The New Year of Jianwen's fifteenth year is coming soon.
According to the custom of previous years, after the Lantern Festival, the academy officially opens.
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, it was particularly lively outside the gate of Lianchi Academy.
There are two pieces of red paper posted outside the courtyard gate. On weekdays, the results list of each monthly and annual exam is usually posted here. School has just started, where is the announcement?
The girls immediately came forward. The female relatives who had sent their daughters to the academy couldn't help but gathered around curiously and looked around.
The first announcement contained only a few sentences.
Lianchi Academy will recruit new students in March this year. Excluding the two places given to the clan, a total of thirty-four students will be admitted. Those who are interested in applying to the academy can come to the academy to register from February.
The second announcement also only had a few sentences.
Starting from this year, all students studying in Lianchi Academy will have to pay for self-cultivation. The self-cultivation fee is the same as that of Songzhu Academy, which costs one hundred taels of silver per year.
After reading the announcement, there was an uproar.
"Great! Lianchi Academy is finally willing to recruit more students. This year, there are twenty-four more places!"
"My two younger sisters are over ten years old, and I have a cousin and three cousins. They can also register together. With more places, wouldn't the chance of passing the exam be greatly increased?"
"Isn't that right? Ten quotas a year are really too few. Now there are more than twice as many, which is great news!"
Everyone was excited and happy about the good news, but no one mentioned much about the hundred taels of silver.
It is natural to study and practice. With such a big Lotus Pond Academy and so many masters, the expenses for various things cost a lot in a year. In the past, they were all supported by Queen Yu's private house. Now it is time to collect some money and practice.
A girl in a boudoir can make several slightly better dresses for more than a hundred taels.
A family that can carefully educate its daughter to get admitted to Lianchi Academy is either lucky or expensive. Who would put this one hundred taels of silver in their eyes?
…
One student pays one hundred taels, and forty-eight students pay 4,800 taels.
Thirty-six students will be admitted this year, and there will be another 3,600 students.
Calculated in this way, it is more than eight thousand taels of silver. This is not a small amount of money. At least it is enough to meet daily expenses, including the monthly silver of the masters.
Xie Mingxi's white and slender fingers skillfully typed the delicate silver abacus. The small silver abacus beads jingled, and the sound was extremely pleasant.
After finishing the calculation, Xie Mingxi raised her head and smiled at Ruoyao: "In just two days, Shu Xiu collected it all. There are a total of 4,800 taels of silver. You can collect it and put it into the warehouse!"
Ruoyao smiled and agreed, and couldn't help but joke: "This slave has been in charge of the warehouse for so long, and this is the first time I see silver."
Gu Shanchang laughed dumbly.
In the past, the expenses of the college were all managed by the people around Queen Yu. If there were any extra expenses, they were usually posted in the store and someone would settle the bill.
Now that we have begun to practice binding, this rule needs to be changed.
Gu Shanzhang thought for a while and said to Xie Mingxi: "From now on, you will be in charge of all the accounting matters. Now there is money in the warehouse, leaving some to meet daily expenses. You take out three thousand taels and use it for Lianchi Academy Build two shops in the name."
A medium-sized shop in a better location costs two thousand taels at least. It is in an ordinary location and two places is enough. It can collect a fixed amount of rent every month.
Xie Mingxi's eyes flashed: "Master, I have another idea."
Then, he whispered a few words.
…
After hearing this, Chief Gu Shan looked shocked and stunned: "The academy is a quiet place to study, so this is not good!"
Xie Mingxi smiled disapprovingly and said: "The students are all studying in the academy. They are not allowed to go out of the academy during the day, so it is naturally quiet. There is a little more excitement outside the academy, but it will not affect the students' studies."
"If you are influenced so easily, you are not worthy of being a student of our Lotus Pond Academy."
Gu Shanchang: "..."
I always feel that what Xie Mingxi said is unreasonable!
Gu Shanchang frowned and said: "It seems to be an insult to the gentlemen to make money like this."
Gu Shanchang came from a well-known family, and he was well-dressed and well-fed since he was a child. After breaking up with the Gu family, he lived a slightly poorer life in Lianchi Academy. However, he never worried about money. Speaking of the word "silver", there is something unique about scholars. Aloof.
Xie Mingxi smiled slightly: "You can make money and be humble, so what does it matter?"
"Master, give me half a year, and I can double the three thousand taels. With the money, Master can give more monthly silver to the disciples, make the food in the cafeteria better, and find another place to build an academy." , does not restrict cultivation, but only takes in daughters from poor families and teaches them to read and calligraphy."
"With money, there are so many things you can do."
"Master, is he really unwilling?"
Gu Shanchang: "..."
Gu Shanchang was silent for a while, and then suddenly sighed: "Mingxi, when you want to persuade someone, who can stop your tongue from shining like a lotus?"
Xie Mingxi raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Master agreed?"
"Yes, I agree." Chief Gu Shanzhang is not a hypocritical person. As soon as he agreed, he said something ugly first: "This is your idea, everything is under your control. I don't care!"
Xie Mingxi smiled calmly, with confidence in her eyes: "Master, just wait and see!"
Chief Gu Shanchang deliberately poured cold water on him: "What if no one cares about me and the family is left in the cold?"
Xie Mingxi said matter-of-factly: "How could this happen? Lianchi Academy is famous, but any family with a daughter would like to come and get a taste of the academy's culture."
"If no one dares to rent a shop to run a business, it only proves that they do not have the vision and luck to make a fortune."
…
Yes, Xie Mingxi's idea was to build two rows of shops outside Lianchi Academy.
The green brick road outside Lianchi Academy is very spacious, enough to accommodate six horse-drawn carriages running parallel. A row of shops are built close to the wall, which does not affect the carriages.
The land belongs to Lianchi Academy, no money is needed.
The shops are built four meters wide and six meters deep, with ten rooms in a row and twenty rooms in two rows.
With three thousand taels of silver, you can buy up to two shops. If you buy some bricks and stones and hire craftsmen to build them, three thousand taels of silver is more than enough to build twenty shops. How can the rent of two shops be compared with twenty shops?
According to Xie Mingxi's estimation, there are twenty shops, which can support all the expenses of Lianchi Academy. Coupled with the annual training of students, the academy has a huge surplus.
Gu Shanchang told Queen Yu about the matter: "... Ming Xi proposed the idea. I saw that she was full of confidence, so I couldn't bear to reject it."
Empress Yu smiled and teased: "Xie Mingxi is born with a sharp tongue, and she has never met a match so far. She deliberately coaxes you, how can you be her match."
Chief Gu was the most defensive, and became unhappy after hearing these words: "I don't like to hear this! She only thinks about running the academy, so how come she is trying to coax me."
Queen Yu: "..."
Forget it, you are the best at protecting your shortcomings! (To be continued)
