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Chapter 373 Academy
After leaving Li County, Jiang Shaohua went to Ye County.

Li County was a poor county that quickly developed into a medium-sized county. Ye County was different. As one of the ten most prosperous counties in Daliang, Ye County had always been the most prosperous place in Nanyang County.

Every household in Ye County had a loom, and every household planted mulberry trees and raised silkworms. Women earned money to support their families and had a particularly high status. More than three years ago, three cases tried in the county government also had a profound impact on Ye County.

In summary, women in Ye County have a high status. Once you enter Ye County, you can see women going out everywhere. And they are all full of energy, and their voices are much louder than in other places.

This was Tang Youyin's first time in Ye County, and he was also shocked by the atmosphere in Ye County. He couldn't help but whisper to Ma Yaozong: "I never thought that Ye County would be like this."

Ma Yaozong quickly glanced at the figure of the princess in front of him and laughed softly, "There are many special things about Ye County. You will really open your eyes later."

Tang Youyin's heart moved, and he lowered his voice: "Are you talking about Ye County Academy?"

The magistrate of Ye County, Cui, was also a capable official. He opened the Ye County Academy two years ago. The academy was divided into boys' and girls' halls.

This is something that other counties cannot learn. The people are still struggling to make ends meet. If we want to open schools to enlighten the people, we should at least wait until the people are prosperous.

Bowang County was busy with mining and raising horses more than Yang County. Only in Ye County were the people wealthy and did not need their children to work. Moreover, the Ye County government was also wealthy, and the schools opened did not require tuition fees. All expenses were paid by the county government, and lunch was provided every day at noon.

In the past two years, the scale of Ye County Academy has expanded several times. In the ten spacious and bright study rooms, the sound of reading can be heard.

Such a scene is really too shocking!
Not only Tang Youyin, but also Chen Jinyu and Ma Yaozong were shocked: "There are so many students in the academy now!"

Jiang Shaohua smiled and turned to look at County Magistrate Cui: "How many students are there in the school now?"

County Magistrate Cui has grown a short beard in the past two years, and he looks much calmer. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, a hint of the reservedness of a child from an aristocratic family was revealed: "My lord, there are a total of 268 students now. There are 222 boys and 46 girls."

Two years ago, there were only a few female students, and it was only through the county magistrate's wife, Li Ying, who served as their teacher herself that these female students were able to be retained.

Now, the number of boys coming to school has increased several times, and the number of girls is also increasing.

Jiang Shaohua's eyes flashed with a smile, and he praised: "This is all thanks to you and your wife."

County Magistrate Cui had now learned to be modest: "I don't deserve the princess's praise. This is what a minister should do. The school has hired six scholars as teachers. In the girls' school, in addition to my wife, I have also hired a female teacher."

Jiang Shaohua immediately became interested: "Is there another female teacher? I'll go take a look."

You know, it is not easy to learn to read and write in Daliang. Among ordinary people, it is good to find one or two people who can read and write out of a hundred. It is not easy for men to read and write, and there are even fewer women who have read and written. Therefore, when County Magistrate Cui opened a school for girls, he searched around but could not find a suitable teacher, so he had to let Li Ying be the teacher.

County Magistrate Cui smiled and replied, "To be honest, my lady, this female tutor is my distant cousin, her surname is Cui and her name is Wenxiu. After she got married, her husband died of illness. She has a pair of children and was originally a widow at home. The school was short of female tutors, so I wrote a letter to invite her to come."

As expected, she is a girl from an aristocratic family. There is still a long way to go to popularize education.

Jiang Shaohua stepped into the girls' dormitory. Compared with the boys' dormitory, there were fewer students here. There were three dormitories in total. There were more than a dozen students in each dormitory.

The oldest one is eleven or twelve years old now. The youngest one is a new student this year and is only about six or seven years old. The girls stood in unison and saluted in unison: "Greetings, Princess."

Such a scene makes one feel as warm as spring.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "Everyone stand up."

Then, Li Ying led a young woman forward to pay her respects.

Jiang Shaohua came to Ye County for inspection every year. At the end of the year, Li Ying would go to the palace for a banquet with her husband. They were very familiar with each other.

Jiang Shaohua's gaze fell on Cui Wenxiu.

Cui Wenxiu and County Magistrate Cui were cousins, and they looked somewhat alike, both of them were dignified and beautiful, with calm features.

"County Magistrate Cui asked you to be his female teacher. How much is your monthly salary?" Jiang Shaohua asked with a smile.

Cui Wenxiu didn't expect the princess' first question to be this. He was slightly startled, but quickly reacted: "My princess, County Magistrate Cui hired me to be a tutor. The monthly salary is the same as that of male tutors. I get three taels of silver a month, two liters of grain every month, and two new clothes a season."

This treatment is very generous. Only the Ye County government can afford it.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and nodded slightly, then asked about the daily teaching situation.

Cui Wenxiu knew that the princess was testing him, so he was not flustered at all and answered with confidence. When he talked about the students' learning situation, he knew them all.

Apart from anything else, just from this response, we can see that Cui Wenxiu is dedicated and responsible in his daily life.

Jiang Shaohua nodded secretly in his heart and smiled gently, "Teaching children to read and write requires perseverance and endless patience. Since you are here to be a teacher, you should do your job well. If you encounter any troubles in the future, County Magistrate Cui will take care of it for you."

"If County Magistrate Cui can't make the decision, I will make it for you!"

Cui Wenxiu's body trembled slightly, and her voice trembled: "Thank you, Princess."

Li Ying, who was standing by, was also a little surprised and quickly glanced at her husband. Did you say anything to the princess?

County Magistrate Cui looked innocent and quietly winked at him. Am I such a talkative person? Why would I spread my cousin's family affairs everywhere?
County Magistrate Cui did not mention it. However, who is Jiang Shaohua? Once you hear her, you know there is a reason. Otherwise, how could a widow abandon her children and come to Ye County to be a female teacher?
That night, Jiang Shaohua settled down in the backyard of Ye County Government Office.

The well-informed gossip-monger Chen Sheren came and told the princess the story of Cui Wenxiu with a tone of regret: "… Cui Wenxiu's husband's surname was Meng, and they were also a prominent family. The couple had a good relationship and had a son and a daughter. Unfortunately, Mr. Meng suffered from tuberculosis and died early."

"Cui Wenxiu was a widow with two children. Her family had thousands of acres of fertile land, and they could barely make ends meet. Unfortunately, her parents-in-law were partial to her and gave all the fertile land to their youngest son. They also forced Cui Wenxiu to remarry."

"Cui Wenxiu wanted to take the children with her, but the Meng family refused and insisted that they stay behind. Cui Wenxiu didn't want to go back to her parents' home, so she came to seek refuge with County Magistrate Cui."