There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 493 (End of Text)

[The key milestone of 'popularizing women's education' in this timeline has been established, the vector of civilization evolution has been significantly optimized, and the core derivative task is: 'to improve and stabilize the overall happiness index of women's lives' – the final closed loop has been achieved.]

[All pre-installed bootloaders terminated]

[Host Li Shuchen, thank you for all your efforts and brilliance in this world. May your elegant attire forever flutter in the halls of knowledge.]

[Auspicious, Offline]

The sound disappeared completely, leaving no trace.

This time, Li Shuchen clearly felt that the invisible thread connecting her to another dimension, the thread that had accompanied her through her initial years of confusion and struggle, had truly and completely broken.

There was no golden light, no unusual phenomenon.

Only the curious, peering faces of the girls filling the classroom, only the warm gazes of my dearest friends, only the scent of wood, paper, and hope carried by the spring breeze through the new schoolhouse.

She stood quietly for a moment, then took a deep, long breath and slowly exhaled.

It was as if a long past, along with that farewell, was being carefully placed together.

When she looked up again, her face was beaming with the brightest smile. She clapped her hands and, addressing the expectant girls in the room, and also to this new stage of her life, declared loudly:

"Alright, girls! Find your seats! Our first lesson at Yuxiu Academy is about to begin!"

June 25th, the sixteenth year of the Purple Star Dynasty

Afternoon

In the pavilion of the Seventh Prince's mansion's back garden, four figures were huddled together, whispering excitedly with a hint of mystery.

It was Gu Ziying, Princess Changning, Liang Yuying, and Ye Bingli.

Gu Ziying spoke first: "Tomorrow is Shu Chen's birthday. I've already booked the best lakeside private room at Xiangchi Tower and ordered her favorite dish, ham and lotus seed chicken soup. She's been so busy with Yuxiu Academy lately that she's lost some weight. She needs to have a good meal to replenish her energy."

She paused, a gentle smile appearing on her face: "Also... I've prepared a separate surprise for her, but I can't tell you yet."

Just then, Ping An and Xing Fu, each carrying a crooked, colorful cardboard box, ran past under the eaves. Upon hearing the words "Shu Chen's mother" and "birthday," they immediately rushed into the pavilion like cannonballs and squeezed next to Gu Ziying's legs.

"Mommy! Mommy! We want to celebrate Shuchen's birthday too!" Ping'an exclaimed, holding up a cardboard box.

"I made flowers! Ping An drew... drew a big duck!" Xingfu eagerly showed off.

Gu Ziying smiled and hugged the two children: "Okay, okay, you'll each get one. What gifts did you prepare?"

"A secret!" the two little ones exclaimed in unison, then hugged their precious boxes and ran off giggling.

Princess Changning gracefully picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then slowly and deliberately began to speak.

"Food is of course essential. I made her a new set of headdresses, pure gold, in the 'flowing clouds and chasing the moon' style that she mentioned was beautiful last time. The key is the gemstones inlaid on it."

She raised her chin slightly with a hint of pride. "It's pigeon blood red jadeite, just mined from a new mine in Boyu Kingdom. The quality is excellent, it suits her perfectly. That girl is greedy for money, and she can't resist gemstones. She'll definitely love it."

Ye Bingli listened quietly before speaking softly, "Xiangchi Tower is by the lake, with a beautiful view, but the decor is a bit too simple. I plan to go there early and decorate it with her favorite white lisianthus, hydrangeas, and magnolias. It doesn't need to be too elaborate, just elegant."

She unconsciously twirled her cuff with her fingertips. "Also, I made a new set of rouge and face powder, with a main scent of bellflower. She kept saying how refreshing the scent was, so it's a small but practical gift."

After all three had finished speaking, their gazes turned to Liang Yuying, who had barely spoken.

Gu Ziying asked softly, "Yuying, what about you? What did you prepare for Shuchen?" She knew that although Liang Yuying was a woman of few words, she always put a lot of thought into what she gave Shuchen.

Princess Changning immediately followed, her eyes gleaming with gossip: "Yes, yes, General Liang, tell us the truth! Did you personally make some amazing item for Shu Chen again? Last time, she showed off that sandalwood nine-linked ring for half a year!"

Ye Bingli didn't press the matter, but merely smiled almost imperceptibly as she lowered her head to fiddle with a fallen leaf on the stone table.

She naturally knew what Liang Yuying had prepared.

The red veils, which were almost embroidered with mandarin ducks but turned out to be ducks, had crooked stitches on one side. This was the result of Liang Yuying asking her for advice late at night, clutching the fabric and thread, showing a rare hint of embarrassment.

Liang Yuying felt somewhat uncomfortable under their gazes, a faint hint of embarrassment flashing across her usually cold face. She had been lost in thought, her mind preoccupied with the finally completed, neatly folded pair of bright red mandarin duck veils.

She composed herself, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then said casually.

"About the same as usual"

She didn't specify what it was, but the faint, genuine smile at the corner of her lips didn't escape the eyes of the others.

She was actually a little unsure, wondering how Shu Chen would react to the veils. Would he laugh at her poor embroidery skills, or... have other thoughts? But none of that mattered.

Liang Yuying thought to herself, she still held onto the promise Shu Chen had made long ago: to "unconditionally agree to one thing."

If... if there really is any awkwardness, or if Shu Chen doesn't understand, she'll use that promise on her birthday.

Let Shu Chen promise to be her best friend for life, the kind who will never be apart.

That way, it's safe.

Thinking of this, her anxiety suddenly dissipated, and her smile became much more natural.

"So mysterious!"

Princess Changning snorted, but didn't press the matter further, instead enthusiastically planning what would happen next.

"After Shu Chen's birthday, I have to make her keep her promise and take me to the far, far south. That golden-yellow fruit she brought back last time, called 'mango,' was so sweet, fragrant, and soft. I want to eat it again! I heard it's even fresher there!"

Ye Bingli, who had been quiet all along, also raised her eyes, a hint of longing appearing in them.

"We must go to the South, and we must also see the sea. Shu Chen promised me a long time ago that we would go to the beach together to watch the sunrise and listen to the sound of the tide. She said that the sunrise at the beach is golden and will set the entire sea surface ablaze."

Gu Ziying listened and smiled gently, distributing the peeled lotus seeds to everyone.

"Then let's go together. Anyway, Shu Chen said that no matter where she travels in the future, no matter how far away, she will remember to take me with her. Let's go together and keep each other company."

Ping An and Xing Fu, who had just returned from a stroll, immediately clung to Gu Ziying's arm and shook it when they heard "go play" and "beach."

"Mommy! We want to go too! We want to go with Shuchen's mommy! To see the sea! To collect seashells!"

"Okay, everyone go, everyone go," Gu Ziying agreed readily, overwhelmed by the children's fuss.

On June 26th, the sixteenth year of the Purple Star Dynasty, as dawn broke...

Li Shuchen lay quietly on the couch, able to clearly feel life slipping away gently and continuously, like sand through his fingers.

She wasn't alarmed; she simply closed her eyes slightly and, in the gradually brightening morning light, recounted the past.

In this life, she lived life to the fullest, laughed earnestly, cried freely, and loved deeply.

Running an inn, cultivating flower fields, honoring parents, building an academy, protecting friends, helping the weak and vulnerable... he accomplished everything he should have done, wanted to do, and even things he had never imagined.

Looking back now, I can't find any real regrets.

If it ends here, it doesn't seem so bad.

She thought to herself, a very faint smile curving her lips.

There will never be another Li Shuchen in the world, but that's okay.

As long as there are still inns with smoke rising from their chimneys, fields with blooming flowers, and girls sitting by the bright windows of schools, then countless different "Li Shuchens" will continue to exist vividly in different stories.

She gently turned her head and looked out the window.

The fringe tree she casually planted many years ago has now grown tall and graceful, its branches reaching powerfully towards the azure sky.

It was the height of its blooming season, and the trees were covered in clusters of fine, snow-like white blossoms, like a dream that would never melt away, swaying gently in the morning breeze—a sight to behold.

She gazed at that gentle expanse of white for a long, long time.

The light of the flowers reflected in my eyes, and also the sky, clear as ever.

Finally, that gaze gradually became serene and distant, as if it had drifted with the wind through the flower branches to a brighter, more expansive horizon.

End of the full text.