History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 206 The Death of Female Official Liang
As soon as Hun Yu Niang left, the two Taoist priests, Sweeping and Barefoot, both rushed to the well. One was frivolous, and the other had a fierce look in his eyes; neither of them had shown any compassion.

The well was actually very shallow, with a bamboo basket at the bottom for collecting money. They lowered the hook and hooked the money up one by one. When it was difficult to hook, a hand would reach out from the depression in the middle of the well wall to help hold the hook. When they estimated that the remaining weight was about right, they hooked the basket and the money out together.

Finally, they lowered the rope and pulled the bald man disguised as a monster up from the depression.

This person is bald because he always has sores on his head, making him look neither like a Taoist nor a monk. Even bad people can be compatible. Last month, three greedy scoundrels came up with a scheme to swindle money using "monsters," and were caught by Hun Yu Niang.

The bald man boasted, "You all always criticize me for hanging out with butchers and peddlers in the market. Humph, that's not hanging out, that's making friends! The two places I pointed out to the woman just now were told to me by a butcher. There are mansions belonging to someone surnamed Wei within two miles of each of them. It's up to the woman to see if she dares to go there."

The barefoot Taoist scoffed, "Who cares! Anyway, she has her handprint on the IOU, and her husband is just a minor official in the Court of Justice. If he dares not to pay us back the 20,000 coins, we'll ruin his reputation!"

The old Taoist priest sweeping the floor said, "The bald man is right. We can't let ten people deceive ten people. It's best to guess one or two correctly to fulfill their wishes, and then someone will cover for us. Alright, you two put the coins back on the string and wipe the dirty water off them. I'm going out of the temple."

West of Baode Temple is a flower shop called "Zhifang". The shopkeeper is buying information about people from Pingcheng who are moving their household registrations. The more expensive the surname, the higher the price. The woman in the brothel is looking for a girl surnamed Wei who happens to be from Pingcheng. He can make a small fortune from this.

Meanwhile, Hun Yu Niang walked home with unease. The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had been deceived. However, thinking about the handprint she had left to borrow money, Hun Yu Niang preferred to believe that there were demons in this world rather than admit that she had made a foolish mistake.

Zongdian is already at home.

He served as a low-ranking clerk in the Court of Justice, and was often required to accompany his superiors on inspections of miscellaneous matters in the surrounding counties. However, due to his eldest son's sudden serious illness, Zongdian could only bribe his superiors with money and give gifts to another clerk in order to be able to return home every day.

Seeing his wife's haggard face, he sighed deeply, "Children are such a debt. We raised them to this age, and they still come to cause us trouble."

Feeling guilty, Hun Yu Niang lied and asked, "Do you know Yinian Lane and Yonghe Lane, my husband? Today I went to Chongxu Temple to pray for Yin'er and drew a fortune stick. It was so coincidental... If you want to find a woman from another place, go to Yinian and Yonghe. The monk in the temple interpreted the fortune stick and said that Yinian and Yonghe are the names of lanes in the city."

Zong Dian frowned and said, "I know that both places are inhabited by royalty and nobility. No matter which place Miss Wei is in, it is beyond my ability to find her."

"Even if we can't find her, we'll find a way!" Hun Yu Niang stroked her son's thin, gaunt face, venting her heartache, worry, and resentment on Wei Yao, whom she had never met before: "The harder it is for her to marry, the more I'll do it for my son! My son, don't worry, your mother will definitely help you find Miss Wei and find a way to bring her into our family. When that happens, your mother will build up the walls, make them high, so she can't leave the house and can't see outside. She'll only be able to look forward to your return every day, okay?"

Zong Dian wanted to curse his wife for being crazy, but just as he stretched out his finger, he saw his son open his eyes and weakly reply, "Okay."

May twenty-second.

Wei Yao got up early, and her mother did her hair and styled her hair. She was dressed in new clothes, which her mother had bought from a clothing store in Yongkang Lane. The dress was embroidered with interwoven flowers and characters, and the store's name was embroidered in an inconspicuous corner. This kind of embroidery with the store's name was only becoming popular in the inner city of Luoyang.

"The dress is so pretty, Mother, I love it so much, hee hee." After combing her hair, Wei Yao hugged her mother's arm and acted coquettishly.

After Zhao Zhi killed Zhao Xiu, the Prince of Rencheng gave her a reward of 20,000 coins and allowed her to return home every three days to spend the night with her family.

Whenever their daughter acted coquettishly, Zhao Zhi and Wei Yin's hearts were filled with sweetness, wishing they could give her all the good things in the world. Unfortunately, time was too tight, and the family had to leave before they could finish their conversation. After sending Wei Yao into the palace, Zhao Zhi had to immediately go to Changhe Gate to guard the carriages of Prince Rencheng. Wei Yin was also busy today. Steward Lu of Songlin Villa was very shrewd and arranged for his eldest son to accompany him to the south of the city to look at houses and, incidentally, to take a trip to the residence of Yuan Sanguan in Yanxian Lane, so that Wei Yao could pay him a visit later.

This time, when Wei Yao entered the palace through Qianqiu Gate, the imperial guards summoned a nearby palace maid to take her to the Xi Guan Shu (a government office). It was obvious that this maid hadn't come from the Xi Guan Shu; she led her to the courtyard gate, called over the nearest young maid, explained the situation, and then left.

You can't judge a book by its cover. The little palace maid was pale and thin, looking no more than five years old. She not only walked and spoke properly, but also led Yu Yao to the right place.

The library of the Imperial Academy.

The library was arranged in three rows of three, with a total of nine rooms. The female official in charge of each room was a fourth-rank "Zhongcairen". The female official in charge of the library was surnamed Jiang. She was the only third-rank female official here, and her position was "Xiaoshunu".

"Lecturer Wei, come with me." Jiang Shunu was over fifty years old and looked like a serious person. She led Wei Yao into the Book of Poetry storeroom.

The scholar sitting at the desk next to the door was named Yu Mei. Jiang Shu Nu instructed him first: "From now on, Lecturer Wei may freely enter and leave this library."

Yu Mei responded "Yes," and Jiang Shunu, while browsing through the books stored in the storeroom, explained to Wei Yao the duties and powers of the lecturer.

"The coursework at Qixing Academy is first taught by Instructor Wei, who selects the teaching schedule. He teaches at least twenty days a month, and the remaining days are completed by Instructor Song. The schedule is selected at the beginning of each month and must be written down and given to me."

"Classes begin at 5:30 a.m. and end at noon. Regular instructors may start their classes early and end them late. However, in addition to studying, palace students must also complete the duties assigned by the Xi official's office. Classes cannot end after noon."

"The stationery in the storeroom is for the lecturer's use. Remember, only the monthly salary can be taken out of the palace. The books in the storeroom, including the lecturer's teaching notes, cannot be taken out of the Xi official residence."

"Lecturer Wei is not allowed to stay overnight in the palace. The latest time to leave the palace each day is the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM). Breakfast and lunch will be provided by the Xi Office. I will assign two palace students to the lecturer later. They can be instructed to do chores such as fetching meals, grinding ink, and tidying up paper and pens."

Wei Yao followed Jiang Shunu out of the storeroom and towards an empty room not far away. "This is your residence. The palace maids have already cleaned it. If you need anything, just ask Consort Yu."

A cart loaded with firewood, pulled by people in the front and pushed in the back, passed by the dirt road where Wei Yao and her companion were standing. On the cart was a female corpse.

The female corpse was soaked in glaring blood, her loose hair dangling under the wooden board. She was Liang, a palace maid of the Imperial Envoy.

The summer wind carried the stench of blood so strong it made one want to vomit. As the cart passed by, Jiang Shunu asked Wei Yao, "Are you scared?"

Wei Yao said frankly, "I have experienced life and death, and I am not afraid."

“I underestimated Instructor Wei. When I was your age, I would have nightmares if I saw dead people. Alright, I have told you everything I needed to say to the instructor. Instructor Wei, please choose a class time this month and come to see me again.”

(End of this chapter)