Song Tangning might not understand all the intricacies of human behavior, but she knew that the world sympathized with the weak. Between her and the prominent Lu family, she was at a disadvantage in terms of power, and since the Lu family had wronged her first, she could maintain the upper hand. However, if she were to accept the Lu family's money, losing her moral high ground, no one would sympathize with someone who was perceived as greedy and tainted by wealth.
People would only think that her earlier aggressive stance against the Lu family was driven by a desire for money and power. They would see her as greedy, not as someone acting out of righteousness. This wouldn't just tarnish her reputation but would also drag down the names of her aunt and grandfather.
Moreover...
Song Tangning lowered her gaze, concealing her thoughts.
She wanted to protect her brother.
Her brother's actions constantly teetered on the edge of an abyss, where a single misstep could lead to utter ruin. She worried about his situation but knew that the world wouldn’t allow him to retreat. If he withdrew, it would mean death.
Since she couldn’t dissuade him, she could only do everything in her power to help him.
While he bore a notorious reputation, she would accumulate a good one. As he was ostracized and slandered by the aristocracy, struggling alone in the court, she would gather enough like-minded people around him, ensuring he wouldn't have to fight alone.
It was difficult to topple the power of the noble families, but if there were enough impoverished scholars in the court, and if they could win over enough upright officials, the influence of the aristocracy would naturally be suppressed.
She knew her abilities were limited and might not be enough to accomplish all this. However, if she could do as much as possible and create a large enough impact, then even if one day imperial power shifted and Xiao Yan was targeted, she wouldn’t be left helpless, forced to watch him face punishment without any way to intervene.
Song Tangning feared her brother would mock her for being naive and overly ambitious. She was also afraid he would laugh at her for dreaming too big. So, she kept these thoughts hidden deep in her heart and spoke only of the Lu family.
“If we establish an academy, not only can we attract impoverished scholars, but we can also gain the support of the upright officials who oppose the aristocracy. With them on our side, even if the Lu family bears a grudge, they wouldn’t dare act against me. Besides, we can take advantage of the connections my grandfather left behind instead of letting them go to waste, benefiting others.”
More importantly, Tangning had another ambition.
Her initial idea was to establish a women’s academy. The thought sprouted after Madam Qin mentioned the current state of women’s education. But she knew that merely setting up a women’s academy wouldn’t garner much support, nor would it help her use the impoverished scholars and officials to push the Lu family into a difficult position.
She wasn’t the naive young girl she used to be and understood the importance of leveraging power.
She planned to first gather these people around her, using their influence to force the Lu family to retreat. Then, she would take the opportunity to bring up the matter of the women’s academy. At that point, under the cover of the male scholars, it wouldn’t be seen as unusual for her to hire a few female teachers and admit some female students, and others wouldn’t make too much of it.
Song Tangning knew her plan might still have some flaws and wasn't entirely mature, so she couldn’t help but look at Xiao Yan and say:
“I’m already in a conflict with the Lu family. Rather than tearing each other apart and suffering mutual losses, why not use this opportunity to gain some good reputation? The Lu family took a lot from me; I’ll only ask for compensation in the form of three times the number of books, and I won't take any other money. Brother, what do you think?”
Xiao Yan glanced at the young girl beside him, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
This was more than just a good idea—it was unexpectedly brilliant.
He had initially thought that the little girl was acting out of a simple, emotional grudge against the Lu family, but he didn’t expect her to have thought of so much without anyone prompting her.
The conflict between Song Tangning and the Lu family was, at its core, a private matter between two families. No matter how big the issue became, it wouldn’t involve outsiders. At most, people would watch the drama unfold, mocking the Lu family as a joke. But even though it was the Lu family’s deceit, she had willingly given away those things. In the end, even if she dragged the Lu family down with her, she would still be criticized by some pedantic individuals, not much better off than the Lu family.
However, if her demands for the Lu family’s possessions were not out of personal greed but instead to fund an academy for impoverished scholars, the meaning would be completely different.
Not only would those poor scholars aspiring to rise be on her side, but even court officials like Cao Dejiang, who came from humble backgrounds and had reached high positions, would offer their full support.
That way, Song Tangning wouldn’t have to engage in a messy confrontation with the Lu family, and the Lu family would still be stripped of their resources.
Xiao Yan hadn’t expected that the girl who once cried at his scolding had developed such thoughts. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.
“Establishing an academy is indeed a good idea, far better than directly confronting the Lu family. But setting up an academy will require more than just a few books, and asking only for three times the compensation is too lenient on the Lu family.”
Although this was about building her reputation and rallying scholars to resist the aristocracy, at the core, it was still about giving these scholars a way out. The struggle between commoners and nobles in the court had never ceased over the years. Now that Tangning wanted to leverage this, she couldn’t let go of those self-proclaimed upright officials.
The Lu family would bleed, but others would also need to contribute.
Xiao Yan’s fingers tapped lightly on the table, producing a steady “thump, thump.” After a moment, he said calmly, “Tomorrow is the deadline. I’ll draft two petitions for you. Send one to the Jingzhao Prefecture, and I’ll help you deliver the other to the palace.”
“I’ll explain your situation with the Lu family to His Majesty, then request a monument be erected at the academy’s entrance, listing the contributions of everyone who helped build the academy. The Lu family will certainly come to negotiate with you. At that time, ask for half of their library, and have Lu Chongyuan personally write and dedicate a plaque for the academy’s opening.”
“If the Lu family refuses, hand the petition to the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Censorate, and let them report the matter to His Majesty. He will judge it.”
Song Tangning widened her eyes at this. She only intended to make the Lu family suffer, but her brother’s plan would practically bleed them dry, if not outright destroy them.
It wasn’t just about books—forcing Lu Chongyuan to write for the academy would infuriate him beyond belief. The academy aimed to cultivate a force to resist the aristocracy, and it would already be impressive if the nobles didn’t cause trouble. If Lu Chongyuan’s writing endorsed it, the aristocracy would lose face.
“Will Lu Chongyuan agree?” Tangning hesitated.
“He will,” Xiao Yan said, unflinchingly.
Before Lu Zhinian’s incident, the Lu family might have had other plans, but now that Lu Zhinian was in his hands, they couldn’t move against Tangning and didn’t want to ruin the Fourth Prince’s reputation.
As long as he pushed the Lu family to a painful yet manageable limit, Lu Chongyuan would be more than willing to “cut his losses to avoid further disaster.” Even if that meant enduring the humiliation, he would grudgingly agree.
“Just go ahead with your plans,” Xiao Yan assured her.
Upon hearing this, Song Tangning’s anxiety vanished. “Alright, I’ll follow your advice, brother.”===========
You can read ahead to chapterr 200 here
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