History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 61 Shatter Your People!

The answer was the one she least wanted to see. Several foreign merchants each led out a musician. It was obvious that Duan Dalang recognized the musician in the red dress and green skirt. He was anxious to find her but dared not utter a sound.

The red-clad musician didn't even glance at him!
Then Duan Dalang hugged his head and squatted on the ground crying. His crying attracted the servants of the music and entertainment venue and also drew teasing from passersby. Duan Dalang still had some sense of shame, and before the servants could say anything unpleasant, he left in a daze.

Wei Yao remembered the name of the music hall, "Changyi Pavilion." Given her current condition, it wasn't convenient for her to visit her teacher's wife. Oh well, she had only planned to delay returning home because her eyes weren't fully swollen. The riverbank was right next to her; she found a step to step down, looked at her reflection, and forced a smile. Heh… much better.

With three "splashes," a boy carrying a basket on the opposite bank skipped stones at her.

Wei Yao quickly stepped onto the stairs and left Hexi Street.

Before long, a light rain began to fall. Fortunately, the branches of trees on both sides of the road were swaying, so walking under the trees meant I didn't get too wet.

But as we passed through the market, the rain suddenly intensified, and in a few breaths, the sky and earth merged into one.

Wei Yao sheltered from the rain under the eaves of a shop, watching the raindrops trickle down to the ground and into the drains. She murmured intermittently, "Just now... we were still in the sky."

"Ayao—, Ayao!"

Wei Yao's hearing was indeed sharp. Amidst the noise of the heavy rain, she spotted her mother at the first shout and immediately waved. She remained calm and composed in the rain-soaked market, certain that her mother would come to meet her along the route she took home from school.

Zhao Zhi couldn't bear to see her daughter wade in the water, and besides, the spring exam was tomorrow, so she couldn't afford to catch a cold. So she carried Wei Yao on her back and left.

Among the people sheltering from the rain across the way was the very man who had displayed his archery skills the night before, taking away the Cowherd's second great bow. Archers have sharp eyes; when he saw Zhao Zhi remove her hat, he was utterly shocked! He almost doubted his own eyesight!

"Uloran tribe, a woman... You're not dead, you really are. If I were to sell the news of your hiding place in Pingcheng to the Rouran, hehe..."

In the rain, Wei Yao held her mother tightly, feeling a sense of security in her mother's back.

But... why did Mother turn the corner and walk back through the narrow street behind Bamboo Street?
Before her daughter could ask, Zhao Zhi explained, "I just saw an old acquaintance and had to say hello. Be good, Yao'er, close your eyes and take a nap. We'll go home soon."

The torrential rain poured down along the densely tiled eaves of the market, and the middle-aged archer gradually became flustered after recognizing "a woman." He recalled the scene of losing an archery contest to her in the Ulolan tribe, when he angrily threw his bow at her, only to have her catch it.

Then she easily broke the bow and said, "This time I only broke your bow because I appreciate how hard you work at archery. If you mess with me again, I'll break you!"

Thinking back to this, the man felt he could no longer stay in the East City. He decided to leave now, no longer seeking shelter from the rain! He headed west, the opposite direction from the "woman".

Suddenly stop!

He stared in horror at the man in the straw raincoat in front of him.

It's her! She saw him too?!

Zhao Zhi approached him with normal steps, and just as he suddenly attacked, she struck him lightly on the chest with lightning speed, far exceeding his eagle claw speed.

Zhao Zhi didn't deflect the attack, and then struck again lightly. The man acted strangely as if he had gone mad, obediently retreating until his back was against the earthen wall of the alley.

When the rain stopped and the sky cleared, someone found the man; his unseeing eyes had been bruised and bloodied by the rain.

Wei Yao was very obedient. She didn't know what her mother wanted to do or what she did. From the moment her mother told her to close her eyes, she forced herself to relax and fall asleep.

She fell asleep as soon as she got home. In her past life, she had overlooked many things, but not every overlooked secret, especially those involving her parents, required her to know. For example, that secret letter, and the fact that she had disturbed the soil after saving the orchid.

Her parents' decision not to let her know must have stemmed from their love and care; there's no doubt about that!

The sky was overcast and she felt sleepy; it had been a long time since Wei Yao had slept for a full two hours in the afternoon. After waking up, she began to read, this time starting with the Book of Songs to review.

That night, all the students at Pingcheng Primary and Secondary Schools, regardless of their usual academic performance, studied diligently, because they knew that their results in the March joint examination were destined to be disastrous again. If they wanted to turn things around and avoid being beaten, they could only rely on the spring joint examination!
Tonight, Wei Mao stayed at Wei Jing's house. Whenever Wei Jing was lazy and dozed off, Wei Mao would bang on a copper basin to wake his companion up and shake off his own drowsiness.

At Wei Zhen's house, her aunt's mood was particularly low whenever the weather was bad. Tonight, her aunt did come over as expected. Wei Zhen rolled up her book, ready to listen to her aunt's ramblings again, but to her surprise, her aunt smiled shyly.

“Azhen, I’ve thought it through and agreed to marry into the Luoyang family. It was you who made me think it through.”

“You love reading so much, and with the house so chaotic, you still manage to squeeze out time to study. I’m truly ashamed. So I can’t give up on myself anymore, or I’ll drag you and the whole family down with me and make ourselves a laughingstock.”

“You must keep reading and study hard. I’ve heard people say that the more you read, the broader your mind becomes, and you won’t be like me, trapped by one person or one thing for so long. There’s something else I’ve already discussed with your grandparents: you must never experience the heartbreak I did! You can marry whoever you want, as long as they’re not a scoundrel. I won’t keep you any longer, go back to your studies.”

The Xi Mansion in the northern part of the city.

A letter from home, containing only a few words, lay open in front of Xi Jiao. He wanted to postpone his trip to Luoyang, but how could he explain the reason to his father?

To be honest, he didn't do well on the test again, and didn't even answer more questions than last time? To be honest, he became more and more unwilling after losing to someone? If he leaves in defeat, the regret won't just be that he'll stay in Pingcheng forever, but that it will be forever etched at this age, something he can never make up for later.

His father named him "Jiao" (骄), hoping he would excel in both literature and martial arts, and be unrestrained and arrogant. However, his first opponent seemed to be someone he could never defeat.

Hmph! I can't let this dampen my spirits and boost hers. Even if I didn't do well today, there's still the big exam tomorrow! Right, I need to quickly review my lessons, get into the top nine, and regain my confidence.

The stars and moon dispel the murky clouds, and dawn replaces the weary night.

On March 14th, Pingcheng Elementary School's first joint examination will begin.

Wei Yao arrived early enough; there were already dozens of students in the examination hall. She wasn't surprised that Qu Rong had arrived earlier than her, but she was surprised that Wei Mao and Wei Jing had also arrived earlier than her.

Jing Tongmen is really carefree; he's taking a nap on his desk.

Wei Mao told her, "Yesterday the museum removed the thatched shed and watered the whole place."

"It's good that they've removed it; it's bright now, and it won't rain anymore anyway."

The rain had stopped, but the puddles on the ground hadn't been cleaned up yet. The servants and laborers were still all within the examination hall area. One of the laborers, carrying a large broom, sized up Wei Yao several times, recognized her, and asked, "Oh, you're the young lady from Master Wei's family in Chiyang Lane, aren't you?"

Wei Yao knew the man was her neighbor, which meant that many people from Chiyang Lane worked there. She bowed and replied, "Yes," and gently advised, "Uncle, please keep your voice down, don't wake my fellow workers."

"Okay, okay. I understand, Miss Wei. Study hard and make sure you get first place again."

"Thank you for your kind words, Uncle."

Qu Rong was disgusted. He could smell the stench emanating from the laborer from a distance; it seemed the people living in Chiyang Lane were exceptionally poor. He had once held Master Wei in high esteem, but at this moment, all respect vanished. As for Wei Yao, Master Du was right—she had no future!

(End of this chapter)