Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 428: Branch Hall
When leaving Mingli Hall in a carriage, Zhao Wangshu saw several young men in ragged clothes outside the door of Mingli Hall, looking at Mingli Hall with longing in their eyes.

Zhao Wangshu had an idea, "Gardenia, what do you think about us opening a branch for men?"

Yao Shanzhi, who was playing with Xiao Yunyu while holding the tiger puppet she had brought from Mingli Hall, looked up at her and asked, "Mingli Men's Branch?"

"Not only do girls from poor families have difficulty making a living, but boys as well. Not every family can afford to send students to study," said Zhao Wangshu.

"You're right. We'll be busy again." Yao Shanzhi said with a smile.

"It's good to be busy. When you are busy, you won't have any random thoughts." Zhao Wangshu said quietly.

Yao Shanzhi raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong? You miss your man."

Zhao Wangshu glanced at his son who was pulling the tiger's tail, "I wonder if there's something wrong with my man?"

"No problem." Yao Shanzhi smiled, "I'm just envious."

"I'm envious. You can find one too." Zhao Wangshu said seriously.

Yao Shanzhi's eyes flickered slightly, "Did my mother give you money?"

"Am I the kind of person who is blinded by money?" Zhao Wangshu asked in feigned anger.

Yao Shanzhi laughed, "You are not. You are a kind-hearted person with a great sense of justice."

"It's not as good as you say. I just want to do more within my ability." Zhao Wangshu said with a smile.

Yao Shanzhi nodded, "If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world. Although we are women, we can also make a difference."

"That's right." Zhao Wangshu smiled with curved eyebrows.

With the experience of opening Mingli Hall, although there was no Yun Hao to help this time, the two of them quickly selected a location and hired people to build the school building.

That day, Zhao Wangshu was writing new school rules when Yao Shanzhi came in with a pale face, "Yue'er, Youzi is dead."

"What did you say?" Zhao Wangshu's hand trembled, and the words he wrote became crooked. "How is this possible? How could she die?"

After Prince Bao passed away, they went to Prince Bao's mansion several times, trying to comfort Qin Youzi, but were rejected by Qin Youzi every time.

"She committed suicide by hanging herself. She hanged herself in Prince Bao's mansion last night." Yao Shanzhi's voice was trembling, and it was obvious that she could not accept the sad news of her good friend's sudden death.

Zhao Wangshu put down his pen and said, "I'll change my clothes and we'll go to pay our respects."

"Yeah." Yao Shanzhi nodded, picked up the cup and took a sip to calm himself down.

Zhao Wangshu told Madam Qiao and the wet nurse to take good care of his son, and then he went out with Yao Shanzhi and arrived at Prince Bao's Mansion. They saw that the mansion was all white, and the guests were received by the Prince and his wife, Duke of Qiao.

The Crown Prince's wife looked at the two of them, wiped her tears and said, "My sister said the other day that she would ask His Majesty to adopt a child from the royal family to inherit the title. I never thought that she would suddenly let her parents-in-law send her child off."

Yao Shanzhi and Zhao Wangshu comforted her for a few words and then went to the side hall to sit and drink tea.

Suddenly, someone said, "I don't know what Princess Bao was thinking. When Prince Bao died, she committed suicide for love and still had a good reputation. It's so strange that she committed suicide after Prince Bao died for such a long time."

"Women whose husbands have died have a hard time at night"

Yao Shanzhi turned around and looked at the person who was speaking coldly, "When you say good deeds, the dead are the greatest. Don't you understand?"

The two ladies who were speaking did not dare to look at her and lowered their heads.

"The Princess of Yixing is kind-hearted. She is afraid that you might speak ill of her own words, so she is giving you a warning. You are really rude." Zhao Wangshu said in a deep voice.

"Thank you, Princess, for your reminder. We spoke out of turn." The two ladies said in panic.

No one was talking casually in the side hall anymore. Yao Shanzhi and Zhao Wangshu stayed in Prince Bao's mansion for about half an hour, watching the monks chanting sutras before leaving.

On the way back to Yun Mansion, the two saw Jiang Dandan running madly on the side of the road. Yao Shanzhi sighed, "What a sin."

When Prince Bao died, his wife Qin Youzi committed suicide; when Prince Liangbi died, his wife Jiang Dandan went crazy.

Marrying into the royal family is a curse, not a blessing.

The weather was hot, and Qin Youzi committed suicide while her parents were still alive. It was an unfilial act, so her coffin was only kept for three days before the funeral was hastily held.

Zhao Wangshu followed the etiquette, held a roadside sacrifice, and even attended the event in person to complete his friendship with Qin Youzi.

Qin Youzi had no children, so the one who carried her coffin was her nephew, the grandson of Duke Qiao.

As the funeral procession walked away amid the sound of mournful music, Zhao Wangshu told her servants to pack up and she went home in a carriage.

She returned home and had just changed her clothes when Zhong Sheng came over, "Madam, here's the letter from the Lord."

"Finally it's here." Zhao Wangshu hurriedly took the letter from Zhong Sheng. This letter was three days late. "You can go down now."

After sending Zhong Sheng away, Zhao Wangshu couldn't wait to open the letter and read it.

In the letter, Yun Hao asked about her physical condition, whether her son was well-behaved, whether she would call for help, etc.

There was nothing special about the content, but Zhao Wangshu still found that the pen was weak and the strokes of several characters were not continuous. It was obvious that his hands were shaking while he was writing.

Why are Yun Hao's hands shaking?

Zhao Wangshu thought of the dream and pursed his lips. Yun Hao was hurt.

But this person didn't mention a word about it in the letter.

Zhao Wangshu was angry and worried, and gnashed his teeth and said, "Yun Hao, this matter is not over yet. When you come back, we will settle the accounts."

In his reply, Zhao Wangshu acted as if he didn't notice that he was injured and replied as usual. At the end of the letter, he also wrote, "I miss you every day and hope you will come back."

After Zhao Wangshu finished writing the letter, he asked the nurse to bring little Yunyu over and said, "Son, come here quickly and put a little handprint on your father."

The nurse carried him to Zhao Wangshu's side. The little guy opened his eyes wide with curiosity, looking at the letter paper in his mother's hand and the red ink pad beside it, "Ah, ah, ah."

"Come here, little guy." Zhao Wangshu picked up the little guy, pressed his little hand on the ink pad, then held his hand and pressed a small handprint on a blank piece of paper.

When the little guy saw his little handprints leaving red marks on the paper, an excited smile appeared on his face and he kept babbling.

Zhao Wangshu also smiled and kissed his forehead, saying, "Yu'er is so good."

After the letter was written, Zhao Wangshu asked Luzhi to take it to Zhong Sheng and send it to the post station.

Knowing that Yun Hao was still alive, Zhao Wangshu slept more soundly that night. The next day, he and Yao Shanzhi went to see the construction of the Mingli Men's Branch.

The school motto monument has been erected, and it is engraved with: Be virtuous, master skills, be practical, and establish a career.

"Wangshu, how did you come up with these eight words? They are so concise and contain so much philosophy." Yao Shanzhi said.

Zhao Wangshu smiled and shook his head. "Actually, these eight characters are not my own creation. I was inspired by them when I was reading ancient books."

“We hope that students can have a strong moral character; we hope that they can master their skills; we hope that they can apply what they have learned to practice; and we hope that they can start their own business in the future.”

"After listening to your explanation, I feel that although these eight words are simple, they have profound meanings." Yao Shanzhi said with emotion.

Zhao Wangshu looked around and said, "At this rate, it should be completed before September."

"It must be built. We have already hired teachers and recruited students. If it is not built well, how can I accommodate them?" said Yao Shanzhi.

As they talked, they continued walking forward, inspecting this place that would soon become a place for students to study and grow.