The days without shame and impatience pass by very quickly.
Time flies and it comes to the beginning of March.
Liu Xinnan seriously resigned from her official position and came to Hangzhou to engage in education.
Song Che also fulfilled his promise and spent a lot of money to buy a large house in the north of the city and renovated it. At the same time, he vigorously promoted the women's college and called on ambitious women of the right age from all walks of life in Jiangnan to enroll accordingly.
Regarding the direction of education, Song Che combined the contemporary "Six Arts of a Gentleman" with the modern "Morality, Intelligence, Body, Art, and Labor" and carried out comprehensive development. He vigorously reformed the criticized idea that "everything is inferior but only education is good", so that all girls who enter school will realize that Realize that reading is not to be superior to others, but to sublimate your own moral character.
As for the teachers, Liu Xinnan is a college graduate and is absolutely qualified to take up the banner of education. Nangong Yue and other female family members are all talented women, so teaching and educating people is definitely not a problem.
As for students, since women's education has just begun, the targets of social enrollment are usually girls between the ages of eight and fourteen.
There are contemporary regulations that students over the age of fourteen who want to continue their studies will enter the "Tai Xue" stage. Tai Xue is higher education, which cannot be managed by the private sector and must be approved by the court.
Liao Heng is a wise king and He Qiu is a wise prime minister. As long as the pilot of a girls' school can be successful, it should not be difficult to get them to agree to establish a women's college.
Of course, in the feudal era, which had many restrictions on women, it was not easy to open such a girls' school.
But everything is "from zero to one, from nothing to something." As long as new ideas are enlightened, I believe that one day, the fragrance of peaches and plums will fill the world.
On the third day of April, after more than a month of preparation, the girls' school finally opened.
Xiaoxiang Academy is its name.
On this day, the female teachers headed by Liu Xinnan, with their hair half pulled up in a bun, with their heads reaching to jade crowns, and wearing Confucian robes and gowns, elegant, calm, feminine and rigorous, gathered at the entrance of the academy to receive the female students who signed up for admission.
"Brother Song, hurry up, we are waiting for you, the 'school director', to unveil the plaque."
Before Song Che stepped out of the carriage, Liu Xinnan couldn't wait to greet him.
"Sorry, there was a breakdown at the traffic light intersection today, causing some traffic jams, so I'm late."
Song Che smiled and got off the carriage with Shen Wenjun and the others.
Then unveil the plaque and officially open!
"Crackling..."
Firecrackers are blasting and gongs and drums are noisy.
People came together one after another to watch the fun.
"Boss Song, are you opening a new store again? What benefits will you get this time?"
It seems that in the eyes of ordinary people in Hangzhou, Song Che is such a person who "likes to benefit his family."
"Hey, fellow villagers, I have been posting on the bulletin board outside the city for a month. Today is not the opening of a store, but the opening of the academy!" Song Che pointed at the four characters "Xiaoxiang Academy" behind him.
"Oh? Ah! It turns out these four words mean academy. I thought it was some kind of store."
"That has nothing to do with us. Poor people like us can't afford to study. Let's go..."
Even though Hangzhou is the most affluent city in the south of the Yangtze River, the illiteracy rate is still as high as 90%, and most families have no idea about reading and writing.
"Fellow fellows, please don't leave in a hurry. Our academy's tuition is very cheap. It only costs three taels a month and twenty taels a school year. As long as your child registers for school, board, lodging, tuition, and books are all covered. It’s included in the fee.”
As the dean of the academy, Liu Xinnan hurriedly retained this hard-won customer flow and clapped her hands while the iron was hot.
Nangong Yue pushed a blackboard, made it public, pointed to the outline written on it and introduced:
"Everyone, please see, this is the curriculum of our Xiaoxiang Academy, including ideology and moral character, etiquette and manners, vocal music, singing and dancing, horseback riding and archery, calligraphy and painting, counting... Originally, these courses could only be learned by ministers and nobles, but now we are open to the general public. , as long as you are willing to send your child to our academy, we guarantee that she will be completely transformed after graduation!"
"besides,"
Song Che stood up and said: "If your family is really in trouble and can't afford tuition and fees, Tianxia Qianzhuang has launched a new 'student loan' project, which can help your children complete their studies. After they graduate, they will be able to make money. , and then pay it back slowly.”
After several explanations, the newly lost passenger flow picked up again, but someone asked again:
"Hey, I saw your announcement on the bulletin board, and it said that your college only admits female students, right? Even if this woman can read and write, what's the use of riding a horse and shooting archery?"
"Yes, instead of learning these things, it is better to learn embroidery and weaving. If you become skillful, you can supplement the family income."
"It doesn't matter if a child of this age knows a few more words, but if a girl is older and still shows her face outside, isn't it offensive?"
It started, it started, the concept of favoring boys over girls began to ferment.
At this time, Shen Wenjun stood up and said: "I just heard someone say that reading and writing is not as good as embroidery and weaving. I think no one has more say in this matter than me, the proprietress of Yunshuifang, right?
Then let me tell you, if your daughter only knows how to weave and embroider, I will recruit her into the embroidery and weaving workshop to be a heroine. If she is diligent enough, she can earn fifteen to thirty taels of wages a month;
If your daughter can not only weave and embroider, but also know how to write and calculate accounts, I will promote her to a steward in the workshop and earn fifty taels of wages a month;
If your daughter can not only weave and embroider, but also write and calculate accounts, and also understands etiquette, teachings, and worldliness, I will promote her to store manager. The minimum wage per month is eighty taels, plus the store’s commissions and dividends, and she will never be paid for a year. It will be less than three thousand taels;
Ordinary workers who have not studied can only get twenty taels of wages in my workshop. Shopkeepers who have studied more can get three thousand taels of wages in my workshop. It is up to everyone to decide how they are treated. "
"As for someone who said before that women should not be exposed in public, Liu really disagrees!"
Liu Xinnan took over the conversation and loudly said to everyone: "To tell you the truth, although I am a girl, I was admitted to the imperial examination in the early years of Tianyuan. I have entered the main hall of the court and served as the prefect of Ningguo. I dare to ask if this counts. Showing off?
Furthermore, this college is a women's college. As the name suggests, all students and teachers are women. So where do the offensive words come from? "
After the statements made by Shen Wenjun and Liu Xinnan, many people who have come to the people's wisdom think that it is reasonable. As for those who remain unchanged, there is no need to force it. Even if their children read books, they will not change much.
"Dear fellow villagers, Xiaoxiang Academy is only recruiting 300 students this time. The conditions are for girls between the ages of eight and fourteen. Those from Hangzhou will be given priority... If you are interested in letting your daughter study, please come to my right to register." Liu Xinnan greeted. road.
A dozen or so people came out of the crowd to sign up, and most of them were hesitant. After all, there was no precedent for women to study.
"Forget it, I'd still be willing to let my son study. My girl will be thirteen next year, and it's time to look for her husband."
"Yes, in this life of a woman, it is better to marry well than to do well..."
Gradually, the onlookers dispersed.
Liu Xinnan counted the roster three times and sighed: "In the huge city of Hangzhou, there are only thirty-six people who have signed up. How can this academy be opened? The ambition has not been fulfilled, and the start is not good!"
"This is the first time, maybe... they went home to ask for their daughter's opinion. After a few days, they figured it out and came to sign up." Nangong Yue said the last thing and sighed lightly without confidence.
Even the parents don't agree with the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. How dare the daughter have any objections?
"The world today has never been fair to women." Shen Wenjun curled his lips, looked straight at Song Che, and said in an emphatic tone: "It has never been fair to us women!"
Song Che... said bitterly: "I don't know whether other people are fair to you, but I am definitely fair to you. I have been exposed to both rain and dew."
"You are so smart, you should think of a way." Shen Wenjun said.
Song Che sighed softly: "If people don't want to study, you can't tie them up with a rope, right?"
"What should we do? There are only about thirty people, no more than teachers... This academy has spent a full two hundred thousand taels from decoration to hanging plaques. Although the purpose is to benefit the people, no one comes to study. , I always feel like my money has been wasted... I feel heartbroken!"
In fact, Song Che expected today's results, but the world is declining, and no matter how rich he is, he can't change people's thinking, and this thought has been ingrained for thousands of years.
"Okay, okay. When I get back, I will send a letter to the capital and ask He Qiu and the others to help. From a national level, we can see if women can be allowed to enter school."
"It's not good, it's not good." Nangong Yue said, "I'm well aware of the atmosphere in the capital's officialdom. Those elderly conservative ministers will definitely not agree to this matter, and they might even use this to read your book. Saying that you have corrupted ethics and moral principles."
She just finished speaking.
"Da da da……"
A carriage suddenly stopped at the entrance of the college.
The driver was a young Confucian scholar of seventeen or eighteen years old. After he parked the carriage, he quickly moved the stool and placed it beside the shaft of the carriage. Then he bowed respectfully into the carriage and said:
"Sir, please get out of the car."
The carriage door opened, and an old man who was over sixty years old stepped out of the carriage. He held a sandalwood crutch, wore a blue cloud robe, and gold silk cotton boots. He looked old-fashioned and arrogant.
After the old man got out of the car, two middle-aged Confucian scholars got off next. Their appearance was very neat and solemn.
Song Che knew these two middle-aged Confucian scholars. He had met them once when the Pearl Conference was held in Hangzhou in the past. Both of them were teachers at Lingyin Academy and a well-known bachelor in Hangzhou. One was named Cao Guojin. , the other is named Wang Chun.
As for this old man, I never knew him. But looking at Cao Guojin and Wang Chun standing behind him, respectfully, he must be a well-known figure.
"Xiaoxiang Academy? Shameless!"
The old man opened his mouth with eight naked characters.
