In the carriage, the little ones kept chatting, and time passed quickly.
The little one wanted to reach his destination sooner, so they didn’t make many stops along the way.
After several days of travel, they arrived just as the rainy season began.
Ling Fu, sore from lying in the carriage, was the first to jump out, splashing some water as he landed.
“Little Seven, hurry up and come down.”
After getting out, Ling Fu extended his hand toward the little one still inside.
But the little one, who had opened the curtain, wasn’t helped down by him.
Instead, Ah Wu, who had been walking behind Ling Fu, came forward and carried the little one out of the carriage.
The weather was still chilly, and the little one wore a furry hat that made his face look even cuter.
“Ah Wu, you’re here already!”
“Yes, I just arrived not long ago.”
Ah Wu held an umbrella for the little one and led him toward the house.
“I brought lots of things this time, including special products from the capital. I’ll give them to you later.”
“Alright.”
The items they brought were quickly sorted and organized by the servants.
Ah Wu led the little one to rest inside the house.
The bed and the carriage were completely still, and the little one laid on the bed, comfortably rolling around.
“Ah Wu, what did you do this time while you were away?”
“I handled a few matters. What about you? What did you do?”
“I was just playing.”
The little one hugged a pillow and tilted his head to look at Ah Wu. “Before I left, I solved a big problem for my big brother and uncle!”
“What big problem?”
“Their marriages!”
Lying on the bed, the little one eagerly told Ah Wu everything he had done.
When he finished, he swung his legs proudly, feeling like he had done something amazing.
Ah Wu raised an eyebrow, sensing something strange about these two people’s affairs.
But other people’s business didn’t concern him.
He didn’t pay too much attention to them and simply listened as the little one continued talking.
The two of them chatted in the room without anyone disturbing them.
Only in the evening did someone come by.
It was Wan Ming, who had heard they were back and came rushing over.
When Wan Ming arrived, he brought a bag of pine nut candy. The little one saw this and scolded him lightly.
“I told you not to bring gifts!”
The little one knew Wan Ming didn’t have much money, so he never let him bring gifts.
“Your Highness, it’s just a bag of candy. I can afford that.”
Wan Ming smiled, and by now, he wasn’t as reserved as he used to be in front of the little one.
After putting down the candy, Wan Ming’s face flushed a little, and he spoke with some embarrassment. “Your Highness, I’m getting married soon and would like to invite you to the ceremony. Do you have time to attend?”
“I do!”
The little one’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Why are you suddenly getting married? Who are you marrying?”
“Your Highness, I’m marrying Yan Niang from West Street in Ping County.”
“Yan Niang?”
The little one paused, the name sounding familiar.
“Yan Niang runs a braised food shop on West Street. Her parents are no longer alive, and she has a younger brother and sister to take care of.”
“Oh, I remember now! Her braised chicken legs are delicious.”
The little one recalled Yan Niang, but also remembered the gossip he had heard about her.
People had said many things about Yan Niang, including how it was improper for a young woman to show her face in public and how she was hard to marry off with two younger siblings to care for.
When the little one heard these things, he had scolded those people in displeasure.
Now, hearing that Yan Niang was going to marry Wan Ming, the little one felt genuinely happy.
“It’s wonderful news that you two are getting married!”
The little one smiled, his eyes squinting with joy. “I’ll definitely be there.”
He had never attended a wedding in Yanzhou Prefecture before.
Wan Ming was also unable to hide his happiness upon hearing the little one agree. “Your Highness, it will be my great honor to have you attend.”
“Alright, no need for the formalities. This is a happy occasion, and I’ll come to share in the joy.”
After agreeing on this, Wan Ming also brought up a few other matters to discuss with the little one.
“Wan Ming, I’m going to build a school.”
The little one had something important to tell him. “The first school will be in Ping County.”
“In Ping County first?”
Wan Ming picked up on the key point. “Your Highness, how many schools do you plan to build?”
The little one blinked and held up both hands. “I’m going to build so many schools, I won’t be able to count them on both hands!”
Wan Ming was shocked.
Throughout history, building schools wasn’t something that could be done easily. It required a huge investment, and just hiring the teachers alone wasn’t something anyone could simply manage.
“My teacher said that studying is a very important thing.”
The little one’s teacher wasn’t from Ping County, but from Guan Shan Residence.
“Your Highness, building schools isn’t easy, but since you’ve decided, I will fully support you.”
“Good!”
The little one nodded and spoke a few more words with Wan Ming before sending him off.
After Wan Ming left, the little one took Ah Wu to show him the money he had brought.
“Look, isn’t there a lot?”
The funds for the school had already been approved by his big brother.
This time, he had brought all the money needed to build the school.
With the money in hand, everything would be much easier.
Thanks to the funds, the little one quickly bought a school that someone else had failed to run and began expanding and renovating it.
“These are the designs sent by Guan Shan Residence.”
The little one showed Ah Wu the blueprints. “We can build according to this.”
Ah Wu carefully examined the designs and agreed they were good.
Building the school was easy, but enrolling students was not.
In this era, no matter the location, education was expensive.
For a common farming family, sending their children to school was like trying to reach the sky.
The little one knew how difficult this was, so he sat at his desk and earnestly wrote something.
After finishing, he blew on the ink to dry it and handed the paper to his subordinate.
“Make 100 copies of this and post them.”
“And call all the county magistrates for me.”
Even though the little one was in Ping County, he was concerned with much more than just the county itself.
Whether it was improving farmland, building roads, opening workshops, or hiring workers, he hadn’t neglected the other counties.
The magistrates of the other counties were aware of his status and always obeyed his orders.
Before the little one arrived, the inspector of Yanzhou Prefecture had already been dealt with by Ling Chen.
Though a new inspector hadn’t yet taken office, whoever it was would certainly know the weight of the little one’s influence.
“Little Seven, I saw the notice you posted. Don’t you think it’s a bit too bold?”
Before the other county magistrates arrived, Ling Fu had already seen the notice Little Seven had posted and hurried over.
“Sixth Brother, what part do you think is bold?”
Little Seven propped his face up with his hands and asked his sixth brother.
Ling Fu frowned and replied, “I think the whole thing is quite bold.”
To put it nicely, Little Seven’s announcement could be described as bold. To be more blunt, it was outrageous.
Little Seven’s academy was offering admission without requiring the traditional entrance fee. Not only that, but the paper and pens needed for studying were cheaper than elsewhere. For students who performed exceptionally well, even the cost of these supplies would be waived.
Most shocking of all, the academy would admit female students.
The idea of female students alone was enough to astonish people.
Wealthy families might hire female teachers for their daughters, so they could learn to read and write. But for girls to attend an academy—this was unheard of.
“Little Seven, doing this will bring you a lot of criticism.”
Ling Fu wasn’t against the idea of girls getting an education; he was just worried that his little brother would face a flood of opposition and harsh words because of it.
“Sixth Brother, this was one of the things I wrote down on a small note.”
“What?”
“Our teacher asked us to write down what we want to do in the future. This was one of the things I wrote.”
When Little Seven talked about this, there was no trace of fear in his eyes. They were bright, and his voice was firm: “I made a pinky promise with my teacher. The things I wrote down, I will definitely accomplish.”
Ling Fu: “…”
Ling Fu still felt uneasy. He wanted to advise against it, but when he looked into his brother’s sparkling eyes, the words of caution stuck in his throat and he couldn’t bring himself to say them.
“Sigh.”
The two brothers locked eyes. In the end, Ling Fu let out a long sigh. “Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll stand by you.”
After all, Little Seven was his younger brother, and as the older brother, it was his job to protect him and face challenges together.
That’s what their eldest brother had taught him.
“Sixth Brother, letting girls study is a good thing.”
Little Seven had already discussed the matter of girls attending school with Ling Chen back in the palace.
At first, Ling Chen had been shocked.
He didn’t respond immediately but thought it over for a long time.
While Ling Chen was thinking, Little Seven wrote him many letters explaining his ideas.
Later, Ling Chen called Little Seven over and, while gently rubbing his little brother’s head, spoke in a calm and warm tone.
“Little Seven, I’ve given your suggestion serious thought.”
“Throughout history, education and officialdom have been the domain of men. Allowing women to study and become enlightened will undoubtedly make many men feel that their rights are being threatened.”
“They will strongly oppose it, but you’re right—among those who object, many will be driven by fear.”
“They oppose it because they fear losing to women.”
“The Qi Dynasty dynasty lacks capable people right now, not men specifically, but competent individuals.”
“If your academy can indeed cultivate talented women, I will make use of them.”
Ling Chen was open-minded, but he also understood the importance of balance.
He didn’t allow the idea of women’s academies to spread all over the country immediately. Instead, he let Little Seven try it first in Yanzhou Prefecture.
“Sixth Brother is the best, just like Big Brother!”
Little Seven flattered his sixth brother, causing Ling Fu to beam with pride.
Half a month later.
It was almost time for Little Seven’s academy to open, but before it even did, it had already sparked a lot of criticism.
Many scholars, students, and civil servants angrily condemned the seventh prince’s actions.
The criticisms were so numerous that Little Seven couldn’t even listen to them all.
Ah Wu, upon hearing these words, could barely contain his rage, but fortunately, Little Seven knew how to soothe him.
Little Seven patted Ah Wu’s head, comforting him: “Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. Later, I’ll put on a bridal veil for you, and you can lift it.”
At Wan Ming’s wedding, Little Seven had gotten a little tipsy on fruit alcohol. Drunk and playful, he had put on a bridal veil himself and imitated a bride, asking Ah Wu to lift it.
Little Seven had enjoyed that game immensely.
Whenever he played, it seemed like Ah Wu enjoyed it too.
So now, whenever there was any trouble, Little Seven would use that game to cheer Ah Wu up.
Once Ah Wu was calmed down, Little Seven raised his chin and, holding Ah Wu’s hand, continued having his staff spread his enrollment pitch.
His message was simple and direct, not flowery at all.
He had people repeat his words verbatim—
“Do you want your child to succeed in life?”
“Do you want your child to become a government official?”
“If so, then enroll them in our academy!”
“A school that doesn’t charge entrance fees—are you really not coming?”
In addition to these catchy slogans, Little Seven, aware of the gender bias in the villages, specifically added: “Girls who enroll will receive a subsidy!”
Little Seven’s promotions were effective.
Driven by the rare financial incentives, the academy soon welcomed its first batch of students.
But the academy’s enrollment also caused the radical opposition to lose their patience entirely.
One day, at the entrance to the academy, Little Seven encountered more than just verbal criticism—he was physically surrounded.
“Ah Wu, don’t get mad. Wait here and watch me.”
Little Seven squeezed Ah Wu’s hand, reassured him, and then confidently stepped forward to face the mob.
Then, in the middle of the chaos, he suddenly flopped to the ground.
As Uncle Zhang San had taught him, if someone throws mud at you, just lie down and demand compensation!
LMAO! 🤣