While a group of young ladies were accusing Yun Xi one after another, Yu Xueming remained silent all the time, quietly watching the whole thing.
Seeing that Yun Xi was as sharp - tongued as ever and made the young ladies look bad, Yu Xueming gently tugged at a young lady's sleeve and whispered persuasively,
"Yulin, stop talking. She's the princess bestowed by the emperor himself, and she knows the ways of business. We can't win against her."
Yu Xueming's attempt to smooth things over only made Song Yulin, who was not willing to admit defeat, even more furious.
Looking at Yu Xueming, she deliberately raised her voice and said,
"Xueming, you may be afraid of her, but I'm not! So what if she's a princess? There's nothing to show off about!"
"Look at her. She reeks of money. Is she so afraid that others won't know her mother was a businesswoman?!"
"No businessman is without tricks! She's taken all the good reputations for herself. Is this also the result of her father's family education?"
Song Yulin snorted coldly, feeling that she had finally caught Yun Xi's weak point. She stared at Yun Xi defiantly.
Since ancient times, the court has always emphasized agriculture and restricted commerce. Merchants were considered to abandon the fundamental and pursue the trivial, and were often despised by the world. Therefore, among the four social classes of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants ranked the lowest with a very humble status.
Especially those so - called noble families who thought themselves high - class. Once there was a relative in the family engaged in business, they would even feel ashamed.
Phrases like "The singing - girl knows not the grief of a fallen state" and "The merchant thinks much of profit and little of parting" in poems were full of satire towards merchants!
As soon as Song Yulin's words came out, not only did Qi Yu's face darken slightly, but the faces of some merchant donors on the scene also instantly turned gloomy.
What was wrong with them as merchants? They didn't steal or rob. They worked diligently to support their families. When they had the ability, they even donated money and goods to the disaster - stricken people. How were they inferior to others?
Why should they, as merchants, be so belittled!
However, although they were angry in their hearts, these young ladies were after all the daughters of high - ranking officials. They couldn't afford to offend them, so they could only endure! They all cast their hopeful looks at Yun Xi.
Yun Xi knew that the young lady was instigated by Yu Xueming, but the other's words still made her laugh out of anger.
She just didn't choose the same way as them to buy things. Was it necessary for them to be so furious and satirize her whole family?
She was usually a bit timid and didn't like to show off, but she wasn't someone who would let others push her around!
Without saying a word, Yun Xi walked straight up to the young lady and stared at her coldly.
"What are you doing?"
Seeing Yun Xi, who was much taller than herself, Song Yulin stood on tiptoe and retorted defiantly.
"Beating you."
Yun Xi said calmly. Before her voice faded, she raised her hand and gave Song Yulin a hard slap!
Song Yulin lost her balance and staggered towards the side. She even dragged Yu Xueming down to the ground. Their snow - white dresses were covered in mud, and their hair buns were slightly disheveled. They looked extremely embarrassed.
Yun Xi's action shocked everyone on the scene!
Song Yulin was completely stunned by the slap. Yu Xueming was helped up by her maid Juan'er. Looking at Yun Xi with an unhappy face, she said,
"Even if Yulin said something wrong and offended you, how could you hit someone?"
Although Yu Xueming was extremely angry in her heart, her voice remained gentle. Her eyes were slightly red, and her expression was sad, as if she had been bullied by Yun Xi.
Facing Yu Xueming's accusation, Yun Xi sneered with a sharp look in her eyes,
"She mocked my mother first and slandered my father later! She even questioned the emperor's bestowal on me and constantly taunted me. It's already light for me to beat her!"
After all, she was a princess bestowed by the emperor. For these young ladies without official ranks, they should pay respectful greetings to her when they saw her. This was not just giving her face but also giving the royal family's face!
However, Song Yulin had provoked her again and again, and even mocked her family.
If she really wanted to dig deeper into this matter, it would definitely end badly for Song Yulin!
She didn't want to use her status to oppress others originally, but these people were just used to relying on others' power. If she didn't teach them a lesson in their own way, she would even feel that she couldn't justify it!
Song Yulin covered her face and stood up. Just as she was about to explode, she was stunned by Yun Xi's cold look.
It felt as if Yun Xi had suddenly changed into a different person, with an awe - inspiring and inviolable momentum!
Yun Xi stared straight at Song Yulin with a sarcastic tone,
"Also, please find out the origin of the idiom 'No businessman is without tricks' before you use it. Ignorance will make you a laughingstock!"
The idiom "No businessman is without tricks" actually originated from "No pointed measure, no businessman", which was not a condemnation of the cunning of merchants, but a praise for their business acumen, for they were generous and smart in business.
"You belittle the value of merchants while acting so high - and - mighty! Do you know that without merchants, there would be no restaurants, no teahouses, no cloth shops? The bustling and prosperous capital would be like a desolate countryside. Even for food, we would have to pick fruits and vegetables from the fields and spin cotton by ourselves..."
"You enjoy the convenience brought by merchants and live a care - free life, but you still scold merchants as lowly. May I ask, isn't your behavior of eating with the bowl in your hand and scolding as soon as you put it down, of taking advantage and then pretending to be innocent, extremely shameless?!"
Yun Xi's words were sharp and resounding. Immediately, the merchants and peddlers on the stage clapped and cheered!
In the past, their families and descendants were despised. Today, Yun Xi finally vented their pent - up anger for them!
They looked at Yun Xi with admiration and joy, firmly engraving her appearance and her words in their memories.
From now on, let's see who would dare to slander them, the merchants. They would just retort with Yun Xi's words today!
Song Yulin's face turned pale. She knew that she had been completely defeated. The young female students who had been watching Yun Xi's joke earlier all looked miserable at this moment, and even Yu Xueming secretly clenched her fingers.
They thought they could make Yun Xi a complete fool today, but unexpectedly, she had shined brightly!
I'm afraid from now on, Yun Xi's reputation would only spread further in the capital, and even she herself would be regarded as a foil and become a laughingstock!
Looking at the scene in front of her, the princess let out a long sigh.
She got up and walked to Yun Xi's side, patting her on the shoulder and saying,
"You're right. This is exactly the purpose of the female academy for organizing this activity for you."
"Not only should you understand the sufferings of the world, but you should also abandon the differences in status and do truly meaningful things."
Then, the princess glanced around at the group of young female students and finally fixed her eyes on Yu Xueming. She admonished sternly,
"You girls should often reflect on yourselves in the future and learn from Yun Xi. Only when you truly know how to think for others can your hearts not be so narrow - minded and selfish."
Yu Xueming was stunned. She clenched her fists tightly, her fingernails almost digging into her flesh. She gritted her teeth and forced out a respectful smile,
"Yes, student will always remember the princess's teachings!"
When Yu Xueming spoke, the other young ladies also followed and made their promises one after another.
The princess's affirmation was not only because Yun Xi had won everyone's praise but also to save some face for the female academy.
Yun Xi deeply understood this, so she didn't feel the slightest bit of arrogance. She also bowed to the princess humbly.
She just hoped that in the future, there would be less meaningless competition in the female academy. Her mind was simply not on such things!