History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 408 Confucianism and Buddhism

Several tents were set up here, and dozens of noblemen were writing auspicious words on lanterns before distributing them to the people.

This scene reminded Wei Yao of the old days when lanterns were distributed in Pingcheng. The lantern she received had a picture of a pepper tree and a granary, while the lantern Yuan Mao received had a picture of a leopard carrying a jujube branch. Several years have passed in the blink of an eye, and things have changed, but fortunately they are still together.

Of course, Wei Yao did not come here to reminisce about the past. The good deed of distributing lanterns at the site of the Imperial Academy was proposed by her, with the aim of attracting the attention of literary figures. Only when there are more famous scholars and ministers who are concerned about the restoration of the Imperial Academy can the matter be discussed in court.

Gou, the registrar, added another good idea to her plan: every half hour, thirty young Confucian scholars would face the towering twin towers of the Changhe Gate of the Imperial Palace and loudly sing the poem "Zi Jin". The students would then sigh in unison between the lines of the poem, causing passersby to stop and linger.

"Green are your robes, deep is my longing... Alas... Though I do not go to you, will you not send me a message... Green are your jade pendants... I look for you, I yearn for you, alas, at the city gate..."

When people are curious, they will ask about the meaning of poetry; once they understand the meaning of poetry, they will ponder it.

According to the preface, this poem satirizes the neglect of schools in the state of Zheng, which forces young scholars to abandon their studies.

Today, students in Luoyang hope that the wind will carry their songs far away, so that the emperor in the palace can hear them, and the courtiers passing by on Tongtuo Street can hear them, and understand their desire to value learning and not waste their precious time.

Sun Huiwei came over upon hearing the singing, and Wei Yao bowed to her first, saying, "Greetings, Master."

The other party had taught her, so every time they met, Wei Yao would first pay her respects and never distinguish between them based on their official positions.

The two walked along a slightly quieter area, and Sun Huiwei remarked with emotion, "Building schools is the foundation of governing a country. Haha, was it your idea for the Sizhou government to take this virtuous approach?"

"Yes. His Majesty has decided to build another royal temple in the south of the city. The actions of the court often influence the trends among the people. At that time, the whole country will worship Buddhism, and officials will compete to donate their homes to build temples. In addition, with the constant war and droughts and famines, I am really worried that the construction of the National Academy will be delayed again and again."

Hearing these words, Sun Huiwei felt ashamed and guilty. He had been assigned by Emperor Xiaowen to serve as a tutor in the Eastern Palace, but now he was lecturing to the Emperor, mostly on Buddhism. The princes and ministers were surely aware of this. Therefore, the more often he entered and left the palace to lecture on Buddhist scriptures, the more detrimental it would be to the restoration of Confucian education and traditional Chinese learning!

"I……"

Wei Yao noticed his expression and was relieved that this Confucian scholar still had his heart set on Confucianism. She said, "Master once praised the brothers Lu Wei and Lu Gong, saying that their talents were like those of Lu Ji and Lu Yun, the talented scholars of the Jin Dynasty. Today, I saw them in the imperial prison."

The Lu brothers were rare young scholars whom Sun Huiwei admired, and it would be a real pity if they lost their lives in the imperial prison! Knowing that Wei Yao wouldn't bring this up without a reason, he asked, "Can you save them?"

Wei Yao smiled and replied, "I will do my best to fulfill your request, Master."

"Tell me, how can I help you?"

"When the Master discusses Buddhist scriptures with Your Majesty, as long as the principles are also recorded in the classics of the ancients, he should switch to Confucianism for debate. Our great Chinese civilization can tolerate Buddhism, but it cannot allow Buddhism to compete."

Sun Huiwei thought that His Majesty would definitely not like this approach. In addition, the old nun Ciqing was sometimes present when he preached in the inner temple of the palace. If Ciqing showed any displeasure, His Majesty would be even more displeased and might never allow him to do so again...

"Alright." As he hesitated, he took in the excited expressions of the young scholars in the cold wind. Well, he had been a minor official for more than twenty years and was used to hardship. At worst, he could be demoted back to a minor official position.

Wei Yao bumped into Sun Huiwei here, saving her a lot of time. After saying goodbye, she hurried back to the Secretariat. The other three Attendants were discussing matters in the main hall. Upon seeing her, the three reacted differently. Prince Qinghe, Yuan Yi, smiled slightly. Zhen Chen gave up his seat so she could warm herself by the brazier. Gao Xian, like Attendant Yuan, sat firmly with an arrogant gaze, as if afraid Wei Yao wouldn't see his arrogance.

The favors Wei Yao had shown to the Gao family vanished in the short time Gao Xian had been in officialdom.

Wei Yao didn't sit down, but only glanced at Gao Xian before asking Yuan and Zhen, "Where is the memorial box to be presented to His Majesty tomorrow?"

The incident of the five princes being taken to Qinghui Hall for reprimand had just occurred, so why would Yuan Yi compete with her for power at this time? He stood up and said, "Come with me to my office."

Gao Xian quickly followed.

To everyone's surprise, Wei Yao changed her usual tone when speaking to him and asked bluntly, "What is the purpose of your presence, Attendant-in-Ordinary Gao?"

Gao Xian betrayed Zhen Chen with a single sentence: "Zhen Shizhong said that as a beginner in affairs, I must be cautious in everything I do, so I followed the two of you to learn how to review and deliberate on memorials and documents."

Zhen Chen was extremely embarrassed. He smiled at Gao Xian with one corner of his mouth and at Wei Yao with the other, while pleading for help from Prince Qinghe with both eyes.

Wei Yao scoffed, "What are you saying? If you're on duty for a day and don't bring up the review or learn how to audit, even if I hadn't come, I'm sure you still wouldn't have any intention of learning."

Gao Xian: "You..."

Wei Yaoshun pressed the other person's use of the word "you" and asked, "How do you intend to argue your way out of this?"

"I..." Gao Xian opened his mouth, what did she mean by sophistry? According to her, whatever he tried to explain next would be considered sophistry?

The reason he chose to go with her to review the memorials at this time was, of course, that when she was not around, the memorial box was kept by Yuan Shizhong. Yuan Yi was a prince, and his status was more powerful than that of his uncle, the emperor. How could he dare to compete with Yuan Shizhong for the memorial box?

Wei Yao waved her sleeve, leaving a cool breeze. Prince Qinghe touched his nose and followed closely behind her, looking down on Gao Xian with disdain. If the other party intended to compete for the position of Chief Attendant, then he would be domineering to the end. In the end, he was rendered speechless by a single question.

Only Gao Xian and Zhen Chen remained in the main hall. The latter advised, "Attendant Wei went to the imperial prison today. Perhaps the interrogation of the criminals didn't go smoothly, which is why he's so irritable. Your Highness, I've obtained a jar of Crane Wine. Why don't you come to my house..."

Gao Xian's face was grim. He held back his anger and didn't lash out at Zhen Chen. He asked coldly, "Wei Yao, have you always been so domineering?"

Zhen Chen: "There are indeed rumors circulating outside that our department is responsible for maintaining confidential information."

This time, Gao Xian wouldn't allow him to be vague, and asked again, "You are also a Chamberlain, is it because you don't want to compete with her, or because you dare not?"

Zhen Chen knew there was no way to avoid it. The thin layer of sweat on his forehead glistened slightly in the light of the charcoal fire. He replied with a bitter face, "I am ugly and of humble origin. To be trusted by His Majesty and appointed as a Chamberlain is already the pinnacle of my career. I am willing to help the Duke establish himself in the Secretariat. But to ask me to compete with Chamberlain Wei, I... dare not. Besides, even if I win, there is still Chamberlain Yuan."

Gao Xian sat back down and murmured, "Then how dare she compete with Yuan Shizhong?" Why didn't he dare? His cowardice was ingrained in his bones, and he couldn't deny it even if he wanted to.

Zhen Chen thought to himself, is this hard to understand? Because the emperor trusts Wei Yao! He trusts Wei Yao more than he trusts his own relatives! Most importantly, no matter what difficult question the emperor asks, Wei Yao always has a good solution!
At this moment, Wei Yao had already taken out the documents from the memorial box and found that there was a memorial recommending Gao Xian, who recommended Xiang Ling, a Taoist priest from Chongxu Temple, as a Doctor of Immortals.