Meaning of the Girls’ Ethics
Madam Yang’s second question surprised everyone on the spot.
It was because the answer was too easy. Mrs Gu was a heroine of the Dahan Country. Therefore, her words and deeds on battlegrounds were recorded and then described in books. As long as people had studied a few years, they all knew the answer.
Did Madam Yang deliberately ask it in order to give herself a step?
Many people had the idea in their hearts, except Su Li. She clearly understood that Mam. Yang-Cui would not give up willingly!
"The war has been more than 30 years ago."
Su Li thought of it but said according to Madam Yang’s intention, "General Ling was plotted against seriously by enemies. The whole war situation relied on Mrs Gu’s support at full stretch. Nevertheless, Mrs Gu had never collapsed. She even had time to send a letter home in which she asked whether the Ling Family’s eldest grandson, whose mother had been pregnant for ten months, was born safely. After the war, it was told from mouth to mouth with general approval."
After introducing the brief background, Su Li smiled to say, "Although the book never says that the letter is sent to whom, it is easy to speculate that the letter was sent to Madam Jiang Meng, who is the mother of the Ling Family’s eldest grandson."
Su Li’s answer made other people nod secretly. It was unassailable without any flaw. Even if they opened books to read, they could not have an easier and more condensed answer than Su Li’s.
"Unfortunately, the Ling Family’s eldest grandson has died on a battleground at the age of seventeen. If he were still alive…"
Some people outside the door were sighing. Many people heard it with a heavy heart.
All members of the Ling Family were martyrs. Three generations all died in battlegrounds. Madam Jiang Meng had four sons. The eldest son died on a battlefield, and the third son died young. Besides, the fourth son ate poison by mistake and became the disabled. She had only the second son left, who still held a post in the military.
Mrs Gu suffered from the tragedy of losing young loved ones. It couldn’t be known that she had withstood how much suffering that ordinary people could not.
Madam Yang heard a lot of discussions and smiled gradually to say, "Su Li, I have to say that you answered very well, but unfortunately, you forgot that my test was about your Girls’ Ethics. You answered with Madam Jiang Meng, which is all wet!"
Other people were muddled. They thought in the same way as Su Li. How could it be wrong?
Su Li heard it and raised her eyebrows. She said, "Lecturer Cui has different views. Tell us."
Madam Yang looked calm and tirelessly said,
"Everyone knows that Madam Jiang Meng has been conferred the first-rank title of noblewoman by the imperial court. The status is comparable to a high-ranking official in the present dynasty. However, more than 30 years ago, Madam Jiang Meng was just a talented woman from a humble family who married into the Ling Family. Although her scholarship was more outstanding than her fellows’, she could not change the fact that she was from a humble family!"
"The Girls’ Ethics is females’ morality! Males are like heaven, yet females are like land. Males are superior, yet females are inferior. Only by following it can we maintain a prosperous family. It is the reason why the Girls’ Ethics has been passed down to now and is eternally immutable! Jiang Meng married to the Ling Family like rising up from the dirt, so she must be cautious and gentle and play up to her husband. She should take all decisions of her husband as the principal thing."
"Mrs Gu sent a letter home. Although she asked the grandson’s condition, the person who was asked was absolutely impossible to be Jiang Meng. Even if Jiang Meng received the letter and saw the person written on the letter was herself, she would immediately hand it over to her husband and wait for him to make decisions!"
Then all people were silent.
Madam Yang thought that everyone was shocked by her remarks and admired her. She was secretly complacent. However, she suddenly heard Su Li applauding.
"Wonderful!! Lecturer Cui’s words are wonderful!"
Madam Yang did not think that Su Li was the first person to praise her. She can’t help sneering and saying, "Su Li, even if you admit to being defeated now, I will not give you the route of retreat. You should still drop out of the school……"
"No! Lecturer Cui, you are wrong!"
Su Li’s smile gradually became cold and said, "You can contort the Girls’ Ethics in this way. I was humbled and could only say it’s wonderful! Presumably Lecturer Cui has been doing it all the time. Are you toilsome in the Yang Family like slaves?"
Su Li’s derision immediately led to a louder guffaw. At the moment, all people looked at Madam Yang with disgust.
They were really disgusted by Madam Yang’s remarks!
"Su
Madam Yang had been repeatedly ridiculed and couldn’t help but scream with anger, "You lose actually. Every sentence I said is the true essence of the Girls’ Ethics. It’s not wrong! If you don’t believe it, you don’t believe the fundamental truth of the country! You want to resist the Girls’ Ethics of the Dahan Country. Do you want to commit a monstrous crime and be put to death?!"
Su Li smiled indifferently and said, "Madam, are your words the fundamental truth of the country? You are thinking highly of yourself too much. Your seemingly perfect remarks are full of loopholes and can’t stand up. You said that males are superior, yet females are inferior. Besides, everything inside or outside home is decided by males. Let me ask you. When the General Ling Jinglei was seriously injured and comatose without any word, did Mrs Gu have to stay with him and do nothing but admit defeat?"
Su Li’s words like a heavy hammer knocked Madam Yang’s heart and made her face pale. She was silent for a long time.
"I ask you again!" Su Li said with gleaming eyes and stepped forward. Madam Yang instantly shook in her shoes and couldn’t help but go back a few steps.
"Let’s continue to talk about the Ling Family! The elder generation of the Ling Family was almost dead on battlefields. Now it is the 70-year-old Mrs Gu and Madam Jiang Meng that manage the family! According to your statement, do Mrs Gu and Madam Jiang Meng have to commit suicide following their husbands and let the Ling Family perish?!"
"Males’ feats are feats. Do the doings of females all become males’ credit? Can’t females have freedom and dignity?" Su Li’s voice became more resounding. She said, "Mam. Yang-Cui, I do not know why you have such ridiculous ideas. You are a female, but you are willing to be inferior and even proud of it. You really make me eye-opening! The Dahan Country has a lecturer like you, which is fraught really!"
After Su Li said the last sentence, Madam Yang’s face was pale completely, and she was limp and slumped on the ground.
"It is good!"
"Su Li, you are great!"
"Oh my god! I’m going to cry because of the words!"
All female students were excited to stand up. Their hearts were filled with enthusiasm, so that they could not help but cheer and applaud for Su Li. Madam Yang’s words were very discouraging. Su Li could fight back sharply, which was pleasant.
"Rebellious! You are all rebellious!"
Madam Yang climbed up with red eyes and pointed at everyone, but they all ignored her. Such response almost made her go crazy, but then she was overwhelmed with a fear and almost submerged.
Had she been wrong all the time?!
Madam Yang looked at Su Li who was smiling in the crowd like a devil. She looked distracted for a moment, and then suddenly screamed with a scary voice and escaped the classroom in a flurry.
The classroom was quiet for a moment, and immediately a burst of more enthusiastic hurrah came.
"Su Li wins!"
"Su Li wins the Lecturer Cui. So Great!"
"I want to see that Lecturer Cui kneels down and calls Su Li grandmother, ah, ha-ha ha…"
"Too shameless. She isn’t worthy of sympathy!"
"…"
Su Zipei dully stood among people and seemed to see that everyone left from her side and went to Su Li’s side. She looked blank by now. Why was Su Li who only went to school one year so outstanding?!
Su Li was surrounded in the middle. There were many other classes’ students.
"Su Li, I think you can teach the Girls’ Ethics lesson!"
"Yeah, yeah, your teaching is more interesting than Madam Yang’s!"
Mei Ruohan blinked her eyes standing near Su Li like a little fan and suggested, "Su Li, you completely criticized Madam Yang for her words just now. We know she was wrong but have no idea about the requirements of the Girls’ Ethics for us. Tell us about it!"
Mei Ruohan’s proposal immediately got everyone’s approval. Su Li helplessly smiled. She was surrounded in the middle and couldn’t get away, so she talked about her own understanding roughly.
After the morning, the event about Su Li and Madam Yang immediately spread over the Muyang Girls’ School, and even the boys’ school also had heard of it.
After this, Su Li became the most prestigious person in the Muyang Girls’ School.
Ning Yunzhi heard of the news and asked others to explain it. After knowing the context, he laughed immediately.
"The master’s last apprentice is really amazing!"
"Dad, you are still laughing." Ning Qing angrily rolled her eyes and said, "Mam. Yang-Cui is not a good lecturer really. However, if the Yang Family makes trouble, how should we deal with it?"
Ning Yunzhi heard it and instantly became serious. Then he said, "Is it because of your good deeds?"
Ning Qing’s eyes looked wronged and said, "If we hadn’t relied on the Yang Family’s help, would the Muyang School have been good like today? Dad, you agreed at the time. How can you still blame me?"
Ning Yunzhi’s eyes were soft, and he sighed, "I would rather not build the Muyang School than let the Yang Family, who is a philistine aristocratic one and places interest first, take a hand in the school!"
Next day, Madam Yang did not come to the school as expected. The Muyang School looked normal but had nervous atmosphere everywhere.
There was a new embroidery lecturer. Su Li attended class seriously without being high-profile. As for the girls’ ethics class, the lecturer changed to Ning Qing, who was the only daughter of Ning Yunzhi. Her knowledge and self-control were much better than Mam. Yang-Cui who was a shrew.
After school, Su Li thought Ning Yunzhi would call her but did not receive his arraignment for a long time. The mess she had made of was not severe but not unimportant. The Yang Family was the overlord of the Muyang Town. After Mam. Yang-Cui returned home, she definitely spoke ill of Su Li. Even if they only wanted to maintain the face of the Yang Family, they would not let Su Li have an easy time.
After coming back to the yard, Su Li organized her messy thoughts and discussed the literal meaning of the Dictionary of Dahan with Mei Ruohan.
After a short time, Guo hastily ran up to here from the outside and said, "It’s bad! Miss, Miss Li! I saw a group of old guys coming at the school gate. They don’t wear the uniform of the Muyang School, so they probably are from the Yang Family."
Mei Ruohan heard it, and her expression slightly changed. She anxiously looked at Su Li, but Su Li kept on studying the Dictionary of Dahan as if nothing had happened.
"I hope nothing bad will happen."
Mei Ruohan whispered and stopped thinking of it to study. Based on her personal ability, even if she was full of concern, she could not change the result.
Meantime, six futons were fully occupied in the school tea house, but no one spoke.
Ning Qing attended others and stood at her father’s side. After she poured a cup of tea for everyone, Ning Yunzhi immediately burst out hearty laughter and said, "Master Yang, you are a rare visitor."
The old man, who sat in front of Ning Yunzhi and looked a bit malicious, snorted and said coming straight to the point, "The Muyang School must give us an explanation about the matter! Su Li must be expelled from the school."
The conversation between the school and the Yang Family lasted for a long time, and the content was kept secret. When the sun was sinking in the west, people from the Yang Family hurried away. Someone immediately found Su Li to pass the message.
People from the Yang Family left with a smile, but the complexion of the headmaster… was pale.
The news immediately made Mei Ruohan weigh down. Before she responded, a manservant of the school came and shouted, "Who is Miss Su Li?"
Su Li put the book down and calmly stood up, "I am."
The manservant stood by the door and unwillingly handed an ordinance to Su Li after hesitating a long time. He said, "Miss Su Li, don’t be discouraged! The headmaster will not let you be wronged. The Yang Family goes too far!"
Su Li opened the paper, Mei Ruohan and Guo were immediately anxious and moved closer to read it.