Chapter 0221: Xie Chengze’s Sarcastic Remarks, How Heartfelt His Concern for the Young Master Is
Today, Shen Yuan witnessed firsthand that Xie Chengze not only excelled at painting grandiose pictures but also possessed a talent for sarcasm that could infuriate anyone to death.
In their efforts to befriend Shen Yuan, the scions of influential families rambled on, desperately searching for topics of conversation, which inevitably led to discussions about the Imperial Academy. Their access to information about court affairs far surpassed that of the Esteemed Daughters, and they were even privy to many details, such as the requirement to study arithmetic and ancient texts, as well as the honors and seats at the Qionglin Banquet that Xie Chengze had mentioned earlier in front of the Esteemed Daughters.
For people of their status, mastering arithmetic was hardly important. If they desired reputation, they could simply leverage their connections and influence. In their eyes, the Imperial Academy was nothing more than a tool to “gild” their academic credentials. To ensure a smooth gilding process, they would inevitably plant their own people within the academy.
Naturally, they supported the establishment of the Imperial Academy, but they held differing opinions about Esteemed Daughters attending it. Some believed there was no need for them to study at all, while others feared they might snatch away their spots. They argued that if women wanted to study, they could simply hire a tutor at home—why bother going to the Imperial Academy?
Some even felt that women’s duties lay in learning to support their husbands and raise their children, not in wasting time at the Imperial Academy studying subjects meant for men. They worried that such education would make women unruly and harder to marry off.
Cheng Wuxue and Sheng Yiren, who had joined the conversation, were so infuriated by these remarks that their hearts and lungs ached. They argued back vehemently, which provoked one of the young nobles into thoughtless outbursts: “Just look at you and Cheng Wuxue! It’s because you’ve read too many books that you’re still unmarried at twenty!”
Sheng Yiren and Cheng Wuxue’s faces instantly darkened.
“What? Am I wrong?” the young noble retorted stubbornly. “Aren’t you just relying on your reputations as talented women of Jingcheng to pick and choose, which is why you’re still unmarried past the appropriate age?”
“I advise you to read fewer books. Enough is enough. Finding a husband and marrying early is what really matters.”
Sheng Yiren laughed in anger. “Who do you think you are? My father hasn’t even said anything to me, and here you are lecturing me?”
Cheng Wuxue’s expression was also grim. She had been repeatedly criticized by her father for delaying marriage, but… “Should I just marry a man inferior to me? A man who hasn’t even studied as hard as I have? I’m afraid any children we have would be as foolish as their father!”
“You!” The young noble’s face flushed red with rage. “How vulgar! So much for being talented women of Jingcheng—I see it’s nothing special.”
“Hey, hey, stop arguing,” other young nobles quickly interjected, seeing the tension among the three. “Wang Yan, why bother quarreling with these two young ladies over trivial matters?”
“Yes, Miss Sheng, Miss Cheng, Wang Yan is just blunt and straightforward. Don’t take it to heart.”
“We just think there’s no need for you to learn so much! Isn’t it already exhausting enough to study music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and manage household affairs? Why bother attending the Imperial Academy?”
“Exactly. It’s always been the man’s role to handle external affairs and the woman’s to manage the household. What use is there for women to seek fame? In the end, they still have to pave the way for their husbands and sons, support their families, and raise their children in the inner quarters. The real goal is to earn an honorary title for themselves when their men achieve success.”
Cheng Wuxue was so enraged he couldn’t speak. Just as Sheng Yiren was about to continue arguing, a string of silvery laughter suddenly tinkled forth, “Giggle giggle giggle~”
Though it should have been delightful to the ear, the tone somehow seemed filled with mockery.
Everyone turned to find it was the “beauty” Shen Yuan had brought along.
“She” sat on the cushion behind Shen Yuan, slender pale hands resting on the man’s shoulders, a fair chin lightly propped in the crook of an arm. Behind the veil, rosy lips curved in an indistinct smile. “My, is this servant mistaken? Why does it seem the young masters are afraid?”
Xie Chengze feigned surprise, “Could it be you’re worried the esteemed daughters might outperform you at the Imperial Academy, leaving you unable to explain yourselves to your families?”
“Impossible!” someone immediately retorted, “We’ve studied too! How could we possibly lose to these esteemed daughters!”
That’s not necessarily true~
After all, mathematics relies on talent and effort, not just reading classics to surpass others.
Xie Chengze continued in an odd, high-pitched voice, “This servant understands. The young masters have it hard too. Competing with other men in studies was already exhausting, and now you have to compete with women. If you lose, who knows how many other men will laugh at you, saying you’re not even as good as a woman…”
He pretended to sympathize, “Ah! How difficult for the young masters! This servant’s heart aches for you!”
The young masters: …
Why did this peach-robed woman’s words, though full of sympathy and flattery, feel somewhat off?
“Young ladies, please be more considerate of them too.” Xie Chengze sighed lightly, his tone brimming with compassion and understanding. “They have it tough. If my future son went to the Imperial Academy and couldn’t outperform women in exams, I’d surely look down on him from the bottom of my heart, thinking he was born for nothing—better to have a daughter instead.”
“Of course, this servant absolutely doesn’t mean you can’t outperform women.” Xie Chengze then adopted a green-tea demeanor. “The young masters are so learned. Once you enter the Imperial Academy, you’ll surely outperform the women fair and square~”
He smiled charmingly, “Then you can show them what real men are made of! How could men possibly be inferior to women!”
“Ahaha, naturally.”
“Exactly, how could we possibly lose to them!”
“If we can’t outperform them, we might as well drop out—we’d be disgracing manhood!”
The young masters chimed in agreement, though inwardly they pondered that they’d need to study seriously after entering the Imperial Academy, lest they truly be outperformed by these esteemed daughters and suffer utter humiliation.
Ah, being a man is so difficult!
Shen Yuan, who was supposed to be backing up his “little lover” before the young masters, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xie Chengze. “Moisten your throat, don’t wear yourself out.”
Xie Chengze accepted it, drank a few sips through the veil, and gazed with a faint smile at these young masters, each lost in their own thoughts.
In this era, women of the same social class not only held lower status than men but were also constrained by moral and legal restrictions at every turn. The poorer and more backward a society, the more it tended toward male supremacy and female subordination. Under such conditions where women were already deemed inferior, if a man were branded with the “crime” of being worse than a woman, it could utterly shatter his self-esteem—those with fragile egos might even hang themselves.
And Xie Chengze intended to exploit this very notion to make the young masters compete fiercely among themselves.
No more idling around the streets all day—they would obediently undergo the baptism of nine years of compulsory education!