History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 231 Her name is Sun Rangrang

According to Sun Cairen's subsequent confession, she also killed Jiang Shunu on a whim.

“The day before yesterday afternoon, Madam He asked me to clean around the library. I was an eunuch, while Madam He was just an ordinary palace maid. But because she served Jiang Wenqian, she always dumped her work on me.”

“I’m used to it. As usual, I swept from front to back, and lastly swept my own library. When I got to the back of the building, two young palace maids came from the labor area. The one with a shaved head was called Xiao Dande, and the other was called Chen Ying.”

“I recognize them both. The female officials of the palace school have the right to recommend palace students. Both of them were palace students, and I recommended them. Unfortunately, they were not good enough. The girl surnamed Xiao was punished and sent back to do hard labor because she talked back to the lecturer Wei Yao. Chen Ying was punished because she failed the exam.”

"Xiao Dande asked me... Lady, do you know where Lecturer Wei Yao's page, Gong Ai, is? Can you call her here for us? We have something important to discuss with her."

“I agreed to help them because I remembered being scolded for losing a broom before, so I went back to get the broom, and then I heard Xiao and Chen talking, they were talking…”

Chen Ying: "I really can't believe that person was also a female official? Female officials have to sweep the floor themselves? I thought these kinds of chores were for people like us."

Xiao Dande: "Tch, what female official? When we ask someone for help, shouldn't we call them 'female official' to make them happy?"

Chen Ying: "Oh? I thought you knew her."

"It's not that I don't know her. She seems to be in charge of a miscellaneous library. Her surname... what was it? I forgot. Anyway, she's not a popular person and will never get promoted."

Upon hearing Zhang Longren's account, Wei Yao was both angry and disheartened for Consort Sun. However, Wei Yao was more concerned about something else and asked, "Consort Sun still managed to find Gong Ai for them, didn't she?"

“Yes,” Zhang Longren said. “In fact, every time a batch of convicted slaves entered the Xi government office, there were cases of people gathering to cast curses. Killing a few and exiling a few would make them all behave. Ten of the convicted slaves from Qixing County were involved. Each of them would pluck a lock of hair every month and put them together to raise lice. After Gong Ai was chosen to be a page, she didn’t want to do such evil things anymore, but how could the others let her go?”

Wei Yao: "I understand. Xiao and Chen are also among the ten people who cast the curse. They might even be the ringleaders! Gong Ai hardly ever goes back to the palace maids' quarters, so they couldn't gather ten people for the curse. So they tricked Gong Ai into going back and forcibly pulled out a lock of her hair. This kind of pulling would definitely hurt her scalp. When the commander falsely claimed that Jiang Shunu was clutching her hair when she died, Gong Ai was afraid of being misunderstood, so she made the gesture of touching her wound."

The young lady was truly clever, Zhang Longren secretly praised, and then recounted the case: "After hearing the gossip of the young palace maid, Sun Shi finally lost patience with the resentment she had accumulated for more than ten years. Ironically, she went to kill Jiang Shunu at night, and after killing her, she left normally with the door closed. As a result, no one suspected her. Even when the eunuch came to investigate the case, he only asked her two questions before ruling her out as a suspect."

"Madam Sun waited all day again, and everyone forgot that there was a fourth-rank female official in the miscellaneous books library. This morning, Consort Dong, who was also a fourth-rank female official, was the one who was just killed. Consort Dong and Attendant Xie should have gone to pick you up, but Consort Dong was too lazy to go and asked Madam Sun to do it for her."

"You were just brought back by Madam Sun, and now Consort Dong is sending Madam Sun to do other things for her. Ha, just as Madam Sun said, everyone is used to bullying her, but they don't even know her surname!"

Wei Yao: "She didn't want to live anymore. She just wanted everyone to know that there was a Consort Sun in the palace school before she died. She originally wanted to kill me to achieve her goal, but I saved myself by calling her 'Consort Sun'."

At this point, Wei Yao recalled the astonishment Sun Shi had felt upon hearing the title "Consort Sun," and found herself feeling only pity for the woman, unable to feel any hatred whatsoever. "Commander Zhang, do you know Consort Sun's name?"

“Rangrang, Sun Rangrang.”

Wei Yao: "May blessings descend upon you. Sun Rangrang, I've remembered that."

"Rangrang" comes from the poem "Zhijing" in the "Zhou Song" section of the Book of Songs. It means that good fortune is bestowed from heaven. What a wonderful name! It was only recorded in the confession.

The front hall of the imperial palace.

Emperor Yuan Ke finished reading the official document from the Court of Justice. The document described how Princes Yuan Xi and Yuan Cheng had narrowly escaped assassination. The Minister of Justice requested a thorough investigation of the female and male sorcerers posing as ghosts and gods in the Sizhou region.

Yuan Ke approved the request and reviewed the final official document. This document was submitted by Li Biao, the former Imperial Censor, and presented by Wang Su, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. It was left until last because it was a long and complex document!
"I have heard that when the dragon map appears, the imperial way is enlightened; when the tortoise shell script is revealed, the emperor's virtue is amplified..."

"Our Imperial Wei Dynasty has ruled China for over a hundred years..."

"I have heard that Emperor Xiaowen inherited the treasures of Heaven and Earth... However, the late emperor's illustrious plans and wise leadership... the late emperor's skill in shaping and shaping... the late emperor's profound insight... the late emperor's... the late emperor's... the late emperor's..."

The endless eulogies to the "former emperor" wore down Yuan Ke's patience. He pinched his brows to ease his fatigue and tossed aside the half-read memorial.

At this moment, the military officer Wang Zhongxing brought in the Seventh Prince, Yuan Heng. Yuan Heng was carrying a scroll of paper and walked with great vigor. "Your Majesty," he said, "I have obtained a fine poem, which I copied from General Wei Yi."

What Yuan Yun brought was "The Ballad of Mulan".

Yuan Ke adored his seventh brother, pinching Yuan Yu's chubby chin twice and pretending to be interested as he unfolded the poetry scroll.

But after reading a few sentences silently, his feigned interest turned into genuine interest.

Even the finest poems are only meant for the emperor's casual appreciation; they are not to be discussed or indulged in excessively. But this poem, "The Ballad of Mulan," is different!
Yuan Ke realized that he could add female soldiers to the capital's guards! He could also select highly skilled female guards from among the close attendants. Selecting female military officers from various prefectures and counties was an edict that his father had never issued before. If implemented, he would be the only one to be praised by the court and the public in the future!

Yuan Ke ordered: "Make multiple copies of the 'Ballad of Mulan' and give them to the Grand Commandant, Minister of Works, and other ministers to read."

Yuan Heng hadn't forgotten Wei Yi's request, and asked, "The Left General asked me to inquire of His Majesty whether he can publicize this poem among the people."

"can."

Before Yuan Yun could even show any joy, the emperor asked him, "Did you copy this poem by yourself?"

“No.” Yuan Yu poked his chubby fingers together and said truthfully, “I wrote the first part, and Yuan Shixian wrote the second part. He insisted on writing it, it’s not that I was lazy.”

"When did Yuan Shixian become willing to write calligraphy?"

Yuan Heng immediately became excited again and said, "Not only is he willing to write, but he also asked the teacher to teach him to recite poems."

"Oh?"

“He used to always sleep in, so I asked the lecturer at the palace school for a solution: let Yuan Shixian sleep soundly and as much as he wanted, but don’t let him get up after he’d had enough. On the fourth day, Yuan Shixian started crying, saying his head hurt from the pillow. On the fifth day, he said there was a horse in the back of his head, kicking him wildly and even hitting his forehead.”

Upon hearing this, the eunuchs Wang Yu and Ru Hao lowered their heads and suppressed their laughter.

Yuan Heng: "Instructor Wei originally said it might take a month to cure Yuan Shixian's drowsiness, but on the seventh day, Yuan Shixian took the initiative to get up early and go to the Imperial Academy for class. And I also realized that Yuan Shixian's eyes are so big!"

He propped up his eyelids with his hands, and his mischievous appearance made Yuan Ke love his younger brother even more.

(End of this chapter)