Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 80 - 79: Emperor and Empress Doujin

Chapter 80: Chapter 79: Emperor and Empress Doujin
"Then how about I teach you to read?"
The girl on the windowsill seemed to have found a new delight, looking at Qin Yao expectantly.
Even Dou’er, who was serving inside the room, looked over in surprise.
Seeing that Qin Yao really came in, Aunt Qiao frowned and thought it inappropriate, "Miss, this might not be a good idea."
Miss Ding seemed innocent, but she wasn’t foolish; she was the master, and Aunt Qiao had no right to intervene in her decisions.
Miss Ding immediately pouted, childishly telling Aunt Qiao, "It’s so boring to read alone. Every time I ask you and Dou’er to read with me, you plead for mercy. Today, I just want to be a teacher. It’s rare for someone to be willing to be a student. Don’t meddle, or I won’t be happy!"
Aunt Qiao quickly lowered her head and respectfully said, "This servant wouldn’t dare."
"Then step back if you wouldn’t dare," Miss Ding hummed, showing a childish stubbornness.
Aunt Qiao instructed Dou’er to attend to the young lady well and then left.
Miss Ding enthusiastically pointed to the stool opposite the desk, inviting Qin Yao to sit down, then picked up a book and asked if Qin Yao wanted to read along.
"Sure," Qin Yao replied, reaching out with a smile to take the book.
The bookshelf behind Miss Ding was filled with books, ranging from beginner picture books to the Four Books and Five Classics, to miscellaneous notes and travelogues—everything was available.
If she hadn’t called Qin Yao in, Qin Yao wouldn’t have known there were so many books in her room.
To understand a new world, books are the most convenient way. Qin Yao knew that such opportunities were rare, so why not be a student?
In this era of knowledge monopoly, if she hadn’t come to the Ding Family as a bodyguard, she probably would have had no access to books at all.
In Kaiyang County, there are bookstores, but only students enrolled in academies and scholars with official titles can enter.
Thus, just copying books can be enough for a poor student to make a living.
But even copied books are unaffordable for ordinary families.
Qin Yao had been to the county town twice before, but she could only look from outside the bookstore door. Even a basic primer of the Three Character Classic was sold for eight cents of silver—who could afford that?
Apparently, children all enjoy role-playing games.
Because teaching Qin Yao was a great achievement, Miss Ding fell in love with being a teacher.
Qin Yao already had the foundation of the original role, recognizing commonly used characters, plus her own knowledge base meant that the Classic of Poetry Miss Ding brought out posed no difficulty for her.
After two days of lessons, they finished reading all three hundred poems of the Classic of Poetry.
Miss Ding was very excited, feeling like she had taught a genius.
That day, the two of them were having lunch, one elegantly inside the room, the other sitting on a small stool at the door consuming a large bowl of rice heartily.
Miss Ding was inexplicably attracted by the sound coming from the doorway.
Thinking that her father and brother were not at home, she thought it was okay even if she occasionally lost her manners. She ignored Aunt Qiao’s disapproving face, carrying her bowl of blue and white porcelain rice, and walked out.
Dou’er placed an embroidered stool beside Qin Yao, and Miss Ding sat down.
The two exchanged a glance, smiled at each other, and together looked at the azure sky above while having their meal.
After lunch, Miss Ding eagerly asked, "Miss Qin, what book would you like to read today?"
Qin Yao pointed to the bookshelf in the room, and Miss Ding graciously led her in to choose.
Qin Yao stood before the bookshelf and looked around. Besides the Four Books and Five Classics which she already knew, she wanted to read those miscellaneous notes and travelogues.
But there was no rush, there was still time, so Qin Yao picked a novel that seemed somewhat like fanfiction or unofficial history, titled "Secret History of the Harem."
The book looked quite new—its cover not even creased, tucked away in the corner of the shelf.
Seeing Qin Yao pull out this book, Miss Ding exclaimed "Ah!" her first reaction was to quickly check the living room to see if Aunt Qiao was there.
Seeing no one, she let out a sigh of relief; Dou’er couldn’t read, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Why did you pick this one?"
Miss Ding beckoned Qin Yao over to the window, monitoring the entrance the entire time, a guilty look of doing something sneaky accompanied by a slightly embarrassed glare at Qin Yao.
Qin Yao looked at the book’s title and asked quietly, "Is this a forbidden book?"
Miss Ding gave a look as if she was thinking ’Oh, so you know,’ but didn’t ask Qin Yao to put it back, because she wanted to read it too.
"I had my brother secretly buy it for me. I like to read unofficial histories and notes, but I can’t let my father know. If he found out, he’d be furious!"
He’d say things like, ’How can a girl read such filthy materials, it’s disgraceful to the family,’ speaking very seriously.
Qin Yao hushed her, coaxing the child, "This matter is known only to you, me, the heavens, and the earth; no one else will know."
"No, it’s the fourth person," Miss Ding corrected quietly, "Brother knows too."
The two exchanged a glance, and Miss Ding’s eyes were filled with irrepressible excitement. Seeing Qin Yao not turning the book’s pages, she couldn’t help but urge, "Read it first, then tell me."
In case there’s something that can’t be seen, don’t say it out loud.
Seeing her wanting to see yet being fearful, Qin Yao felt like laughing, suspecting that the book might be adult in nature.
Scoffing softly at the thought, it made her slightly excited.
Keeping a straight face, Qin Yao opened the book, and barely read two lines when Miss Ding asked:
"What’s it about? Is it interesting?"
"Miss, I just started reading," Qin Yao gestured at her in exasperation to be patient.
"Alright then, I’ll go outside and keep watch while you read first, then tell me afterward," Miss Ding instructed.
Qin Yao nodded, thinking this courage was a bit too small, it was just a book, what could it...
But it really was something!
However, it wasn’t some tawdry romantic affair between concubines and the Emperor, but a decent literary style.
The story in the book used pseudonyms, but it was clear to see that it was about the current Emperor and Empress’ story of establishing their empire.
Different from the usual husband and wife, this book’s Empress is portrayed as a courageous and resourceful heroine.
During their start-up journey, all the highlights centered around the Empress.
At the start of their, during times of chaos, when various feudal lords were rebelling, the then prestigious and noble Empress saved the once fallen aristocratic son, the Emperor, providing him with money, grain, and horses to help him seize the position of Family Head.
Then, the two families formed an alliance, becoming a powerful force.
The then Clan Leader Emperor was quite satisfied with this achievement, starting an extravagant aristocratic lifestyle.
It was the Empress herself who presented the map of various feudal lords’ forces to the Emperor, analyzed the world’s situation for three days and nights, and painted a grand picture for the Emperor, leading to the subsequent reclaiming of the land and bringing peace to the people.
Afterward, the Empress personally commanded an army, leading fifty thousand troops from the Northern Land to the Central Plains Mansion, sweeping through the old capital, securing half the country for the Emperor, laying a solid foundation for Sheng Country’s eventual victory.
Reading to this point, Qin Yao felt like the Empress was about to become a ruler herself.
However, the situation changed; after taking the old capital, the Empress did not press on further.
Prejudice against women was deeply entrenched, and the Emperor’s advisors feared the mistress seizing power. Therefore, they half-coerced and half-encouraged the Emperor to declare himself King first.
The author of the book expressed regret over this, but fortunately, the young couple had a deep love, and after the Emperor became King, he did not strip the Empress of her military power, maintaining a delicate balance.
Subsequently, the husband and wife jointly recaptured territories, successfully founding Sheng Country, reaching a perfect conclusion.
At the book’s end, it mentioned the division of power between Emperor and Empress, a Princess vying to be Crown Princess, contending with her brothers, leaving the suspense of who would inherit the Crown Prince’s position unresolved.