History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 264 The Lady Hears Everything
Now that the path to power has been paved for her, the feud with Zong Yin and the impoverished He family of Chengbei is no longer worth mentioning.

Wei Yao smiled slightly at herself in the mirror. She had never forgotten this grudge. It was not that she would not seek revenge, but she was not in a hurry. Evil people would continue to do evil in this life. She would wait for them to collude in their evil deeds before she could wipe out their entire family!

Hong Shunu came over, pleased with Wei Yao's appearance in her official robes. She beckoned, and Wei Yao came out.

"Come on, I'll take you to pick out some official boots."

They walked towards the labor service area north of the Xi official residence. As Hong Shunu recounted her story, Wei Yao learned that there were several clothing bureaus in the palace. The shoes and boots of fourth-rank eunuchs, the complete set of official robes for fifth-rank eunuchs, and the seasonal clothing for ordinary palace slaves were all tailored in the Xi official residence.

Only when an official is promoted to the third rank will his official robes and boots be custom-made.

Hong Shunu then instructed: "When the young ladies choose their official boots later, don't be afraid of the trouble. Make sure they fit well, as it symbolizes 'smooth official career'."

Wei Yao smiled and replied, "Yes."

The other person sighed, "In my more than twenty years in the palace, all I have seen and heard is that women can only serve as palace officials. Only young ladies are an exception. How I wish that from now on this exception will become the norm!"

Wei Yao said firmly, "I hope so too!"

Hong Shunu nodded with satisfaction. Palace servants were passing by. Hong Shunu lowered her voice and said, "Xu Shushi asked me to remind you that this month is almost over, but starting next month, you will have to stay in the palace for at least half a month each month. Your rapid rise in rank has aroused the jealousy of many people, so don't be negligent in your official duties and give others an opportunity to impeach you."

"I understand. Please tell me, Miss Shu, what exactly will a mid-level talent be expected to do, and what will be the performance evaluation criteria?"

Hong Shunu: "Originally, the position of 'Zhongcai Ren' only required to supervise the library. Now that the supervision of the nine libraries is full, and because you have passed the imperial academy's examination, Xu Shushi has decided to assign you the task of assessing the students' knowledge of poetry every month."

"It applies to all the schools that study the Book of Poetry. Young ladies should be aware that this kind of examination is not only for palace students, but also for female teachers."

“If a palace student fails the exam, he/she will be sent back to his/her original place to do hard labor. For every student who leaves, there will be someone to fill the vacancy. In this process, there will definitely be situations where someone asks you to intercede on their behalf. Some people are used to using money to plead for leniency, while others are used to using power to oppress. If you can't handle it, tell Xu Shushi or tell me.”

"Yes." Wei Yao's expression was serious. Judging from her expression, she seemed to have just realized the seriousness of the matter. In fact, she had already realized it when Qi Xing Academy expelled three people and brought in three more.

If a female official wanted to be promoted quickly, she had to understand the classics and know etiquette. Palace servants who had not received education in the palace school would find it difficult to compete with palace maids who had come from the palace school!
After being appointed as a female official, if she wanted to advance steadily and avoid open and covert attacks, she would need someone to help and support her.

At this point, "fellow townsmen" become very important.

Therefore, when young palace slaves first entered the Xi official's office, they were often taken care of by female officials and eunuchs from their hometown, with the aim of cultivating future talent.

Leaving aside distant examples, let's take Bao Jiayan as an example. Based on the time this child was punished and sent to the Xi government office, as well as his accent, Wei Yao immediately deduced his origins. He was likely a prisoner of war from the battle of Xinye last January. In that southern campaign, the commander of the Xiao Qi central army was surnamed "Bao"!
That's why she didn't believe that Xu Shushi had "picked" Bao Jiayan from the labor camp; she wondered how many personal connections were involved behind the scenes.

Hong Shunu continued, "Let's talk about the impact of the monthly assessment on female teachers. If a female teacher's teaching performance is at the bottom for two or three consecutive months, she will face demotion from Changqiu Temple! Human relationships are the same everywhere. If you want to insist on strict assessments, then keep being strict and stick to it! If you are afraid of offending the people behind them, then you might as well relax a bit from the beginning."

Wei Yao responded, "Okay."

Finally, Hong Shunu said, "Although you don't need to look after the library, if you see any books with insects or damage, report it to Xu Shushi immediately. If the female officials in charge of the library are too busy, lend a hand and help them put the books away. Help with chores like copying and writing as much as you can."

Wei Yao said "yes" again, and then asked, "The assessment for this month has not yet taken place. Starting this month, will I be in charge of setting the questions for all the Poetry Schools?" Hong Shunu was very happy: "If you are willing to take over now, of course that would be great!"

Wei Yao was also very happy: "I am willing to relieve the worries of historians."

After selecting suitable shoes and boots for all four seasons, Hong Shunu smiled and went to reply to Xu Shushi: "I have instructed Wei Nulang on everything Shushi asked, especially on setting the monthly assessment questions! She even took the initiative to take on the assessment task this month."

Xu Shushi asked with concern, "Will it work? She's young. Are you sure she understands what you mean?"

"Don't worry, Shushi! When I reminded her to 'relax a little,' I emphasized those four words, and she took it all in!"

Wei Yao changed back into her own clothes before leaving the palace, carrying the silver seal and the bamboo token for entering and leaving the palace with her. From now on, when entering and leaving Qianqiu Palace, she only needs to show the bamboo token to the imperial guards for verification, without having to follow the rule of being greeted by palace maids.

Stepping out of the palace gates, Wei Yao was finally able to show a hint of arrogance. Ah, being an official felt so different, so light and agile! She glanced left and right, imitating the way those officials didn't look people in the eye, and to be honest, this arrogant air of not looking people in the eye was really comfortable!

"what!"

Not far from her, someone tripped and fell while walking. He only managed to utter this one cry of pain before collapsing to the ground and rolling around in agony, clearly in excruciating pain, unable to utter a single sound.

Zhao Zhi walked ahead of this person. Wei Yao was pleasantly surprised. When she saw her mother shake her head, she immediately understood and did not shout or run over.

After Zhao Zhi came over, she said angrily, "That's a lecher. He was staring at you and saying some nasty things. I swept his knee with an iron hook."

"Then he deserves it."

Wei Yao clung to her mother's arm playfully and asked, "Mother, have you heard that I've been appointed a fourth-rank female official?"

"Yes. So the Minister gave me the day off to come pick you up. Let's hurry home and have a good meal at a restaurant tonight!"

"Hehe, as long as I'm with my parents, even eating coarse flour cakes tastes especially delicious."

Zhao Zhi smiled broadly.

The loving mother, clutching two iron hooks, and her daughter, who was promoted to the fourth rank of Imperial Affairs Officer at the age of ten, chatted and laughed as they gradually blended into the dense crowd on the street.

Behind them, patrolmen came and carried away Liu Hun, who had broken his leg.

Liu Hun was the adopted son of the eunuch Liu Teng, nicknamed "Demon." He didn't set his sights on Wei Yao by chance. Rather, an official in the palace heard that he had reached marriageable age and revealed to him a young woman named Wei Yao who was good at studying and was a good match for him. She would leave through Qianqiu Gate around 1:00 PM every day.

He received the portrait yesterday and was extremely anxious about it, afraid of missing the deadline, so he came to the street to wait before noon.

It seems like I've been waiting for this moment! That pretty young lady must be Wei Yao!

He was muttering to himself, "The person is more beautiful than the painting," when his leg was struck hard. The pain was so intense that he felt like he was going to die!