History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 229 Demons and Monsters
Upon entering the study, Li Biao asked, "Wei Yao is a poetry teacher recruited by the palace school. Where did you hear about her?"

"Several noble ladies from the eastern part of the city have jointly established a poetry club. I heard from the members of the club that Wei Yao is only ten years old, yet she already dares to lecture in the spacious courtyard of the inner city."

Li Yin pouted and muttered, "So what they said was true. Wei Yao has even gone to the palace to teach poetry. Humph, she's outshone my daughter."

Li Biao laughed: "I will teach you calligraphy and painting with all my heart, so that no girl your age will be able to outshine you. Don't worry, I have a plan. The more talented and famous this girl becomes in poetry in the next two years, the more beneficial it will be for you in the future."

“I don’t understand. Father, please tell me your plan now. Otherwise, I will feel envious and jealous of her, which will make me feel very uncomfortable.”

Li Biao hesitated slightly, but still told her, "This woman will not only lecture in the city once. She will try her best to spread the word that she has poetic talent. You just need to observe and wait. When the whole city knows her name, we can use her reputation to spread the word that you are well-versed in the classics and that your talent far surpasses hers. As long as there is controversy, your name will be tied to hers."

Li Yin was both shocked and panicked: "But..."

Li Biao, caught up in the story, waved his hand to stop his daughter from interrupting and continued, “Wei Yao is a commoner. Think about it, how many noble ladies and scholars in Luoyang would be dissatisfied with a commoner who is famous? At that time, without us deliberately spreading the word, countless people would stand on your side, help you make a name for yourself, and suppress this woman! So you don’t need to compete with a commoner’s daughter in terms of talent. She is ambitious and studious, and she is worthy to be your stepping stone.”

Li Yin emerged, her steps faltering. In the shadows of the corridor, her brother, Li Zhi, exchanged the lit lantern for the one that had gone out in her hand. "I was just looking for Father. I heard everything he said to you."

“Brother, I am jealous of Wei Yao, but I don’t want to… I don’t like Father’s methods, I… I…” Li Yin’s voice was choked with sobs, and he spoke incoherently.

"I'll take you back." Li Zhi was several years older than his sister. He already knew how difficult it was to get a government job and how embarrassing it was to ask for favors. But his father and he had already experienced enough of this kind of hardship.

He comforted him, saying, "Father is getting old, and I haven't been able to find a suitable official position. That's why Father is so anxious and wants you to help us prosper the Li family of Dunqiu. In the next two years, I will try my best to persuade Father not to let you do anything against your conscience. But you should also focus on your studies and not try to compete with that Miss Wei."

"I'm not competing anymore! But will Father listen to my brother's advice?"

Li Yin wept: "I recite poetry because I enjoy it, and I read books because I want to. Even if I am competitive, I will follow the right path! If I were to trample on the achievements of others to gain fame, I would feel that I am despicable."

Li Zhi suppressed her anger. Weren't these words implying that her father was despicable? Oh well, she was still young and didn't know how difficult things were for her family.

"Don't worry, I can persuade Father." The prerequisite is that Father is reinstated to his official position and regains control of the central government.

Xuzhou, a city far away.

The twelve-year-old Prince Yuan Yu of Jingzhao was the third son of the late emperor. Yuan Yu was appointed governor of Xuzhou when he was ten years old. However, the affairs of the prefecture and the local area were managed by Lu Yuan, the chief secretary who came from the Lu family of Fanyang.

That night, Yuan Yu greatly disappointed Lu Yuan because of a woman, and they began to drift apart.

This woman's surname was Yang and her given name was Aofei. On Yuan Yu's way back to the mansion, she sang a folk song. Yuan Yu rode closer and fell in love with Yang Aofei at first sight under the moonlight. That night, despite still being in mourning, he took Yang Aofei back to the mansion.

Lu Yuan burst into the courtyard and loudly reminded Yang Aofei of her unknown origins, advising Yuan Yu not to do anything foolish that she would regret for the rest of her life.

However, one was blinded by lust, and the other had been plotting for a long time. Lu Yuan, whose voice was already hoarse from shouting, only saw the candlelight in the room growing brighter, and Yuan Yu and the woman from the Yang family playing wildly. Their figures were reflected on the gauze window, making them look like demons and monsters!

"How could I possibly assist such a despicable person!" Lu Yuan was furious and fell seriously ill, after which his health never recovered.

At this time, Xuan Yuanyu's messenger, traveling day and night, had already entered the territory of Xuzhou.

Luoyang inner city.

On the west side of Tongtuo Street was the "Zhaoxuan Cao," an official office that managed monks and nuns. A slightly smaller office, located across the street from Zhaoxuan Cao, was the "Shenbu Cao." The Shenbu Cao was in charge of the royal family's rituals of worshipping Heaven, as well as managing the primitive shamanistic religions of various ethnic groups in the Western Regions, such as the Gaoche, the Kumoxi, Gaochang, and Persia.

Cui Yu, a physician from the Court of Justice, arrived in the afternoon, accompanied by Cui Zuan, a descendant of the Court of Justice's Vice Minister. It wasn't until late in the evening, around 7 PM, that Minister Xi Jian of the Divine Department finally had time to meet with them.

Cui Yu took out the wooden box used to raise poisonous lice, briefly explained his purpose, and then said, "There is only one poisonous louse left inside. I was afraid that there might be a poisonous creature inside the box that could spread disease, so I didn't dare to open it."

“Well done.” Xi Jian saw that the wooden box was tightly secured, so he called over a witch who used a fine awl to pry open the box, and saw a dusty, foul smell emanating from it.

The witch wore gloves and gently covered the uncovered wooden box with her palm. When she felt something moving in her palm, she removed her hand and found that the poisonous lice had been attracted to her gloves.

The witch couldn't speak the Han language, so after babbling a few words to Xi Jian, she crushed a poisonous louse to death in front of Cui Yu and Cui Zuan.

Xi Jian translated to Cui Yu and the other man: "The box contains hair, soaked in blood and medicine, used to raise lice. It's much more potent than the poison on lice. Haha, look how scared you are. This filth and the lice poison aren't enough to kill you. What's deadly is the despicable method of lice crawling into people's ear canals."

Cui Yu: "Many of the recent strange cases are related to witchcraft and sorcery. To be honest, even I am afraid, let alone the guards in the prison. I would appreciate your guidance on various witchcraft and sorcery techniques, Chief Inspector Xi."

Xi Jian: "Alright. Come on, I'll show you both what I'm capable of."

The two of them and the witch followed Xi Jian into a storage room, where there were jars and pots containing all sorts of snakes, centipedes, scorpions, and strange insects that they couldn't name.

Cui Yu and Cui Zuan got goosebumps all over their bodies. Fortunately, the place was filled with the smell of herbs, and neither Xi Jian nor the witch covered their mouths and noses, so the two of them did not turn around and run away.

Cui Zuan asked, "Are these snakes and insects used for witchcraft?"

Xi Jian: "They're raised to eat. Haha, just kidding, they really are—raised to eat."

Cui Yu smiled wryly and cupped his hands in a pleading gesture: "Oh, Commander Xi, we two are truly timid, please stop teasing us."

Xi Jian, still in a joking manner, asked, "Physician Cui, do you think it's faster to kill someone with poisonous lice or with a knife?"

"Of course, it's a knife."

"If you strike someone with a knife, does that mean the person could die no matter where you strike them?"

"Yes."

"If that's the case, why is it that the poisonous lice can only burrow into ear canals to kill you, causing you to panic, while I carry a knife with me, yet neither of you are afraid?"

“This…” Cui Yu and Cui Zuan fell into thought.

Xi Jian gestured to the witch to throw a scorpion on the ground, which he then crushed under his foot. He continued, "A poisonous louse dies instantly when pinched, and a scorpion that comes near me can be easily crushed with one stomp. What exactly are you two afraid of?"

He left the warehouse first, followed by Cui Yu and the others.

Back at Xi Jian's residence, strangely enough, Cui Yu and Cui Zuan no longer felt any fear when they looked at the wooden box on the desk where lice had been kept. Indeed, inside was just a clump of dirty hair soaked in blood and medicine! Thinking further, lice were about the size of sesame seeds; even if they were poisonous, how poisonous could they possibly be?
(End of this chapter)