History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 209 Instructor Wei Establishes Rules
Since the late emperor moved the capital, there has never been a violent disturbance of this scale in the inner city of Luoyang, especially since the person assassinated was Yuan Cheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel!
Zhao Zhi spared a few prisoners, and after a night of interrogation by ruthless officials, the reason why the rebels were able to clearly know when and which street Yuan Cheng passed through was found out. There were two spies who leaked the route: one was a maid of Yuan Chuntuo, the wife of Xing Luan, a Gentleman-in-Attendance, and the other was Yu, a clerk in the Taicang Bureau.

Yuan Cheng had to inspect the granaries in the latter half of each month. The error in the grain registration this time was deliberately caused by Clerk Yu, who wanted to delay Yuan Cheng's departure from the Taicang Office.

The maid had served Yuan Cheng's fifth sister, Yuan Chuntuo, closely since they were in Pingcheng, so Yuan Cheng did not suspect her when she hurriedly came to deliver the letter that afternoon.

Therefore, never underestimate a nobody. A minor official or a maid caused the Prince of Rencheng to suffer a great setback.

The next day.

The outline of the rising sun awakens the birds, which freely fly into the walls of thousands of households, scrambling to peck at grains and insects. The labor area in the northern part of the Xi government office is filled with noise, and the first task for some of the young palace maids is to drive away the flocks of birds.

The palace servants in Qixing County lived in the most remote locations and had to get up early to go to their respective work sites. The three young palace maids stood out in a row with their heads down because they were bald.

Two of the girls, surnamed Xiao and named Zhuozhuo and Dande, were sisters from the same clan. The other girl, surnamed Yang and named Miaoqian, was punished by having her head shaved. This was not only because they had offended the palace school instructors a few days earlier, but also because they longed for the old land of Xiao Qi and were reluctant to enter the palace of the Great Wei.

In addition to being punished by having their hair shaved, the three were sent to a filthy livestock pen to clean and move manure. The livestock pen would smell even worse when the sun was high in the sky, so they hurried on, trying to clean up the most difficult-to-sweep manure before the midday heat.

"Ouch!" Xiao Zhuozhuo's shoes were slippery, causing him to trip and fall.

The other palace servants around them, busy with their own affairs, laughed and said, "Falling on flat ground, you can tell how pampered you were before."

"Those two are surnamed Xiao, they might be daughters of the Xiao Qi royal family, how could they not be spoiled?"

"Haha, we don't know if she's spoiled or not, but she's certainly arrogant. She was chosen to enter the palace academy to make things difficult for the lecturers, but she got what she deserved and was sent back to do hard labor."

“Hey—the one who fell down, you have mud on your scalp. It’s good that your scalp is white; you can see it when it gets a little dusty.”

Xiao Zhuozhuo wept with shame and indignation, wanting to rush over and smash his head against those foul-mouthed bastards.

Her cousin Xiao Dande pulled her back and questioned those who kept making sarcastic remarks: "Isn't the labor hard enough? We are all women, why do you have to torment and make things difficult for each other?"

One man laughed sarcastically, "I wanted to make things difficult for the young man, but unfortunately, after smashing a cartload of clay teapots, I couldn't find a single one with a hard spout."

The passing eunuchs were filled with hatred upon hearing this.

Xiao, Yang, and the other two decided to stop arguing and reflected on how they had offended the lecturer as they walked.

“It’s my sister’s fault for being too impulsive and dragging Sister Yang into this. Now that I think about it, that lecturer surnamed Wei was very cunning. She must have planned how to establish her reputation before she started teaching, and deliberately created a thunderous situation. Even if Zhuozhuo and I didn’t fall for it, other fellow villagers would have.”

Yang Miaoqian was quite discouraged: "What fellow townsmen? When we were expelled from the school, did anyone plead for us? Let's remember this lesson. I have some bad news for you. Miss Wei has been appointed as a regular lecturer and will be teaching at Qixing School. Xie Yi, who lived in the same dormitory as me, has been transferred to do odd jobs for Lecturer Wei. Look at how happy she is. She has no idea about national and family feuds."

Xiao Dande sneered: "Xie Yi thinks this is a good job? Hmph, that Wei fellow caused the death of Lady Liang, who knows how many people in the Xi government have offended. As for being a lecturer... I'd like to count how many days she can teach!"

At this moment, Xie Yi, who was despised by the three, met Wei Yao at Qianqiu Gate. They did not speak on the way. Wei Yao went directly to the school. Another palace servant, Gong Ai, had set out stationery and the poems to be taught that day at the lecture seat. After Wei Yao sat down, the two servants sat behind and to her side.

The palace students were different from the students outside the palace. They couldn't arrive early because they all had chores to do before 5:30 a.m. They would rush to their respective dormitories half a quarter of an hour before the appointed time. The three newly appointed palace maids had already learned from their fellow students how formidable this lecturer was. The sixteen female students had run so fast, yet after sitting down in their rooms, they couldn't be heard breathing heavily at all.

Wei Yao: "Since everyone has arrived, we won't wait until 5:30 AM. Starting today, I will be teaching you the 'Airs of the States' chapter of the Book of Songs. Before we begin, I'll explain some rules and regulations regarding rewards and punishments."

"First of all, if you don't understand something during my lecture, you can raise your hand and ask questions only after I give you permission. As for those who are rude, offensive, or argumentative, I will not give them a chance to correct their behavior. I will not only expel them from the school immediately, but I will also recommend to the female officials of the palace school that they should never be selected for the palace school again!"

"Xie Yi and Gong Ai are my pageboys. From today onwards, they will record your attitude and behavior during the lessons. I will compile these records into a book and submit it to the palace school's female officials every month. Those with poor study attitudes, frivolous behavior, or disruptive behavior will all be grounds for expulsion from the palace school!"

"Starting this month, I will set the test questions to assess your poetics scores. Those who score well will be exempt from the day's labor."

The eyes of all sixteen palace students widened instantly, their gazes towards Wei Yao filled with a mixture of excitement and complexity. Since becoming prisoners and being subjugated by the Xi officials, their lives had been completely different from before. Not only were they exhausted every day, but they also had to endure scolding and frequent beatings.

The lecturer is saying that if you do well on the exam, you can have half a day of free time.

They wouldn't even dare to dream of such a good thing!
The children then became worried, wondering if what the lecturer had said would have any effect in the Xi government office.

Of course it works!

When Jiang Shunu assigned two young palace maids to Wei Yao, Wei Yao's first thought was that this third-rank female official could manage the labor of the palace servants in the Xi Guan Shu (a government office). Naturally, she wanted to capitalize on this as a reward for the palace maids; otherwise, what else could she give them? Even a piece of paper would be snatched away by greedy people.

Wei Yao: "Class will begin now. Yesterday I asked the female officials of the palace school, and you can all recite the poems in the 'Airs of the States' section, which shows you have a certain foundation in literacy and textual exegesis. To ascertain exactly how much you have mastered, we will begin with a test. There will be ten questions in total, and those who answer eight correctly will be considered excellent. What are you all standing there for? Prepare your pens and ink!"

The whole room was immediately filled with unspoken joy.

After class ended at noon, the dozen or so palace students realized that the chores they considered important and which they had to obey were nothing more than a casual remark from the palace school's female officials and the eunuchs in the labor service area.

They were actually so anxious that they stayed up until the early morning of the next day.

This is a later story.

The current power of the court is mainly held by the three princes: the Prince of Xianyang, the Prince of Beihai, and the Prince of Rencheng. They use a secluded corner of the palace as the central hub for handling political affairs, and transmit the emperor's edicts and replies through attendants such as Zhao Xiu, eunuchs such as Wang Yu, and the Zhaigong.

As dawn broke, Wang Yu arrived carrying the imperial edict.

Prince Yuanxi of Xianyang asked in surprise, "Why is it you again? I haven't seen Zhao Xiu for several days. Is he dead or injured?"

Zhao Xiu is the emperor's most favored minister, and now only Yuan Xi, who holds military power, dares to make fun of him.

Yu (庾) official: The original meaning of Yu refers to a granary used for transporting grain by waterway, or a granary without a cover. Therefore, "Yu official" refers to a minor official who manages a granary.

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(End of this chapter)