Seeing that the eldest princess seemed to have accepted her suggestion, Yun Xi smiled faintly and patiently explained,
"Not entirely. After the women's academy introduced cooking courses, although some food could be prepared and distributed to the poor, it couldn't be done every day."
Moreover, relying on such sporadic assistance, with the poor having an irregular diet, it didn't hold much practical significance.
"Yun Xi's suggestion is that before the academy's winter charity drive, the women's academy can prepare some food. By using it as a means of hospitality or gratitude, we can raise more donations."
In the capital, there was no shortage of high - ranking officials and nobles, each of them extremely wealthy. They let the wine and meat go bad behind their red gates while ignoring the poor freezing to death on the streets.
This was the perfect time to take advantage of them!
The eldest princess was suddenly enlightened by Yun Xi's words. Her eyes lit up, and she said happily,
"This idea is feasible!"
Although she held a charity drive every winter and some people would come to show their respect for her, over time, the amount of money raised each year was getting less and less.
A large portion of the donations even came from the academy's students themselves.
If they were to raise funds in the name of gratitude, firstly, it would be novel and attract a lot of onlookers. Secondly, their women's academy wouldn't be criticized for taking advantage of the situation.
"Your suggestion is accepted, Ben Gong! You can leave now. Come back tomorrow, and we'll arrange for your formal enrollment."
The eldest princess was a decisive person. She immediately had the other administrators of the academy summoned for a discussion and asked Yu Xueming to take notes beside her.
She was determined to implement the plan as soon as possible.
"Is there anything else?"
Seeing that Yun Xi hadn't left, the eldest princess looked up at her.
Now, she no longer had any dissatisfaction with Yun Xi and wouldn't pursue the matter of Yun Xi's lateness.
Seeing the rare amiability of the eldest princess, Yun Xi smiled and said,
"Returning to the eldest princess, one step of Yun Xi's 'teacher - apprenticeship gift' is still missing. Please allow the person Yun Xi brought to come in."
The eldest princess was confused and hesitated for a moment,
"Allowed."
Not long after, led by Yu Zhu, an old woman in her fifties walked in from outside. After respectfully saluting, she stood to one side.
"Is this the person you're referring to?"
The eldest princess couldn't hide her surprise.
She thought she had seen a lot of people, but she couldn't figure out what Yun Xi was up to this time.
Because since their first meeting, Yun Xi had given her too many surprises.
To avoid causing a disturbance and quickly achieve her goal for the day, Yun Xi got straight to the point.
"Everyone envies the deep affection between the eldest princess and the imperial son - in - law. It's rumored that the eldest princess has gone to great lengths to help the imperial son - in - law adapt to the cuisine of the Liu Kingdom. This cook, although old, is proficient in the flavors of various regions. Particularly, she is from the same country as the imperial son - in - law, the Li Kingdom."
So, compared to the eldest princess, who was born in the Liu Kingdom, this old woman might understand the imperial son - in - law's dietary preferences better.
Yun Xi said no more, and the eldest princess suddenly understood.
Although the Liu Kingdom and the Li Kingdom were neighboring countries and had diplomatic relations, there had been continuous border conflicts during the reign of Emperor Gaozu.
The imperial son - in - law had a rough life.
He was originally a prince of the Li Kingdom, but due to a battle in which the Li Kingdom was severely defeated, he was sent to the Liu Kingdom as a hostage at the age of ten.
During the reign of the previous emperor, not wanting the eldest princess to marry far away and seeing that she was in love with the imperial son - in - law, he allowed the marriage.
The imperial son - in - law had no chance to return to the Li Kingdom.
It had been more than twenty years since the imperial son - in - law came to the Liu Kingdom, and his inability to adapt to the local cuisine was just a surface phenomenon.
The real reason was his homesickness, but he didn't want to mention it to the eldest princess for fear of causing her trouble.
The eldest princess stared at Yun Xi for a long time. Her gaze, which had initially been one of scrutiny and suspicion, finally softened. Her brows relaxed, and her eyes were filled with a smile.
"Ben Gong is very satisfied with your 'teacher - apprenticeship gift'."
Saying this, the eldest princess pointed at Yu Xueming beside her,
"From now on, if you have any questions, just ask her. She is Ben Gong's capable disciple."
"Yes."
Yu Xueming smiled politely and meekly, but her grip on the pen was a bit tight.
She watched as Yun Xi gradually gained the trust of the eldest princess step by step, and she was a bit incredulous.
After all, the eldest princess was not an easy person to get along with. She herself had spent a lot of time and effort to achieve her current position.
But Yun Xi had managed it in less than two hours!
How could this be?
The matter was finally successfully resolved. Yun Xi and Yu Zhu left the women's academy with light steps.
After getting into the carriage, Yu Zhu finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Miss, I have to say that you handled this really well this time. This servant was almost scared to death."
Thinking about two hours ago when her miss was still feasting on the 18th Street, she couldn't help but feel a shiver.
So when those female students sneered at her miss, although she was angry, she couldn't think of any words to refute them.
Because her miss always acted unexpectedly, and even she couldn't predict her actions.
"What do you mean 'this time'? When have I ever handled things badly?"
Flattered by Yu Zhu's praise, Yun Xi immediately looked proud and popped a candied fruit into her mouth.
Just like this, Yun Xi spent more than a month in the women's academy in peace.
As the birthday of the old lady of the prime minister's mansion was approaching, Madam Jiang was going all out to organize the birthday banquet.
She was determined to please the old lady and regain the power to manage the household.
Although the old lady was very angry with Madam Jiang at that time, after taking back the shop from the Jiang family, she was gradually soothed by Madam Jiang's sweet talk and seemed to forget her grievances.
There was a tendency for her to forgive Madam Jiang.
"Sure enough, she's Madam Jiang. A centipede dies but never falls down. She has some skills!"
Although Yun Xi looked down on her, at least the old lady was very receptive to Madam Jiang's tactics.
"Miss, we can't just sit back and wait. We have to nip Madam Jiang's arrogance in the bud before she makes a comeback."
Hearing Yu Zhu's concern, Yun Xi leaned on the railing in the pavilion, propped her chin up, and lazily nodded.
She should follow up on her success. Otherwise, all her previous efforts would be in vain.
However, if she wanted the old lady to completely dislike Madam Jiang, she needed to plan carefully...
Just as Yun Xi was deep in thought, suddenly an excited voice came from the corridor of the academy,
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is back!"
"The Imperial College is holding a horse - racing event on the field shared with the women's academy. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is also participating!"
"What are we waiting for? Let's go and watch!"
It was lunch break time. A group of women were chattering, unable to hide their excitement. They went in groups towards the back mountain of the women's academy.
They all wanted to catch a glimpse of the Crown Prince, who had just returned from a long - term study tour.
"Miss, let's go too."
Yu Zhu tugged at Yun Xi's arm, with a faint look of expectation on her face.
Yun Xi was suspicious.
"Yu Zhu, don't tell me you like the Crown Prince's type?"
Although Yu Zhu had never been married, she was still a woman.
Moreover, it was rumored that the current Crown Prince, although only seventeen, was handsome, gentle, and modest.
He was the ideal choice for all the unmarried women in the capital!