some needlework and hide behind their husbands."

Jing Anle and Jing Rou, sitting on the other side, both understood Yelü Yuanxiu's unspoken meaning.

Jing Fengyao couldn't stand it anymore and was about to retort when Xiao Heng interrupted, "Brother Yelü, you are mistaken. I remember your great-aunt, Princess Nanping, who fought a bloody battle to carve out a path for your father, which led to the prosperous Dongyuan Kingdom we have today." Xiao Heng looked in Jing Anle's direction and then said, "It is clear that women can also achieve great things."

Upon hearing Xiao Heng speak, Jing Anle felt a greater liking for him and became even more curious about him.

The other princes, unlike those of Dongyuan Kingdom who favored sons over daughters, also echoed Xiao Heng's sentiments.

Yelü Yuanxiu was speechless, after all, that person was his great-aunt. He could only retort, "Not everyone has the courage of my great-aunt."

"Crown Prince Yelü," Jing Anle called out softly, her voice melodious and pleasant.

"Not to mention the precedent of female emperors in my Jing Kingdom, even in ordinary families, women also hold up half the sky. Men farm and women weave, and they give birth to children." Jing Anle looked at Yelü Yuanxiu, "Perhaps the men of Dongyuan Kingdom all think they were born from cracks in rocks, which is why they look down on women so much."

These words amused everyone. Xiao Heng chuckled silently, while Jing Fengyao nodded repeatedly, his face filled with undisguised pride. Jing Rou, sitting behind him, felt that Jing Anle was just trying to attract attention.

Yelü Yuanxiu's face turned pale with anger, but he didn't know how to retaliate. Jing Fengyu, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Yelü Yuanxiu glared fiercely at Jing Fengyu, who, being young, immediately fell silent in fear.

“Since Crown Prince Yelü has nothing to say, let’s leave it at that.” Jing Anle turned to Chi Wenyuan, “Teacher, let’s begin the lesson.”

Hearing Jing Anle's remarks, Chi Wenyuan, though expressionless, agreed, as they aligned with his advocacy of gender equality. He couldn't help but glance at Jing Anle; her bright eyes and white teeth framed her as she sat quietly, her expression remaining calm despite her intense words.

Then Chi Wenyuan fanned himself and said, “What the princess said is very true. Since ancient times, men have been superior to women. Is that really true? Today is my second lesson. As princes, you will all have imperial consorts in the future. If the imperial consort is virtuous, she will naturally be beneficial to you. If the imperial consort is not virtuous, the consequences may be great or small.”

“If the man is the house, then the woman is the beam; you can all tell the difference in their weight.”

After Chi Wenyuan finished speaking slowly, everyone nodded silently. Yelü Yuanxiu was still very disdainful, but he didn't say anything. He just felt that this teacher was unorthodox and had a false reputation.

Emperor Jing's cabinet.

"This teacher's teaching method is truly unique," Emperor Jing said to the prime minister while writing.

The Prime Minister, who had never heard of such a thing before, replied, "Indeed, it's quite novel."

The course proceeded smoothly, and Akabane Gen's teaching style remained unique. Before long, it was time for a break.