The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Chapter 159 Princess Jue Ling's Seeing is Believing

Princess Jue Ling had initially agreed to come to Zhaoyin Academy only reluctantly, pressured by Cen Jiexiao's aura and Li Shanggong's instigation. Therefore, her steps following Cen Jiexiao were somewhat hesitant and reluctant. Beyond the academy gates was a winding cobblestone path leading deeper into the grounds, lined with lush trees, birdsong, and the fragrance of flowers. It was a stark contrast to the formal and austere atmosphere Princess Jue Ling had imagined.

"This Zhaoyin Academy is quite different from what I imagined." Princess Jue Ling couldn't help but speak with a hint of surprise in her tone.

Cen Jiexiao smiled slightly, turned sideways and said, "Princess, please follow me."

Walking along the path, the view suddenly opens up. You can see quaint courtyards scattered in an orderly manner on an open plain, with rockery, ponds, pavilions and terraces. The layout is ingenious and the scenery is pleasant. Unlike the magnificence of the imperial palace, there is more of a tranquil and elegant atmosphere of books here.

"This is not an academy at all, it's clearly an exquisite and elegant garden!" Princess Jue Ling was deeply attracted by the scene before her and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Your Highness, you are too kind. This academy was designed and built by my father himself. He often said that learning requires a good state of mind. If the environment is good and the mind is calm, then one will naturally be able to learn." Cen Jiexiao answered respectfully, but there was a trace of imperceptible loneliness on her face.

Li Shanggong couldn't help but roll her eyes and cursed inwardly, "What do you mean by peace of mind? I think they're using the court's money to build a place of enjoyment for their family!"

Cen Jiexiao welcomed Princess Jue Ling into a spacious and bright classroom, where she saw dozens of female students sitting upright, listening attentively to a lecture by a handsome young male teacher. The teacher was not teaching the Four Books and Five Classics or the Instructions for Women, but arithmetic!

Cen Jiexiao's voice was gentle yet firm, like a warm spring breeze brushing past your ears. "Your Highness, look at this Zhaoyin Academy! It's like a vast open field, without any barriers. Any seed that truly loves knowledge, whether it comes from poor soil or fertile land, can take root and sprout here, thriving and growing." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the focused female students in the classroom, her eyes filled with pity and expectation. "We teach not only the time-honored arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but also arithmetic, geography, astronomy, medicine, and more. Think about it, everything in this world operates according to its own laws. Why can't women explore and master them?"

Princess Jue Ling was deeply moved by Cen Jie Xiao's words. She seemed to see a brand new door slowly opening before her, revealing a sun-drenched garden, vibrant and vibrant. She nodded involuntarily, her admiration for Cen Jie Xiao growing rapidly like a vine in spring.

Cen Jiexiao smiled softly and pointed at the simple and clear numbers and symbols on the blackboard. "This is a new arithmetic method our academy has introduced, called 'Arabic numerals' and 'vertical calculation.' Compared to traditional counting rods, it's much simpler and faster, just like..." She tilted her head and thought for a moment, "It's like embroidering with a delicate silver needle, which is naturally more handy than measuring with a clumsy wooden ruler."

As soon as he finished speaking, the handsome male teacher who was lecturing had already written several arithmetic problems on the blackboard and motioned for a student to come up and solve them. The student walked up to the blackboard with ease, picked up the chalk, and in just a few breaths, he solved all the problems. It was as if the complex numbers in her eyes were just a few jumping notes, easily composed into a beautiful melody.

"Your Highness, you see, even a woman who has never been exposed to arithmetic can quickly master this new algorithm." Cen Jiexiao said with a smile, a hint of pride in her tone.

Princess Jue Ling was amazed at the clear and concise numbers and symbols on the blackboard. She had never seen this kind of arithmetic before, but she found it particularly novel and interesting, like tasting an exotic fruit she had never tasted before: sour, sweet, and delicious, with an endless aftertaste.

"Princess, please follow me." Sister Cen Xiao led Princess Jue Ling through a garden filled with peonies, the fragrance of the flowers filling the air and refreshing the heart. "Up ahead is our academy's library and laboratory, where we treasure a vast ocean of knowledge and boundless creativity."

Pushing open the heavy wooden door of the library, the fragrance of books filled the air. Inside the several hundred square meters, towering bookshelves reached the ceiling, filled with a wide variety of books, from classics and history to poetry and songs, from astronomy and geography to arithmetic and medicine. Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows onto desks where several female students quietly flipped through books, sometimes discussing in low voices, sometimes furiously writing, completely immersed in a sea of knowledge.

"Students are free to borrow all the books here," Cen Jiexiao said, pointing to the neatly arranged books on the shelves, her tone filled with pride. "We believe that knowledge is the door to freedom and light, and reading is the golden key to open this door."

Princess Jue Ling looked around and couldn't help but sigh, "Such a rich collection of books is truly breathtaking."

"If you like, Your Highness, please feel free to browse through the books." Cen Jiexiao said with a smile, "We have also compiled a table of contents and index for each book to facilitate students' search."

Afterwards, Sister Cen Xiao led Princess Jue Ling to the laboratory. Unlike the tranquility of the library, the laboratory was filled with all kinds of strange sights and sounds.

"This is our college's laboratory, where students can conduct various experiments and explore the unknown world," said Cen Jiexiao, pointing to a laboratory table filled with bottles and jars in the center of the room. "We encourage students to make bold hypotheses, carefully verify them, and use their own hands to verify the truth."

A female student in a white lab coat was observing the cellular structure of a plant through a microscope. Next to her, another was carefully grinding herbs with a mortar and pestle, researching their properties. In another corner of the room, several other female students were huddled together, crafting a strange contraption out of wood and metal parts that resembled a mechanical clock.

Princess Jue Ling had never seen such a novel scene before. Curious, she walked over to the female student who was making a mechanical clock and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Your Highness, we are making a mechanical clock that can automatically tell time," the female student raised her head and replied respectfully, "We hope to use the power of gears and springs to record the passage of time."

"It's amazing!" Princess Jue Ling exclaimed, "Your ideas are so bold and novel."

"This is all thanks to Dean Cen's good guidance," the female student said modestly. "Dean Cen often encourages us to be brave enough to break the rules and be innovative."

Li Shanggong, standing by, looked on with a sullen expression. She whispered to Princess Jue Ling, "Your Highness, these things are all peculiar tricks and are not part of your job. It's best if you don't get involved with them too much."

Princess Jue Ling ignored Li Shanggong's dissuasion. She continued to visit the laboratory with great interest, as if she had opened a door to a new world, her heart full of curiosity and wonder.

After leaving the laboratory, Princess Jue Ling said to Cen Jiexiao, "Dean Cen, your academy is truly eye-opening. I never imagined that learning for women could be so interesting and lively."

Cen Jiexiao smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness, I'm too kind. I just hope to do my part to gain more learning opportunities for women."

Cen Jiexiao continued, "Your Highness, you may not know that many of these students come from poor families, and some are even orphans. They originally had no chance to study. It was I who, against all odds, recruited them into the academy, hoping that they could change their fate through learning."