Chapter 151: The Path of Institutional Reform and Promotion; A Chilly Reception Does Not Dampen Resolve

Murong Fu's words pulled Lin Shiya back from her deep contemplation.

She steadied her mind, looked at Murong Fu, and said with a firm tone, "We shall set off tomorrow."

Early the next morning, Lin Shiya, accompanied by her maid Wu and the curriculum reform proposal, embarked on the journey to Lin'an Academy.

She was filled with confidence, feeling as though yesterday's resistance was merely a passing cloud.

However, reality dealt her a harsh blow right at the start.

Supervisor Li of Lin'an Academy received her; his attitude, though polite, was laced with detachment.

He took the proposal, flipped through a few pages perfunctorily, and set it aside. In a flat tone, he said, "Scholar Lin, this reform of yours will likely prove rather difficult to implement."

Lin Shiya frowned slightly, her smile gradually freezing. "What do you mean by that, Supervisor Li?"

Supervisor Li took a sip of tea and slowly replied, "The teaching methods of this academy have been handed down for centuries. How can they be changed so easily? Besides, the content of the imperial examinations has never changed. Can students taught under your new methods possibly adapt to the imperial examinations?"

Lin Shiya patiently explained the purpose and benefits of the reform, but it was like playing the lute to a cow.

Supervisor Li remained noncommittal throughout, talking around the issue.

Finally, using the excuse of being busy with official duties, he dismissed Lin Shiya.

The situation at the subsequent academies she visited was much the same.

The heads of the academies either brushed her off with excuses or flat-out refused; not a single one was willing to give the reform a try.

Lin Shiya's enthusiasm was extinguished by bucket after bucket of cold water, and her heart gradually sank.

As evening approached, Lin Shiya arrived at Wenhua Academy in the west of the city.

This was her final stop of the day.

With a long history and a grand scale, Wenhua Academy was one of the premier institutions in the city.

Lin Shiya took a deep breath, straightened her garments, and stepped into the academy.

The lecture hall of the academy was filled with elderly scholars with grey hair.

They sat up straight with solemn expressions, as if waiting for a dignified ceremony.

After Lin Shiya stated the purpose of her visit, she began to explain the reform plan.

However, before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a grey-haired, white-bearded scholar.

"Absurd! Simply absurd!" the elderly scholar glared fiercely, his beard and hair bristling with rage. "For women to enter education is already a departure from the orthodox path. Now you even want to reform the system—isn't this completely subverting the Way of our sages?"

The other scholars chimed in one after another, condemning Lin Shiya's reform as heterodoxy and a harmful endeavor that would endanger the people.

The atmosphere in the lecture hall instantly became tense and hostile, as if a storm was about to break.

Lin Shiya listened quietly without refuting them.

As she looked at these indignant old scholars, a sudden surge of sorrow welled up in her heart.

She knew that this path of reform would be even more difficult than she had imagined.

"Respected scholars," Lin Shiya began slowly, her tone calm, "might I ask what high insights you all have regarding current teaching methods?"

Lin Shiya's calm gaze swept across the angry faces. Instead of arguing, she bowed slightly, her tone sincere: "You gentlemen are all scholarly and experienced. My visit today is not to negate tradition, but to seek your guidance. In our current teaching methods, are there any aspects you believe are worth improving?"

This sudden shift left the old scholars momentarily speechless.

They had prepared a bellyful of arguments to attack the new style of education, never expecting Lin Shiya to seek their advice with such humility.

The tense and hostile atmosphere deflated like a punctured balloon.

The white-bearded scholar, Elder Song, stroked his beard, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes. "Scholar Lin, what is the meaning of this?"

Lin Shiya smiled faintly, calmly taking a stack of papers from her maid Wu and handing them forward. "These are the grade reports of the students from the academy where I previously taught, along with a comparative analysis of the academy's average grades over the years. I kindly request you gentlemen to examine them."

The papers were passed among the scholars. The clear numerical comparisons on the pages gradually quieted the once-noisy lecture hall.

Data does not lie; the academic performance of students under the new education system was markedly superior to that of traditional education.

Some of the old scholars unconsciously pushed up the reading glasses on the bridges of their noses, examining the papers over and over again with furrowed brows.

Elder Song's face was gloomy as he flipped through the grade reports in his hand, his fingers trembling slightly.

He had to admit that these figures were truly shocking.

He had originally assumed Lin Shiya's reform was merely a stunt to attract attention, but he had never expected it to genuinely improve student performance.

The atmosphere in the lecture hall grew heavy. The old scholars remained silent, their gazes shifting back and forth between Lin Shiya and the grade reports in their hands, as if weighing something.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

A knock broke the silence, and a slightly timid voice sounded from outside the door: "Excuse me, is Scholar Lin here? I am the parent of the Qian family from the new academy in the south of the city..."

The appearance of the Qian family parent was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in overlapping circles.

Behind him followed a few other parents with anxious expressions. These were all parents from the new academy in the south of the city; having heard the news that Lin Shiya was pushing for educational reform, they could no longer sit still.

"Scholar Lin, can this reform you speak of really help our children pass the imperial examinations?" asked a woman dressed in coarse hemp cloth cautiously. Her voice trembled slightly, as if she feared her child's future might be ruined.

"Indeed, Scholar Lin, we parents rely entirely on our children to make something of themselves. We feel uneasy about this reform of yours!" echoed a robust middle-aged man, his voice loud yet tinged with anxiety.

The parents spoke all at once, voicing their concerns in a cacophony, echoing through the lecture hall like a flock of startled sparrows.

Looking at them, Lin Shiya understood completely.

These parents, much like the old scholars, were filled with distrust and rejection of anything new.

"Everyone," Lin Shiya raised her voice, her crisp tones acting like a refreshing spring that gradually quelled the commotion in the hall. "I understand your feelings, and I would never treat your children's futures as a joke. How about this, I have a proposal. Would any of you be willing to give it a try?"

The parents looked at each other in dismay, feeling both curious and apprehensive about Lin Shiya's proposal, having no idea what she had up her sleeve.

"How about this: I invite your children to join me here and try out the new teaching methods for a month. After a month, if any of you feel it is unsuitable, you are free to withdraw at any time. How does that sound?" Lin Shiya's voice was firm and sincere, and the confidence in her eyes infected everyone present.

The parents hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, their hope for the future triumphed over their inner misgivings.

One after another, they expressed their willingness to let their children give it a try.

Next, Lin Shiya instructed her maid Wu to take out the student roster she had prepared in advance and began selecting students.

To everyone's surprise, upon learning that they would have access to new teaching methods, many students in the academy were eager to try, and even those who were usually quite introverted raised their hands.

Among them was Scholar Zhou. He secretly glanced at Elder Song's expression before ultimately choosing to join the ranks of the new education system.

Soon, the students were arranged into a new classroom.

Instead of diving straight into lectures, Lin Shiya started by playing some small games with them to liven up the atmosphere.

She discovered that these children were filled with curiosity about new things, and their eyes sparkled with a thirst for knowledge.

Before long, the new classroom was filled with laughter and cheerful voices.

For several days running, Lin Shiya led the students through the new teaching methods.

She found that the new approach not only improved learning efficiency but also stimulated the students' interest in learning.

Instead of rote memorization, the students began to think independently and ask questions actively.

Their progress was visible to the naked eye.

The parents also gradually noticed the changes in their children.

They began to actively ask what their children had learned at school, and the children were equally eager to share what they had seen and heard.

The worry on the parents' faces gradually diminished, replaced by relief and pleasant surprise.

The Qian family parent watched as his child excitedly recounted newly learned knowledge, the tightly knit furrows on his brow slowly smoothing out.

Seeing the shift in attitude among the students and parents, the tense nerves within Lin Shiya relaxed somewhat.

She knew she had taken the difficult first step.

As the sun set in the west, Lin Shiya returned to her room alone. The sound of chirping insects drifted in from outside the window, and she rubbed her brow in fatigue to ease the exhaustion from days of rushing about.

Just as she was preparing to rest, her maid Wu hurried in holding a letter.

"Milady, a letter has arrived from the palace." Maid Wu handed the letter to Lin Shiya, a hint of excitement in her tone.

Lin Shiya broke the seal, and elegant handwriting came into view—it was a letter from Murong Fu.

There was nothing extraordinary written upon it, save for a single sentence: "Forget not your original aspiration, and the road ahead is bright."

Looking at the letter, Lin Shiya's lips curled up slightly, and a warm current flooded her heart.

She tightly clutched the letter in her palm, her gaze filled with determination and hope.

The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the half-closed lattice window, casting its light upon the elegant handwriting on the letter paper. Lin Shiya savored Murong Fu's encouragement.

Every word in the letter felt like warm sunlight, piercing through her days of fatigue and filling her heart with strength and hope.

She tightly gripped the letter, feeling the delicate and familiar texture of the paper as if it could convey Murong Fu's warmth and trust.

Closing her eyes slightly, she took a deep breath, savoring this hard-won peace and warmth.

"Milady, Steward Sun from the finance department is here to see you." Maid Wu's voice broke the tranquility, tinged with a trace of subtle worry.

Lin Shiya opened her eyes, her gaze narrowing slightly.

She stood up, neatly folded the letter paper, tucked it into her sleeve, and walked slowly toward the finance room.

Along the way, the sound of resounding recitation drifted from the academy; the crisp and pleasant voices of the students seemed to speak of the vibrant vitality of the new education system.

She understood in her heart that all this beauty did not come easily, and she could not afford the slightest relaxation.

Inside the finance room, Steward Sun was bowing his head over a thick stack of account books, his fingers flipping through them rapidly with a faint rustling sound.

Hearing Lin Shiya's footsteps, he looked up, a troubled look on his face: "Scholar Lin, regarding the financial matters of the new education system..."

Lin Shiya frowned slightly. She had long anticipated the financial complexities of the new system, but she had not expected the issues to be quite this thorny.

Steward Sun handed her the account books and said softly, "The expenses for this new education far exceed our budget, and many costs have no precedent. We simply do not know how to handle them."

Lin Shiya took the ledgers, her fingers gently brushing the rough paper as she rapidly calculated various potential solutions in her mind.

She knew this was not merely a financial problem; it touched upon the very sustainability of the new education system.

Taking a deep breath, with a resolute gaze, she already had a preliminary plan in mind.

"Steward Sun, you may return first. I will study these matters carefully." Her tone was calm and firm. She lightly twirled a small note folded from letter paper at her fingertips, as if pondering every single detail.

Standing nearby, Maid Wu asked softly upon seeing this, "Milady, do you need me to prepare writing brush and ink?" Lin Shiya gave a slight nod, her eyes never leaving the ledgers in her hands as she threw herself entirely into studying them.

Her heart was filled with resolve, yet these new challenges brought unprecedented pressure.

At this moment, her expression remained solemn, as if steeling herself fully for the trials yet to come.