History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Meanwhile, after concluding the court discussion on the entrance ceremony for the four primary schools next spring, Wei Yao walked out of the East Hall Palace and down the steps. She looked up at the blue sky, slowly and deeply exhaled, and sighed with emotion that she had finally achieved success after braving wind and snow in her official career!
The construction of the Imperial Academy and the National Academy was finally approved by the emperor thanks to her joint efforts with Yuan Cheng, the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, Yuan Yi, the Grand Secretary, Liu Fang, and Yuan Shao, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Minister Yuan Xiang walked past her with a cold face.

Next was Guo Zuo, the Minister of Personnel, who glanced at her but hesitated to speak.

The one who made the loudest stomping sound was Yuan Cheng, whom no one needed to turn around to recognize. This prince presented the memorial written by the secretary Sun Huiwei to the emperor, thus contributing to the success of the academy.

Meanwhile, all the eunuchs serving in the Eastern Hall were also busy. According to the emperor's decree, the edict to restore lectures at the Four Gates, the Imperial Academy, and the National Academy was to be posted in the inner city today. Calculating the time, the eunuchs went to the Secretariat to urge the drafting of the edict, then sent the draft to the Chancellery for review, and after review, it was presented back to the Eastern Hall for the emperor's approval. Finally, the approved edict was sent to the Ministry of Personnel for execution. This process could take a maximum of one hour.

Otherwise, there wouldn't have been enough time to announce it to the people in every neighborhood and city gate within the inner city.

With Liu Fang supervising the Secretariat, the imperial edict was quickly drafted and sent to Wei Yao's desk. After today, Wei Yao was undoubtedly the most accomplished of the four Attendants-in-Ordinary in the Secretariat. She didn't even invite Prince Yuan Yi of Qinghe; she reviewed the draft all by herself and handed it over to the Grand Eunuch Yang Fan.

Then she sat alone in the office, relaxing for the first time, closing her eyes to rest, and listening to the soft sound of the water clock dripping.

The water droplets represent the five years of her rebirth, and in their shimmering reflections, a little girl is shown, carrying a large schoolbag and persevering in her studies.

“Attendant-in-Ordinary,” a clerk at the door whispered, “the imperial edict has been issued and the palace gates have been opened.”

Wei Yao responded with "Good," and left the official residence. Her relaxed mood returned to seriousness, because the imperial edict to build the Imperial Academy was only the first step in promoting education. Once the academy was completed, Confucian scholars from all over the country would flock to the capital, and the Xiping and Three-Character Stone Classics of the Imperial Academy would be fully repaired. Only then would people truly believe that... only Luoyang is the true and precious land of Chinese civilization.

Passing by the ruins of the Imperial Academy, Wei Yao dismounted and stopped.

Officials have already read out the imperial edict here. This is why powerful and wealthy people all want to live under the emperor's nose, so that they can be the first to know the imperial decrees.

The edict was short and was quickly read aloud. The excited people either stood there discussing it or excitedly went to tell their relatives and friends. Wei Yao watched this scene with delight, believing that the good news would spread throughout the city in less than one night.

"Yaoyao?"

A voice called from behind. Wei Yao turned around in surprise and saw her husband, Yuan Mao, leading his horse and gazing at her. He was covered in dust and had a bag on his horse, clearly indicating that he had just entered the city and had not yet had a chance to rest.

"Yaoyao."

"Yaoyao."

Yuan Mao continued to murmur his wife's name. When he was away on business and missed her terribly, he could only call her name to ease his longing.

"Don't move." He walked closer to Wei Yao.

He enjoyed the feeling of taking the initiative to get closer to her, and he loved the pleasure of pleasing her! This feeling was seven parts like maltose, two parts sour, and one part bitter.

Wei Yao smiled as she looked at the fool, her vision blurring with tears. The surrounding noise suddenly disappeared, leaving only the sound of his footsteps and his calls.

"Why are you wearing official robes?!"

Yuan Mao's cuteness only lasted a few steps in front of Wei Yao. After walking over, he nudged her with his shoulder, almost making her embarrass herself by sitting down.

"Yuan Mao!" She glared angrily, but having thought about this man for so long, she couldn't bring herself to be angry. "Here I am, here I am, I have ears, I heard you!" He then bumped her shoulders four times in succession.

Even Yuyao's mount misunderstood this time, baring its big teeth at Yuan Mao, wanting to avenge its master.

"Yuan Mao, you..."

Before Wei Yao could even utter the word "idiot," Yuan Mao bumped into her again, this time feigning an accident. His nose brushed against her earlobe, and he whispered quickly, "I missed you."

They met as teenagers, became husband and wife, and their affection for each other was boundless. Because they lived near the Sizhou government office, the couple first went to see if Yuan Biejia was at the office.

Before Yuan Mao returned, he did not send a letter or see his father. When Yuan Yu learned that his elder brother had returned, he hurriedly came over to pay his respects and then told Wei Yao about the progress of the case at the fish market south of the floating bridge.

"The spice shop in the west of the city was visited by the entertainer Li Songgui. The jailer questioned the shopkeeper and all the servants. According to their confessions, Li Songgui only went to the spice shop twice. They did not find that Li Songgui used the shop to meet with suspicious people. Moreover, Wu Lin, the sauce-making servant who disappeared from the fish market, went to buy goods. The spices he bought were very different from the perfumes that people like Li Songgui bought. They even went through different doors. At least there was no chance of meeting him in the spice shop."

Yuan Mao listened quietly. Wei Yao knew he was curious, so after Yuan Yu finished speaking, she slightly raised her hand to interrupt and explained to Yuan Mao: "Li Songgui took money to sell official positions in the Prince of Guangping's mansion. He was arrested and imprisoned, but before he could be interrogated, he committed suicide by swallowing soil. The official position that Li Songgui sold was originally held by a young man named Wu Bo'an. Before the position was sold, Wu Bo'an died mysteriously near a fish shop south of the floating bridge. I suspected that fish shop, so I started investigating, and a fish sauce vendor named Wu Lin disappeared."

With so few clues available, Yuan Yu sighed and said, "The people in the spice shop are arrogant and don't care much about customers like Wu Lin. The jailers can't find out anything and can only tell them that the government will send people to investigate. It seems that the only way to investigate Li Songgui is through Heti Pavilion."

Crane Cry Pavilion is the property of Princess Yuanzhen of Chenliu. Arresting Li Songgui has already embarrassed Yuanzhen. If prison officials are sent into the pavilion to search and interrogate her, Yuanzhen will probably go to the palace to complain to Yu Yao.

"We can't involve Heti Pavilion anymore." Wei Yao understood the emperor. As long as Yuan Zhenjun pleaded with kinship, the emperor would definitely stop her from investigating Li Songgui. Only then would this lead be truly cut off.

One case after another. Wei Yao and Yuan Mao returned to Quanxue Lane, and Wei Yao had only spoken with Wei Yin for a short while when the Court of Justice sent someone to find Wei Yao again.

Gu Kai has found a new clue.

As night fell, Yuan Mao and Wei Yao sat on the same side of the desk. He propped his head up with his elbow and watched her write down names on paper.

He occasionally glanced at the various corners of the room; this side room was where Wei Yao had lived before she got married.

When she finally stopped, he took an un-inked calligraphy brush, lightly brushed the tip of the brush against the back of her left hand, and asked her with a smug smile, "Did you ever think that one day I would move in with you?"

Wei Yao: "I've thought about it."

Yuan Mao continued to tickle the back of her hand, secretly delighted, and said, "So you were thinking about me when you were in school, you lecherous girl."

"What can we do? My Maolang is just so good."

"Tell me, what can I do?"

Wei Yao thought carefully and answered earnestly: "Your kindness is that you were already helping me before I even thought of asking you for help. Yuan Mao, you are a true gentleman; you couldn't bear to see me in such a predicament."

"You..." Yuan Mao turned his head away, feeling utterly pathetic; she'd brought tears to his eyes by her praise. (End of Chapter)