History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 135 Changes in Heavenly Secrets
Hu Wuwu shook his head silently, the glistening tears falling in the darkness causing Hu Guozhen a heart-wrenching pain and reluctance. "Go directly to Luoyang to find your aunt, and listen to me."

Hu Wuwu had just nodded when he saw a loud crash on his father's face, blood and flesh flying everywhere, and he fell backward to the ground!
Ah… Hu Wu was stunned, so frightened that he gasped for breath!

The loyal retainer reacted quickly, whipping the horse's rump and carrying her away.

late.

The grass along the riverbank was deeply embedded in the horseshoes.

Another iron pellet was fired by Zhao Zhi!

For Zhao Zhi, a born warrior, there was no difference between a giant bow, an ordinary bow, and a slingshot. The only difference was that she felt that slingshots were more satisfying to hit enemies than arrows.

That damned Hu family woman! It's one thing to instigate two groups of spoiled brats to fight, but why choose Yao'er, who has no power or influence, as her prey? The Hu family woman isn't blind. Yi Xie's group of spoiled brats clearly outnumbers Wei Mao's group of brats. It's obvious that what the Hu family woman wants to see is Yao'er's side being humiliated!

Zhao Zhi doesn't even dare to think about what would happen to Yao'er if one of Yi Xie's playboys was a wicked and depraved person.
If Zhao Zhiruo doesn't seek revenge on the Hu family and only tries to reason with them after pursuing them for a hundred miles, then what's the point of all the hard work she put into practicing martial arts!

Hu Wuwu's mount was still galloping forward, but its master had already fallen from the horse. Hu Wuwu had been struck in the chest, and his face, still wide open in death, was filled with fear.

Everything is preordained; the soft soil along the Sanggan River is perfect for burying traces of people and horses.

Luoyang City.

"True treasure" nunnery.

The 57-year-old nun Sengzhi is plagued by nightmares.

Sengzhi first dreamed that her elder brother's family moved to Luoyang, and the family was finally reunited in the capital. Then she took her niece Hu Wuwu to the palace to preach Buddhist scriptures. She was noticed by the emperor, whose face she could not see in her dream, and the Hu family rose to prominence from then on.

But suddenly, the dream turned gray, and the eldest brother's family was chased by a huge, beast-like black shadow in the darkness. They had nowhere to escape, and even tree branches and grass turned into deadly caltrops, smashing the eldest brother's family to pieces.

"Brother!" Sengzhi woke up, still gripped by fear.

The young nun Lin Yin, who was serving her, came over with a candle. Sengzhi waved her hand and said, "Put the candle down and go to sleep."

Monk Zhi spread out the Buddhist scriptures and began to chant softly. The sound of the chime echoed out of the Buddhist hall. The fallen leaves in the courtyard did not find the sound of the chime noisy, but Monk Zhi was annoyed. He called to Lin Yin again: "Is the wind picking up? Sweep up the fallen leaves. Have Lin Li boil water for me to bathe. Tell Miao Guang to collect more fragrant dew. After dawn, you and Miao Guang will come with me to Fashu Temple."

Fashu Temple was an outer temple built by a eunuch, where nobles from the palace often came to listen to sutras and worship Buddha. Monk Zhi was frightened by his dream and was anxious to know where his elder brother's family, who had moved south, had gone and whether they were all safe and sound. To get the news as soon as possible, he could only inquire through nobles in the palace.

The secrets of the Great Wei Dynasty will change dramatically tonight!
Monk Zhi's unease may stem from the mysterious connection between family members and blood relatives, but the monk Datong Jueding of Baode Temple truly had a premonition.

The largest royal temple in Luoyang at present is Baode Temple outside Kaiyang Gate, and its monks are almost all famous monks who came from Pingcheng in the early days of the capital's relocation. This temple was built by His Majesty to commemorate Empress Dowager Wenming, and it shares the same name as Baode Temple in Pingcheng. The temple's layout and the construction of its three-tiered pagoda are also very similar.

Master Jueding couldn't sleep, so he climbed the pagoda and observed the celestial phenomena. He saw three strange birds coming from the north, their cries filled with murderous intent! The clouds behind them flew at the same speed, resembling a sacred mountain where the three strange birds were perched, or a hidden, powerful army.

Master Jueding became even more uneasy. He hurriedly left the pagoda, no longer daring to divine the secrets of heaven.

The next day, Sengzhi's wish was not fulfilled; no noble ladies from the palace came to Fashu Temple. Several days later, she learned that His Majesty had returned to the palace, and something significant had likely occurred. All the high-ranking eunuchs and the noble ladies who had shaved their heads to practice Buddhism had no interest in coming to worship. The old capital, Pingcheng.

This time, Wei Yin and his wife told their daughter, Wei Yao, everything about the destruction of the Hu family and the reasons behind it.

Hu Wuwu's wrongdoing itself was not a capital offense, but the Hu family was an aristocratic clan. Whether Wei Yao's fellow disciples wanted Hu Wuwu to apologize to Wei Yao, or Wei Yao's family sought an explanation from the Hu family, it would be against the common sense of social hierarchy in the Great Wei Dynasty for an aristocratic clan to apologize to a commoner.

If the Hu family loses so much face in Pingcheng, how could they not hold a grudge against the Wei Yao family in the future?
If powerful clans want to retaliate against commoners, they have plenty of ways to do so!
How deep was the Hu family's influence in Luoyang and Pingcheng? Even the Yuan governor couldn't fully ascertain it in a short time. All that is known is that Hu Guozhen had a younger sister who became a nun; she entered the nunnery in Chang'an at the age of seventeen, taking the Dharma name Sengzhi, and came to a temple in Pingcheng when she was in her thirties.

Sengzhi lived in Pingcheng for nearly twenty years, making many friends among Daoist practitioners and noble ladies, and even entering the old palace. Therefore, this nun must have taught many disciples. In the early days after the capital was moved, Sengzhi left Pingcheng, confirming that she went to Luoyang.

Sengzhi had only been in Luoyang for two or three years when Hu Guozhen brought his family to seek refuge with his sister. This shows that Sengzhi's connections and influence in Luoyang were at least the same as when he was in Pingcheng.

Hu Guozhen only had one daughter, and Sengzhi had no descendants, so the goal of the Hu Wuwu they were jointly cultivating was definitely to enter the palace in the future!
Whether Wei Yao intends to pursue a career as a female historian in Luoyang or to spread her knowledge there, she will inevitably encounter Hu Wuwu and be discovered by the Hu family.

The result was predictable.

If you don't want your own family to be wiped out, you have to wipe out the Hu family first!

Fearing that his daughter might be frightened, Wei Yin reassured her after recounting the matter, "The Hu family has simply vanished from Hengzhou. Sengzhi will definitely investigate. Fortunately, this matter involves the other imperial clans and Wei Mao's father. Don't worry, Governor Yuan is willing to protect our family for only one reason: our family is more useful to him than the Hu family. So, Yao'er, don't feel indebted to anyone. Just make the most of these two years and study the Book of Poetry and the Erya well. Also, always be wary of others."

Early morning of July 14th.

Wei Yao's injury is nothing serious, go to Wei Academy.

Wei Mao arrived at the schoolhouse earlier. Seeing that the swelling on her face had subsided, he was worried about her injuries. Not wanting to ask directly, he first said about his own: "I'm still in pain. How about you?"

"I'm still in pain, but it's much better than yesterday. Did you go to the doctor again?"

Feeling cared for, Wei Mao wished all his injuries were on full display. "I've seen it, it's alright now. Wei Jing is leaving. If you have any letters for Gao Loujin, bring them to me tomorrow. I'll give them to Wei Jing; he said he'll go to Huai Shuo to find Gao Loujin."

Wei Yao had already written the letter and took the letterbox from her book box to give to Wei Mao. "Please convey my thanks to fellow disciple Jing on my behalf, fellow disciple Mao."

"By the way, there's something that has nothing to do with you or me."

Wei Yao listened attentively with solemn eyes.

Wei Mao: "Yuan Zizhi's father was the Prince of Pengcheng. Originally, Yuan Zizhi was supposed to go to Luoyang, but he received a letter from his family, in which his father asked him to postpone his trip."

Prince Pengcheng is His Majesty's most trusted prince and minister. Wei Yao pondered, first glancing back at the doorway. Seeing no sign of her companions, she whispered, "You feel... something has changed in the palace?"

Wei Mao nodded.

This is why the children of the powerful and wealthy can assume important official positions as soon as they enter officialdom. They have been exposed to information about the court from their peers and through various channels since childhood, while students from poor families may not be able to reach the starting stage of the children of the powerful and wealthy no matter how many years they study diligently.

(End of this chapter)