Noble Lady from a Humble Family
Zhu Xuan was born with no extraordinary luck, into a humble rural family with only a few acres of thin land and a handful of livestock. She had older brothers and sisters above, younger siblings below
Year Three of Great Yue, a time when all things awaited revival.
It was late July, the heat slowly dissipating, and the Reed Marsh Village already hinted at the coming autumn.
Zhu Xuan’s birthday fell on July thirtieth—after this day, she would be exactly six years old, and the township school opened on the first of August.
By the laws of Great Yue, all children nationwide, regardless of gender, could attend the township school to begin their education upon reaching six years old. The opening period lasted three years, and the Emperor’s eldest daughter, Princess Zhen Guo, called it “three years of compulsory education.”
One day apart—everyone said Zhu Xuan was born on the perfect day.
Though Great Yue had only stood for three years, Reed Marsh Village had practiced “three years of compulsory education” for nearly seven or eight years. The reason was simple: Reed Marsh Village, though neither large nor small, belonged to Yangzhou Prefecture, which, along with more than a dozen cities north and south of the Yangtze, was under Southern Direct Administration.
Southern Direct Administration was the first territory the Emperor of Great Yue claimed before founding the nation, bearing witness to his rise from rebel leader to King of Yue, and eventually, to emperor.
Zhu Xuan was the second daughter in her family, with a pair of elder siblings above her.
Her eldest brother, Zhu Tang, was twelve this year. As the first son, the family had considered supporting him to become a scholar. Elementary education cost little, but preparing fo