History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 248 Yuan Zhi's Pulse

It was time for the friends to say goodbye.

Xi Yi wanted to play with Erzhu Rong, so they went together to the Luoshui residential area in the south of the city.

Let's talk about Xi Jiao and Yuan Mao for now. They traveled through the city together for a while.

Xi Jiao: "I received a letter from Yuan Zizhi. He is living a leisurely life in Dingzhou and has not fallen behind in his studies."

Yuan Mao recalled with a smile, "Whenever I think of the scene of Huangfu Jing dying in front of the three of us, it feels like several years have passed." The secret of Huangfu Jing's mysterious death was known only to his family, and this feeling was truly exhilarating!
Xi Jiao frankly said, "People grow up quickly, and when they look back on the past, it seems so distant. I'm not like you; when I think back to what happened last year, it still feels so close."

He then lamented, "The Hu family... deserved their fate. Sengzhi was even worse! Otherwise, with such a scheming aunt in Huwuwu, who knows how many evil deeds she would have committed and how many people she would have harmed in the future."

The two teenagers understood each other without saying a word: the Hu family had been wiped out and could not possibly come to Luoyang!
Xi Jiao changed the subject and asked, "How much longer are you going to stay at the Sizhou Office?"

Yuan Mao: "My father's house was due for repairs. It has become even more leaky and drafty since we left Luoyang a few years ago. It will need to be repaired for some time."

“If Prefect Yuan goes out of the city to patrol, you can stay at my house.”

Both the Xi residence and the Wei Yi residence are located in Yinian.

Touched by the other party's kindness, Yuan Mao readily agreed.

The two parted ways at the Changhe City Gate. After watching Xi Jiao walk away, Yuan Mao turned back, bought some vegetarian food outside Yaoguang Temple, and then hurried on his way.

The office of the Sizhou Prefecture was divided into two parts, east and west. The east part was where the officials under the governor were located, and the west part was where the officials under the prefect were located.

The officials that Yuan Zhi brought from Pingcheng are now all crammed into the prefectural office. Of course, no one can be squeezed out of Yuan Zhi, who lives alone in a small courtyard. Yuan Mao hurriedly entered carrying a food box, and as he expected, General Wei Yi of the Left had arrived again.

Yuan Mao bowed to the two men and said, "Father, General Wei."

Wei Yi opened his mouth, but his own son was calling someone else "father," and he felt really bad about it!

Yuan Zhi asked, "Did you have fun today?"

As Yuan Mao opened the food box, he replied, "I'm so happy. I just happened to see Xue, a subordinate of General Wei's mansion, participating in the competition. His weapon was interesting; it was a pair of rolling pins."

Looking at the vegetarian dishes, Wei Yi saw his favorite fried tofu and vegetable rolls, and finally felt a little more at ease. He asked, "Are you talking about Xue Mian Niang? Did she win or lose the competition?"

"We lost, but it was because our weapons were incompatible. We'll definitely win tomorrow."

Yuan Zhi gave Yuan Mao a wink, but then said infuriatingly, "There are no outsiders here, so you can sit next to General Wei."

Wei Yi feigned disdain and pushed Yuan Mao's stool away, saying, "No need!"

Yuan Mao, shameless as ever, sat down first, then moved his stool closer to his biological relative.

Wei Yi: "Alright, any closer and you'll be sitting on my lap."

Yuan Zhi laughed, and the awkward atmosphere between the three of them finally eased a little.

Yuan Maocai divided the vegetarian food among the two elders, and Guan Xian, the physician and coroner, came in with a bowl of medicine.

Yuan Zhi said irritably, "Why didn't you prepare the medicine earlier or later, but of all times, right when I'm eating!"

As he drank his medicine, Wei Yi watched, recalling the words spoken by the imperial physician Wang Xian to him that day.

Wang Xian: "His Majesty did not force you to agree to Yuan Biejia's request. I approached you myself to mediate between you and Yuan Biejia."

At that time, Wei Yi retorted with disgust: "If you don't want me to be your enemy, don't say a single word! I don't want to hear any nonsense about reconciliation! By the way, if you want to be a good person, why don't you give your son to Yuan the widower?!"

Wang Xian: "What are you talking about? Who's as capable as you? Three of you! I only have one. If you're adopted out, who will take care of me when I'm old?" "Hmph!"

Wang Xian: "A doctor should be benevolent. I will only explain Yuan Biejia's condition and not mention anything else, okay? When Yuan Zhi went to Pingcheng, his eye disease was not fully cured, which caused his heart to become diseased, and then damaged his kidneys. Even if he remarries, he will not be able to have children. Wait, I haven't finished yet. Yesterday, His Majesty ordered me to examine his pulse. Alas, he has at most five or six years left to live."

Wei Yi was surprised. He knew Wang Xian wouldn't lie to him about something like this, but Yuan Zhi didn't seem like someone who only had five or six years to live. "What if he gets proper treatment?"

Wang Xian sighed: "When I say five or six years, I mean we need to get proper treatment. If we don't take it seriously and overwork ourselves, I'm afraid..." He held up three fingers.

You only have three years to live!
“General Wei, I will not advise you to pity Yuan Biejia. There are too many pitiful people in this world to pity. But you cannot not pity your son Maolang’s future, can you? Yuan Biejia was shot in the eye because he saved the late emperor. His Majesty was grateful for this kindness and granted Maolang the special permission to be adopted and given the fifth-rank senior position of ‘Shiyu Zhongsan’ after he changed his surname.”

Wang Xian: "Let me tell you something else. This is the last time the position of 'Attendant Gentleman of the Palace' will be granted. This position will be abolished from now on. Think about it, Mao Langjun is only eleven years old, and he is the last young talent in our dynasty to rise to prominence as an 'Attendant Gentleman of the Palace.' Will the history books not record this? Wei Yi, you may not care about the life or death of Yuan Biejia, but Mao Langjun, regardless of whether he is surnamed Wei or Yuan, is still your biological father! Don't hinder your son's future!"

"Wei Yi, you know the importance of this matter. Consider it as soon as possible."

Yuan Zhi: "Wei Yi, Wei Yi? What are you daydreaming about?"

He finished his medicine and loudly called to Wei Yi, bringing him back to his senses. "Eat quickly! Our Mao'er is clever; he guessed you were coming today and specially bought several of your favorite dishes. Don't let them get cold. Hiss—"

Hearing the gasp, Yuan Mao quickly rubbed Yuan Zhi's lower back and asked, "Does it hurt again?"

Yuan Zhi: "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. The weather might be changing, it's a little sore, but it's nothing."

Yuan Mao continued to rub it.

This meal is unpalatable! Wei Yi didn't know whether to sit or leave immediately, so he took out a scroll from his cloth bag and handed it over. "Today, the Grand Commandant and his officers finished reading the original manuscript of 'The Ballad of Mulan' and returned it to me. You can borrow it to take a look."

Yuan Zhi snatched it away.

Wei Yi muttered to himself: Yuan the widower probably has no problem living for three more years; he's got a lot of strength.

Yuan Zhi promoted the new education decree with great effort for several years. However, while there were countless ordinary Confucian scholars in the Great Wei, there were very few talented writers and poets. Therefore, he was often ridiculed by Xiao Qi, who satirized Wei's ritual system and promotion measures as being like "dodder, oats, the Southern Dipper, and the Northern Dipper"—all name and no substance.

The appearance of "The Ballad of Mulan" was perfectly timed.

but……

Yuan Zhi frowned, finding the handwriting in the original manuscript very familiar. How could it be the same as the handwriting of the island barbarian scholar?

Wei Yi noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yuan Zhi didn't raise his head, and instructed his son, "Amao, go to the study and fetch a scroll of the writings of the island barbarian scholar."

"Yes." Yuan Mao went and returned quickly.

Wei Yi took it, glanced at the two rows, his face flushed red, and glared at Yuan Mao, asking, "This kind of slut... ah... you've seen it before?"

Yuan Mao hid behind his father.

"Forget it, he's not my son anymore," Wei Yi said irritably, waving his hand. "Go out and eat. I have something to say to your father."

To show he wasn't eavesdropping, Yuan Mao went outside to water the pomegranate trees. The pomegranate blossoms couldn't be kept alive this season; only two flowers remained on the row of potted plants.

Hey, one of them is graceful.

Hey, it's him.

Dodder, oats, the Southern Winnowing Basket, and the Northern Dipper: Dodder, also known as dodder seed, has the character "silk" but cannot be spun into cloth; oats in ancient times were not considered food, having the character "wheat" but not being edible; the Southern Winnowing Basket and the Northern Dipper, in this phrase, refer to objects with the characters "winnowing basket" and "dipper" but not being used to hold things. Taken together, they symbolize "having a name but no substance."