History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 58 The March Joint Entrance Examination That Was Abnormal!
If "Lan" refers to the Lan clan, then the "Wei" following "Lan" may not mean "which person in the Wei clan," but rather the Wei clan itself.

Following this line of reasoning, the character "兰" (Lan) preceding "尉" (Wei) suggests that a warrior who was originally from the Lan tribe is now living in the Wei tribe.
This leads to three possibilities: First, the person from the Lan tribe is a woman who married into the Wei tribe; second, this person has some skill and is currently working for the Wei tribe; third, this person is a son-in-law of the Wei tribe.

The third hypothesis can be largely ruled out, because how could someone with the ability to capture Mu Tai alive marry into another family?

Old Cui said to Cowherd, "Rest for two days. After I've investigated some things, I'll have Exun find you. Remember, when I'm not looking for you, behave yourself, hunt, and live a normal life. Don't do anything to inquire about anything."

Chiyang Lane.

Because of the monthly and quarterly exams, Wei Yin will not be able to return home starting tonight. When Zhao Zhi spends the night alone, she never wastes candle oil. She checks the courtyard one last time, relying entirely on her ears to listen for any movement.

She threw a stick at a gecko that was passing by on the courtyard wall, and it was instantly turned into a grave.

A rat that ran from the main eaves to the eaves of the house was hit by a stick she threw and died in a pile of ash.

The sharp-eyed owl immediately circled in mid-air to avoid the house, fearing that if it passed by, its name would have to change from "killer" to "victim."

At this moment, Wei Yao and her fellow disciples had strolled to the end of the street and were about to walk back through the stalls on the other side. The area next to Dongyue Ink Museum was already packed with people, many of whom were sitting on prayer mats to reserve a place to spend the night. Wei Yao and her companions held hands and tiptoed through the gaps.

"Haha." They laughed; it was both strenuous and fun.

Wei Jing turned around and saw Xi Jiao and Yuan Yu entering the ink shop. He said disdainfully, "Xi Jiao is so stingy. He didn't even invite us to visit his ink shop."

Just as he finished speaking, a poignant melody rose from the darkness in the distance, played on a konghou (a type of Chinese harp).

Wei Mao: "This piece is called 'Konghou Yin,' and it's recorded in 'Gujin Zhu' written by Cui Bao of the Jin Dynasty." He looked at Wei Yao, the lanterns opposite him adding to the brilliance in his eyes. "The bookstore has 'Gujin Zhu.' Who wants to read it? I'll find it tonight."

"I want to read it!" Wei Yao never misses an opportunity to borrow a book.

The melody of "Konghou Yin" was short, and as soon as the lingering sound faded, someone began to play the curved-neck pipa. Everyone knew the musician playing this piece; it was called "Xiliang Yue," a piece acquired by Emperor Shizu when he pacified Hexi. From every corner, the sounds of chimes and drums began to accompany the music. The residents near Zhuji Street were destined to have a sleepless night.

In the middle of the night, in the small room where Wei Mao often stayed in Yingju Bookstore, Wei Puti fell asleep leaning against a box of books, while Wei Jing and Wu Ji, arm in arm, squeezed together among the pile of books like twin lotus blossoms, already snoring softly.

Wei Zhen lay on the felt blanket, her head still covered by the quilt from the noise outside, but she still couldn't fall asleep. She turned over and reached out from under the covers to hug Wei Yao's legs.

While looking at "Annotations on Ancient and Modern Times", Wei Yao took a moment to gently pat her fellow disciple Zhen's back to lull her to sleep.

Wei Mao also read the book attentively. He discovered something rather peculiar: when he was with Wei Yao, he not only didn't have any random thoughts, but he was also able to immerse himself more deeply in the text.

As dawn broke, the streets were already filled with the sounds of bells and drums, a cacophony of noise like a surging tide.

Wei Mao pushed open the window, and the smoke and fragrance of flowers rushed in. He saw two long lines of monks coming from the east, followed closely by a group of monks pushing grain carts. The people followed them devoutly, but fortunately, soldiers maintained order, allowing the monks to enter the Dongyue Ink Museum safely.

Wei Jing was intimidated by the massive crowds that stretched as far as the eye could see, and asked, "Are we still going to listen to the high monks preach?"

Wei Maoxian said, "I'm not going." He was the owner of the bookstore, and if he left, it would be difficult for those who wanted to stay and read to remain.

Despite their words, after a quick wash and breakfast, Wei Jing, Wei Zhen, Wei Puti, and Wu Ji went down to squeeze in. The four of them agreed that after listening to the sermon, they would each go home and not return to the bookstore.

Wei Yao hurriedly read through "Annotations on Ancient and Modern Times," stealing glances at Wei Mao each time she turned to a new volume to see if he was in a hurry to leave and chase her away. Finally, she finished reading it carefully once, just as the monks of Yongning Temple completed their Dharma assembly and left Dongyue Ink Pavilion, heading east back home.

Looking at each grain cart that had arrived, and seeing the monks pushing them even harder as they left, Wei Yao couldn't help but think: They truly came laden with grain and are returning laden with it. What they distributed was millet and sorghum; what they gained was silk, gold, and silver.

After the Buddhist ceremony ended, Wei Mao escorted Wei Yao home. After dropping her off, he had to go to the archery range to practice the "Five Weapons" dance. This dance was also prepared for the April 8th procession festival; the imperial family and noble families would choreograph it, competing against each other, and then assembling into a grand "Five Weapons" dance in the most spacious area. Before Wei Yao entered her house, she held up the ceramic candle he had given her, smiling as she reminded him, "Don't forget your studies; the joint examination is tomorrow."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely do well on this test."

Early in the morning of March 13th.

Xi Jiao splashed cold water on his face, instantly banishing the drowsiness he had felt after studying for half the night. Looking at his swaying reflection in the basin, he spoke with unwavering confidence, word by word: "I will avenge the humiliation of February; I will definitely do well on this exam."

At Cui Academy, all the elementary school students set off.

It was only early morning at the Wei Academy, and most of the students in the Book of Poetry class were already sitting at their desks reciting poems and memorizing texts. The eagle-wing candle that Wei Yao used was a gift from Mao Tong, as were Wei Zhen's new book bag, Wei Jing's new turban, Wei Puti's new cushion, and Wu Ji's new water bottle.

At 1:15 AM, Master Du arrived.

At 5:45 AM, there was no movement in the courtyard, but the schoolchildren began to whisper among themselves.

Did you guess on the questions?

"No. I don't think there are any questions harder than the last one. We've been through a lot, so don't worry. No matter what, this time it definitely won't be worse than last month."

"rational."

At 3:45 AM, there was still no movement in the courtyard.

As the water dripped from the hourglass, Du Ling heard several disciples exhale with relief. He too felt half of his worries lifted. The fact that the chief examiner hadn't arrived yet meant the exam questions weren't complicated. Feeling the admiring gaze of his disciple Qu Rong, he returned a kind smile.

Qu Rong was even more excited. He was determined to do well on the exam this time, at least better than in previous months, so as not to waste the kindness of Master Du in tutoring him individually.

coming!

Huh? What's going on?
Why are my two senior brothers, Xue Nixia and Wei Daozi, here with Master Xue again? We don't welcome them!
Master Xue criticized, "Why haven't you tidied up your desk yet?"

Clang, clang... In an instant, inkstones were knocked to the ground, pens rolled onto the floor, and heads bumped against the corner of the desk, leaving Du Ling humiliated and furious!

The servant handed out the papers, and Master Xue spoke swiftly and decisively: "The examination method, questions, and rules for this exam are all the same as last month's joint examination. I can tell you in advance that not a single question will be different in the three rounds of quizzes! So there's no need for me to repeat myself. What are you all standing there for? Grind your inkstones and get ready! The exam is about to begin!"

With a whoosh, Xue Nixia unfolded the examination paper.

Whoosh—Wei Daozi unfolded the scroll.

Except for Wei Yao, all the other fifteen students felt as if they had been struck by lightning twice.

No... what did the proctor just say?

Are the questions for this month's joint exam the same as last month's?
Who came up with this idea?! Who's going to redo all those questions after the exam? Besides, no one sent them last month's exam questions.

That's insane!
Monastic Households: Some captives of the Northern Wei were settled in Pingqi County, south of Pingcheng. These people were called "Pingqi Households." According to the *Book of Wei*, "those who could annually pay sixty *hu* of grain to the monastic authorities" were called Monastic Households. These people were not registered citizens of the Northern Wei court and were not required to perform corvée labor. The grain they paid to the monasteries annually was called "Monastic Grain," used for disaster relief and famine relief. The ever-increasing number of Monastic Households trying to evade corvée labor was one of the reasons for the Northern Wei's eventual demise.

"Five Weapons": Ranked first in the "Hundred Entertainments" performance of the Northern Wei Dynasty, second only to "Jiaodi".



(End of this chapter)