History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 8 Shared Desk
Wei Yao came in first place.

The student in the third dormitory who cried and went home to complain was in last place and can play all year round. However, this kind of play is different from the feeling of being able to go to school and skip classes to play before.

Wei Yao was arranged to audit classes at the Cui Family Academy in Xiyifang from the eleventh to the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month. Since it was quite far from her home, she was allowed to stay at the Cui Family Academy during this period.

On the afternoon of the tenth, she packed a change of clothes and brought enough paper, ink, and bamboo slips. Wei Yao wouldn't let her mother see her off: "I can't even walk by myself in the city, how will I be able to walk further in the future?"

Zhao Zhi pretended to be reluctant to say goodbye to her daughter, and then secretly followed her until Wei Yao entered the school before she left with peace of mind.

Most private schools and state schools in Pingcheng followed the same system of rest days, but even though it was a rest day, the sounds of debate and recitation could still be heard everywhere at the Cui family school. Some gathered in the pavilion, some sat around the bamboo grove, and some even stood on the road, treating the flowers and plants as a vast army to talk eloquently about their understanding of scholarship.

"Do you need any help?" the senior brother from the gang asked Wei Yao.

Wei Yao bowed and asked, "Senior brother, which way is the 'Classic of Poetry' Academy?"

"You...are here to sit in on the proceedings?"

"Yes."

"Which academy are you from?"

"Weishi Academy".

The man's smile turned cold, and he pointed to the fork in the road on the right, ignoring her completely.

"Thank you, senior brother." She took two steps and let out a long breath.

More than forty years ago, a catastrophe occurred when Emperor Taiwu was in power. He ordered the execution of more than two thousand people, including the Cui family of Qinghe and their relatives by marriage. Although that bloody chapter has been turned over, hatred has always been planted in the bones of these Han noble families, especially the Cui family members!

"This old grudge has nothing to do with me; I'm here to learn," Wei Yao encouraged herself and continued on her way.

The Cui family academy, whether at the university or primary school level, always provided separate dormitories for auditing students. Wei Yao presented her letter and was assigned to share a room with Lu Baozhen.

After exchanging names, Lu Baozhen went out and returned quickly, picking up the quilt and throwing it around a couple of times to vent her anger.

Each of them was given a desk in their lodgings, with only a thin book on it. Wei Yao flipped through it and found it was the "Yong Feng" section of the Book of Songs.

Lu Baozhen felt that Wei Yao looked familiar and asked, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"I watched you and Wei Mao compete in archery and horsemanship at the Plum Garden."

"Oh. You and Wei Mao are in the same dormitory?"

"Yes."

"Ha, you look so delicate and frail, you're more like a Han woman than a Xianbei woman." Lu Baozhen threw the pillow aside and lay down, using her arms as a pillow, complaining about what had just happened: "I went to talk to the steward about bringing the horse in, and he refused directly. Guess what he said?"

Wei Yao had no choice but to reply, "What do you mean?"

Lu Baozhen sat up angrily: "He said that only one of me and Ma can enter, and if he keeps Ma, he won't keep me, and if he keeps Ma, he won't keep Ma!"

Wei Yao became serious and said, "Think about it carefully, these words are not just a dig at you, but clearly a dig at us Xianbei students."

Lu Baozhen was even angrier.

Wei Yao: "I have a way to deal with him, but I still need to ask my fellow disciple Lu to go."

"you say!"

Soon, Lu Baozhen found the steward in charge of the dormitory area again, and opened his palm to him, on which was written the character "horse".

She asked in her loudest voice, "Do you recognize this character?"

The manager's face instantly turned ugly.

Lu Baozhen: "What, you dare not say you know it, and you dare not say you don't? This character is 'horse'! Now that both I and the horse are here, which one can you chase away?" Baozhen was overjoyed with her quick revenge, and the next day she was even skipping and jumping in the hallway. But fate had other plans. When she passed through another residential area, she saw her old nemesis, Changsun Wuzhuo, and even more unexpectedly, Xi Jiao was there as well.

"Miss Lu really does become famous wherever she goes," Changsun Wuzhuo teased.

Lu Baozhen understood that the other party must have heard about her conflict with the manager yesterday. "You mean, you would have tolerated it if you were in that situation?"

"If you were that smart, you should have retaliated on the spot!" Changsun Wuzhuo smiled like a cunning fox, glancing at Wei Yao.

"Yes, I'm not as smart as you. I'm not like you who only knows how to talk big after the fact!" Lu Baozhen retorted angrily, then took Wei Yao's arm and walked away quickly, whispering a reminder: "Avoid this guy if you see him in the future."

Despite his thick skin, Changsun Wuzhuo continued smiling. Turning around, he noticed Xi Jiao staring at Wei Yao. He waved to his companions and asked, "Do you still remember her?"

“I remember, she’s a fellow disciple of Wei Mao.” Only today did Xi Jiao get a clear look at Miss Wei. She had an indescribable temperament like green bamboo, completely different from any Xianbei woman he had ever seen.

Wei Yao was going to the "Xunyi" dormitory, while Lu Baozhen was going to the "Guofeng" dormitory. The two parted ways in front of the school.

The word "训" implies that the foundation of all classics lies in the study of "xungu" (exegesis).

The character 义 (yì) is interchangeable with 仪 (yí), implying that etiquette and manners should be appropriate.

It was only early morning, and the training hall was already half full of disciples. The attendant led Wei Yao to the audience area, where two brand-new long tables were set up, each with two seats side by side.

As she was taking out paper, pens, and inkstones, Xi Jiao arrived.

What a coincidence, he got assigned to this place too!

As the footsteps drew closer, Wei Yao's heart pounded more and more violently. When the other person sat down beside her, close enough to smell the fragrance emanating from his sachet, she was angry at both him and herself!
Why did you have to sit next to her at the two desks?
What should I do? She must be blushing! The burning sensation on her cheeks made her secretly hate herself for being so weak.

Xi Jiao had intended to introduce himself first, but seeing how shy she was, he was completely baffled.

A few awkward moments later.

Wei Yao first said to the other party, "My name is Wei Yao." Since they were sharing the same case, ignoring her would definitely be more inappropriate.

"Xi Jiao".

Wei Yao's face remained red. How long had it been since she had heard him speak so closely? She could only look at the Cui clan students, using the unfamiliar environment to suppress her panic.

Suddenly, a schoolchild in front of her twisted his body and waved a piece of paper with both arms, showing her the words on it:

Copying notes... Mao.

Damn it! Wei Yao had to admire that guy for being able to befriend the Cui clan students and get them to do him this kind of favor.

Laughter broke the silence in the classroom, livening up the atmosphere.

After all, it was a primary school, and these young Han Chinese children did not discriminate against Xianbei children like those in universities.

1:15 AM (卯时一刻).

Confucius, who is giving the lecture today, has arrived.

He had a student on each side, one helping the teacher carry the books and the other helping him carry the book box. After the teacher sat down, the two students sat down in their respective places.

Xi Jiao told Wei Yao, "The Xunyi Academy has a total of three teachers. Today's teacher is surnamed Kong, named Wenzhong, courtesy name Shande. He is a famous teacher invited by the Cui clan from Lu County. The student on the left is Kong Mi, a member of the Kong clan, and the one on the right is Cui Zhi, who is the fifteenth among the younger generation of the Cui family in Pingcheng."

"Thank you for letting me know, I've noted it down."

Xi Jiao smiled, then quickly withdrew his smile, embarrassed. What was going on? He didn't even glance at Xie?
At this moment, Wei Yao was paying close attention to Cui Zhi. She sighed, realizing that he had always looked frail in his childhood. Who in this world but she could have known that years later Cui Zhi would be involved in a spy case, his unyielding spirit leaving even the cruel officials of Sizhou helpless!
Unfortunately, Cui Zhi died not long after being released from prison. Wei Yao knew these secrets because Zong Yin was among those who tortured Cui Zhi. She only gradually realized Zong Yin's loose tongue after marrying him, but thankfully he had this weakness; otherwise, how could she have dealt with him later!
毨 (xiǎn): refers to the newly grown feathers of birds and animals.

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(End of this chapter)