The whole family is insanely eavesdropping on my thoughts Chapter 597
Chapter 597: I Am a Worthless Turtle Bastard
“Paying out of our own pockets to teach? What kind of nonsense is this…” Lin Yan Yang felt suffocated with frustration and helplessness.
With a swift movement, he slapped himself across the face.
“Serves me right for running my mouth.”
He quickly put on a bright smile. “Fine, fine! We’ll pay! Three hundred taels per year, yes?”
The scholars behind him hesitated slightly.
Just then, Yu Qin hurried in from outside. “Your Highness, an urgent message just arrived from the Southern Kingdom. They request you reserve several spots for them. They’re willing to offer a thousand taels each to come and teach in Northern Zhao.”
The moment these words were spoken, no one dared to hesitate any longer.
“Sign me up!”
“Me! Me! I want a spot too! Stop pushing, you’re squishing me…”
A frenzy broke out as people fought to enroll. Lu Chao Chao yawned. “Yu Shu, Yu Qin, one of you register names, the other collects the money. We don’t miss a single step.”
“Whoever teaches at the Women’s Academy is a worthless turtle bastard. I expect to see you all fulfill your promise when classes officially begin.”
Everyone wore bitter expressions, but none dared to back out.
That night, Lu Chao Chao lay sprawled on her bed, mumbling to herself.
“Three hundred and eighty thousand taels… Just enough to build the Women’s Academy. I was worried about funding for operations, but now they’ve delivered the money straight to my doorstep.”
“Sixteen instructors per academy, each paying three hundred taels annually. That’s a clear profit of four thousand eight hundred taels a year. Plus, with Father Emperor’s subsidy… ah, everything’s covered.”
At dawn the next day, a long line had already formed outside the doors. Even the court officials who had fiercely opposed the academy just days prior had personally brought the young girls of their households to enroll.
“Your Highness, the courtyard is filled with children signing up.”
“The youngest is three, the oldest around twelve or thirteen. It’s overwhelming.”
It wasn’t just noble families. Common folk, upon hearing that a Great Scholar would personally teach, couldn’t resist the temptation either.
As soon as Lu Chao Chao stepped out, a woman clutching a timid, malnourished girl quickly approached. “Your Highness, my daughter doesn’t want to attend school. She’s willing to give her spot to her younger brother. Could you allow my son to take her place instead?”
“She’s stupid and useless; what could she possibly learn? My son, on the other hand, is bright and intelligent. If a Great Scholar teaches him, he’ll surely soar to great heights.”
Beside the woman stood a chubby boy, a stark contrast to the frail girl.
Lu Chao Chao swept a cold gaze over them. “The Women’s Academy does not accept boys.”
Then, she softened and turned to the girl. “Would you like to study here? The academy waives the tuition. If you work hard, you can pay off your lodging and meals through labor.”
“Your Highness! She willingly gave up her spot! She wants her brother to attend instead! Ask her yourself. You worthless brat, tell her you’re giving your place to Guang Zong!” The mother turned viciously toward her daughter.
The girl shrank back, biting her lip.
“If you dare compete with your brother, I’ll beat you to death!” The woman then slapped the girl so hard she staggered to the ground.
A red handprint immediately bloomed on her face.
“I want to study, Mother! I want to study!” The girl sobbed but refused to yield.
Yu Shu fumed. “The academy does not admit boys. Do you not understand?!”
The mother’s wrinkled face twisted as she shoved her son forward. “Look at him! He’s smarter than his sister. Can’t you bend the rules just this once? It’s only natural for an elder sister to give up her spot for her younger brother!”
To her, daughters were burdens. Educating them was pointless. Once married, they would belong to another family. Sons, however, were the true legacy.
Several other parents in the crowd stirred at her words.
If this door was opened, the Women’s Academy would become a joke. It would turn into a training ground for Guang Zongs and Yao Zus instead.
“Of course.” Lu Chao Chao’s voice was gentle.
The crowd was momentarily stunned before their faces lit up with joy.
Just as the young girl was about to protest, a black-clothed youth emerged from the shadows and covered her mouth.
With a helpless sigh, he clamped a hand over Lu Chao Chao’s lips as well.
“Only the roots need to be removed,” he said coolly.
The woman frowned. “What do you mean by ‘removing the roots’?”
“Cut off two taels of flesh from between his legs.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the woman shrieked and leaped backward, clutching her son. “You, you, you! He’s the only male heir of our family! You can’t do that!”
The youth let out a soft chuckle, and his icy gaze swept across the crowd, making them instinctively step back.
He was serious.
The greedy expressions vanished instantly.
“You worthless brat! You’d better study hard and teach your brother everything when you return! If you don’t, I’ll beat you senseless!” The woman turned on her heel, shot her daughter a glare, and stormed off with her son.
The girl’s tears mixed with her laughter—she had won the right to study.
Yu Shu and Yu Qin were stunned. How had he escaped from the manor?
Then, recalling the little princess’s secret, it no longer seemed surprising.
“You’re a young lady. You shouldn’t be spouting nonsense,” the youth murmured, his voice tinged with exasperation.
Lu Chao Chao grinned foolishly.
With a Great Scholar’s authoritative support, what was once an unpopular cause had become the hottest institution in town.
The academy did not favor noble birth. All students were handpicked by esteemed scholars themselves.
“Send word to the noblewomen who donated. Each will receive one guaranteed enrollment spot.” Lu Chao Chao instructed Yu Shu after some thought.
Yu Shu personally delivered the messages.
Who could have predicted that a single act of generosity would yield such enormous rewards?
“Your Highness, the instructors have arrived,” a young attendant announced at the gates of the academy, drawing the crowd’s attention.
Lin Yan Yang stepped forward with leaden feet.
This was utterly humiliating.
The main entrance of the academy was so packed that not even water could seep through. The scholars’ faces darkened.
Lin Yan Yang took the lead, clenched his eyes shut, and forced the words out.
“I am a worthless turtle bastard… I am a worthless turtle bastard…” Covering his face, he hurried into the building.
Behind him, the scholars marched in an orderly line, all chanting, “I am a worthless turtle bastard… I am a worthless turtle bastard…”
The crowd erupted into laughter.
Lin Yan Yang’s face burned crimson with shame. He was on the verge of tears.
Lu Yuan Xiao, holding a stack of books, smirked. “How much is Chao Chao paying you lot to teach here?”
Lin Yan Yang paused.
“Uhh…”
“Th-three hundred taels.” He replied meekly.
“That little miser actually offered three hundred taels? How shockingly generous…” Lu Yuan Xiao was surprised. She even swindled a Sage, yet she was properly hiring instructors?
Lin Yan Yang’s face twisted, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.
“I am paying her three hundred taels each year!”
“We… we are paying to work!”
He had lost all dignity.
He had no idea what spell had been cast on him. It was as if he had been bewitched.
He loathed the academy for stealing men’s power and status. He despised Princess Sunshine’s actions. But he only dared to curse behind her back, never to her face. He had been sitting in a teahouse with his peers, railing against the academy and its founder…
Then, he had spotted Madam Xu’s maid posting a new announcement…
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation