History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 208 Mysterious Cause of Death
Wei Yao gave a thumbs-up in praise: "Brother Mao is about to become an official, that's really impressive!"

"I have even more amazing things to say later." Wei Mao leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Want to hear them?"

In an instant, Wei Yao felt her cheeks swell and her ears burn, her face as red as a burning cloud. She punched the man hard on the back of the shoulder: "You lecher!"

The punch wasn't heavy, but the blow was unjust.

Seeing Wei Mao's confusion, Wei Yao realized there was a misunderstanding, so she quickly lied and pointed behind her: "There was a lecherous man just now, I wanted you to see, but he ran away."

Really? Wei Maoshun turned around in the direction she pointed, but indeed didn't see anything.

Wei Yao: "Go on, what's next?"

"Oh, my godfather also said in his letter that he would arrange everything for me, whether I officially enter officialdom or return to Luoyang. Hmm—wait, Wei Yao, were you just cursing me?"

A dozen or so people walked towards them. The boy at the front said in a sarcastic tone, "It's like wet firewood emitting stench, a mud pot with a tiled lid. You can find rotten stuff everywhere you go."

These men all shared the surname He, and they were the ones who had fought with the Wei brothers in the north of the city some time ago.

As they passed each other, Wei Mao scoffed, "The Ding family is a run-down bunch."

"What did you say?" He Erhun grabbed Wei Mao by the collar.

Wei Mao was certain that the other party was bluffing: "This is Qianqiu Sect, do you dare to cause trouble?"

He'erhun angrily withdrew his hand. Indeed, many of the diners on this street were imperial guards. "Consider yourself lucky!"

"The Ding family is in dire straits."

"You—" He'erhun gritted his teeth!

His companion pulled him back and advised, "Alright, there's plenty of time. Let's get out of the city."

One by one, these纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) passed by. Wei Mao glanced at them with a threatening look, but the last young lady bowed to Wei Mao and Wei Yao.

Wei Yao did not return the greeting; she recognized the woman as He Lan!
In his previous life, when the imperial court reinstated the Imperial Academy examinations, He Lan was among the first batch of female students to be admitted. Zong Yin had a chance encounter with Miss He and has been captivated by her ever since.

Back at the Pine Forest Villa, Wei Yao pondered deeply.

Actually, she had suspected something back in Pingcheng, feeling that her death in her previous life was very suspicious. Zong Yin was far inferior to He Lan in terms of both family background and his own character, but the He family became the impatient party, unable to wait for her to divorce Zong Yin, and ran her over with their carriage!
Why is the He family in such a hurry?
Wei Yao recalled Wei Mao's description of the He family as a "declining Ding family" and deduced a reason. If the He family was so eager to form a marriage alliance with the main branch of the family, it would only be if the main branch had curried favor with a powerful figure who could help the He family revive its prosperity and assist its members in entering officialdom.

But what if the He family killing her had nothing to do with Zong Yin? What if it had absolutely nothing to do with their romantic entanglements?
Wei Yao boldly speculated in this direction, so the only reason could be... that she, her father, or her mother had offended the He family, or that some force behind the He family had taken revenge on her by killing her!
With no clues to be found, Wei Yao stopped her wild thoughts. She was about to review her lessons when she remembered the dagger Wei Mao had given her. Since she couldn't bring sharp weapons into the palace, she put the dagger in the wooden box containing paper. Then, she smiled and took it back to examine it closely. She found that the sheath was engraved with two characters: "必守" (bì shǒu).

Just then, the voices of her father and Lu Dalang could be heard in the courtyard. Wei Yao quickly came out, and Lu Dalang said with a smile, "Master Wei, your daughter is really promising. She is a year younger than my daughter and has already entered the palace to teach."

When outsiders praised Wei Yao, Wei Yin was never modest; she would only praise her again and again: "Her success is something she earned through her own hard work. She studies diligently day and night without ever being lazy. She works very hard."

"Yes, yes. Master Wei has also worked hard, walking quite a distance today. Here's what we'll do: you don't need to go through any more trouble. I'm going to the kitchen on the way, and I'll tell them to pick out a few dishes and send them over."

The father and daughter entered the house, and Wei Yao, being sensible, massaged her father's back and asked, "Father, did you find a house you like this time?"

"Yes, I've set my sights on the area north of the Imperial Academy ruins."

Wei Yao was astonished: "Quanxue Li?"

"Haha, we can't afford to buy in Quanxue Lane. That house is outside the wall of Quanxue Lane, but the broker said that the number of people moving to Luoyang from other places is increasing every year, and the land in Quanxue Lane will expand outward sooner or later."

Wei Yao said proudly, "When I get my salary in the future, I will give it all to my father and mother!" Then she pouted, "But the lecturer only gets three hundred coins a month, and it's paid quarterly, hehe."

Wei Yin was amused by his daughter's embarrassment and laughed heartily. He comforted her, "Your mother and I are here. You can save your money yourself. I've found a job copying books, and the pay is higher than what I got in Pingcheng."

When he mentioned his wife, Wei Yin's longing for her was like a mountain stream, flowing around the mountain, endless and unstoppable.

The moon shines on Luoyang City.

In Yonghe Lane, on the east side of the inner city, painted beams and pavilions stand like stars. Each building seems like a giant looking down at its shadows on the street. When people pass through this street at night, they naturally want to avoid all the shadows, thus creating a sense of oppression.

豱豱边辘......

Prince Rencheng, Yuancheng, and his chief secretary, Li Xuanmao, were sitting in the second carriage. In the afternoon, while Yuancheng was inspecting Taicang, he received a letter from his fifth sister, Chuntuo, who instructed him to visit the Xing residence in Yonghe Lane no matter how late it was after he finished his business.

"Slow down," Zhao Zhi suddenly called out, instructing the coachman to slow the horse.

Li Xuanmao asked through the window, "What's wrong?"

"Hide well." Zhao Zhiru's sharp eyes scanned the darkness at varying heights and distances, and the other guards around her also became alert.

A crisp tapping sound rang out.

Resembling both jade and gold.

The sound came from a high place to the left front.

Just as the archer guards drew their bows in this direction, another strange sound, like a human with a curled tongue, came from the alleyway between the shops on the right.

The head guard ordered the coachman: "Turn the carriage around."

late.

One after another, assassins dressed in dark robes emerged from the buildings around them; some wielded knives, some axes, and the most terrifying of all, crossbowmen.

Li Xuanmao lifted the partition under the carriage, but the Prince of Rencheng let out a long sigh: "I will not..."

Zhao Zhi: "Shut up! Lie down inside!"

Li Xuanmao declined, saying "I don't need it," but before he could finish speaking, arrows and crossbows were fired from all directions!

Just before realizing the life-or-death crisis, Zhao Zhi crawled under the carriage, throwing the obstructing bow and arrows below, and clung to the bottom like a spider. The carriage walls were thick, and although Prince Rencheng and Li Xuanmao were unharmed in this round of attacks, the guards suffered heavy casualties. Several of them crashed into the carriage walls before dying, terrifying Yuan Cheng and Li Xuanmao inside, who dared not even breathe.

The assassins arrived to reap the rewards, their footsteps rushing towards the two carriages like a horde of wild beasts.

We've been waiting for these bandits to get close!

Zhao Zhi spotted someone wielding an axe, snatched it from his hand, and in the instant she did so, she turned and chopped off the head of the person behind her!

Blood splattered in a half-arc as she spun around. She turned back and used her hand as a knife to sever the axe-wielder's neck. Using the momentum of his still-falling body, she launched a flying kick!
Kick the third person to death.

Thump! The body slammed heavily onto the train car and bounced off.

After another dull thud, Yuan Cheng and Li Xuanmao heard the assassin shout, "Kill this woman first—ah!"

"No, don't get close and fight her!"

The sounds of arrows and crossbows rang out once again.

From inside the car, it sounded like huge hailstones were falling outside.

It was quiet again.

Yuan Cheng and Li Xuanmao held their breath even more, hoping the fight would end, but they knew for sure it was impossible!
"kill--"

The sudden, shrill sound was like a rooster whose throat had been cut in half.

boom!
Another body fell to the ground.

"Withdraw! Withdraw! Withdraw!"

The commotion in front receded, and from behind, a flurry of footsteps and the occasional sound of horses' hooves converged on this direction. Zhao Zhi knocked on the carriage from the outside: "It's government troops. Minister, don't come out yet. Give me your identification token."

Zhao Zhi is still alive! So all the assassins are dead? The heart that had been in Rencheng Wang's throat could now be put down.

The Ding surname: Emperor Xiaowen adopted the Han dynasty's system of social hierarchy, dividing "prefecture surnames" into four ranks based on family background and official position. Those with three generations of family members holding the position of Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Personnel were considered to be of the lowest rank, the Ding surname. At that time, the starting official position for aristocratic sons was generally determined by whether they were sons of meritorious officials or fathers; if the ancestors were not powerful, the descendants would not attain high official positions.

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(End of this chapter)