Returning to the Earl of Suiping's Residence
As they walked and talked, Madam Cui pointed to a place and said, "This is the sewing department, over there is the embroidery department, in front is the textile department, and at the very back are the culinary arts department and the printing department."
Female graduates from the textile engineering department naturally go to work in textile factories; this place is essentially a training program for those factories.
At this point, she sighed with emotion, "Luckily, the Empress gave me the advice to manage students from the same major within a single department. Otherwise, I don't know how busy I would have been."
The Women's Academy had few students, admitting only one class each year, and each class had a small number of students. Even so, when she was managing only the Beining Women's Academy, which had a little over a hundred students, Madam Cui was still extremely busy.
Therefore, at the very beginning of the establishment of the Women's Technical College, Zhao Ruxi wrote a management framework for Madam Cui, which was based on the management model of modern universities. Madam Cui could then adapt and improve upon this framework according to local conditions.
"Fortunately, we set one up in the capital first, instead of having all the provinces set one up at once, otherwise it would have been even more chaotic." Madam Cui recalled the panic and turmoil of that time with Youyu.
She had managed the Women's Academy for so long and thought she was very experienced. Little did she know that this Women's Technical College was completely different from the Women's Academy.
Each major has short-term, medium-term, and long-term training classes, with a large number of students, many batches, and many classes. The students are diverse, with varying ages and qualities. This makes enrollment and registration very troublesome, and management is many times more complicated than that of the Women's Academy.
Fortunately, the students were managed by department, so Madam Cui only needed to oversee the overall situation.
"The best students go on to work in our workshops and shops after graduation. What about the other students? How are their employment prospects?" Zhao Ruxi asked.
"They're all doing quite well. After entering the academy, they'll learn certain skills, whether it's making pastries or doing embroidery, it won't be a problem. Our textile factory and printing workshop are constantly hiring. Moreover, we will control the number of students admitted; quality over quantity, we want to build up the academy's reputation first," said Madam Cui.
Zhao Ruxi nodded. "Very good."
She took a stroll around the college, then sat in the courtyard where Madam Cui worked, looked at the data they had compiled, offered some suggestions, and then left the Women's Technical College, preparing to head home.
As she left the academy and was about to get into her carriage, Lady Luo, who had stayed at the gate instead of going in, approached and whispered to Zhao Ruxi, "Your Highness, the sixth young lady of the second branch, Zhao Miss Yu, who married into the Prince Jingping's Estate, sent her maid Fushu, saying that her young lady wishes to see you. She is currently at the Earl of Suiping's Residence. If you return to your maiden home to see her, it won't affect your reputation."
Zhao Ruxi frowned, thinking that Zhao Ruyu still hadn't given up on the idea of using the Beauty Pill to exchange for the position of the Prince of Jingping.
Just as she was about to refuse, she saw Fushu standing in the distance, bowing towards them with a pleading look on her face.
Lady Luo added, "Fushu said that the Sixth Miss's matter was not about the Crown Prince's wife."
Zhao Ruxi asked the system in her mind, "System, do you know what Zhao Ruyu wants from me? She's trying to seduce me with Beauty Pill?"
She knew the system now enjoyed gossiping. Even if she didn't send it to gather information, it would still go and watch the excitement if it was interested.
Sure enough, the system knew the answer to her question, "It's probably not that. She regrets not listening to you back then. She probably has some insights she wants to share with you."
Zhao Ruxi: "..."
Okay.
Given Zhao Ruyu's somewhat stubborn mind, if she didn't listen to her insights, she might have tried to find ways to stop her.
If Zhao Ruyu's mind has changed and she wants to hear some advice, Zhao Ruxi, having known her for a while, will not hesitate to offer some words of advice.
She boarded the carriage and instructed, "Return to the Earl of Suiping's Residence."
Lady Luo was taken aback. "Your Majesty..."
Seeing that Zhao Ruxi ignored her, she didn't say anything more. She went over and told Fushu, then mounted her horse and followed beside the carriage.
Once Zhao Ruxi arrived at the inner city, she parted ways with Grand Princess Shangde, and her carriage headed straight for the Earl of Suiping's Residence. Fushu, on the other hand, followed at a distance in a mule cart behind Zhao Ruxi's entourage.
The gatekeeper of the Earl of Suiping's Residence was overjoyed to see Zhao Ruxi return. He welcomed Zhao Ruxi inside and sent someone to inform the old lady and Lady Zhu of the good news.
"Your Majesty." A person stepped out from the gatehouse in the distance; it was Zhao Ruyu.
After learning that Zhao Ruxi had gone to the Women's Technical College, Zhao Ruyu came here directly, went in to pay her respects to the old lady and Lady Zhu, and then waited here.
"Please sit in the side hall first. I'll go see Grandmother and Mother." Zhao Ruxi nodded to her.
"Yes," Zhao Ruyu replied meekly.
Upon seeing Zhao Ruxi, Lady Zhu frowned and asked, "Did Ruyu call you back?"
"Don't pay any attention to her," the old lady said disapprovingly. "If you associate with her, people might not say anything to your face, but who knows how they'll laugh at you behind your back. Don't do anything foolish and lower yourself to consider some kind of sisterly affection."
"If she had any sisterly affection, she wouldn't have become someone's concubine in the first place. Knowing that her becoming a concubine would affect your marriage, she still willingly lowered herself to do it. Now she has the audacity to try and take advantage of you. What right does she have?" Lady Zhu said.
"No, it wasn't for her. I just haven't been back for a long time, and since I went to the academy with the Princess today, I thought I'd come back to see you all," Zhao Ruxi said with a smile.
The two then became Gao Xing.
"How is the little prince? Is he being good? Has he grown heavier now?" Lady Zhu asked.
Speaking of her son, Zhao Ruxi laughed, "What else could it be? A newborn baby just out of confinement, all he does is eat and sleep, sleep and eat. He's getting fatter and fatter, changing every few days. Grandmother, Mother, you should go to the palace to see him yourselves tomorrow."
When she was pregnant, Xiao Lingyan was even more nervous than she was. He strictly followed the doctor's orders regarding what she ate, and in the later stages, he personally controlled her food intake, not letting her eat too much, for fear that the fetus would be too big and cause her suffering during childbirth.
So when Little Duo'er was born, she wasn't very big, only six pounds. After she was born, she ate and slept during her postpartum period, and suddenly she grew like a fermented white steamed bun, changing every day.
It wasn't time to leave the office yet, and Zhao Ruxi, not seeing her father, asked Lady Zhu, "Father, are you happy working at the Ministry of War?"
"I'm so happy, extremely happy," said Lady Zhu. "Even happier than when I was at the Court of Judicial Review and when I was on my post in Gusu."
After all, Zhao Yuanxun came from a military family and had been influenced by military officers since childhood. Entering the Ministry of War was like a fish in water for him, making him happier than in any other government office.
Zhao Ruxi inquired about Zhao Jingtai's studies before leaving the inner courtyard and going to the side hall of the outer courtyard to meet Zhao Ruyu.