"I can send the remaining children to you, but someone must be sent to supervise. After all, I am the parent official here and must be responsible for these children."
To put it bluntly, he didn't trust himself, Wu Caiwei thought silently, but it also showed that he was indeed a good official.
She nodded and agreed without hesitation. Anyway, she genuinely wanted to teach these children survival skills and build her own influence so that she could contend with the Zhou family when she returned.
That afternoon, another batch of children arrived. After a month, Wu Caiwei classified the children based on their learning progress. Those who studied diligently and had a talent for academics were placed in the imperial examination class, to be cultivated for a career as officials. Those who were sensitive to numbers and had business acumen were directed towards business. For the lively children who struggled to sit still and couldn't learn despite their efforts, a martial arts instructor was borrowed from the governor to teach them martial arts daily. For those with a talent for medicine, a renowned physician was hired at a high price to teach them medical skills for several hours each day.
Every time the governor visited her academy, his admiration for her grew, and at the same time, his vigilance increased. However, his own people highly praised her, saying she truly cared for these children. She spent a large sum of money to prepare new clothes and quilts for them every season, and their meals consisted of one meat and one vegetable dish. Many children cherished this opportunity and worked hard to perform their best, fearing they might be expelled.
If Wu Ye hadn't known his young lady's true identity, he too would have suspected her ulterior motives. But even so, he felt a sense of unease. He thought he had a good grasp of his young lady's temperament and personality, but lately, he found her increasingly unfathomable.
This suspicion made his temper more erratic. Li Yu noticed it and had a talk with him, suggesting that he should have a proper conversation with the young lady, as she had been like a second parent to them and should not be suspected without reason.
Wu Caiwei had long noticed Wu Ye's abnormality and wanted to test his loyalty. Fortunately, he did not disappoint her.
He lowered his head, guiltily saying, "I know. Since I chose to be loyal to my young lady, I should obey wholeheartedly. But I cannot deceive my own heart. I don't know why my young lady is doing what she is doing, which makes me doubt every action and unable to commit myself fully. I have come to you today, young lady, to ask you to show me the way and let me know our purpose."
"Do you want to stay here for the rest of your life?" Wu Caiwei asked an unrelated question.
Although he didn't understand why she asked, Wu Ye still answered honestly, "My greatest wish, and Yu'er's, is to find a small town in Jiangnan and live a simple life. Although the local customs here are open, resources are scarce, living conditions are harsh, and we are constantly facing the threat of war. We don't want our children to become vagrants like the children we've taken in one day."
"Yes, you don't want that, and neither do I. Then have you ever thought that even if we find a town in Jiangnan, will life really be leisurely? Can the Zhou family let us go? Have you considered the consequences if they find us? Moreover, if your son wants to participate in the imperial examinations in the future, can you bear to refuse him?"
"But what does this have to do with what we are doing now?"
He didn't understand. Although his young lady had nurtured many children with academic talent, he had studied before and knew how difficult it was to participate in the imperial examinations. Even if they passed, these children from the border, without connections, would only become minor officials, how could they contend with the Zhou family?
"It has everything to do with it. Your focus is on those children who will take the imperial examinations, while my focus is on the remaining children. In five years, some of them will be grown and can be used by me to create a commercial empire. When I was young, I apprenticed under a divine doctor, and my martial arts are also rare in this era. In a few years, when the governor relaxes his vigilance, I will select some children with good character and secretly teach them."
Seeing that he didn't believe her words, Wu Caiwei thought, it was understandable, how could a young lady from a boudoir know martial arts? What happened next was shocking. In a blur, the person in front of him instantly disappeared. Wu Ye quickly looked for her, and she quietly sat back on the stool, picking up a brush to draw.
He was so shocked his jaw dropped. At this moment, his gratitude towards his young lady turned into awe, and even a hint of fear. Fortunately, he and his young lady had joined forces to escape from the Zhou family; otherwise, he and Yu'er would have perished without a burial place.
Although his young lady hadn't said everything, Wu Ye could fill in the blanks himself. He bowed respectfully to her and then quietly left.
Although their relationship became more distant from then on, he felt an inexhaustible energy within him, and his previously settled heart stirred with ambition. Li Yu didn't know what exactly he and his young lady had discussed, but seeing his transformation, she was genuinely happy for him, as if she had returned to the time when she first met him and was captivated by his spirited demeanor.
In the capital, after so many days, his hands were still immobile. Zhou Jiayang regretted it. He wished he had thought of another way if he had known it would hurt so much. What angered him more was that after his hand was injured, apart from the initial visit from the Grand Princess and the imperial physicians, he had not felt her care since, nor had he seen her.
When he fell from his horse, he had deliberately looked. There were no stones on the ground, so why did it hurt so much when he fell? There was only one possibility: the person beside him had thrown a stone at his hand the moment he fell, causing him to lose consciousness from the pain.
When he woke up the next day, he cried out in agony. He had never suffered such a loss in his life. Everything he had endured was because of the princess, yet she was ungrateful. He even heard that when someone mentioned him to the Grand Princess, she had become furious in front of everyone, openly showing her disdain for him.
At first, he feared that his ruse had been implemented, yet she had broken off the engagement. It was his father who comforted him, saying that the Emperor would not allow such a thing to happen, for even if she were a princess of the royal family, her reputation would be ruined, and it would also chill the hearts of others.
At this moment, the Grand Princess was arguing with the Emperor in the palace. "This world belongs to you, Father Emperor. I am your most beloved daughter, and I can't even find a satisfactory husband?"
The Emperor rubbed his aching forehead and said helplessly, "If this matter had happened before the decree was issued, I would have agreed immediately without a second thought. But your marriage has already been announced to the world. Moreover, his hand was injured and cannot hold a brush for long, affecting his painting and calligraphy. It has no other major impact. As a royal princess, if you want to break off the engagement, you need a better excuse. This excuse is not convincing, and I am powerless to help."