History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 204 Zhao Xiu Meets Zhao Zhi

In front of Lady Liang, Wei Yao asked a member of the Imperial Guard, "May I ask, brave warrior, what time is it now?"

The Imperial Guards changed shifts at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), and this person, calculating the time, said, "It's a quarter past Mao."

Wei Yao bowed in thanks, bid farewell to her father, and walked once more into the long alleyway. Yesterday's rain had deepened the color of the gray bricks of the road, and at equal intervals, young palace maids or eunuchs were clearing away the newly sprouted grass and the silt that rose above the cracks between the bricks.

Just now, the female official Liang didn't dare to show any displeasure in front of the city gate guards, but now she began to urge impatiently, "Lecturer, hurry up and take a few steps."

"We're already late, please keep up with us, lecturer."

"I told the lecturer yesterday, didn't I? The rule of the palace school is that classes start at 5:30 a.m., and can only start earlier, not end later."

Wei Yao did not respond to anything the other party said. When she arrived at the Xi government office, the other two female officials who were recording records were the same ones from yesterday. The oldest one, Zhang Gongren, complained, "Why did you take so long to arrive?"

The female official Liang said coldly, "I've been urging Instructor Wei on the way here."

Wei Yao offered no explanation; being late was fine. If she was held responsible later, the city gate guards' timekeeping could attest to it. The three palace students expelled yesterday hadn't been replaced. After taking her seat at the lecturer's table, Wei Yao asked, "Who completed the assignments given yesterday?"

The homework was to memorize poems, prefaces, biographies, and annotations.

None of the thirteen palace students raised their hands.

Wei Yao: "Yesterday, on my way to the palace school, I heard the palace maid behind me praising you. She said that the students of Qixing Academy are so amazing that they even made the lecturer stutter."

Outside the door, Lady Liang stopped writing and quickly recalled the scene from yesterday morning when the little palace maid said those words.

Before she could think it through, Wei Yao continued, "Back then, the female official in front of me used the word 'normal' to confirm that you all possessed an extremely solid foundation in poetry. You were able to stump the lecturer, so why couldn't you complete the memorization assignment I gave you?"

At this moment, the female official's face twitched, and her hands and feet were both cold and numb!

Oh no! She was indeed confused at the time and did reply to the palace maid with the word "normal".

Her career as a lady-in-waiting is completely over!

Zhang Gongren and Meng Gongren beside him wore cold smiles as they meticulously recorded Wei Yao's two statements.

In the palace, even the lowest-ranking female officials had fought their way up through countless power struggles. How could the two female officials serving the emperor not understand this? The little palace maid's praise of Qixing Academy was not wrong, because it was a fact. However, Liang's reply of "normal" was different. It represented Liang's recognition of the knowledge of the captives of Xiao Qi, but her extreme contempt for the knowledge of the lecturers recruited by the court.

To put it bluntly, the Liang family despised the Confucian scholars of the Great Wei Dynasty!
"Recitation is the foundation of poetics, so I won't persuade you any further. Today, I will explain the historical background of Duke Wen of Wei's founding and rise to power. Everyone, please take notes..." Wei Yao began her lecture. As for Lady Liang, her enemies seized this opportunity to kill her.

At noon, the poem "Ding Zhi Fang Zhong" was finished.

Zhang Gongren saw Wei Yao off from the palace and instructed her, "Young lady, you must remember to go to the county office the day after tomorrow to inquire about the teaching situation. You are so young. If you can be retained by the palace school as a regular lecturer, your future will be bright, and your reputation in poetry will spread even further."

"Yes, thank you for your help, Madam."

As expected, Wei Mao and her father were waiting for her outside Qianqiu Gate. Wei Yao bowed to Zhang Gongren again and watched him leave. She finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief and smiled, saying, "The poetry recitation went smoothly today. The female official told me to go to the county office to inquire about the news the day after tomorrow."

"Great!" Wei Mao suggested, "We're close to Mengsi Pond here. It just rained heavily, so the pond must be shrouded in mist. Master, fellow disciple, let's have lunch there before heading back to Yinianli?"

Wei Yao tilted her head and acted coquettishly towards her father. Wei Yin sighed inwardly and could only agree.

The meaning of "Mengsi" in this pond refers to the place where the sun sets in mythology, and by extension, to people's twilight years. Therefore, the twilight years are also called the Mengsi years.

Mengsi Pond is quite spacious, only enjoyable in summer, as the water dries up in winter. Around the pond, one can enjoy a feast of fresh fish soup, and many peddlers selling sachets with the character "孝" (filial piety) on their baskets hawk their wares. These peddlers are quite annoying; they approach groups of young and old strolling together, charging much more for sachets made of the same cloth and silk thread. Buying one feels like being ripped off, while not buying one seems disrespectful to one's elders.

Wei Yao did the opposite, saying to the peddler, "My filial piety is only worth fifty copper coins? I won't buy it!"

The two passing teenagers' eyes lit up; they had learned something!

From that day on, the business of "filial piety" sachets at Mengsi Pond gradually declined.

Wei Yao was unaware that her mother was actually not far from them. The Prince of Rencheng had several residences in both the inner and outer cities of Luoyang, but for the convenience of attending court, he resided most often in Yongkang Lane, on the west side of Tongtuo Street.

Prince Rencheng loved mutton, so he ordered his warriors to drive the carriage to Xiyang Gate, not far from Yongkang Lane, where a merchant from the northern deserts was skilled at cooking mutton. With enough guards, Li Xuanmao assigned tasks, instructing Zhao Zhi to drive his secondary carriage to a place to park.

This carriage was used exclusively by Li Xuanmao, and the brocade pouch hanging on it was embroidered with the character "Li".

Finding an open space here was no easy feat. Zhao Zhi finally found one, took down the wooden axle, and a man wearing a straw hat stood behind the cart, saying in a very domineering tone, "I am Zhao Xiu. Quietly summon Li Xuanmao. If you alarm the Prince of Rencheng, I will take your life!"

"I've parked the car." Zhao Zhi calmly put the wheels on the saddle and then lifted the kickstand.

"Wait a minute." Zhao Xiu called out to her, and said imperiously, "Kneel down and help me into the car."

Zhao Zhi didn't show any anger. She knelt on one knee, but it didn't actually touch the ground. Zhao Xiu stepped on her other knee to get into the carriage. He only felt a tingling sensation in the area directly behind his chest. He looked back but didn't see anything unusual about the female guard, so he didn't pay any attention.

But after sitting down, he felt something was wrong with his body; he couldn't even breathe properly when he tried to move his buttocks.

Zhao Zhi returned to the food stall and told Li Xuanmao in a voice that even the Prince of Rencheng could hear: "There is a man named Zhao Xiu waiting for you in your car."

Li Xuanmao was formerly a scholar in the Imperial Secretariat, but was dismissed from office for accepting bribes. At that time, he used his connections to send gifts to Zhao Xiu, and was introduced to the Prince of Rencheng's residence as a chief secretary. Yuan Cheng knew about this past of Chief Secretary Li, and waved his hand, signaling the other party to hurry up.

Zhao Xiu is a villain, but he is the emperor's most favored close attendant. Now, not to mention Li Xuanmao, even Yuan Cheng is unwilling to offend that fellow.

As Li Xuanmao walked toward the carriage, countless worries arose in his mind. What did Zhao Xiu want with him? Could someone be impersonating him?
Very likely! Zhao Zhi doesn't even know what the official title "Pu She" is, so how could she know Zhao Xiu? Maybe he's just a swindler or a madman who happens to be named "Zhao Xiu" and wants to stay in the carriage and take a nap.

Li Xuanmao opened the half-closed car door, and all his hopes were shattered. It really was Zhao Xiu, the imperial guard!
"Commander Zhao." Li Xuanmao got into the car, immediately closed the door, and only pulled open a crack in the curtain on his side to let in a little light. "What's the urgent matter that requires you to come here in person?"

Half of Zhao Xiu's body was numb. He weakly cried out, "Help—"

"What are you trying to arrest?" Li Xuanmao couldn't hear clearly and sensed something was wrong, so he leaned closer and asked again, "What does Officer Zhao want to arrest?"

"Meow—" Zhao Xiu's chin trembled, and he couldn't even pronounce the word "fate" clearly.

轫: A square wooden frame placed under the wheels of an ancient chariot to prevent it from rolling away when it was stationary.

Nai Gong: An ancient insult for "your father".

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(End of this chapter)