History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 254, Title of the Nine Volumes

Since the capital was moved, the Imperial Academy has been in a state of semi-rest and semi-disappearance. Very few members of the imperial family and clansmen come to listen to the lectures every day. Because the subjects are different, the professors teach them separately in the government offices, leaving the school buildings empty.

Doctor Dong Zheng had a square face and a serious expression. Even at such an early hour, he was already reading. Wei Yao and the other two bowed, and Dong Zheng said "Sit down," before explaining how the exam would be conducted: "There are three volumes of questions in each of the 'Odes' and 'Hymns,' with the content in the order of basic textual exegesis, commentaries by various scholars, and historical institutions. The questions in each volume will progress from easy to difficult. You have three hours to complete them. You don't need to follow the order; just write down whatever you know."

Wei Yao bowed and replied "Yes," then immediately took out a scroll and unfolded it. To save time, she ground ink while reading the questions.

When Hong Shunu and Zhang Gongren arrived, they had hoped to exchange a few pleasantries with Dr. Dong. But once they arrived at this place, they sat quietly behind Wei Yao, recording the assessment process. They didn't dare to breathe loudly or even glance around.

The first volume tests basic philological knowledge of the "Xiaoya" section, consisting of ten questions. The answering rules are located in the upper left corner of the exam paper; before providing the explanation for each question, you must also write the title of the poem containing the relevant passage.

After grinding the ink, Wei Yao had already read through all ten questions and had a clear understanding of them.

I picked up my pen and wrote the first question, which was to explain "徒御不惊" (meaning "the driver is not alarmed").

The difficulty of this question lies in "not".

Answer: From the poem "The Chariot Attack".

“徒” means “cart”. The word “辇” in the Shuowen Jiezi (a dictionary of Chinese characters) means “to pull a cart”.

"Yu" also means "royal horse".

"Not surprised" means surprised. "Not" is a function word without meaning, and "surprised" is interchangeable with "alarm".

"Tuyu" refers to a person who pulls a chariot and drives a horse.

"The driver and the horseman are not alarmed," meaning that the person pulling the carriage or driving the horse is vigilant and on guard.

The second question is to interpret “胡逝我陈”.

The difficulty of this question lies in "Chen".

Answer: From the poem "Who is this?"

What is the meaning of “Hu”?

Zheng Jian said that “逝” means “之”, while Shuowen Jiezi and Fangyan said it means “往”. Fangyan explains “逝” as “going”, which is an ancient Qin and Jin language.

“Chen” refers to the path leading from the hall to the courtyard gate of a mansion.

Wei Yao dipped her brush in ink and, without the slightest hesitation, continued writing the third question.

Dong Zheng, sitting at the head of the table, finished reading his book and switched to another, glancing briefly at Wei Yao in the process. A drop of water fell from the water clock beside him, breaking the silence of the school, and voices could be heard in the courtyard outside.

Schoolchildren have arrived.

Wei Yao turned a deaf ear, her mind completely absorbed.

The third question is... to explain "six days without Zhan".

The difficulty of this question lies in the "six days".

Answer: From the poem "Picking Green".

"Sixth day" refers to the day in June.

“詹” means “to arrive”. According to the commentary in the Fangyan, it is an ancient Chu dialect word.

Starting with the fourth question, Wei Yao increased her writing speed.

Question 5... Explain "并其臣僕".

Question 7... Explain "not a newspaper".

Question 10... Explain the meaning of "Zengsun Tianzhi".

After writing the last character, she got up and spread the exam paper on another desk to dry the ink. She sat back down and took out the second volume. It seemed that the exam papers were arranged from easy to difficult, and the second volume tested the basic exegesis of the "Daya" section.

In the brief moment between the changing of exam papers, Wei Yao noticed several schoolchildren peering at her from outside the door. Among them were the Seventh Prince Yuan Yun and Yuan Shixian, the son of the Left General of the Palace Guard. Upon noticing her gaze, they immediately smiled at her. Wei Yao cleared her mind and focused on answering the questions again. Another scholar, Kong Fan, stood outside the academy. Dong Zheng nodded to him, and Kong Fan entered, sitting across the table to begin grading the first exam paper.

Today's exam questions were not set by the scholars of the Imperial Academy, but by Sun Huiwei, a renowned Confucian scholar who often served the emperor. The exam questions consisted of three parts: "Xiaoya," "Daya," and "Song," totaling nine volumes. The content covered all the key and difficult points of knowledge.

Wei Yao was unaware that when this set of questions from the Book of Poetry was first sent to the Imperial Academy, all the scholars were astonished, because His Majesty intended that these nine volumes of questions be used only for the "trial" examination of lecturers of the Book of Poetry. In other words, ordinary lecturers of the Book of Poetry were not qualified to take the exam.

Since the sons of aristocratic families with little formal education could enter officialdom without having to go through the process of reciting texts, studying under lecturers, or taking examinations, the officials couldn't help but suspect that this set of questions was specifically prepared for Wei Yao.

In the courtyard, Yuan Heng couldn't hold back his secret and asked Yuan Shixian, "Do you know who came up with the idea to cure your laziness in sleeping in?"

Yuan Shixian's eyes gleamed as he pointed into the schoolhouse: "Could it be Miss Wei? Then I'll have to find a way to get revenge." For the next few days, he was pressed down on a hard mat that hurt his back and a porcelain pillow that hurt the back of his head. He had to wail loudly before his mother would allow him to turn over, which tormented him terribly.

Yuan Heng changed his tune: "It's me!"

Yuan Shixian put his hands on his head and mooed, transforming into a powerful ox to butt Yuan Heng. Yuan Heng chuckled and dodged.

“I have something else to tell you,” Yuan Ruo whispered in his friend’s ear as he saw Yuan Yongping arrive, “The good deeds that Yuan Yongping and I did were also related to Wei…”

He covered his mouth; oh no, he'd let it slip.

"Yuan Yongping, I have something to tell you—"

Yuan Ruan hurriedly covered Yuan Shixian's mouth again, but Yuan Yongping, whose cunning was all on his face, came over with a smile: "What are you playing? Let's play together."

A heavy cough came from one of the official residences, and all the noise instantly ceased. Kong Fan came out of the school and handed the first exam paper he had graded to his superior, Cui Guang.

All ten questions were rated "Excellent".

Cui Guang instructed another school official: "Call the students over and ask them how many they can do."

Kong Fan watched for a while as the students scratched their heads and were scolded, then returned to the examination hall. At that moment, Wei Yao had just finished answering the second paper.

The papers were graded, and both the answers and handwriting were excellent.

Time passed in the dripping water droplets of the water clock.

The third volume of the exam questions focuses on the basics of exegesis in the "Odes" section.

Kong Fan rated it "excellent".

When Wei Yao was answering the questions in the fourth volume of the exam, Dr. Dong Zheng came over to her side and watched her answer. He then stepped back to see how Hong Shunu and Zhang Gongren were recording the examination process. Wei Yao was already used to all kinds of tense exams, but Hong Shunu and Zhang Gongren seemed a little nervous.

Dong Zheng noticed that Wei Yao was in a very stable state, a stability that must have been cultivated through numerous examinations, both large and small. He couldn't help but admire the education of Confucian scholars at the Pingcheng Academy. Dong Zheng also thought that Yuan Zhi had come to the capital to take up his post, and if he had the opportunity, he should pay him a visit to learn about the educational methods of Pingcheng and properly rectify the lax atmosphere at the Imperial Academy!
The questions in Volume Four are an examination of the commentaries on the "Xiaoya" section.

The first question... Write down the poem title of "Deer Cry" and the three meanings of "send away," "return," and "return," and write down the lines containing these meanings, and briefly explain them.

Wei Yao could write faster than copying poems.

The Lesser Odes are divided into ten poems, called a "shī". Among the ten poems in which "Luming" is located, the poem containing the meaning of "sending away" is "Caiwei". This point is explained very clearly in the preface to "Caiwei".

Therefore, writing the poem title is easy for this short question, but the difficulty lies in the last two questions.

However, it's not difficult for Wei Yao, who has a very solid grasp of the basics!

Meanwhile, at the Zhaigong Palace.

Although Yuan Ke was observing mourning in a side hall, everything he wanted to know about the palace was delivered to his study by eunuchs from various places every day, like a spider web.

The late emperor wanted to revitalize education and culture, so he left the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Wang Su, to the new emperor, Yuan Ke. Wang Su came from the Langya Wang clan and was well-educated and knowledgeable. Because he was proficient in both civil and military affairs, Yuan Ke intended to put Wang Su in charge of military affairs in Jiangxi.

Furthermore, Yuan Ke always felt that the cultural model of the Great Wei should not only be established by the Han aristocracy, but also by the Xianbei scholars. In the list of Xianbei scholars he selected, Wei Yao ranked in the top three according to his knowledge and age.

Yuan Ke didn't care about social status. No matter how noble one's birth, could it compare to the surname "Yuan"? He was the emperor; he could elevate whomever he wanted!

The guard Yu Dengjin entered and reported, interrupting Yuan Ke's thoughts. "Your Majesty, Prince Yu has gone to the Imperial Academy."