History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 463 A Bountiful Harvest, Literature Flourishes in Luoyang [End of Chapter]

Emperor Yuan Ke had no sons, so according to the order of Emperor Xiaowen's three younger brothers, Yuan Yu ascended the throne and changed the era name to "Wansheng," meaning "abundance of all things and a bountiful harvest."

This time, Prince Pengcheng, Yuan Xie, did not relinquish his military power. Emperor Yuan Yu reinstated him as General of the Cavalry and ordered him to oversee all military affairs of the southern expedition. He personally escorted the Prince Xian and his troops away from the city.

In the second year of the Wansheng era, the imperial court revised the official system, allowing women to serve as officials in the Ministry of Personnel and the Secretariat. In the same year, the old system of "the mother dies when the son becomes noble" was abolished.

In the third year of the Wansheng era, another victory was reported in the war between the North and the South. A large amount of farmland south of the Huai River came under the control of Wei, relieving the drought crisis in the capital region.

In the spring of the fifth year of Wansheng, the imperial clan ministers Yuan Li, Yuan Yao, and Yuan Ying led their troops to attack Liang and continue their southward expansion.

At the end of the month, General Yuan Xie returned to the capital.

With the seasons peaceful and the year bountiful, the Flower Festival arrives once again. Few women stay at home; instead, they dress in their favorite clothes, adorn themselves with flowers, and gather with friends for outings and celebrations.

Unlike in the past, the area around the Imperial Academy in the south of the city was bustling with activity this time.

Today, Wei Yao is off work. She met with Wei Zhen, Lu Baozhen, and Liu Zhenzhu at the Shuxiang Pavilion next to the Imperial Academy. They chatted and laughed, and although the years have left their marks of growth on their faces, their friendship remains unchanged.

Suddenly, laughter erupted outside. Wei Yao and the others, unaware of what was happening, couldn't help but join in the laughter. They climbed to the pavilion to see what was going on and found that young women from Luoyang were calling out to their friends, holding hands, singing poems, and dancing, surrounding more and more young men dressed as Confucian scholars.

The girls who didn't participate in the dance weren't unwilling to dance, but rather too busy to. They were looking for boys they liked, and then, across the circle of girls dancing, they would throw flowers and colorful handkerchiefs to the boys, boldly shouting, "I love you, do you love me?"

"Answer her quickly! She loves you, do you love her?" Not only the other girls cheered, but the boy's companions also joined in.

Couples who fall in love at first sight are pushed and shoved into the music and dance.

The Imperial Academy and the Four Gates Primary School both suspended classes, and students flocked out to see what was happening.

Seeing this, Lu Baozhen pouted enviously: "Hmph...too early to get married."

"Oh dear." Upon hearing this, Wei Zhen burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face.

When Wei Yao noticed that Liu Zhenzhu's smile had changed, she followed her gaze downwards and saw her senior brothers Cui Zhi and Kong Mi accompanying their families as they passed by. Kong Mi was holding a child in his arms, and the two families were chatting and laughing.

Wei Yao asked, "Still can't let go?"

Zhenzhu had been longing for Cui Zhi for many years. When she moved to the capital, it happened to be the day Cui Zhi got married. The two of them were not destined to be together, so they could not share their grief and loss.

She replied to Wei Yao, "I put it down a long time ago."

"That's good." Wei Yao called out downwards, "Senior Brother Cui, Senior Brother Kong—"

"You naughty Yao Yao!" Liu Zhenzhu took a step back to prevent Cui Zhi from seeing her. She waited until Cui Zhi and the others were far away before chasing after Wei Yao to tickle her and vent her anger.

In the poetry pavilion across the way, Li Yin and more than ten young women gathered to discuss literature. Today they were discussing Emperor Xiaowen's "Elegy for the Tomb of Yin Bigan".

A young woman with excellent eyesight spotted the people playing across the street and immediately told her companion, "That person is Master Liu Zhenzhu, who teaches the Book of Poetry at the Wenya Academy."

Only Li Yin recognized Wei Yao. She couldn't help but recall her past attempts to compete with Wei Yao in poetry. Perhaps in poetry, she and Wei Yao were on par, but in terms of ideals, she had to admit that she was far inferior to Wei Yao!

However, she now only feels respect and admiration for Wei Yao, no longer jealous, because she knows that only when women with a strong sense of righteousness hold power in the court can there be laws that allow women to serve as officials. Only when both men and women are good at studying and can become pillars of the court can the great path of literature truly flourish!

At this time, the notice board outside the Imperial Academy was also crowded with people, forming several layers of people.

The newly issued imperial edict states that Yingzhou is short of thirty civil officials, and students from the capital region can recommend themselves. After preliminary assessment by the county government, they should come to the Imperial Academy on February 20th to participate in the grand assessment.

Taking advantage of the fact that the clerk who posted the imperial edict hadn't left yet, He Lan quickly asked, "Can female students recommend themselves?"

The clerk replied, "Of course."

He Lan was overjoyed. She squeezed out of the crowd and looked up to see Lu Gongzhi not far away. Knowing that she had offended the Lu family, she had been secretly inquiring about Lu Gongzhi's promotion over the years. She knew that he was now serving as the magistrate of Luoyang County. If she recommended herself as a civil servant, she would probably not be able to escape Lu Gongzhi's assessment.

She thought that instead of being anxious for the next few days, she might as well go and find out now.

"Does Magistrate Lu still remember me?" Lu Gongzhi nodded.

"If I recommend myself to serve as a civil official in Yingzhou, will Magistrate Lu take revenge on me out of personal grudge?"

Lu Gongzhi retorted, "If you judge me based on your own biases, then no matter what I do, you won't feel it's fair."

He Lan was speechless. She thought about how, over the years, her family had been implicated in the crimes of her cousin He Erhun, and they could no longer afford to support her studies. Unwilling to interrupt her education, she quickly divorced her ex-husband and married a merchant so that she would have enough money to buy paper and ink to continue her studies.

She has done many things that betray her promises, but who hasn't betrayed someone in their lifetime? Back in the Hongchi Poetry Society, when she and Lu Gongzhi were in love, wasn't she the only one bearing the stigma of being greedy for wealth? Did Lu Gongzhi ever explain for her? So what's wrong with her leaving when his Lu family fell on hard times?
Yes, she did nothing wrong!
He Lan has had many setbacks over the years, yet she has managed to overcome them through her own struggles, precisely because she always finds a reason to convince herself.

"I trust Magistrate Lu's character." After saying this, she regained her pride, straightened her back, and left.

At this moment, Wei Jing and Gao Loujin, a married couple from Shuozhou, drove into the inner city through the Guangmo city gate in the northeast direction.

The two were not old, but they talked like an old married couple.

Wei Jing complained, "I told you to have Yuanmao and Huandi come and pick us up, but you wouldn't listen. Look at the way the guards at the city gate were looking at us just now."

Gao Loujin: "Now you know you can't underestimate people. When you were in charge of the city gates of Shuozhou, how did you treat the people entering the city?"

Wei Jing retorted, "Did I do that?"

Gao Loujin lashed the cow's rump with his whip.

Wei Jing was heartbroken and stroked the old ox to comfort it: "It's all my fault. Look at you, you've grown so much on both sides over the journey. Oh dear, which bastard threw something at me..."

When Wei Jing looked at the person who threw the fruit peels at him, he was stunned for several moments before he dared to believe it was Yuan Mao.

Although we haven't seen each other for many years, we've continued to exchange letters, and our feelings for each other have become as deep as those for brothers.

Wei Jing rushed over, and the two embraced, patting each other's backs several times until they hurt before finally separating.

"How did you know when I entered the city?" Wei Jing asked, wiping away his tears.

Yuan Mao choked with emotion, saying, "I've waited for you for so many years. Knowing that you've decided to move here, how could I not let someone inquire about your journey?" After saying that, he pushed Gao Huan, who was beside him, in front of Wei Jing and his wife.

Wei Jing, being a simpleton, was extremely surprised: "Your child is already so big?! Luckily, he doesn't take after you; he's really handsome."

Gao Huan crossed his arms, furious!
Gao Loujin guessed it, waved to him, tears streaming down her face before she could speak, and asked, "Is it Ah Huan?"

"Yes. Sister, I am Ah Huan."

"He's changed; he's stronger and more handsome."

Gao Huan laughed and cried at the same time: "Sister, brother-in-law, today is the Flower Festival. If you're not tired, I'll take you around the city."

The servants took several oxcarts back to the mansion first. Yuan Mao, Wei Jing, Gao Loujin, and Gao Huan stepped into the commercial street and soon joined the bustling crowd, becoming a small outline of the prosperous picture of Luoyang.

In another corner of the painting, near the gate of Dongyang City, close to Yonghe Lane, stand three people with extraordinary bearing: Emperor Yuan Yu, who is traveling incognito from the palace; General Yuan Xie; and Zhao Zhi, the commander of the Imperial Guards.

Passing by a stall selling sieve baskets, Yuan Yu recalled the past, put the sieve basket on his head, and looked at Zhao Zhi with a smile.

He still remembers a secret his sixth brother told him before he went to Yangzhou in the third year of Jinghe. His sixth brother was reborn and told him many things about his previous life, including how he died at the hands of Feng Junxing.

Therefore, it was Zhao Zhi who changed his fate.

He put down the sieve basket and asked Zhao Zhi, "What do you want? Just tell me, and I will grant it."

Zhao Zhi pondered: "What I ask for... is peace and prosperity, and the flourishing of literature in Luoyang."

The brothers Yuan Yu and Yuan Xie exchanged a smile. It was clear that Wei Yao had said these words many times before Zhao Zhi remembered them.

Yuan Yu exclaimed loudly, "Excellent! May the times be peaceful and the year bountiful, and may literature flourish in Luoyang!"