Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

A look of hesitation crossed Grandmother Jia's aged face as she said:

"I have no objection to you bestowing titles and honors upon your clansmen and sharing some of the benefits with them."

"Although there are some clan-owned lands and other communal properties in the East Prefecture, they produce little to no yield at this time and are only used for annual sacrifices. Your willingness to contribute money to care for the elderly and children is truly commendable!"

"But regarding education, the clan already has a clan school, managed by Dai Ru. Is it really necessary to establish another one?"

Jia Jing replied:

"The clan school is no longer usable. I've been to a clan school before, so I know the situation inside very well."

"Dai Ru Gong was getting old and lacked energy, so he often let his grandson Jia Rui manage the clan school, which made a mess of things."

"It's a den of iniquity, full of fighting, gambling, and hedonism; there's even homosexuality. It's a veritable breeding ground for vice! The atmosphere is extremely bad!"

"Besides, Master Dai Ru wasn't even a student of the lowest level of the imperial examinations; his own learning is limited. What kind of talent could he possibly produce?"

"Just look at the results of the clan school in recent years; not a single scholar or student has passed the county-level exam, let alone a provincial-level or metropolitan-level exam!"

"Such a clan school is worse off than nothing. Ask Sister-in-law Wan; Lan-ge'er studies there, she should know what's going on!"

Today, Li Wan wore a simple and elegant padded jacket. She had a slender figure and a gentle and graceful temperament.

She was quietly serving Lady Wang when Jia Jing suddenly brought it up, and she was momentarily flustered.

Especially when facing Jia Jing's calm gaze, she felt a bit pressured.

He truly deserves to be called a general who fought his way through the battlefield; his sharp eyes seem to pierce right into people's hearts.

Li Wan slightly turned her gaze away, feeling somewhat regretful that she hadn't cultivated a good relationship with Jia Jing in the past.

Otherwise, with Jia Jing's support and help, Jia Lan's path would be much easier.

However, she quickly came to terms with it. As a widow, she naturally avoided getting too close to any of the men in the household to prevent gossip.

Moreover, Jia Jing's rise to power was too sudden, so it's not my fault for not placing my bets in advance.

When Jia Jing asked his question, he met the gazes of Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Jia Zheng, and others.

Li Wan thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Brother Jing is right! Brother Lan did tell me that the atmosphere at the clan school isn't very good!"

"These days, I mainly teach Lan Ge'er at home, but my knowledge is limited, and I'm afraid I won't be able to teach him anymore after a while!"

Li Wan was of utmost concern for her son's studies, and she fully agreed with Jia Jing's proposal to reorganize the clan school.

Therefore, even though it might not be to Grandmother Jia's liking, she still chose to tell the truth.

Grandmother Jia sighed. She didn't blame Li Wan, but she hadn't expected the clan school to be so dilapidated!

She thought the clan school was good, and often quoted Jia Dairu's praise of Baoyu, but she was probably laughed at behind her back.

Jia Zheng actually had some understanding of the clan school situation, but he was always lazy about worldly matters, and since Jia Dairu was an elder, he didn't want to interfere too much.

At this moment, it was said:

"My son has also heard about the unsavory aspects of the clan school, and originally planned to hire another tutor to teach Baoyu and the others at home!"

Since even Jia Zheng had said so, no one else had any doubts. Therefore, it was perfectly legitimate for Jia Jing to restore the academic atmosphere of the Jia family.

The reason Jia Jing was both helping the needy and reforming the clan school was certainly not because he had too much money to spend.

To reiterate, he wanted to reorganize the Rongguo Mansion and the Jia clan, but he couldn't just go home and start acting recklessly with swords and spears.

First and foremost, it's essential to win people's hearts and minds. By showing kindness and establishing a good reputation, subsequent rectification will become a natural progression.

A combination of kindness and firmness is the key!

Internal purges and external struggles are different; one must take into account the will of the people and not resort to force.

In feudal patriarchal society, the clan still played a significant role.

Being of the same kind means that we share both prosperity and adversity.

It can be said that apart from the absolutely loyal subordinates rewarded by the system, his most reliable base is his clan!

Feudal ethics emphasize that relatives should protect each other's reputation. If a person does not have a good reputation among his relatives, how can he be close to his colleagues, friends, in-laws, and the common people?

Therefore, Jia Jing wanted to spend money to buy this reputation, first to have a good reputation within the clan and consolidate his base, so that he could do things boldly and decisively in the Jia family and the imperial court later.

At the same time, this also puts those who are wary of him at ease. Once he has firmly grasped military power in Ba Shang's camp, he can strike swiftly and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

Jia Jing continued:

"The problem with clan schools is actually the lack of qualified teachers and the lax management system. Regarding teachers, for the imperial examinations, I plan to invite at least a renowned teacher with the title of Juren to teach the clan children. For military affairs, I plan to invite military instructors to teach horsemanship, archery, martial arts, and military strategy."

"The management system must be strict. First, the students must be strictly screened; we can't just accept anyone. Second, we will implement a boarding system with closed-off learning, allowing students to go home once every two weeks. We will not allow students to study sporadically. At the same time, there will be regular exams. Those who do well will be rewarded, and those who do poorly will be expelled from the school."

"Education is the foundation of a nation's long-term development! This is a fundamental issue that every family must pay attention to."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng praised again:

"Excellent idea! That hits the nail on the head! If we can truly do as Jing-ge says, how can we worry about the Jia family not prospering!"

"Jing-ge'er values ​​education so much for our ethnic group; I will definitely give my full support!"

"I've sent Baoyu and Huan-ge'er to school too. We can't let them continue to drift along like this; what kind of behavior are they in!"

After Jia Zheng finished speaking, he glanced at Jia Baoyu beside him. Jia Baoyu was looking at the lip color of a maid in Jia Mu's room, seemingly wondering what kind of rouge it was and whether he could try it sometime.

Seeing Jia Zheng's cold gaze upon them, they immediately lowered their heads in fright, like quails.

When Grandmother Jia saw that Jia Baoyu was frightened by his father, she quickly said:

"Baoyu is still young and frail; he can't withstand the daily torment of living in the clan school. We should invite someone to teach him at our residence; I can't be without him by my side!"

Grandmother Jia was reluctant to let Jia Baoyu go to the clan school. Jia Jing said it was a boarding school, and he would only be able to come back once every two weeks. This was simply not going to work!

Jia Zheng sighed deeply and said:

"Mother! There should be limits to spoiling him! Baoyu is so old now, yet he spends all his time doing nothing but fooling around with the maids in the inner quarters. What kind of behavior is he becoming!"

"Look at Jing-ge, he's only a few years older than him, yet he's already been through many battles and become the pillar of our Jia family!"

Madam Wang rubbed her temples, never expecting that the conversation would drift back to her own Baoyu.

She strongly disagreed with Jia Zheng's statement that Jia Baoyu was inferior to Jia Jing!

My son is the one who is born lucky; he is destined for a life of wealth and honor.

Jing-ge'er looks good now, but who knows what he'll be like in the future!

She would certainly not agree to Jia Zheng sending Jia Baoyu to the clan school. She only had one precious son, and she absolutely couldn't bear to let him suffer!

Let alone not seeing each other for half a month, she would feel uneasy even if she didn't see each other for a day or two on ordinary days.

Madam Wang, feigning a sorrowful expression, said:

"Master! Baoyu is still young; let's invite a renowned tutor to our home to teach him!"

"Think about Zhu'er. If she hadn't studied so hard at such a young age, how could she have ruined her health like this! I only have this one son now!"