Inside the main hall of Zhaoyu Academy, more than twenty square desks had already been set up.
The writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on them were all in good supply.
Lü Songyuan glanced at them and said nothing.
But Fang Zhi exclaimed, "Miss Cheng, what kind of writing brushes are these? They look so rough. They're not as good as those used by the reading companions in my Zangshan Academy!"
Li Wanming knew she was straightforward and didn't get angry. She still said with a smile,
"Zhaoyu Academy is for commoner girls. Besides reading and writing, they also have to learn various skills. In the end, it's for making a living. The stationery doesn't need to be too good. As long as it can be used, that's fine. Of course, it can't be compared with Zangshan Academy or Miss Fang."
Lü Songyuan gave a cold glance in this direction and suddenly pursed her lips and smiled.
"Miss Cheng has the whole world's women in mind and is dedicated to finding a way out for them. Naturally, she's not like some people who have been living in luxury since childhood and are out of touch with the real world. Naturally, they look down on the things used by ordinary people."
She said these words softly, but if one delved deeper, there was a lot of meaning behind them.
On the surface, she was criticizing Fang Zhi for being luxurious, but in fact, she was attacking Minister Fang, who was the Chief Councilor of the Secretariat, for not caring about the sufferings of the common people.
If the censor knew about this, he would surely impeach Minister Fang!
Fang Zhi couldn't understand the hidden meaning in her words, but she could instinctively feel the venom.
She rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "Yes, yes, yes. I'm not like Sister Lü, who will be the queen in the future! Humph. I'm just a naive girl who doesn't understand anything. Why should I think so much?"
In terms of eloquence, Fang Zhi was not as quick - witted as Lü Songyuan; in terms of literary talent, she was even less brilliant.
However, in countless confrontations over the years, Fang Zhi had won more often than she lost. She often made Lü Songyuan blush with anger and speechless.
There was only one reason for this. Fang Zhi always knew what Lü Songyuan cared about the most, and every time she accurately stepped on Lü Songyuan's sore spot.
And Lü Songyuan, being self - respecting, didn't want to be as shrewish as her, so she was always retorted to with a red face and speechless.
...
Li Wanming was very headache - stricken watching this.
Just now outside the door, she was afraid that they would quarrel and make a laughingstock, bringing a bad reputation to her academy.
But now that she had invited them in, she somewhat regretted it.
Without the common people watching, the two of them could finally quarrel boldly. They were even more unscrupulous in their confrontation.
Fortunately, Qinglan was alert. In a timely manner, she asked someone to serve tea. "This is the newly brewed tea from our Zhaoyu Academy. Please taste it, esteemed guests."
She was a first - class maid in the Prince Ning's Mansion. Growing up in a noble family since childhood, she had seen so many intrigues and knew how to deal with them much more calmly than Li Wanming.
Fang Zhi took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "It smells fragrant, but it doesn't taste like much. What kind of tea is this?"
Before Lü Songyuan could speak, Qinglan smiled and asked Xiao Yingchu first, "What do you think, Miss Xiao?"
Xiao Yingchu was lowering her head, pretending not to know Qinglan. When she heard the question, her hand trembled, and she almost dropped the teacup.
"I... I think it's okay... Well, it's elegant and sweet... Are there roses and pine needles in it?"
Qinglan smiled. "Miss Xiao is really smart. This tea is also produced by our Li family's wine shop. Although there are many wines in the wine shop that are suitable for women to drink, there are still some women who are not good at drinking."
"Our miss brewed this tea with some of the wine - making materials. Besides roses and pine needles, there are two other ingredients. I wonder if the esteemed guests here can taste them?"
Tasting tea was a must - learn lesson for the noble ladies in the capital.
Of course, a careless person like Fang Zhi was impatient with such delicate tasks.
So that's why Qinglan asked Xiao Yingchu first.
Xiao Yingchu had always been on good terms with her. If Xiao Yingchu answered, it was as if she had answered.
Moreover, Qinglan asked Xiao Yingchu first, which made her look good.
However, Xiao Yingchu was not good at arguing with others. She was almost timid. Even if she tasted the last two ingredients in the tea, she wouldn't say it, leaving room for Lü Songyuan to show off.
Sure enough, Xiao Yingchu took another sip of the tea and then lowered her head.
Lü Songyuan took a small sip. After a moment, she asked, "Are they lily and lotus seed heart?"
Qinglan laughed. "That's right! It's lily and lotus seed heart! Making tea with roses, pine needles, lily, and lotus seed heart can clear the liver, moisten the lungs, soothe the nerves, and improve eyesight. Miss Lü has really seen a lot."
She praised Xiao Yingchu first and then Lü Songyuan. She didn't leave out either of them.
One guessed first, and the other guessed the remaining two ingredients. They were evenly matched.
One cup of tea soothed both sides and flattered three people - really brilliant!
Li Wanming felt relieved and was glad that she had found the right person to be the dean.
She put down the teacup and quietly asked Qinglan, "When did I prepare this tea? Why don't I know about it myself?"
Qinglan pursed her lips and smiled. "I asked someone to prepare it yesterday. I was afraid that everyone would be tired and thirsty today. Who would have thought it would come in handy like this?"
Recently, Qinglan was in charge of the preparation work of the academy. So, there were some small details that even Li Wanming didn't know.
Li Wanming praised her a few words and then worried, "However, just one cup of tea may not really soothe them."
"One cup, of course, won't do."
Qinglan covered her mouth with her hand and laughed softly. "But many cups will."
After saying that, Qinglan asked someone to bring several small teacups. Inside were all kinds of herbal teas!
The wines in the Li family's wine shop came in a wide variety. There were also hundreds of raw materials used.
It was quite suitable to use them to make tea at this time.
With different raw material combinations, teas with completely different flavors could be brewed in an instant.
Qinglan brought up the tea cup by cup, smiling and inviting everyone to taste it.
Li Wanming whispered in surprise, "So many?"
"I thought that although ours is a commoner academy and we don't engage in those pretentious things. But after all, the students are all girls. It's always good for them to have the opportunity to taste some tea."
Qinglan looked a bit embarrassed. "Anyway, we're just using the leftovers from our wine shop. It doesn't cost any silver."
Li Wanming gave her a thumbs - up. "I knew I didn't misjudge you. It's just that..." She murmured, "Letting them drink so much water in the morning, is that okay? Their bellies will be full of water soon!"
Qinglan laughed. "Cousin - in - law, just wait and see. This is exactly the effect I want!"
Sure enough, in a short while, Fang Zhi had already gone to the toilet three times.
Even Lü Songyuan, who was always calm and reserved, couldn't sit still after going once.
She stood up and said, "Since Miss Cheng's academy has opened, I'm sure there will be a lot of things to do in the future. We won't disturb you anymore!"
Li Wanming was just hoping that these two divine beings would leave quickly. She immediately said, "Then I won't force you to stay, Miss Lü. If you're free in the future, you're welcome to come and give us some advice."
Haha, what would it be like for someone to keep going to the toilet when visiting someone else's home?
Both Miss Lü and Miss Fang were noble ladies. Naturally, they would feel embarrassed and would offer to leave on their own.
Qinglan, you're really amazing!
However, unexpectedly, Fang Zhi refused to leave...
She put down the teacup in her hand, blocked everyone's way, and stared at Lü Songyuan. "Are you leaving just like this? You came all the way here just to drink a few cups of tea and then leave?"
Lü Songyuan narrowed her eyes slightly. "What do you want to do, Sister Fang?"
Fang Zhi said, "She opened an academy. You came from so far away just to drink tea? You can drink tea anywhere! Of course, we came here to do something more important!"
She pulled Xiao Yingchu over and stood in front of Li Wanming.
"Miss Cheng, Sister Xiao and I have discussed it. We want to come to your academy to study! We'll be your first students!"
After saying that, she raised her head and stared defiantly at Lü Songyuan.
It was as if she were saying, So what if you cut the ribbon? I'm the first student of this academy. I'm much better than you!