History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 113 Xi Jiao's Little Thoughts

The most obvious difference between the "Odes" and "Airs" sections of the Book of Songs is the use of rhyming couplets, such as "ming, ping" and "hao, zhao, yu" in the poem "Lu Ming". Therefore, although the music for the poems in the "Odes" section has been lost, they still have a more melodious rhythm when recited than the poems in the "Airs" section.

After Confucius explained the meaning of the entire poem in plain language, he then described the instruments such as "drum, zither, and sheng" in the poem to his students and the common people. Confucius had made preparations in advance and had his servants carry these musical instruments and walk among the crowd to ensure that everyone could see them. He also allowed the people to touch them, pluck the strings, or strike the drum.

Furthermore, Confucius also showed all the students his drawings of deer, apples, wormwood, and scutellaria. When a child exclaimed with delight, "That's a deer!" many students were moved to tears. They understood that people from remote counties might not recognize the zither or the sheng, but they never imagined that they had never even seen a deer.

Isn't this precisely the meaning of passing on knowledge? It's not just about teaching people etiquette, but also about teaching them to recognize things and understand events.

Wei Yao wrote quickly, recording not only what the Master said, but also the behavior and responses of the people listening to the lecture.

Yuan Ning couldn't help but lean over and ask her, "Why are you memorizing all this?"

"Since the Master has nurtured his disciples, it is the disciples' responsibility to uphold his reputation. If the disciples do not record this grand scene of teaching, who will remember the Master's hard work in educating people about poetry and propriety?"

"You can just say you're good at flattery."

"You scoundrel!" Wei Yao immediately blocked his view of her notes with her back to express her anger.

Xi Jiao scolded Yuan Ning: "Shut up, don't disturb my studies."

Yuan Ning couldn't beat Xi Jiao, so she could only bare her teeth to express her dissatisfaction.

Wei Yao then used her back to block Xi Jiao.

Xi Jiao's breathing suddenly became labored: What do you mean? God, I didn't tell you to shut up.

He was furious, so in Wei Yao's eyes, he was just like Yuan Ning, a jackal who bites anyone he sees.
The common people only needed to know what the poem "Deer Cry" was about, while the students had to memorize the history of that time and the contemporary ideas contained in the etiquette and exchanges. They had to understand the poem from the perspective of the ancients and evaluate it from the perspective of modern people.

The "Ya" chapter contained so much new knowledge that after an hour, some students ran out of paper and ink.

What can we do? In this situation, there's nowhere to borrow from, and we can't bring ourselves to ask.

Soon, most students experienced this situation.

After much anticipation, the items that Hu Wu had prepared in advance could finally be used in a reasonable way. With a large movement, she untied her trousers and bindings. The bindings were made of white silk, a special material used for writing, and were twice as long as ordinary bindings.

"Please make way." She pleaded urgently with those around her, then knelt down, took out her hairpin, and used the pointed end to secure it firmly to the ground through the silk ribbon. With her left hand, she smoothed the bottom of the ribbon, and with her right hand, she continued to write on it with a pen.

Her solitary actions attracted increasing attention, and the whispered praise for her continued even after Confucius finished reciting "The Deer's Cry."

Then a child asked Hu Wuwu, "Are you a disciple of the Master who talks about poetry? I heard people say that all of Confucius' disciples are very talented, even more so than the students in other schools in Pingcheng."

Looking at the "people" that Hu Wushun was pointing to, they were ordinary students from a private school. She said modestly, "I am not yet a formal disciple of Confucius, but since we listened to the Master's teachings together today, we can say that... we are all disciples of Confucius."

"Yes, yes, yes." The boy and his friends all beamed with joy.

"You guys come with me. Did you all listen to the poem properly? Here, I'll give each of you a grasshopper as a reward. Go play with it."

However, there were too many children in the area, and not enough grasshoppers to go around, so Hu Wu gathered them together and promised to tell them strange tales as long as they could recite today's poem "Deer Cry".

Even late into the night, more than a dozen children were still unwilling to go home, wanting to play with Hu Wu's house. Some children even asked, "Sister Hu, can you tell us poems tomorrow? We like listening to you."

As Liu Zhenzhu passed by, Hu Wuwu quickly covered the child's mouth, but it was too late. Liu Zhenzhu had already heard everything. She gave him a disgusted look, so disgusted that she didn't even bother to mock him. Wei Yao was right; don't get involved in arguments with someone you dislike. Cherishing every moment of study time is the most important thing.

As for Wei Yao, how could the girls who ate and lived with her not know that she studied until the end of midnight every night? But knowing it was one thing, Guo Yun and the others tried it and found that they simply couldn't keep up that habit every night.

Therefore, being able to stay up late and maintain sufficient energy throughout the day after waking up early is a kind of talent.

The bell of the temple in Yonggu County rang, indicating that it was midnight. Wei Yao studied for a while longer, and then Xi Jiao, who was on night duty, passed by with a lantern.

After hesitating for a moment, Wei Yao still chased after the other person and asked, "Fellow disciple Xi, can you return my notes on the poem 'Lambskin Robe'?"

Why didn't you ask me during the day?

Wei Yao couldn't bring herself to say the reason. With so many people around during the day, what if she asked him for it back, and he refused and instead humiliated her in public?
Seeing that she didn't respond, Xi Jiao got angry: "You asked too late, Yuan Heng has already taken it."

Yuan Heng? Alright. Wei Yao bowed, and just as she turned around, Xi Jiao called out, "Wait, don't move."

He gazed at her face as it drew closer, closer, closer...

Wei Yao's heart pounded rapidly! Thump, thump, thump!
With a "whoosh," he blew a breeze through her hair. Her face immediately flushed a deep red, the color spreading across her cheeks.

Xi Jiao turned her back and said coldly, "You had a bug on your head, well, it's blown away. Tomorrow I'll ask Yuan Heng for the notes back, you don't need to look for him." Looking for Yuan Heng would give her away.

He continued his night patrol with steady steps, not daring to look back to see if Wei Yao had gone back or was still standing there. Oh no, he had actually blushed because of her.

Thump thump thump, thump thump, thump thump... Xi Jiao's wildly beating heart gradually calmed down as she walked into the shadows of another room.

Unbeknownst to him, a fleeting sadness crossed Wei Yao's eyes. In their past life, this was a little trick he often used to tease her, when they were carefree.

But the past belongs to the previous life.

Instead of trying to figure out what Xi Jiao was thinking, Wei Yao rallied her spirits and returned to where she had been before to continue reciting her lessons.

Spring comes and goes, summer arrives in a flash, and autumn's chill returns with each rain.

June 15th was the day of the monthly joint exam at Pingcheng Elementary School. A light rain slanted down, knocking down many leaves. The monthly exam results were not yet out, but the date for the summer joint exam had been announced. All other academic subjects were scheduled for the end of June, except for the Book of Poetry exam, which was set for the second day of July.

In the classroom of the Wei Academy, specifically in the section on the Book of Poetry, the students were discussing, "Why was it set for July?"

"It's for Cui Xueguan, isn't Xunyi Xueshe still traveling around?"

"That's amazing, all the students have to accommodate them in one dormitory."

"There's nothing we can do about it. Have you heard? From July until winter, all the schools in the city will be teaching. You might have to go to each school once."

"Really? You'll be coming to our Wei Academy too?"

When Master Song arrived, Qu Rong quickly hid the strange tales.

(End of this chapter)