Chapter 914 – Two Years in Hiding, the State of the World (5)
Jiang Pengji returned to Wanzhou on a whim, hence she didn’t inform anyone in Wanzhou.
When Xu Ke saw Jiang Pengji standing before him, he nearly dropped the official documents in his hands out of shock.
Xu Ke exclaimed, “Why has the Lord suddenly returned from Chongzhou?”
Jiang Pengji, chuckling as she removed her sun hat, replied, “Time is of the essence; I had to come by myself.”
Xu Ke felt exasperated.
“Even so, the Lord shouldn’t be traveling alone! What if something were to happen on the road?”
Jiang Pengji laughed, “Surely, no one who can take on your Lord has even been born yet. The matters I must handle require my presence; no one else will do. On the way back, I also dropped by the capital to check on Zixiao and the others—the state office is being built quite smoothly.”
Xu Ke, at a loss for words, wished to lecture her more, but seeing the sweat beading on her forehead, he instead stood up to brew her some tea to cool her off.
Jiang Pengji accepted the tea and casually asked, “By the way, has Xiaoyu written a family letter to Xun Mei recently?”
Xu Ke showed a hint of warmth on his face, tinged with guilt as he answered, “One letter per month. She’s doing well in Hejian.”
Since their wedding, he had been living apart from Xun Mei, and letters were hardly enough to convey his feelings; he missed her dearly.
Fortunately, there were enough official matters to keep his mind occupied.
Jiang Pengji pondered for a moment and said, “Find a good time to send someone to bring Xun Mei and your aunt to Wanzhou.”
Xu Ke looked surprised, and after a moment, he whispered, “But what about the person behind Ta Xue?”
Xun Mei was settled in Hejian precisely to avoid encountering Ta Xue.
Xu Ke knew this was the case; Hejian County was far from turmoil, and the situation in Wanzhou was still uncertain, so he felt secure letting his newlywed wife stay in her hometown.
Later, as the situation in Wanzhou stabilized, the issue with Ta Xue remained unresolved, and he worried that bringing Xun Mei over might put her at risk.
If not for these concerns, he would have brought Xun Mei and his aunt over long ago when Qi Guanrang was picking up wives and daughters for Wanzhou.
“I’ve already figured out how to deal with Ta Xue,” Jiang Pengji said, taking a sip of tea with a hint of indifference, “Ta Xue isn’t the key issue. I can’t let you remain alone forever; being married is better than being single, right? You’re still a man, after all. It’s not proper not to have a wife by your side. Men? I know them well. I’m worried you might grow lonely and seek a new love, thus betraying Xun Mei’s sincere feelings.”
What’s the most heartbreaking thing for a novice driver?
Clearly having passed the driving test, but when it comes time to drive, they still have to rely on their legs to get to work.
Feels like they got a fake driver’s license.
Jiang Pengji’s expression became mischievous, instantly making Xu Ke want to strike her.
“You know a lot for sure,” he retorted sarcastically.
“Of course, your Lord has also been a frequent visitor to the pleasure district,” Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow.
In a battle of wits, Xu Ke was no match for Jiang Pengji.
“Why did the Lord suddenly think of this?”
Jiang Pengji responded, “Just showing some concern for my subordinates.”
The truth was, after ten months of pregnancy, Hui Jun had given birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix twins, and she had been counting the next generation of her subordinates.
Li Yun was quite impressive; before he took office in Chongzhou, Shangguan Wan was already pregnant. Qi Guanrang had a daughter, Feng Jin was keen on a second child, Feng Yi looked like a genetic mutation, Yang Si was a free spirit not looking to settle down, Shao Guang already had a family, Zhang Ping was from a no-marriage clan, Meng Hunyun had no thoughts of remarrying, and Jiang Nongqin was devoted to Jiang Pengji without considering her own marriage.
When counting Xu Ke, she suddenly remembered the couple living apart.
She had figured out who was behind it and realized it was pointless to keep Ta Xue around.
To avoid a confrontation with the person behind Ta Xue, Jiang Pengji currently had no plans to take action against her.
She intended to find an excuse to sideline Ta Xue.
Xu Ke listened and secretly rolled his eyes.
Who would believe this reasoning?
“By the way—I’m back this time for the Golden Scales Academy.”
Xu Ke raised an eyebrow, “Golden Scales Academy? Is there something amiss?”
Jiang Pengji said, “Not long ago, Feng Zhen’s son wrote a family letter to complain about the Great Xia Rhyme Text.”
Xu Ke chuckled, “Feng Yi is quite talented, bright, and eager to learn; Cheng Cheng and Mr. Yuanjing have praised him multiple times. He started young, so the Great Xia Rhyme Text shouldn’t be a challenge for him. Why did the Lord travel such a distance for this matter?”
“Feng Yi is fine, but the other kids lack a foundation, making their learning a struggle. Even with great teachers, their progress remains slow.”
The phonetics of the Great Xia Rhyme Text, be it direct sound or fanqie, requires learners to have a certain literacy level.
Aside from Feng Yi, all other students at the Golden Scales Academy are orphans of martyrs.
If the martyrs were illiterate, what could be expected of their children?
“It’s hard to read, hard to study. The Lord is kind for providing them free learning conditions; it’s a great fortune,” Xu Ke sighed. “Every student must go through this. If they don’t perform well, they can only blame their lack of effort and talent.”
To start, one can only rely on rote memorization, and if they can’t get past the initial stage, it indicates they aren’t trying hard enough.
“That’s not necessarily true,” Jiang Pengji said. “Xiaoyu, go and invite a few teachers; I have something to discuss with them.”
Although Xu Ke didn’t know what the matter was, he didn’t dare to delay and hurriedly complied.
During the time Jiang Pengji was away, the team compiling the educational materials had expanded.
Alongside Cheng Cheng, Yuanjing, and Feng Ren, four learned scholars also joined the ranks.
Notably, these four were fans of Yuanjing and Feng Ren.
To be closer to their idols, they traveled far to Wanzhou and were now planning to settle down there.
For fans, nothing is happier than working hard alongside their idols.
The peaceful and prosperous atmosphere of Wanzhou was also one of the attracting factors.
Feng Ren was only a temporary support, so his address for Jiang Pengji felt formal.
“May I ask why Liu Xi has summoned us?”
Cheng Cheng and Yuanjing also appeared puzzled.
Wasn’t Jiang Pengji supposed to be in Chongzhou? Why did she suddenly return?
“Certainly, it’s a matter of utmost importance.”
She took out the neatly organized new Great Xia Rhyme Text and handed it to them.
The big shots present didn’t require explanations from Jiang Pengji at all.
“This, this is phonetics?”
Mr. Yuanjing’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the precious Great Xia Rhyme Text on the floor.
The other two reached for it, their expressions looking quite comical.
“Yes, don’t be fooled by its strange appearance; when used for phonetics, it’s far simpler than the current direct sounds or fanqie,” Jiang Pengji explained. “Its greatest advantages are its limited quantity, making it easy to memorize, and it allows beginners to learn without needing to memorize hundreds of characters first. This greatly saves time and energy, thus naturally improving teaching efficiency.”
The Great Xia Rhyme Text is a pioneering effort for this era, but for Jiang Pengji, it’s too complicated and prone to errors.
Switching to pinyin would boost efficiency way more than just a little bit.
