lcionline Chapter 117 Yongle continued:
Chapter 117 Yongle continued:
"In fact, in the past few months, the Xie family's troops have been divided up by my father. Only a thousand people are left in General Xie's hands. I guess he also understands my father's intentions."
"Have people keep an eye on him, for fear that he might become desperate and do something desperate," Mu Yunxi reminded.
Yongle nodded and said, "If he doesn't make any move, then the emperor won't make things difficult for him. But if he still wants to do something, then the emperor will really not let him stay."
They returned to the Mu residence first, having just received a message from a servant saying Qin Lan had arrived and was currently at the residence with Liu. They met and chatted again. Liu and Qin Lan had come to deliver an invitation; Qin Lan's marriage had already been arranged, with the second son of the Li family from the west of the city, for May 18th of the following year. Since they had to return to Shuanglin Prefecture to prepare their dowry, they decided to personally deliver the invitation while they were still in the capital.
Mu Yunxi and Yongle also said they would definitely go, but Liu Shi wanted them to attend the Li family's wedding banquet in Beijing. She was still very embarrassed when she said this, but Mu Yunxi and Yongle understood her meaning. Yongle said directly, "Madam Qin, don't feel bad. Let alone in Beijing, even if Sister Lan'er was somewhere else, I would protect her."
Upon hearing this, Liu immediately knelt. Qin Lan, seeing her mother kneel, followed suit. Yongle signaled Ruoling to help her up, but Liu was determined to kneel. She said, "Princess, I, Qin Liu, will never forget your kindness. It's really hard for me and Lan Jie'er's father to escape in Shuanglin Prefecture. I've stayed in the capital for so long to prepare some property and dowry for Lan Jie'er. My wife and I are far away in Shuanglin Prefecture, and I and her father are worried about Lan Jie'er's absence. But we are grateful to have the care of Her Royal Highness and the Mu family in the capital. Princess, please don't stop me." After saying this, she kowtowed three times to Yongle. Qin Lan, standing beside her, had tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to cry, but this was someone else's home, and out of courtesy, she couldn't let them flow. She sniffed and said to Liu, "Mother, I won't marry! When we return to Shuanglin Prefecture, we'll find a local family. It doesn't matter if the family is well-off, just someone close to you will be fine!"
Liu patted her hand gently and said earnestly, "Silly child, your father and I have looked around the families in Shuanglin Prefecture, and none of them are suitable for you. Marriage is such a big deal, how can we just settle for it? Besides, the second son of the Li family is truly a man of impeccable character, and his family doesn't have those messy, annoying little things. He's the second son, and he has the eldest son to support him. If you marry him, just enjoy your life in peace. Don't talk nonsense like this again!"
At this time, Yongle on the side spoke up to assure her, "Alright, alright, get up quickly! Madam Qin, you can put your mind at ease. With this princess here, I will definitely not let Sister Lan suffer the slightest injustice."
Seeing this, Xiao Yao also tried to persuade with a smile: "That's right. Why are you being so pretentious here? Look, your daughter's marriage has been decided. Will she get married after you make such a fuss? Come on, stop wasting time and get up quickly!" Before she finished speaking, she stretched out her hand and pulled Liu up from the ground.
After Liu stood up, her eyes were still red. She glared at Xiao Yao with a hint of anger and complained, "Hmph, sister, you actually teased me. When Sister Xi finds her ideal husband in the future, I'll see if you will be like me today. By then, I'm afraid you will cry even harder than me!" As she spoke, she gently covered the slightly moist corners of her eyes with the handkerchief in her hand.
Xiao Yao glanced at Mu Yunxi and Yongle quickly before quickly changing the subject. "Actually, I'm not that anxious about her marriage. What really worries me is my second son! He's always jumping around like a monkey, never quiet for a moment. Sigh, I really don't know which good girl would be interested in him!"
Mu Yunxi and Yongle smiled at each other upon hearing this. Afterward, Liu and Xiao Yao chatted for a while about Mu Yunxiao's marriage. Seeing that it was getting late, they took Qin Lan and said goodbye to everyone. They still had to go back and pack their bags, as they had to rush back to Shuanglin Prefecture before the New Year.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the streets and alleys of the capital are beautifully decorated with colorful lanterns. Everywhere you look, the festive atmosphere is thick. Even within the Mu Mansion, a bustling scene unfolds. Numerous servants are bustling about, some meticulously decorating the courtyard, others cleaning doors and windows, and sweeping the floors, all making thorough preparations for the approaching New Year.
Yet, amidst this joyous atmosphere, Mu Yunxi had no time for anything else, her mind completely focused on the academy. With only two months left until the official start of school, she wasn't satisfied with the finished learning equipment she'd prepared. So, she locked herself in her study, poring over the design drawings. Fortunately, the final result was positive.
Finally, amidst the tense atmosphere, the first day of enrollment at Innovation Academy arrived. To Mu Yunxi and Yongle's surprise, the entrance was packed with thousands of people, despite the fact that they only planned to admit 400 students. When everyone learned from them that they were indeed only admitting 400 students, they were met with a wave of condemnation: "This isn't fair! Why only 400?" a young man shouted indignantly.
Mu Yunxi took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me." Because the noise was too loud, she gathered all her inner strength to speak. "This is our first year of enrollment at the Innovation Academy. Our facilities and faculty are still being developed, so we can't accommodate more students. But please rest assured, we will gradually expand enrollment in the future to provide more ambitious people with learning opportunities."
Yongle also stepped forward to help calm the crowd: "We understand everyone's feelings, but it's unrealistic to achieve everything overnight. We hope to first cultivate a group of outstanding seed students to prepare for the future expansion of the Innovation Academy."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "What should we do? Is there no chance?"
Mu Yunxi said to the person who was speaking, "Of course not. We haven't started recruiting yet, right? How do you know you don't have a chance? Besides, we will hold open classes and lectures on the 18th of every month from now on. Everyone is welcome to attend."
She pointed to a long row of tables and chairs and said, "Do you see those tables and chairs here? They say courses like farming, medicine, architecture, and manufacturing. If you want to study something, just line up in front of the table for that course. Our teachers will ask you some relevant questions. If you pass them, you'll be admitted to the Innovation Academy."
As soon as Mu Yunxi finished speaking, there was a shoveling and jostling. Ruo Ling stepped forward and whispered to Yongle, "Your Highness, the situation is getting a little out of control. Do we need to call in the Imperial Guards to maintain order?"
Yongle shook his head: "No, we can't disturb the emperor over such a small matter. Besides, there are many guards nearby."