“My family member has many official duties in the Ministry of Rites. When my fathers comes back, he has to be dragged by me to see my new poems and essays. I won’t comment on my poetry level, but I… I writes too much. I can write five or six poems a day, and thinks each one is as precious as a rare gem and a master piece, insisting that my father appraise and evaluate each one. If my father finishes his duties early, then he must also organize his evaluations into drafts of no less than a hundred words each for me. Basically, my father spends at least an hour every day appraising my poems and essays. Lately, he’s really busy, so he’s, hoping i’ll settle down and write more slowly. If I stops writing poems, my father will be happy!”

Shen Cui listened in amazement, never expecting the situation to be like this.

Shen Cui never expected the situation to be like this. She pursed her lips, wanting to laugh, but held it back fiercely.

It was the young girl who couldn’t help but laugh first, boldly saying, “If you want to laugh, go ahead. I also find it quite amusing.”

Shen Cui also stopped holding back, and the two of them laughed together.

The young girl stood up from the pile of fallen leaves, brushed off the dust on her skirt, and laughed heartily. A pair of dimples, just like Chu Zhongling’s, appeared at the corners of her lips.

But while Chu Zhongling’s temperament was quiet, hers was sweet, with a hint of stubbornness, insisting on making a name for herself.

Earlier, in Qingzhou Prefecture, scholars who had suffered from Liu Xuezhen’s poetry and prose trembled with fear at the mention of her name, shuddering in fear.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xuezhen also suffered in this regard at home, and this suffering came from his own daughter whom he had raised with his own hands.

Shen Cui couldn’t help but laugh again, “I didn’t expect Mr. Liu to have this side in private.”

Since this young girl appeared in this girls’ school, and her family had a father who loved forcing children to write poetry and had excessive demands, and she was Chu Zhongling’s cousin, it naturally meant she was Liu Xuezhen and Headmaster Chu’s daughter.

Before long, Chu Zhongling also arrived.

Shen Cui genuinely liked her and hurriedly said, “I just heard someone crying nearby, so I came to check. I’m sorry for disturbing you, Muyue.”

“Why are you crying now?” Chu Zhongling approached and asked softly.

“I’m not crying, I’m just trying to feel a bit melancholic,” Liu Muyue’s cheeks turned slightly red as she spoke softly, then winked at Shen Cui.

Shen Cui tacitly didn’t mention her pinching herself to force tears to fall.

Fate between people is quite strange. Shen Cui had met Chu Zhongling twice and quite liked her calm demeanor, but the age and personality difference kept their relationship from being too intimate. On the other hand, Liu Muyue, who had now developed a tacit understanding with Shen Cui, naturally and affectionately linked her arm with Shen Cui’s, saying, “Since I can’t find that ‘melancholic feeling’ my father mentioned today, I’ll keep you company. Don’t mind me.”

Seeing that Shen Cui didn’t mind her cousin’s closeness, Chu Zhongling didn’t say anything.

She continued leading the way, and when Shen Cui wasn’t paying attention, Liu Muyue quietly whispered to her, “The almond pastries from the unnamed shop in the east of the city are the best. I’ll remember for next time.”

“Next time when you come, let someone buy them in advance for you. But don’t let my mother… I mean, don’t let Master Chu know. She says I’m getting older and shouldn’t indulge in sweets too much, or I’ll get too fat in the future… So only you and I can know.”

She misunderstood Shen Cui, thinking they were both sweets lovers.

Although Beijing was large, for those who lived there year-round, finding a popular pastry shop without a name wasn’t difficult.

If Liu Muyue just wanted to recommend the shop, she could have simply told Shen Cui the general location or directly informed her parents or older cousin to buy it, and then serve it directly or deliver it to Cuiwei. There was no need for her to secretly send someone to buy it using Shen Cui’s name. This way, if her parents found out, she could blame it on Shen Cui and eat less.

After a little thought, Shen Cui understood her little scheme.

Liu Muyue hadn’t intended to hide it from her. Seeing the understanding in Shen Cui’s eyes, she pleased her by gently shaking her arm.

What more could Shen Cui say? She just smiled and said, “That sounds great. I’ll probably come again in about ten days, so I’ll look forward to trying those even more delicious pastries you mentioned.”

Liu Muyue nodded eagerly.

As they chatted, the two returned to the previous hall.

Half of the morning had already passed, and Shen Cui should start teaching.

They all went to the classroom together, and Shen Cui stood in front of the teacher’s desk at the head of the class and began her lecture.

Although Master Chu allowed her to speak freely, Shen Cui’s lecture wasn’t casual. She started by talking about some everyday details, such as the importance of focusing on students’ studies while also encouraging them to exercise diligently at school.

Students like those from Cuiwei who took the imperial exams in the past few years had seen many of their peers fail because their health couldn’t keep up. Compared to the danger of childbirth in the future, which was as dangerous as passing through the gates of hell, those exam-related matters were nothing.

Of course, many girls didn’t like activities like horseback riding and archery, so they could organize activities like cuju and pounding balls.

They could also offer related physical education courses and include these achievements in their credits.

By cultivating exercise habits among the girls in the academy, even after graduation, most of them would likely continue to maintain them.

Later, using the teaching plan Mei Ruochu had written initially as an example, Shen Cui mainly talked about modern educational and learning models.

These things were even more innovative. Not only did several students listen very attentively, but even Master Chu and the two female teachers she had hired were completely engrossed.

Finally, it was Shen Cui’s improvisation. In the future, female students wouldn’t be judged solely on their ability to write standardized essays or answer policy questions, but the benefits of literacy and critical thinking couldn’t be easily explained in just a few words.

“Some men always say that women without talent are virtuous, emphasizing virtue over talent. But when it comes to themselves, they stress the importance of both virtue and talent. They shouldn’t look down on others like that. When the day comes and we have some talented women in our academy, they’ll realize they were wrong.”

Although there were only a few listeners, after she finished speaking, everyone applauded in admiration. It seemed like everyone could envision the prosperous and improving future of the girls’ school that Shen Cui had depicted.