Let's Start a Newspaper

Zhao Ruxi's face fell upon hearing this. "Teacher, how could you and the Princess do this? I don't want to go to the Capital Women's Academy. Here, you're good to me, the teachers are all very kind, and my classmates are all so innocent and lovely. If I go to the Capital Women's Academy, it's full of backstabbing and factionalism, and with my stubborn temper, I'm afraid I'll offend someone in no time. Then I won't even have a place to cry."

Hearing Zhao Ruxi's words, Madam Cui felt even more guilty.

She said, "We will definitely do our best to keep you here. You are our student, how can we just snatch you away? What I just said was only in a last resort. If it is a last resort, don't argue. Anyway, you will be taking the county exam after the New Year. If you pass the autumn exam next year, you won't have to go to the academy."

As she spoke, she became increasingly guilty.

Although Zhao Ruxi was very capable, scoring almost full marks in the exams, the imperial examinations were not easy to pass. Many people studied for ten or twenty years, becoming well-versed in literature and possessing profound knowledge, but even then, they needed the right timing, location, and people to pass the exams and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). Lacking any one of these factors would not suffice.

"Master, you think too highly of me. I've never even taken an exam before. To pass all four exams in one go without missing a single one would require incredible luck. Perhaps we should just pray that Consort Jin doesn't think much of me." Zhao Ruxi smiled bitterly again.

Madam Cui lowered her head and remained silent.

Even if she had a hundred hearts to protect Zhao Ruxi, she couldn't say a word in the power struggle between Consort Jin and Grand Princess Shangde. Therefore, anything she said would be useless.

Seeing this, Zhao Ruxi changed the subject.

"Master, I've come to tell you something."

Madam Cui raised her head. "Tell me. If I can do it, I will definitely do it for you."

"I just ran into He Yuqi. She doesn't want to go home and have her father marry her off at will; she's trying to find a job to support herself."

Madam Cui frowned. "She came to me too. I really wanted to help her, but the academy is not short of people. You know the academy's income is low and its expenses are high. Madam Chen and I don't receive monthly stipends, so we're basically working for free. Our servants do the academy's work, but they receive their own monthly wages. It's very difficult for He Yuqi to support herself on the salary paid by the academy."

"Every year, we have students graduating from the academy, many of whom are very outstanding. They want to stay and work, and we would like to keep them too, but considering the academy's situation, we declined. Once He Yuqi sets this precedent, it will be difficult for us to refuse other students who ask for her help in the future."

She looked at Zhao Ruxi apologetically. "I'm sorry, I misspoke again."

Zhao Ruxi waved her hand. "Master, that's not what I meant."

Madam Cui looked at her with suspicion.

"The academy's annual expenses are extremely limited, making it difficult to make ends meet. I imagine you're struggling to keep it afloat. Haven't you ever thought about increasing revenue?"

"Open source? How do you open source?" Madam Cui asked.

She had considered this problem before, but it's easier said than done.

Even if she were skilled at business, using the academy's money to do business—if she made money, great, but what if she lost money?

She'd be better off donating some money to the academy every year; it would save her the trouble of worrying about it.

"I've read the official gazette from the court. Master, have you ever considered starting a newspaper that belongs to us women?"

"Hmm?" Madam Cui was taken aback. "A woman's newspaper?"

"Yes," Zhao Ruxi said. "Think about it, people like He Yuqi and Mu Qingqiang love to study, work hard, and are willing to take a different path from ordinary women, supporting themselves with their own abilities and holding their heads high. But their families often hold them back. Not to mention, there are also women like Zhang Lu in the academy who enter the academy to gain prestige so they can marry into a good family."

Hearing this, Madam Cui sighed deeply, "Yes."

Managing the academy was hard work, and what sustained her for so many years was not only her boredom as a widow, but also her hope to change the thoughts and destinies of these women through her education.

The effects are minimal, and one often feels powerless.

"Therefore, to change the situation of women, it's not just about changing the minds of the students entering the academy, but also the minds of their parents. And what can change people's minds? It's through writing. We'll write the ideas we want to promote into articles in various forms and print them in newspapers, publishing one issue every ten days. The students at the academy can buy them and take them home for their parents to read. Over time, the minds of those elders in their families may be shaken and changed."

Madam Cui's eyes lit up.

But then her eyes dimmed again. "It must be very difficult, right?"

"It's difficult. But it can not only change people's mindsets, but also provide financial support for women like He Yuqi who want to be independent, and help more people who want to support themselves. I think it's absolutely worth doing."

Madam Cui asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

"Newspapers are printed to be sold and make money. The articles in them can be submitted as manuscripts, encouraging many women to write articles and stories and submit them. Once their manuscripts are accepted, the newspaper will pay them a certain amount of money."

"They don't need to come out and show their faces; they can write from home. Even if the payment is meager, it will definitely help women in difficult circumstances and allow them to survive. For example, He Yuqi may not have the talent to write storybooks, but she writes well and could definitely submit her work to newspapers."

"Furthermore, running a newspaper requires people to manage it, which provides them with employment opportunities. If a newspaper is well-run, has good sales, and makes money, we can run other types of newspapers. This gives more opportunities to the women who graduate from the academy. Other counties can also learn from this."

Madam Cui's eyes lit up immediately.

Starting this newspaper must be very difficult, because no one has ever done this before. She already manages the academy with so many things to do, and starting a newspaper shop on top of that will be very difficult because she has no experience.

If her only goal was to make money, she wouldn't need to do this at all.

Her dowry was quite generous, and she was frugal, spending very little and even having a surplus each year. If it were for the sake of the academy, she would rather donate those surpluses than bother with the work.

She was terrified that she would mess things up, not only failing to make money but also losing money and incurring blame from Grand Princess Shangde and others.

But if it could go further and change people's mindsets, and provide those women with some financial support so that they could see a glimmer of hope in their predicament, she would be willing to do it, even if it was difficult.

She was the one who had once been in dire straits, even contemplating suicide. It was Grand Princess Shangde who gave her a chance, pulling her out of the mire of her husband's family and allowing her to work at the academy. She was deeply grateful.

In the darkness, Grand Princess Shangde was the light that gave her hope.

She is also willing to be a ray of light, illuminating others and herself.