History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 94 Good friends

Leading the way were the troops sent by Prince Yuan Cheng to Pingcheng to commend Governor Yuan for his achievements in promoting rites and music. The central force consisted of elite warriors, including Xue Zhixiao, sent by Crown Prince Yuan Ke to Pingcheng to investigate the matter of the added inscriptions on the wooden slips.

This is the second time Xue Zhixiao has worked for the Crown Prince, and he can be considered a confidant. However, he is not pleased that the Crown Prince has also sent a palace attendant named Zhao Xiu to accompany him.

Zhao Xiu was an unranked servant, the lowest-ranking servant in the palace. However, along the way, Zhao Xiu, relying on his position as a close attendant of the Crown Prince, opposed Xue Zhixiao in everything, big or small. If Xue Zhixiao disagreed, Zhao Xiu would not mount his horse and continue the journey.

The last group consisted of officials from the Court of Justice and prison staff, who were in charge of adjudicating cases. Their purpose in going to Pingcheng was to assist the Hengzhou prefecture in investigating all the unsolved cases accumulated over the years. Cui Zuan, from the Cui clan of Boling, was fond of solving cases and joined this group through clan connections.

The young men, including Zong Yin, were able to travel and broaden their horizons because their elders were officials under the Court of Justice.

At this moment, Wei Yao, who was climbing Junji Mountain, was completely unaware that she was about to meet her ex-husband ahead of schedule.

The people climbing the mountain now are all the worst riders and archers in the hunting party. The two officers have sent orders from the front line that, except for those guarding the camp, everyone else must climb over this mountain to observe the battlefield ruins in the northwest.

The wild mountains are uncharted territory, and every step is fraught with difficulty.

Wei Yao and Guo Yun helped each other climb, when they suddenly heard cheers from the climbers ahead. Before long, they knew why. The prisoners were being escorted down the mountain. Every five Rouran prisoners were bound together with a long rope, their hands tied tightly behind their necks, so that they could only walk down the mountain while maintaining their balance, and had no strength to escape or resist.

Wei Yao and her companion quickly followed the example of the others, picking up mud and stones and throwing them at the prisoners.

"Kill you!"

"Serves you right for your evil deeds!"

Among the prisoners being escorted, Xi Jiao saw Wei Yao's fierce and bared teeth for the first time and found it amusing. The more he looked at her, the more he wanted to look at her.

"Wei Yao—" Wei Mao waded through the grass, his steps uneven, and quickly recounted the battle that had taken place in the mountainside. In truth, whether they were sons of meritorious officials or imperial family members, they only saw the panoramic view of the battlefield. The thrilling details, such as Fu Tu shooting a cold arrow at Zhao Zhi and being killed by Zhao Zhi, were completely invisible to Wei Mao and his men.

"Go down from the top of the mountain, it gets easier. There are still a lot of cattle and sheep in the mountainside. I guess you'll have to drive the rest of the livestock back. Be careful going up and down the mountain." Wei Mao hurriedly finished his instructions, followed the prisoners being escorted, and kept looking back until he could no longer see Wei Yao's figure.

Zhou Tai disliked Wei Mao, so he paid extra attention to him. He nudged Xi Jiao lightly and said, "Can you tell? That bastard Wei Mao really likes Miss Wei Yao."

"They share the same surname, what's the point of liking each other?"

"Different surnames don't matter, I don't think Miss Wei is willing to be a concubine... Ugh! Pui pui pui, what are you doing?"

Xi Jiao smeared mud on Zhou Tai's mouth and warned him sternly, "I don't care how you fight with Wei Mao, but Miss Wei is my fellow disciple. Don't mention those insults to me again!"

Wei Yao reached the mountainside.

More than forty felt tents of varying sizes were scattered around, each riddled with arrow holes. Bloodstains, severed limbs, and even more gruesome sights littered the ground. The once lush and verdant valley was now filled with a stench that even the wind could not carry away.

"vomit--"

People kept vomiting, including Wei Yao and Guo Yun.

This is what it looks like after experiencing a real battle. Listening to the howling wind through the felt tent, Guo Yun sighed from the bottom of his heart: "If the order were reversed and we came here first, I would definitely have noticed the flaws in the military exercise that night. So, A Yao, you are amazing! You are really amazing! The Master said that Governor Yuan might reward you with the title of Third-Class Warrior. A Yao, I am not jealous of you at all. I am proud to be your friend."

Wei Yao blushed with embarrassment at the praise and tightly grasped Guo Yun's hand in return: "Ah Yun, even though you were scared that night, you never abandoned me. The way you shouted 'No' was the source of my courage to confront those villains. Ah Yun, I will remember this friendship through thick and thin for the rest of my life."

"Ladies," someone called to them, "we're going to use the terrain and the layout of the felt tents here for a martial arts demonstration. Would you like to participate?"

Wei Yao and Guo Yun replied in unison, "We'll participate." "But we're only missing someone to impersonate a Rouran bandit."

Wei Yao shook her head: "Then forget it."

Guo Yun asked softly, "Ah, why?"

"With our physiques, you want us to play the Rouran bandits? They don't lack men, they lack fools."

"Fine, you're calling me an idiot."

That night, everyone who had just arrived in the mountain camped out here. Perhaps the smell of blood had dissipated, or perhaps they had gotten used to it. Wei Yao and her companions lay side by side on the grass, pointing out the constellations they recognized.

When Wei Yao mentioned Gao Lou, she briefly told Guo Yun about Gao Lou's experiences. Then she said, "I picked many beautiful wildflowers along the way, and put each flower between two bamboo strips. I tied the bamboo strips tightly, wrote down where the flower grew, and wrote my mood that day on the bamboo strips. I'm going to send these bamboo strips to Gao Lou. Hehe, she'll definitely like them."

"How did you come up with this idea? It's really clever. Hmm... as your friend, I have to help you. How about this, on your way back, I'll have someone deliver this gift to Huai Shuo Town for you?"

Wei Yao nuzzled Guo Yun's head against hers, and confessed in a coquettish tone, "I was just asking kind-hearted A-Yun for help, otherwise why would I tell you? Haha."

The next day, Pingcheng.

Zhang Wenzhi finally overheard a maidservant speaking ill of her, Xin Chun, the daughter of the magistrate of Gaoliu County. Suppressing her anger, Zhang Wenzhi summoned Xin Chun to the Buddhist hall that afternoon: "Here are ten volumes of Buddhist scriptures, to be given by the choir as a gift to the students. Distribute them to all the maidservants, and have them make two copies by the end of the month. No words may be changed or misspelled on any page."

"Oh my god!" Xin Chun immediately refused, "There's too much! We still have to review our poems and homework, how can we possibly copy it all?"

"Servants and chores are your duties too, it's not like you're the only one copying. Go on."

Xin Chun pouted as she took the Buddhist scriptures and arrived at the classroom. Looking at the servants reciting their lessons, she didn't know how to phrase her task clearly without offending anyone.

By the way, find Hu Wuwu. Hu Wuwu is smart; he'll definitely have a solution.

"Don't come any closer to me, don't come any closer to me..." Hu Wuwu had already seen Xin Chun's foolishness; the more she annoyed her, the more likely it was to happen. She looked up, smiled, and asked, "What is Sister Xin holding?"

“Buddhist scriptures. It’s like this…” Xin Chun muttered to herself.

Hu Wu listened patiently and then said righteously, "That's it? Leave it to me."

She stood up and raised her voice so that all the male servants at the end could hear her: "Stop reciting! Master Zhang has given us instructions again. She said that as servants, we can't just read poems; we should do chores. Master Zhang has strictly ordered us to copy two copies of these ten volumes of Buddhist scriptures by the end of the month. If anyone has any complaints, go to Master Zhang. It's none of our business as messengers! As for how to copy them, ask Master Zhang. She only said that we can't make mistakes or make corrections; she didn't explain anything else."

Xin Chun breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to put the matter aside. She exclaimed admiringly, "Hu Wuwu, you're amazing! No way, I want to be your friend."

"I want to be your friend too."

"I want one too! I want one too!"

Outside, Zhang Wenzhi listened quietly. Hu Wuwu? That lowly maid from that wretched place, Chang'an! Hmph, finally found the culprit who caused this trouble!

Zhao Xiu: A villain, a treacherous minister! After Yuan Ke ascended the throne, Zhao Xiu, who had served Yuan Ke in the Eastern Palace, quickly became a sycophant with power comparable to that of princes and dukes.

Cui Zuan: Skilled in judging cases, he served as the Chief Justice during the Xiping era of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

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(End of this chapter)