Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 460: Is My Child... Still There?

Chapter 460: Chapter 460: Is My Child... Still There?

There’s a saying that a doting mother often leads to a spoiled child.

Lord Liu had a host of wives and concubines, yet it was unfortunate that fortunes regarding his offspring were not favorable. Having passed the age of forty, he finally had a son late in life. The entire family wished they could spoil their only heir to the heavens.

Especially Lord Liu’s wife, who nearly sacrificed her life to give birth to this plump boy, naturally doted on him excessively.

Because he was still young, he wasn’t entirely considered a nefarious wastrel, but if he continued to grow up spoiled, in a couple of years, he would likely excel in bullying both men and women.

However, this young master had never suffered, and upon hearing that his family could be executed and he could be beheaded, he immediately sold out his father.

"Lord Liu, as the head of Hanlin Academy, you have always been regarded as an official of integrity. If my memory serves me right, you yourself come from a family of humble farmers; exactly what your son refers to as ’country bumpkins.’ To think back on it, even my ancestors a few generations ago were born as farmers. It’s surprising that Lord Liu holds such disdain for them, to the point of scorning and oppressing students..."

"Your Majesty! It’s all a misunderstanding! I certainly do not harbor such thoughts! It was my foolish son talking nonsense, please discern the truth, Your Majesty!"

Lord Liu’s face turned as pale as paper, yet he dared not admit any truth.

To admit would mean watching his decades of painstaking efforts dissolve into nothing!

"Rest assured, Lord Liu, I will of course discern the truth of the matter."

Having said this, Jun Yuyan looked around at the crowd:

"Soon, I will give an explanation to all the scholars throughout the empire, to show that not every poor student must join a noble family to succeed in the imperial examination and serve as an official."

Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.

Looking at the trembling Lord Liu on the ground, Murong Jiu and Jun Yuyan exchanged a smile.

Jun Yuyan had long wanted to deal with this issue but had been unable to find an appropriate opportunity.

Who would have thought Lord Liu would deliver such an opportunity to their doorstep by fathering such a son?

It was like falling asleep and being offered a pillow.

In his early years, Lord Liu indeed was a clean official, and even now, his residence didn’t appear extravagantly luxurious; he followed the unassuming ways of the literati. But to utter such words about controlling the fates of students across the land, it was clear that Lord Liu had long since lost his initial resolve.

However, there were others to investigate this matter further.

"You two have done very well."

Upon entering the school, Jun Yuyan had words of praise for two young lads, Li Tiewa and Chen Shuisheng.

The boys turned bashful, their cheeks flushed with color, and they lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Murong Jiu chuckled lightly, her gaze sweeping over the assembled students.

Although they were poor and their clothes were either whitened from excessive washing or patched up, the spirit of each child was impressive.

The principal of the academy, Zheng Yuanzhang, came over, and Murong Jiu said to him, "In a while, I will personally allocate funds to provide two sets of exclusive school uniforms for every student who has been attending school for over three months. Have someone come by later to take each child’s measurements."

"Her Majesty the Empress is truly benevolent!"

This great academy located within the Capital City was headed by a retired senior official, the Book of Rites, who had surpassed sixty years of age. He was also outspoken in his younger days, which led to oppression by other officials. The late emperor disfavored him, repeatedly punished him, and in a fit of rage, he resigned from his position.

He had no children or grandchildren and despite having many disciples, he never allowed them to provide for him. Despite his own meager existence, after joining the academy, he still paid out of his own pocket to provide additional meals for the students. Murong Jiu, upon hearing this, was deeply moved.

She later established a luncheon program in the academy, however, it was not free. Food had to be exchanged for it because things that come without cost are never cherished.

She also set up a reward system, with monthly exams. Those who performed well could eat luncheon at the academy for free for a month, which indeed ignited the students’ enthusiasm for learning.

For this reason, Principal Zheng often lavished praise on her and was even more ecstatic than the students when she mentioned making uniforms today.

The reason not every student is provided clothing is the fear that some might come to the academy just to attend for a couple of days to get the two sets of clothes and then leave.

The daily curriculum at the academy is far from easy, and if one can persist for over three months, then they can be considered to have some determination.

After leaving the largest academy, Jun Yuyan then accompanied Murong Jiu to the girls’ academy.

A good distance away from the girls’ academy, they could hear the clear and pleasant sound of girls reciting their lessons, which was so heartwarming that it made one smile involuntarily.

A smile formed on the corners of Murong Jiu’s lips.

The boys’ and girls’ academies are separate.

The current state of affairs finds it difficult to accept boys and girls sitting together in the same class, learning together, and in many places, there is even the saying that boys and girls over the age of six should not sit together, meaning that once they’ve reached the age of six, they should no longer share seats with the opposite sex.

In Murong Jiu’s view, this segregation of genders is rather premature; six-year-olds hardly understand anything yet.

However, that’s just the way the world is, hence the separation of academies for boys and girls.

Unlike boys, many parents believe that once their sons can read and write, they will be useful in the future, but they see no use in daughters learning to read and write, thinking it would be better for girls to stay home and do some embroidery, which could earn the household some extra money.

Therefore, the girls who can attend the academy cherish this hard-earned opportunity even more and are much more serious in their studies than boys.

Murong Jiu thought to herself that one day, she would create a place where women could also be of great importance and let the world know that women with education could equally change their lives.

As they were entering, a girl came running towards them.

She did not recognize Murong Jiu or Jun Yuyan but clutched at Murong Jiu’s hand like a lifeline:

"Madam, it’s not good. Teacher Sikong has taken a fall and is bleeding from below!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Jiu quickly said, "Where is she? Lead us there, quickly!"

Bleeding from below—that could be bad.

"Zhou Li, go and inform Lou Zixi."

This Teacher Sikong was none other than Sikong Wan, the wife of Lou Zixi.

Sikong Wan had long expressed her wishes to teach girls, which is why as soon as the girls’ academy was established, she had come.

Sikong Wan was currently half-seated on the steps, afraid to move, and could only let the students go find someone.

She was pale, with a sinking feeling of foreboding.

Her period was also more than a month overdue, although her cycles were never regular, but the fact that it was bleeding now meant she might have been pregnant without her knowledge and had lost the child due to a slip and fall down the steps.

This was her and Lou Zixi’s first child.

"Ah Wan, don’t be scared, don’t cry, I’ll check on you," Murong Jiu reassured as she arrived running, quickly checking the pulse and then feeling Sikong Wan’s lower abdomen.

"Your Majesty the Empress, what brings you here?"

Sikong Wan was astonished and turned her head to also see the New Emperor. Had she not been restrained by Murong Jiu, she would have struggled to kneel in reverence.

"Don’t move around. His Majesty and I are out in plain clothes for a stroll. You really need to be more careful. To think that someone of your age could fall down the steps! Did anyone push you from behind by any chance?"

It wasn’t that Murong Jiu was prone to conspiracy theories, but rather that the world has never been short of evil doers; some children are born troublemakers, and if that was the case, they must be rooted out.

Sikong Wan shook her head: "No one pushed me, I was distracted and missed my step. Your Majesty, my body... my child... is it still there?"