Chapter 25

Bai Qi, who came from the Qin State and believed women should have the same status as their husbands according to Legalist philosophy, felt that the little girl’s recitation was hard to understand. In the Qin State, if anyone spread such ideas, they would be criticized by women.

Zhao Kuo, who had been playing with Huo Qubing, was shocked by what he heard and stopped playing. After a moment, he carefully asked the little girl: “So, this is… the ‘book’ you mentioned that you didn’t read much?”

The young man couldn’t help but question what his master had learned. If it was really this kind of outdated thinking, it might be a blessing for the little girl to not study much.

Otherwise, Zhao Kuo couldn’t imagine how a woman who believed in such ideas would go on to become a ruler. Should she just marry a man, serve him, and make plans for him?

“Hmm…” The little girl responded gloomily, “Something like that…”

She had mainly studied the “Four Books for Women” since childhood. In addition, she also learned about the history of the dynasty, some basic geography, and miscellaneous daily life books.

Occasionally, when the teacher felt inspired, he would tell them about the deeds of great people recorded in history.

When she became interested in these stories, she would ask her parents to get her related books, but books were rare and hard to get, especially for poor families. Few people were willing to exchange books for gold and silver.

It was hard for her to find a book she wanted to read, but when she did, she couldn’t understand it when she was alone.

So, she stopped thinking about it and followed her teacher every day, learning things she didn’t like. Her childhood memories were of when she didn’t do well in school, and the teacher would hit her palms and call her a “stupid child” or a “good-for-nothing.” She was comforted by the little sisters she played with, and her days passed like that.

When the little girl recited lines from literature, even Jia Xu and Huo Qubing, who studied Confucianism ^[1]is a philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius., felt that it sounded a bit harsh.

Even though Confucianism teaches that “the husband is the leader of the wife,” in reality, the status of women was not as low as it seemed.

In the time of Huo Qubing, during the Western Han Dynasty, and the time of Jia Xu, during the Eastern Han Dynasty,it was common for women to remarry. Even if a woman had children from a previous marriage, she could still become a queen. Many women also took the initiative to divorce their husbands if they felt unhappy.

When the men didn’t fully understand what Ying Yue had recited, Cai Yan entered a state of empathy.

Even though Cai Yan didn’t grow up with this kind of teaching like Ying Yue, as a woman, she could relate to the little girl’s struggles.

Cai Yan was able to study classic books, history, and literature as a child, not because women were often allowed to do so, but because her father was a great scholar who loved her and taught her the same subjects men studied. That’s why she was knowledgeable.

Women in her time, however, didn’t have this opportunity. Most were only allowed to study books like “Nujie” ^[2]is a book on women’s virtues., which teaches women about how to behave and be virtuous.

Cai Yan had read “Nujie” too, but she didn’t agree with everything in it. As she read it, she thought about the author, a passionate and powerful woman who had participated in politics, but still created a book that limited future women.

Thinking about this, Cai Yan’s eyes softened as she looked at the little girl with her head down. She knew how hard it was for a girl to find her place in the world, and none of the men present could understand that. Only she, as a woman, could truly understand.

Then, she gently touched the little girl’s soft hair and asked, “Ayue, would you like to study with me?”

She hadn’t meant to be disrespectful to Ying Yue, but when she spoke about it, she became emotional. In just a moment, the elegant woman closed her eyes briefly, then looked at the little girl and said, “It’s not about teaching women how to be virtuous and proper, but studying the scriptures that all students work hard on.”

What Cai Yan was resisting wasn’t studying, but being completely controlled by ideas that limited women. In her view, this was just common sense.

Furthermore, Ying Yue had not been fully corrupted by these limiting ideas. In fact, she was already very strong.

Hearing Cai Yan’s question, Ying Yue stared blankly at her. She lacked confidence and almost asked, “Is it okay?” but somehow she held back the question.

After a while, the little girl nodded firmly and said, “I want to learn to read with Sister Yan.”

Then, after saying this with some courage, the little girl lowered her head again and added softly, “But I’m very stupid, please don’t look down on me, Sister Yan.”

When Cai Yan heard this, she smiled gently and touched the girl’s head again. Though she didn’t say anything, her actions spoke volumes.

Who says that a weak daughter is worse than a son? Cai Yan believed in Ying Yue’s potential.

Watching this, Jia Xu, who had just returned to his senses after hearing the little girl’s strange way of learning, looked closely at the scene.

He realized how difficult the world was for “ordinary women” like Ying Yue. While he had seen women like Cai Yan overcome many obstacles to carve out a place for themselves in the world, Ying Yue was still far from that level of achievement.

But seeing a girl like Ying Yue rise from obscurity to greatness would be all the more rewarding, wouldn’t it?

Though being a girl was a disadvantage, it could also be an advantage.

Look at Cai Yan. When she first appeared, she seemed to have an aura of “stay away from me.” Jia Xu could tell that she didn’t want to get involved with the current situation. She was only waiting for her one-year period to be over and then planned to go back to the card pool to rest.

But when Cai Yan saw Ying Yue, the little girl, her icy demeanor softened. Her gentleness was not because of Ying Yue herself, but because of her identity as a girl.

If Ying Yue wasn’t a girl, Cai Yan wouldn’t have shown any interest in the people there.

Having lived in the same era as Cai Yan, Jia Xu, who knew her story, could guess why. But, he thought, maybe Ying Yue’s being a little girl was just a coincidence?

If Jia Xu was right, when Cai Yan asked Ying Yue that question, she had probably already decided to stay.

Originally, her cold and hard attitude softened because of the little girl’s identity.

What made Cai Yan truly extraordinary wasn’t just her knowledge but her ability to preserve so many books in a place where books were scarce, even ordinary ones.

Jia Xu couldn’t help but ask her, “I know that your father, Cai Boji, collected 4,000 books during his lifetime. How many of them can you remember now?”