History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 23 Steward Cui

Today we continue with "Kao Pan". This poem has three stanzas, each with four lines; it is very short, but its meaning is profound. To understand whether this poem praises the spirit of recluses, or, as the preface and commentary suggest, satirizes Duke Zhuang of Wei and expresses the indignation of ambitious individuals forced into seclusion, we must analyze the events that occurred during the poem's historical period and the fates of the prominent figures involved.

To hear more clearly, many of the disciples in the back rows moved forward, and Confucius never reprimanded them.

Before they knew it, it was time for school to end. As soon as the teacher left, Yuan Heng was eager to get revenge for yesterday.

He blocked Yuan Ning's path and asked, "Dare to wrestle with me on the road? One match to decide the winner, and the loser will have to stand upside down!" He pointed to the bamboo forest path that students had to take to return to the academy after school.

"Afraid of you?"

Haiye Ren led the commotion, shouting, "I'll be your witness!"

And so, Yuan Heng's group was surrounded by his friends, while Yuan Ning's group echoed their lead, and they split into two teams and headed towards the forest path. To show that their side was more imposing, they kicked aside desks blocking their way and shoved nearby schoolchildren, determined to walk only in a straight line.

Paper, inkstones, and pens flew everywhere, and the students who were pushed and shoved were all indignant: "Just because they are Xianbei nobles, does that mean we have to be bullied endlessly?"

"Is this still the Cui Academy that everyone yearns for? Is this still the 'Way-Wise Bamboo Grove' where bamboo, trees, and flowing water are all imbued with the spirit of literature?"

"Completely lacking in moral character! Dressed in fine clothes, yet their actions are worse than those of street thugs..." The student's remaining words were muffled by his fellow students, who gestured to the presence of the most extravagantly dressed student.

It is Xi Jiao.

Actually, Wei Yao didn't leave either.

It's clear that the public opinion surrounding her being bullied yesterday has achieved its purpose. From now on, no matter which Xianbei student causes trouble, the students at Cui Academy will not ostracize her because of her Xianbei origin.

Only in this way can one focus on their studies.

When Wei Yao returned to the residential area, the courtyard was quiet, indicating that Miss Hu and the others had not yet returned.

Just like yesterday, she took advantage of her fresh memory to organize her notes on the poem "Kao Pan". As she was writing, she heard a light rain starting outside. After a while, just as the rain stopped, she heard two young ladies complaining in the courtyard: "What bad luck! We made a wasted trip to the archery range, and the rain stopped just as we got back."

"Whether it rains or not is up to us, but all of the dozen or so horses are getting their hair and hooves trimmed today. It feels like they're deliberately trying to prevent us from riding them."

"I think so too, it's infuriating the more I think about it! Hey, Changsun Zhi, Qiu Mang? You just got back too. Have Yuan Heng and Yuan Ning finished their competition?"

"Haha, you two missed out on a good show. Yuan Heng lost to Yuan Ning. Yuan Heng was exhausted and shamelessly begged for mercy, but Yuan Ning didn't let him off the hook."

"and then?"

"Then Yuan Heng had no choice but to accept the punishment of standing upside down. However, as soon as he left the bamboo forest, he started to cheat, lying on the ground pretending to be dead. Yuan Ning kicked him, but he didn't move. Haha, here comes the funny part: Hai Yeren took off his boots and put them over Yuan Heng's nose. Yuan Heng rolled over and turned his face down, refusing to open his eyes. He was really good at cheating. You guys didn't see how cowardly he was back then, haha."

"Alright, stop laughing so loudly, anyone who doesn't know better would think you, Qiu Mang, won!"

Wei Yao could recognize the last voice; it belonged to Hu Ertiao, the young lady from Hu.

Qiu Mang retorted sarcastically, "Hmph, so angry? Anyone who didn't know better would think you've fallen for Yuan Heng again." A brawl broke out just like that. With Steward Cui absent, the poor servants suffered as they tried to mediate.

Wei Yao slightly opened the door and listened intently, learning several things from the incessant shouting and cursing.

First of all, the courtyard was indeed full, with a total of five imperial daughters. Apart from Hu Ertiao, Changsun Zhi, and Qiu Mang, the two young ladies complaining about the archery range were both surnamed Yuan.

Secondly, Hu Ertiao is Hu Yi'ao's twin sister. Wei Yao remembers Hu Yi'ao; the boy raced horses with Wei Mao and Lu Baozhen in the Plum Garden.

Furthermore, Yuan Heng, like Yuan Yu, was a cousin of Governor Yuan, and neither of them had been in Pingcheng for very long.

Do not underestimate the importance of kinship ties. When these relationships form a network, deeper and more subtle messages can be gleaned. For example, if the head of a clan has moved to Luoyang but left most of his descendants in Pingcheng, then that powerful figure is not a supporter of the current emperor's Sinicization and the relocation of the capital. Another example is a family with many descendants remaining in border towns. When these descendants reach the age of officialdom, they will face immense difficulties, not only falling behind the treatment of Han aristocratic families but also being looked down upon by their own Xianbei relatives.

Getting back to the main point, Hu Ertiao and Qiu Mang's insults grew increasingly vulgar until they revealed each other's affections for Xi Jiao. At that moment, Steward Cui arrived, and the fight ended.

It couldn't have come at a better time.

In order to promote the Sinicization policy, His Majesty has long prohibited the Xianbei people of the same surname and forbade the imperial family and other clans from intermarrying. Hu Ertiao and the others openly proclaimed their liking for Xi Jiao, which not only violated human ethics, but also proved that similar things were not isolated cases in the "Eight Ministries" academies.

"That's not fair," Wei Yao murmured as she sat back down at her desk.

Being in Cui Academy, she naturally recalled the crime of infringing on national history committed by Duke Cui Hao of Dongjun more than forty years ago. One of the reasons that the Xianbei nobles who had deep conflicts with Duke Cui Hao sued him was that he had inscribed the barbaric marriage customs of the Xianbei tribe on the "National History Stele" standing by the roadside, causing the Xianbei people to be ridiculed by the world.

At the time, Emperor Shizu was on the throne, and Cui Hao was sentenced to the cruel punishment of "execution of the gatekeeper," and even his relatives by marriage were exterminated. However, decades later, the Xianbei customs that Cui Hao had openly described still persisted, and were even violated by descendants of the imperial clan and powerful families!
How can this not be ironic?

It got dark early tonight, and thankfully the rain stopped. Wei Yao went to the kitchen and saw the maid who had brought her dinner last night carrying firewood. The maid followed behind her and said cautiously, "There are five young ladies in the courtyard, but they never come over. It's always the maids who bring the food."

Wei Yao ignored the maid's mutterings and went back to her room to continue organizing the notes she had written for Gao Xiaoniangzi. She wasn't sure if Gao Lou would be in a hurry to return home and come tomorrow, so she wrote until the middle of the night before blowing out the candles to rest.

The room furthest from her residence was where the steward lived. After the change of owners, all the useless decorations were moved away. Now, most of the space is filled with books. In addition, there is a small brazier, which is used as firewood to burn waste paper and scraps of paper thrown away by the students' dormitories.

It was so late, yet Steward Cui was still reading. He was old and frail, while his shadow on the wall stood tall and elegant. The man and his shadow seemed to be two people separated by decades.

The servant who attended to him was named E Xun, and he entered one after the other, morning and evening.

The one called "Chaoxi" was the maid who hadn't spoken to Wei Yao in the evening. She reported, "Reporting to the steward, all the students' dormitories have extinguished their candles, but Miss Wei's dormitory was the last to extinguish hers. When Miss Wei came to collect her evening meal, I told her what I was told, but Miss Wei ignored me."

"Just let her get used to your face, and if she doesn't contact you again, don't bother her."

"This servant understands."

Seeing that the steward was no longer looking at the morning and evening, E Xun knew that everything was alright and led her away. When E Xun came back in, she carried the orchids outside into the house, and was very happy: "Changing the soil really makes them grow better and better."

Manager Cui, his eyes still on the book, said, "I can only help with changing the soil; the most important thing is for the orchid plant itself to thrive."

(End of this chapter)