in2ebook Chapter 493 Finale
Chapter 493 Finale
Before the second sister could speak, the student lost all his strength and collapsed.
"Your Highness, I was wrong, I shouldn't have..."
Si Yunxia interrupted her, "You don't need to apologize to me. If you do something wrong, you should be punished. You should know what the consequences will be for the terrible things you said today!"
At this point, it's impossible to go back on one's word.
The student could only pray silently that his teacher was right and that there were indeed men hiding in the girls' quarters. Even if there weren't any lewd men, a male servant would be nice!
However, he was destined to be disappointed. The entire women's quarters was strictly managed. The outer courtyard was the residence of the guards, while the inner courtyard was patrolled by twenty female guards, as well as female stewards and several maids.
Where is even half a man?
Wu Jiaoyu was forced by Prince Ning and his second sister to bring people in to investigate. When they found nothing, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, knowing that his time as a Jiaoyu was over.
Just as everyone was about to leave, the second sister exclaimed softly, "What's down there?"
Prince Ning and the other yamen runners immediately gathered around. This was the back woodshed, which had been piled with firewood for years and was not particularly noticeable.
Furthermore, to prevent water and moisture damage, as well as fire, special fireproof tarpaulins were used to block the light, which was not ideal. Normally, after using some firewood, new firewood was immediately added, so no one would carefully check the innermost parts of the fire.
But today, the yamen runners and the second sister's guards actually found quite a few books inside.
Prince Ning reached out and took a book, but his expression changed drastically when he opened it.
"This is……"
The second sister came over and asked, "What is it?"
"Banned books are those that promote the previous dynasty. These books were banned not long after the founding of this dynasty and will not be published."
The second sister also picked up a book to look at and said, "But the annotations in these books show that they have only been there for a little over a year, which means that someone must have secretly put them here."
"A little over a year? The girls' academy has only been open for a year." After a moment of contemplation, Prince Ning sneered at Instructor Wu. "No wonder you made such a big fuss, even going so far as to smear the female students' reputations, just to shut down the girls' academy. So it was all because of these banned books!"
Instructor Wu was dumbfounded; he had absolutely no idea what was going on: "No...is this a mistake?"
Prince Ning handed him the book in his hand: "A mistake? Take a look, is this your handwriting?"
Instructor Wu rubbed his eyes frantically. The annotations in the book were indeed his. The book was indeed his, but he had hidden it very well; even his family didn't know where it was.
When did this book end up here?
The truth came to light: Instructor Wu colluded with the college to attack the women's college and spread rumors about female students in order to shut down the women's college and destroy the banned books hidden inside.
The students who had been used as pawns all gave up, looking dejected. Several even claimed to be sick and stayed home, though it was unclear whether they were genuinely ill or just pretending.
But everyone knows what Si Yunxia said after the disturbance they caused last night. The female supervisor of the women's college, along with the teachers and female students, went to the college gate and blocked the entrance, demanding that the students who caused trouble last night come to the women's college to apologize.
The students certainly wouldn't do something so shameful. They themselves had been made the scapegoats, and felt extremely wronged.
Several students, knowing they were in the wrong, said, "We got into this mess because we heard things secondhand. If Princess Yunxia hadn't insisted that the adults search the place yesterday, the female students would definitely have been blamed for that."
"We're men, we should be responsible for what we've done. If we're wrong, we should admit it. It's our duty to apologize. Let's go!"
The other students might not be sincere, but think about it: if they didn't do it, they'd be laughed at as cowards later on. Anyway, they'd all apologize together, so they'd all be embarrassed together.
As a result, most of the students agreed.
Some tried to slip through the cracks, figuring that since they were short a few people, the common folk and the women's quarters wouldn't know, so they just pretended to be dead.
But while others might not know, how could the classmates not know? They all knew exactly who was with them when the trouble started yesterday. They knew perfectly well who was pretending to be sick. They would all be dragged off, forced to take off their shirts, carry thorny branches on their backs, and go to the girls' college gate to apologize with thorns on their backs.
After kneeling for a full half hour, the female steward finally stepped forward: "Since you know you were wrong, we accept your apology. But from now on, you must never speak such words again. It is already difficult for women to stand on their own two feet. When you commit such verbal sins, think of your mothers and sisters."
The student who led the argument yesterday, but was also the most loyal, said, "We were unaware of the situation and spoke recklessly. We are all students of the Great Zhou Dynasty and should be thinking about how to contribute to the country. It was our shortsightedness, and we hope that the teachers and students of the Women's Academy will not take offense."
The female students then came out and accepted their apology.
They even made a pact to have a poetry contest when both academies were on holiday.
As for the second sister and Prince Ning, they had also thoroughly investigated all the forbidden books. The handwriting in these books came from various parts of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the authors were all well-known figures. They all shared a common identity: they were all students of Zhang Yuelin.
Prince Ning immediately set off back to the capital to report the matter, and Zhang Yuelin and his cronies would soon be arrested and brought to justice.
The second sister stayed here to keep Si Yunxia company. She was very curious and asked, "Yesterday, Xia'er insisted that we search the girls' college because of these forbidden books, right? So, you knew about it beforehand?"
Si Yunxia laughed: "Of course, the books that we finally managed to find were hidden by me and my men."
The second sister asked in surprise, "How did you find out?"
Si Yunxia said, "Mother, I've grown up. My aunt has taught me a lot. She said that Zhang Yuelin is always going against my aunt and you, which is very strange. She suspects that he has rebellious intentions!"
The second sister asked thoughtfully, "Did your aunt make it?"
Si Yunxia puffed out her chest: "How could my aunt have time? I wrote a letter to Aunt Gui and asked her to do it."
Gui Shan is now traveling alone across the country with a group of women as spirited as herself. Upon receiving Si Yunxia's letter, she immediately took action, quietly finding evidence and sending it over.
Zhang Yuelin did indeed harbor rebellious intentions. His ancestors were servants of the previous dynasty's royal family, and generation after generation, they hoped to find a breakthrough to restore the country.
By the time of Zhang Yuelin's generation, he was extremely talented, had countless students, and had many students willing to support his idea of restoring the country.
But before they could finish their plan, Si Muyan and Si Yunxia discovered it.
Everything was resolved satisfactorily.
In the autumn examination of the following year, Si Yunxia achieved the highest score, standing out among all the students.
Her classmates and fellow students offered their congratulations and asked her, "Will you participate in next year's spring imperial examination?"
Si Yunxia shook her head: "I'm going back to the capital."
It was the Emperor who ordered her to return to the capital.
Her younger sister took her hand and led her step by step toward the main hall. She asked, "Xia'er, would it be alright if you went to the palace to accompany your aunt?"
Si Yunxia's eyes revealed strength and confidence, which overlapped with that of Si Muwan in her youth.
"I should now appoint the Crown Princess."