As she spoke, Zhou Qingyun’s mood grew somewhat somber.
“It’s just a pity that you probably won’t be able to attend.”
Shen Zhaoli also felt a pang of melancholy, though she concealed it perfectly.
“I will definitely prepare a generous dowry gift for you and ask my elder brother to look after you on my behalf.”
Zhou Qingyun couldn’t help but tear up.
“When you go to Beiliang, you must stay safe and well. If anything happens, send a message by carrier pigeon. You are the Eldest Princess of Dajing—no one can bully you.”
Shen Zhaoli felt a warmth in her heart, her eyes also reddening slightly.
“Alright, let’s not talk about such unhappy things. Last time, I mentioned wanting to visit Master. I specially prepared his favorite tea, but it’s been three years since I last saw him. Will he even let me in?”
Three years ago, for Xie Yuheng’s sake, she gave up the ancient texts she had studied for so long under Old Grand Tutor Zhou, abandoning her writings halfway.
She also lost the opportunity to participate in the Wenyuan Pavilion Academic Grand Ceremony.
Her master was furious, nearly expelling her from his tutelage and refusing to see her.
She knew how high her master’s hopes for her had been back then, and out of shame, she couldn’t bring herself to face him.
And so, she delayed for three years.
In Dajing, men were revered while women were looked down upon. Women held low status, were barred from official positions, and were not allowed to appear in public.
Women from noble families fared slightly better.
But common women were mostly illiterate, married off before the age of fourteen.
Their entire lives were spent managing households and raising children, confined to the inner courtyards.
If their husbands were dissatisfied, beatings and scoldings were common, and selling off wives was a frequent occurrence.
The Wenyuan Pavilion Academic Grand Ceremony was established by the founding Empress of Dajing and held every three years.
It was open to both men and women, allowing anyone with genuine talent and learning to participate.
Each prefecture had ten slots to send candidates to Yujing to take part in the Wenyuan Pavilion Academic Grand Ceremony.
The scholars of Wenyuan Pavilion would evaluate and select participants. Those who gained their recognition would be awarded the title of “Confucian Scholar.”
For men, this title offered an additional opportunity to enter official service.
For women, it could be exchanged for the title of “Lady of the District,” granting them a fiefdom.
Yet over the years, the number of women participating in the Wenyuan Pavilion Academic Grand Ceremony could be counted on one hand.
Those who earned the title of “Confucian Scholar” were allowed to enter the Wenyuan Library Pavilion once a month to peruse its vast collection of books.
This was the aspiration of scholars across the land.
In the future, they could author works, establish their legacy, achieve the status of a great scholar, and be remembered in history, becoming role models for scholars everywhere.
But in the over a hundred years of the Wenyuan Pavilion Academic Grand Ceremony, only three great scholars had emerged, all of them men.
Yet Shen Zhaoli, well-versed in various classics, knew that Dajing’s history had once included a female great scholar.
It was just that, because she advocated for women to enter official service, she was rejected by society and erased from history.
Though Shen Zhaoli was the esteemed Eldest Princess of Dajing, she too was bound by the constraints of propriety and law.
Even with her extraordinary talent and learning, she could not lightly discuss court affairs, only participating in poetry gatherings to express her sentiments.
But deep down, she felt a sense of discontent—why must women only manage households and raise children?
The Wenyuan Pavilion Academic Grand Ceremony was the only opportunity to change that.
It was just a pity that, for Xie Yuheng, she had missed too much.
Shen Zhaoli lowered her gaze, feeling a pang of disappointment.
“Don’t worry. Grandfather has always been thinking of you—he just can’t bring himself to admit it.”
“With me here, I’ll make sure you see Grandfather today.”
Seeing Zhou Qingyun’s confident expression, Shen Zhaoli relaxed slightly.
Taifu Mansion, the Zhou residence.
In the serene, ancient courtyard, a few sturdy green bamboos swayed gently in the wind, rustling softly.
Inside the room, an elderly man in a dark-colored robe stroked his graying beard as he looked at the servant.
“Has the eldest young lady returned yet?”
“Reporting to the Old Grand Tutor, we have not yet seen the eldest young lady’s carriage.”
Old Grand Tutor Zhou snorted coldly, “Once she goes out, she runs wild. What time is it already, and she still hasn’t returned?”
The servant knelt, not daring to speak.
At the desk, an elderly woman dressed in a purple brocade gown with clustered floral patterns stopped her brush and glared at Old Grand Tutor Zhou.
“You old man, our granddaughter has been out for less than two hours, and you’ve already asked how many times?”
As she spoke, Old Madam Zhou waved her hand at the servant.
Old Grand Tutor Zhou stroked his beard, his face stern. “What do you, a woman, understand? Jingyi is already betrothed. What business does she have going out and showing herself in public?”
Old Madam Zhou set down her brush with a sharp tap, straightened her wide sleeves, and walked to the side to sit down.
“What kind of talk is that? Does a woman, once betrothed and married, have to be confined to the inner courtyard for the rest of her life? You’re becoming more and more old-fashioned!”
“If you had spoken like this when you came to propose back then, I would never have married you.”
In her youth, Old Madam Zhou was also full of talent and had even participated in the Wenyuan Pavilion Academic Grand Ceremony.
She was one of the few women to have earned the title of “Confucian Scholar.”
Back then, Old Grand Tutor Zhou had been drawn to Old Madam Zhou’s brilliance.
Seeing his wife angered, Old Grand Tutor Zhou immediately softened his expression and offered an apologetic smile.
The fine wrinkles around his eyes gathered together, and the thin, elderly man instantly lost all dignity, appearing rather comical instead.
“I spoke wrongly. Please don’t hold it against me, and don’t take it to heart with an old pedant like me who clings to outdated ideas.”
Old Madam Zhou gave a light hum. Though her hair was streaked with white and her face bore the marks of time,
her every movement was graceful and full of charm, a testament to her elegance in her youth.
“Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?”
“In the past, when Jingyi went out, you never paid any attention. It’s only because you heard about what happened at the Spring Radiance Banquet that you’re thinking about your dear student.”
“Tell me, at your age, why are you still so stubborn?”
“Over these past three years, Princess Changle has sent you many invitations, but you, well, you hide and refuse to see her, yet you secretly worry about her all the same.”
“What is it? Heard that Jingyi went out to see Princess Changle today and now you’re eager to get news?”
Old Grand Tutor Zhou, having had his thoughts exposed by his wife, was not angered.
“Who’s worried about that ungrateful one? Such fine talent, all wasted by her.”
“I have no such unambitious student!”
Old Madam Zhou raised a hand to cover her lips, laughing heartily.
“Only outsiders would believe that. If you truly weren’t concerned, why would you still keep Princess Changle’s essays in your study?”
“For how many years now, you’ve kept them neatly organized, taking them out every so often to read, sighing as you go.”
Old Grand Tutor Zhou sighed, his expression somewhat defeated.
“In my lifetime, I have met countless people. Those with whom I shared a teacher-student bond number not less than eight hundred, if not a thousand.”
“Among the five disciples I accepted, only my last disciple was truly dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge through books. Her insight was rare in this world.”
“If she could have devoted herself to studying the ancient texts left by our ancestors, compiling books and records, her future achievements would have been limitless.”
As he spoke, Old Grand Tutor Zhou grew frustrated, as if disappointed by unfulfilled potential.
“But for the sake of a man, she cast aside years of learning. How utterly foolish!”