Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 414 Academy Manager
After taking a closer look at their clothes, I noticed that both mother and daughter were wearing fur coats in the dead of winter. Although they were simple and elegant, the quality of the fur coats was quite good.

It seemed they were doing alright these days, and Jiu Que breathed a slight sigh of relief. This Xu Minghui was also an old friend of her mother's, one of the relics her mother left behind. Ideally, Jiu Que would still like to see her doing well.

"I've heard these past few days that Chaoyan Academy is recruiting students on a large scale, and even admitting female students despite the controversy, so I came to take a look. The headmaster here seems quite good. I wonder if you could introduce me?"

Xu Minghui really enjoyed the free learning atmosphere at Chaoyan Academy. Even though she was a married woman and had a reputation for suing her husband, everyone there treated her the same as everyone else. Although she already knew what the academy was like, experiencing it firsthand was different from hearing about it.

Xu Minghui was very happy to see that His Highness the Prince liked this place, but unfortunately, she had been here for more than ten days and had not yet seen the legendary headmaster.

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but I, no, I also wish to meet the legendary headmaster. However, he does not receive outsiders, and even the teachers in the academy are rarely seen. But I can introduce Your Highness to the current manager of the academy. Would Your Highness be interested?"

Hearing this, Jiu Que was not without regret, but since the headmaster of the academy was unwilling to meet outsiders, she did not need to force him. Even if one held a high position, one should respect other people's thoughts.

So the three of them went together to a quiet courtyard in the academy, where they saw a figure that surprised them all, because the person was clearly a young woman.

The woman looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in the simple and elegant attire of a scholar. Her gaze, which she cast through the window, held a hint of barely perceptible surprise, which she quickly concealed as she walked out with a smile.

He bowed to Jiu Que and the other person with great solemnity.

"This humble subject greets Your Highness the Prince and Lord Chunyu."

"Sir, there's no need for such formalities. I came here abruptly today without presenting my visiting card beforehand, which is indeed my fault. I'll be very happy if you don't take offense."

Jiu Que quickly stepped forward and helped the woman up. He was surprised to find that the young, bright woman seemed to have some difficulty walking, as she involuntarily staggered. He had to straighten her up himself. Jiu Que felt a little embarrassed, having caused such an awkward situation on their first meeting. However, the young steward didn't seem to mind, and instead smiled and leaned against Prince Chen to stand up straight.

For some reason, Chunyu Shuang, who was standing to the side, felt that this steward seemed to be too close to Jiu Que. It wasn't just simple flattery; it was as if he had known Jiu Que for a long time, and now that they had finally met, there was a kind of intimacy and tacit understanding between old friends.

Something is wrong, something terribly wrong.

The official in charge introduced himself.

"Your Highness, please forgive me. I was born with one leg that couldn't bend, and it became crippled over time. When I was eight, my parents sold me to a brothel because some psychologically twisted people like me who have physical disabilities. Fortunately, I was rescued by a nobleman, who not only gave me a place to live but also allowed me to pursue what I like. That nobleman gave me a name, Yin. Your Highness can call me Wu Hui."

A smile appeared in Jiu Que's eyes as he gently patted the dust off the shoulders of the overly young steward in front of him. Seeing that the man, despite his physical disability, was so sunny and cheerful, he knew that this person must have a free, equal, and harmonious living environment. It seemed that this academy truly met his expectations and was quite well-run.

Even before meeting the academy's dean in person, Jiu Que already had a very good impression of the Chaoyan Academy. He thought that for someone with a physical disability to be in a position of authority, the dean must be a magnanimous person. "No Regrets, what a good name. The person who named you must have hoped that you would be a person who forges ahead bravely and does not regret the choices you have made."

"Your Highness is truly a man of brilliant strategy."

The steward looked at Jiu Que with such affection and fondness, and there was even an inexplicable hint of filial piety in his eyes. This look made Chunyu Shuang's imagination run wild.

Why does the person in charge look at me like that? I feel there's something strange about it.

Touching her chin in deep thought, Chunyu Shuang didn't care at all about her status as a third-rank official. This, however, earned her a higher regard from the steward Wu Hui beside her. She had long heard of a highly capable female official in the Ministry of Justice who had risen through the ranks in the past year, almost a triple promotion, and was now one of the top officials in the Ministry.

I never expected her to be so approachable. But it's precisely because of this personality that she's willing to help those unfortunate women.

"Would Your Highness and Lord Chunyu like to take a look at the situation at the academy?"

"Oh? I heard that the academy had always been secluded from the world. If it weren't for its recent large-scale enrollment, people in the capital might not even know that such a wonderful place existed outside the capital. Why are you now willing to take Your Highness on a tour?"

"Lord Chunyu is joking."

Although Steward Wu Hui appears to be all smiles and not particularly aggressive, she handles such remarks with remarkable ease.

"The academy had been living in seclusion because it had not found a master willing to acknowledge it as their leader. Now we have found one, and everyone in the academy has agreed. We have already met His Highness the Prince. Why would we deliberately put on airs? If we were to miss out on a wise master because of a few points of pride, that would be the most regrettable thing."

"..."

Chunyu Shuang narrowed her eyes, not quite believing such an answer.

"You're quite sensible, but I wonder if you've been plotting something all along?"

Despite Chunyu Shuang's hurtful words, Wu Hui didn't take them to heart, showing she was truly magnanimous. She even led the way with a smile. Jiu Que liked this kind of person and gave Chunyu Shuang a look. Chunyu Shuang didn't say anything more, touched her nose, and leisurely followed behind, taking in the surroundings, especially glancing at the passing students.

No matter how much an academy tries to conceal its true nature, it will always reveal itself in subtle ways, especially among these young people. Even if they try to pretend, it will still show in the details. Chunyu Shuang had just observed several people; the students were either walking briskly or behaving with great poise. Although their clothes weren't made of the finest materials, they exuded a unique vitality. What surprised Chunyu Shuang even more was that these students weren't all young; there were even a few who looked to be over fifty years old…

That's interesting.