Extra: Zhao Ruyu 8
Gusu is not far from the capital, but it's not exactly close either. Aside from the female members of noble families in the capital, no one outside the city knows much about Zhao Ruyu's situation.
Even if some people in Gusu knew about it, because of the Crown Princess, no one dared to discuss or spread it behind her back.
When Madam Zhang introduced Zhao Ruyu at the academy and outside, she only said that Zhao Ruyu was the Crown Princess's cousin. When others asked about her marital status, she said that she was a widow.
Although Zhao Ruyu always wore a veil when she went out, her temperament was still undeniable. Even when her students were learning the piano, they could still see some of her features through the veil.
As the original female lead, Zhao Ruyu was quite intelligent. In her previous life, she was able to gain the support of the old lady and Lady Zhu, navigate the unpredictable Lady Wei, and win Fu Yunlang's favor. Her interpersonal skills were also commendable.
In addition, over the past two years, she had been staying in the inner quarters of the Prince Jingping's Estate, watching the gap between herself and Zhao Ruxi widen. She reflected on herself and summarized the reasons for Zhao Ruxi's success. This was the fundamental reason why she was able to make up her mind to leave the Prince Jingping's Estate.
Over the years, she has learned a profound lesson from Zhao Ruxi: one must be strong oneself to forge iron.
If she lacks ability, has poor character, and is unworthy of praise, then even with the title of "the Crown Princess's cousin," she will not gain respect from others. People may be polite to her on the surface, but behind her back they will only sneer and despise her. In the end, she will have nothing to show for it.
Therefore, after arriving in Gusu, although Madam Zhang wanted to introduce her to the social circle of Gusu women, and the women of Gusu also wanted to befriend her because she was the cousin of the Crown Princess, she politely declined them all.
She was low-key and humble, living a secluded life, spending her time either teaching at the academy Women's Technical College. At the Women's Technical College, she would give a few free lessons to female students interested in learning the piano; she would write articles and submit them to the newspaper office, occasionally going to the newspaper office to do what she could.
She never attended banquets of Gusu aristocratic families and had little contact with the outside world.
She had accumulated a sum of points, intending to buy Beauty Pill to gain Zhao Ruxi's support for her becoming Zhao Ruxi's official wife. However, Zhao Ruxi rejected her, and she hadn't touched those points since.
Now she used her points to redeem Pitch Discrimination Pill, and after taking it and diligently practicing her piano skills, her musical talent improved by leaps and bounds.
Gusu is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, with a flourishing literary tradition. Not only are there strong academic traditions among men, but women are no exception.
In addition, there are many people here, and many of them come from wealthy families. Therefore, Gusu Women's Academy is the largest Women's Academy besides the Capital Women's Academy, enrolling three to four hundred students every year.
Among them were many daughters of prominent families in Gusu, who had been carefully taught by renowned teachers hired by their families since childhood.
Unlike the capital, there are not many talented people in Jiangnan who come from ordinary families and are willing to teach to supplement their income. If they are, they are usually invited by aristocratic families to teach their children.
Furthermore, the Gusu Women's Academy had limited funding, making it impossible to spend a lot of money to hire famous teachers for every course. Therefore, young ladies from well-to-do families entered the Women's Academy merely for the prestige, not expecting the teachers to be better than the famous teachers hired by their families.
Upon entering the academy, they discovered that Master Teacher Zhao, who taught the zither, was exceptionally skilled, far surpassing any of the renowned teachers they had hired. This greatly excited them, and they all enrolled in music classes. Zhao Ruyu's reputation spread far and wide thanks to the praise of these students.
Some musicians, unwilling to accept defeat, came to challenge him, but in the end, they were all convinced of his superiority.
Zhao Ruyu's reputation spread further and further with these challenges.
That day, Madam Zhang came over and relayed all the praise for Zhao Ruyu from outside, saying admiringly, "Teacher Zhao is truly talented. Everyone says that with Teacher Zhao's zither skills, he is one of the best in the Great Jin."
She never imagined that Zhao Ruyu possessed such beauty, yet also such talent.
Why would such an outstanding woman have decided to become someone's concubine?
"You flatter me, Madam," Zhao Ruyu said with a smile.
Madam Zhang gave Zhao Ruyu another thumbs up for her character.
Zhao Ruyu's popularity and the admiration and respect she earned from the Women's Academy students were not only due to her musical skills, but also to her low-key and humble attitude.
Now, everyone in Gusu praises her highly, and many people are inquiring about her.
"Jiangnan is a prosperous region, and it also values literature. The prominent families of Gusu place great importance on hiring renowned teachers to educate their children. Teacher Zhao's reputation has spread far and wide, and quite a few people are now coming to me to inquire about Teacher Zhao. Many have expressed their desire to have Teacher Zhao teach their children. I wonder what Teacher Zhao's thoughts are on this?" Madam Zhang added.
Ever since Zhao Ruyu's fame spread far and wide, Madam Zhang changed her respectful title and started calling her Teacher Zhao, along with the other students at the academy.
Zhao Ruyu's heart skipped a beat.
Besides receiving a fixed monthly teaching fee from the academy, she also writes articles and submits them to newspapers. However, as a beginner, her writing skills and topics are not yet at a high level. Therefore, only a small portion of her work is published, and the fees are not high.
Her current income is barely enough to cover her expenses. Sometimes, her royalties are so low that she even has to make ends meet.
She desperately needs income.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Since I'm here to teach, it wouldn't hurt to take on more students. However, as you know, my situation is special. It's absolutely impossible for me to teach at home. If those families are willing to send their children to me for piano lessons, then I can consider it."
Madam Zhang nodded. "I understand. I will convey Teacher Zhao's message to them."
She naturally knew that given Zhao Ruyu's circumstances, it was inconvenient for her to teach at other people's homes.
As a beautiful young woman, it would be inappropriate for her to visit other people's homes and encounter the patriarch or young master of the household, potentially leading to negative gossip.
Moreover, Zhao Ruyu is not herself, but "the Crown Princess's cousin." This will affect the Crown Princess's reputation.
Zhao Ruyu gets into trouble, she, as her client, will also be held responsible.
She had worried about this issue when Zhao Ruyu first came. Fortunately, Zhao Ruyu was very well-behaved, always wearing a veil and hat when she went out, and paying close attention to her words and actions.
"Also, there's something else. Has Teacher Zhao considered getting married?" she asked.
She quickly explained, "Someone admires your talent and wishes to marry you. Of course, I wouldn't have come before Teacher Zhao if your character, family background, and age weren't a good match for Teacher Zhao."
Zhao Ruyu was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I can't think about that right now. I need to focus on establishing myself first."
When she left Beijing, both Zhao Ruxi and He Yuqi expressed the same sentiment: they hoped she could find her own place in the world, and that independence and marriage were not mutually exclusive.
But Zhao Ruyu was afraid. She was afraid that these people didn't really want to marry her, but were only after the Crown Princess's favor.
She wouldn't make the same mistake twice. She'd rather not marry than marry someone who truly loves her, not someone who's only after her status as the Crown Princess or her beauty.
She regretted taking the Beauty Pill once again.
Being too beautiful can often be a burden.
She knew that besides her piano skills, her beauty was also widely renowned.