History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 106 Soft Persimmons and Hard Pomegranates

Upon entering the courtyard, Niulangjun surveyed its layout at a glance. Wei Yin explained the situation to his wife, while Zhao Zhi served warm water to the unfamiliar guest.

Niu Langjun had indeed not drunk any water all day. He drank it all in two gulps and introduced himself: "My surname is Niu, and my name is Niu Dalang. I live on Baideng Mountain outside the city and make a living by hunting."

Wei Yin: "Then you won't be able to leave the city today."

"It's alright, I'm used to sleeping in the wild, I can just find a place to stay for the night."

"The nights aren't cool this time of year, or you could go to the city gate and ask the guards there for a thin mat."

The Cowherd was displeased: "That wretched teacher has a heart thinner than a mat; he didn't even bother with a perfunctory word to take me in."

With the couple working together, Zhao Zhi took back the bowl and urged, "Let's go before it gets dark."

What a pair of mean-spirited people! The Cowherd could only clasp his hands in thanks, offer a few words of gratitude, and leave Wei Yin's house. But it didn't matter that this plan failed; he had two more.

In the courtyard, Zhao Zhi carried her husband's book box to the main house.

Wei Yin then took down the clothes that were drying on the clothesline.

Zhao Zhifu came out again, and the couple put away the clothes together. Zhao Zhifu said, "I think that man's hands look like those of someone who often goes hunting, but his weak appearance is just an act."

"He wanted to fish, so I took the bait to see."

Zhao Zhi raised her fist in threat.

"Haha." Wei Yin was amused and explained in a way his wife could understand: "This man is tall and strong. When he saw me, he pretended to be sick and squatted there staring at me. I thought if I didn't fall for it and ignored him, what if he changed his tactics to bother you and Yao'er another day? It's better for me to bring him home and let him have his way. Now let's wait and see what he plans to do next. But I reckon it has something to do with Old Cui."

"How is the old man's health?"

"Not good, sigh, let's not talk about that. There's something serious. If Yao'er's fellow disciple Wei Mao comes to visit, you don't need to listen to anything, just kick him out."

Without asking why, Zhao Zhi simply replied "okay," and then mentioned something else: "I have to go to the prefectural capital tomorrow morning; that Zhao Xiu has caused trouble again."

The couple entered the house, and she explained the reason in detail.

Xue Zhixiao's arm was almost crippled, which made Zhao Xiu somewhat wary and dare not cause trouble in the government office anymore. But this fellow only restrained himself for less than two days before coming up with a new dirty trick.

He first claimed his back was itchy and asked the guards to scratch it for him through his clothes. Then, claiming that the itch was not relieved, he asked the guards to slap his back hard. Zhao Xiu was fat and strong, and had always been able to withstand beatings since childhood. In the end, he asked the guards to use sticks used for caning to beat his back severely.

The guards dared not use excessive force, so Zhao Xiu took out a stick, had one guard stand in front, and instructed the rest of the guards: "You have to fight like this."

With one blow, the soldier's shoulder bone was shattered.

Zhao Zhi said angrily, "This villain is so arrogant, it's clear that the one in the Eastern Palace is no better!"

Wei Yin shook his head: "I always feel that something is amiss with this matter. How dare the Crown Prince act recklessly in the old capital when his power is not yet secure?"

He continued to speculate, "Judging from Zhao Xiu's various actions and Xue Zhixiao's military position, the Crown Prince has very few capable people at his disposal, otherwise he wouldn't have come with the Prince of Rencheng and the Minister of Justice."

"By following Prince Rencheng, we can avoid Empress Feng's surveillance. Xue Zhixiao mentioned Yao'er... What exactly is the Crown Prince planning on this trip? Is it for public or private reasons?"

"Why send Zhao Xiu, who's always causing trouble, when Xue Zhixiao was sent? Even if the Crown Prince favors his close attendants, he should know Zhao Xiu's character. Is it really that simple to just have Zhao Xiu learn how to do things from Xue Zhixiao? I don't think so."

“The Crown Prince is not a young child. After losing his mother, he needs to be raised by Empress Feng. He should know that His Majesty has been taking elixirs for a long time and his health is not good. He should be anxious to accumulate power in the Eastern Palace.”

Zhao Zhi placed her hand over her husband's. "I'll inquire about Zhao Xiu's relatives tomorrow and see if we can find any clues from that." "Okay. Originally, we didn't need to worry about these things, but Yao'er will be going to Luoyang in two years at most. If we don't inquire about things in detail for her, Yao'er will have to inquire about them herself."

"Don't worry, my lord, I understand!"

Northeast suburbs outside the city.

Tonight, Kong Ji will be lecturing on poetry, specifically on the poem "Jiang Zhongzi".

The difficulty in interpreting this poem lies in the fact that the viewpoint held in the preface is almost entirely unrelated to the descriptions in the verses. The verses touch upon the views on marriage and love held by ordinary people during the reign of Duke Zhuang of Zheng, which would require considerable explanation to the villagers. The preface, however, satirizes how Duke Zhuang of Zheng led his half-brother, Gongshu Duan, to his downfall due to arrogance, a story that must be traced back to the time of Duke Zhuang's birth.

There were so many children in the countryside, asking questions all at once. So Wei Yao and her fellow disciples divided the work: she was responsible for recording what Kong Mi said, while Guo Yun and the other girls, along with Cui Shang, Cui Yuan, Xi Jiao, and Yuan Jingrong, arranged in order to record the children's questions and Kong Mi's answers.

Yuan Zizhi, Yuan Ning, and Yuan Heng were responsible for grinding the ink, changing the paper, organizing the notes, and adding candle wax.

Seeing the other disciples sitting among the students of various schools in Pingcheng, listening attentively to Kong Mi's lecture on poetry, Yuan Fan couldn't help but praise them: "Humble and eager to learn, intelligent and diligent! Good, good! Master Kong, I look forward to seeing them in Luoyang in the near future."

"Will do."

"Haha." The two smiled at each other.

Hu Wu had her servants watch over her while she found a secluded spot to clean herself. Just as she returned to the crowd, Feng Xing approached her, his stench almost suffocating her.

"I've been looking for you. The students were too busy to help, so they called your pageboy to come and assist."

What? Hu Wu searched the room, and sure enough, Xing Hang was among the students, helping to dry the ink on the paper. How infuriating! He'd only been gone for a short while!

“Young Master Feng, I’m going over too.” Hu Wuwu acted as if nothing unpleasant had happened during the day. She came to Xing Hang’s side, smiled at Cui Wanwan who hadn’t scolded her during the day, and then took the papers from Xing Hang’s hand, saying, “If you’re drying them slowly like this, it will only delay things more and more.”

Hu Wuwu was cunning and disliked, but she had one great advantage: she was efficient and did things well. With no one chasing her away, Hu Wuwu became increasingly busy, eventually pushing Xing Hang aside to carry the candlelight.

late at night.

The villagers bid farewell and returned home.

Looking at the wooden boxes containing the notes, Hu Wuwu asked, "Should we leave them here tonight, or move them to the oxcart?"

Liu Zhenzhu coldly replied, "We don't need you here."

"Is the young lady still upset with me for riding in the oxcart? Or does she just not want me to see her notes?"

Anger surged within her, and Liu Zhenzhu was about to retort when Wei Yao said calmly, "I don't want you to see the notes. Go ride in the oxcart now, you can sleep there for the night, we will not kick you off."

Cui Wanwan couldn't help herself and hid behind Guo Yun's shoulder to chuckle.

Liu Zhenzhu: "Yes, you can go."

Hu Wuwu stared at Wei Yao and said, "Are Confucius' disciples so stingy? They can teach poetry to the village children, but not to us servants? I want to know why! When Cui Xueguan recruited us servants, he allowed us to learn from the masters."

Wei Yao: "Don't confuse us. The school promised you that you would be allowed to attend large lectures. Since you are so eager to learn, why didn't you listen to Senior Brother Kong Mi's lecture on poetry just now? Are these texts more vivid than Senior Brother Kong's explanation? Besides, it's not that we're stingy, but all the notes, once sealed, must be handed over to Officer Yuan. If they get damaged in your hands, who will be to blame? Miss Hu, please ask if you have any further questions."

Liu Zhenzhu: "If you don't have one, you can go and occupy the oxcart."

Cui Wanwan burst into laughter and whispered in Guo Yun's ear, "Oh my, I can't stop laughing. Who said that fellow disciple Yao is a soft persimmon? She's a hard pomegranate, with a hard shell and lots of seeds."

(End of this chapter)