History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 82 Parents’ Beloved Son

Zhao Zhi said angrily, "Don't listen to his nonsense! Hiring famous teachers is the director's responsibility. Why complain to you?"

Wei Yao nestled against her mother's back, coaxing as she poured out her heart: "Me, Mao, Zhen, Jing, and I have long suspected that Master Duan was framed, so we secretly investigated and found out about Du Ling. Today he confessed, and his escape further proves his guilt. But our school has no renowned teachers to teach poetry anymore. Mother, tell me, we're not wrong. Even if other students resent us because of the delay in their studies, the four of us are not wrong."

“Yao’er did the right thing. Don’t be afraid. If anyone speaks ill of you to your face, tell your mother and I will slap them.”

"Haha." Wei Yao nestled in her mother's neck and asked, "What if they talk badly about us behind our backs?"

"But we can't hear them, so they're the ones who get angry."

That evening, Zhao Zhi told her husband about her daughter's worries.

Wei Yin said with shame, "It was my oversight. I should have inquired about Du Ling's character when Yao'er and the others changed teachers."

Zhao Zhi: "Don't take all the blame on yourself. If just anyone could find out about the evil deeds Du Ling has done, the government would have arrested him long ago."

Wei Yin felt somewhat relieved. He couldn't just stand by and watch his daughter worry about something again; he had to find a solution. He decided, "If the Book of Poetry Academy can't find a new teacher within a month, I'll apply to the director to return to the primary school."

The salary at the elementary school was half that of the university school, but fortunately, Yu Yin copied books every day, so even with a lower salary, he could still afford to study.

Zhao Zhi: "How about I go hunting outside the city in the future?"

“No.” Wei Yin gripped his wife’s hand tightly. “That secret letter reminded us that remnants of the rebels are looking for you. We’ve already done our part with the bear hunt, so let’s just leave it at that. From now on, we’ll definitely show our martial arts skills less often. Azhi, our lives are a bit poor, but don’t worry, it won’t always be like this. I won’t let Yao’er be unable to go to school. I’ll make sure you can eat roasted venison five times a month, and I’ll buy you new kinds of garland jelly…”

If husband and wife understand each other, what does temporary poverty matter?

The results of the joint examination on the Book of Poetry at Weixueguan were posted the next day, and the top three were still Wei Yao, Wei Mao, and Chen Yu from the fifth dormitory.

The bottom grades will be cancelled this month. The reason is that Qu Rong was too saddened to take the exam because of Du Fuzi's accident. It would be unfair to only give extra questions to the four students in the other four dormitories.

After class at noon, Wei Yao asked her substitute teacher, Mr. Li, for leave, as she was going to Cui Academy the next day.

Wei Mao went to Yingju Bookstore, walking in the same direction as Wei Yao. This time, he was assigned to Lu's Academy, and he kicked pebbles all the way, feeling depressed. Why could he never get to Cui's Academy?
Wei Yao was also annoyed; the other person always kicked the stones so accurately, hitting her heel every time. "If you don't walk properly, don't walk with me!"

"I'll go with you anyway!"

"Then you go first."

“I won’t.” He kicked another stone, which rolled precisely over her shoe. Seeing her pick up the stone to retaliate, he immediately said, “I’ve found where Du Ling is hiding.”

"I don't want to hear it—"

In the north of the city, not far from the state academy, lies the Helai Inn.

Hu Wuwu cried out, "I don't want to hear it," and buried her face in her mother's arms. She wasn't upset about not ranking in the top three of the recent college entrance exam; rather, she was upset because her father had told her that pleading with the Pingcheng magistrate was useless and couldn't help her get into Cui Academy. Hu Wuwu's mother, Huangfu Jing, came from the Huangfu clan of Anding.

Huangfu Jing was always easygoing, but her daughter had always been strong-willed, so she pleaded with her husband again: "Going to the other three schools would be fine too. We're just going to audit the classes, not become formal disciples. We brought a lot of Chang'an specialties with us this time, why don't you prepare more and talk to the magistrate of Heping City about it?"

"No!" Hu Wuwu raised her tear-streaked face, shaking her mother vigorously and pleading, "I want to go to Cui's School, only Cui's School. I've inquired, and Wei Yao is just an ordinary commoner, and she can go, so why can't I? Are you bullying us because we're from out of town?"

"You're just being unreasonable!" Hu Guozhen said angrily, "Can you guarantee you'll get first place in this joint examination? If you could, even if my family came from Dunhuang, I could get you admitted to Cui Academy right now! You're just a disappointment..."

“How can I be worthy of your respect! Mother, look how fierce Father is! How can I be worthy of your respect? The teachers in Chang'an are only as good as the county school in Pingcheng. The teachers you hired for me are not as good as the teachers in Chang'an. I have learned everything they taught, but I still can't do well on the exam. Is it my fault? Am I not diligent enough? How can I be worthy of your respect?”

"Incomprehensible!" Hu Guozhen slammed the door and left.

But his daughter's sobbing... he could hear it even if he hid at the ends of the earth. Alas, she was born to collect debts! The name was chosen wrong from the start!

In fact, given the several cartloads of "special products," the Pingcheng magistrate didn't completely shut things down. It was definitely impossible for him to audit classes at Cui Academy normally, especially since the spots for the "Classic of Poetry" course had already been filled by the sons of the imperial family. Even the sons of meritorious officials who ranked in the top three in each academy could only go to the Wang, Zheng, and Lu academies.

The turning point came when Cui Xueguan was preparing to establish a choir, and with the efforts of various powerful figures, he was persuaded to recruit some pageboys.

The pageboy's usual task was to copy poems. The utensils described in the poems were made by the servants, but the pageboy had to do chores such as distributing and registering utensils for the students. Also, since the female teacher who taught the poems liked Buddhist scriptures, the pageboy might also have to copy some scriptures.

In their spare time, Cui Academy allowed servants to stand outside the school buildings and listen to the teachers' lectures; whether they could hear clearly was none of Cui Academy's concern. However, during the summer and autumn seasons, the five schools of the Book of Poetry, including Xunyi, held their lectures in the Guchang Qinlin Forest, a spacious place convenient for servants to listen in.

Hu Guozhen returned to the house and told her daughter about it, reminding her, "This kind of opportunity can only come once. If you are willing to go, don't feel humiliated. Don't think that I'm sending you to be someone else's tutor or page. Once you get there, you must control your temper and not cause trouble!"

Sobbing, Hu Wu asked, "What if the poetry clubs keep us busy with chores and prevent us from attending the lectures when the various schools are holding poetry classes?"

Huangfu Jing chuckled and poked her daughter's forehead: "Do you think the powerful and wealthy families who send their children there are fools, or do you think Cui Xueguan is foolish? This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Calling them servants is just Cui Xueguan using this method to reject children who are not genuinely interested in learning."

Hu Guozhen looked at his wife approvingly. Now that things had come to this, he could only further comfort his daughter: "The Pingcheng magistrate's own daughter is among the servants sent this time. Think it over carefully."

"I don't want to think about it anymore, I'll go." Hu Wuwu laughed through his tears and asked anxiously, "Then when can you go?"

"Ugh, you're giving me a headache. Just wait patiently for news."

Meanwhile, after arriving at Cui Academy in the afternoon, Wei Yao first went to the Master's Courtyard to thank her teacher. She then learned that the trip to give lectures was scheduled for June because her teacher was going to participate in the grand hunting event in May.

After leaving the Confucius Academy, Wei Yao went to find Guo Yun. The two of them then invited Cui Shang and Kong Yu, another female disciple from the Tongxue Dormitory, Liu Zhenzhu, and Cui Ying from the Shanyi Academy. The group of people chatted and laughed as they went to Guchang Bird Forest to see Black Whirlwind.

Yuan Heng, Hai Yeren, and other imperial princes were already playing here. Hai Yeren called out from afar, "Miss Wei Yao, Yuan Heng asked me to ask you something..."

Yuan Heng raised an eyebrow and glared: Who told you to tell the truth!
Haiye Ren glared back, then continued to ask with a smile, "He told me to ask you, does your mother usually hit the children?"

(End of this chapter)