"First of all, there is the strict boundary between men and women, so having a female teacher means there is no need to worry about any damage to one's reputation."
"Secondly, the teaching methods of the teachers recommended by my father are all geared toward the imperial examinations, but women do not need to take these exams."
"Not only can I teach them how to read and write, but I can also teach them accounting, playing the zither, and embroidery—things that men cannot teach."
"Furthermore, compared to men, women can more easily build a close relationship with young girls. For instance, guiding their hands to teach them how to write is something men cannot do."
"If the County Princess is worried about my knowledge, you may test me with any questions you like. I will absolutely not fall short compared to them."
Looking at Zheng Jiangyue, who was speaking with such confidence and fighting hard for the opportunity, the admiration in Song Jinzhao's eyes grew stronger.
She saw a hint of a modern woman in Zheng Jiangyue.
Song Qiming said, "Sister, Miss Zheng's knowledge was personally taught by the teacher, and her skills in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting were passed down directly from the teacher's wife. There will definitely be no problem with her teaching."
Song Jinzhao's eyes curved in a smile. "In that case, there is no need for a test. I could not ask for anything more than to hire a female teacher."
Zheng Jiangyue took a sharp breath, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
"Thank you, County Princess. I will definitely teach them well."
Seeing that his daughter's matter was settled, Scholar Zheng finally went out.
An hour later, he brought back a white-haired old man who looked to be twenty years older than Teacher Zheng.
After they sat down and introductions were made, Song Jinzhao learned that they were indeed former classmates.
However, the other man had been relatively old when he passed the county-level exams, and the two had been classmates at the academy for three years.
Later, this Teacher Wen found a private school to teach at while continuing to study for the provincial exams, but he never managed to pass.
Song Qiming tested his knowledge on the spot, and after confirming there were no issues, they hired him.
After finalizing the annual salary and various benefits, the two signed the employment contracts right then and there.
After leaving the Zheng residence, Song Jinzhao and Song Qiming took their people to the streets to purchase tables, chairs, benches, brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books.
When several handcarts were pulled into the village, the village chief had already led people to clean the house thoroughly.
Song Mancang pointed at the blank plaque and asked Song Jinzhao.
"Jinzhao, my girl, what do you think we should name this school? How about calling it Zhaoming School?"
Song Jinzhao pursed her lips. "Let's just call it Song Family School. It sounds nice."
Hearing this, Song Mancang grinned from ear to ear.
"Alright, Song Family School it is. I also think this name sounds wonderful."
The name he had originally wanted was Song Family School, but he had been too embarrassed to say it, considering that all the school's future expenses would be covered by Song Jinzhao.
He had thought that naming it Zhaoming School would make the Song siblings happier.
Song Jinzhao handed the two employment contracts to Song Mancang.
"The teachers have been decided. We hired a female teacher to teach the girls in the village. She is the daughter of Scholar Zheng."
Song Mancang opened the contracts and, upon seeing the names of Teacher Wen and Zheng Jiangyue, said good three times in a row.
"A female teacher is great. The daughter of Scholar Zheng must have considerable talent. Having her teach the village girls is even more suitable than a male scholar."
To attend the school's opening ceremony, Song Jinzhao and her group stayed in Song Family Village for an extra two days.
The night before their departure, Song Jinzhao spoke with Old Man Song and Hu Sanluo for nearly an hour, ensuring that everything would run smoothly after she left.
When they left Song Family Village the next day, the sunlight was perfect, shining warmly upon them.
Compared to the past when only the two elders and the first and second branches of the family came to see them off, this time the village chief led many villagers to watch them leave from the village entrance, not dispersing until they were far away.
Song Jinzhao and her group also made a detour to Anyang Prefecture on their way.
Besides instructing them to regularly send silver to the school in Song Family Village, they also went to meet Steward Lu, who had taken over Chunxing's position.
Song Jinzhao also audited the accounts once over.
Song Qiming, meanwhile, went to the Mu residence to visit Mu Hongyue, the headmaster of Anyang Academy.
By the time they finished these tasks and returned to the capital, it was already early June.
In the front hall, Song Qiming placed the letters and bundles on the table.
"These are the letters your grandfather asked us to bring you. The clothes and shoes were made by your aunt herself. They miss you very much."
Song Gaoli picked up the letter, looking at the familiar handwriting and subconsciously rubbing it with his thumb.
"Are my parents, grandfather, and grandmother doing well?"
His deep voice could not hide his concern. Being alone in the capital, he felt lonely amidst his longing for them.
Song Qiming sat down and comforted him, "Do not worry, the village chief and Uncle Dazhuang are in robust health. During this trip back, my sister funded the opening of a school in the village. The village chief will be quite busy from now on."
This sudden news pulled Song Gaoli out of his nostalgic mood.
"Opened a school?"
Song Qiming took a bite of a rose pastry and nodded.
"Song Family School. It has over a hundred students and accepts both boys and girls. The teachers we hired are Teacher Zheng's former classmate and his daughter."
Song Gaoli blinked in surprise, the image of Zheng Jiangyue appearing in his mind.
"Teacher Zheng's daughter, Zheng Jiangyue?"
Song Qiming said, "Yes, there are no female teachers in Xining City, so she is the perfect fit."
In the backyard study, Qingshuang stood tall and straight in front of Song Jinzhao, reporting on what had happened in the capital during this period.
"Prince Qi'an of the Second Rank and Prince Yingcheng of the Second Rank tried to repeat their old tricks to win over the court officials, but the officials with any standing in the court no longer buy into their influence. Therefore, the officials they contacted are of relatively low ranks and cannot make any waves."
"After the princes in the palace successively reached their one-month milestones, the Emperor arranged adoptive mothers for them. They are all concubines of the Pin rank or higher, and the Fifth Prince was given to the Empress to raise."
Song Jinzhao's fingers resting on the table paused slightly, and a cold sneer appeared at the corners of her mouth.
Xiao Rongche and Xiao Rongyan were completely out of hope now.
Originally, the six princes had low statuses, but now their worth depended on their mothers, not to mention the Fifth Prince who was being raised by the Empress.
The court officials all had a scale in their hearts; naturally, they would not place bets when the odds of winning were slim.
In the front hall, after chatting about family matters, Song Gaoli brought up Duan Yanhua.
"Two months ago, I discovered that the Second Prince wanted to bring Duan Yanhua under his wing. Worried that something might happen, I asked Lord Ye and Yukun to transfer him out of the capital. He is already on his way to Mingzhou."
Song Qiming frowned in curiosity.
"Prince Yingcheng of the Second Rank actually took a fancy to Duan Yanhua?"
A seventh-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy, old and incompetent—Xiao Rongyan should not have even bothered trying to recruit him.
Song Gaoli said, "You were not in the capital, so you do not know. The Emperor arranged high-status adoptive mothers for the six recently born princes, and the Fifth Prince is even being raised personally by the Empress."
"Many officials feel that the Emperor favors making the Fifth Prince the Crown Prince. It is no longer as easy for the First Prince and Second Prince to recruit people to their factions as it used to be. Taking an interest in Duan Yanhua is just them casting a wide net without being picky."
Letting out a deep sigh, Song Gaoli felt nothing but regret in his heart for having so easily taken him as his teacher back then.
"After I became the Director of the Armory Bureau, Duan Yanhua tried several times to drag me to restaurants to drink with other court officials. I used the excuse that the Ministry of War was too busy to reject them all. On top of that, I was unwilling to help him maneuver for a promotion. Seeing that I was of no use to him, he was more than eager to accept the Second Prince's overtures."
"Everyone knows that Duan Yanhua is my teacher. Tearing up our relationship would be bad for my reputation, and if something happened to him, it would drag me down too. It was better to just transfer him away early and be done with it once and for all."
Without the need to enter the palace every day, Song Jinzhao suddenly had a lot more free time after returning to the capital.
After taking stock of her current businesses, she began to set her sights on other ventures.
The businesses in the capital were all out in the open. Not wanting to draw too much attention, Song Jinzhao simply arranged for her people to open shops in neighboring cities under the guise of being competitors. This way, she could avoid inciting jealousy over her wealth and keep her fortune from being targeted.
