History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 149 Gathering Ranch
Wei Yi and Xi Jian were right not to underestimate Yuan Chun Tuo. This woman had already been acquainted with the nun Seng Zhi when she lived in Pingcheng.

Yuan Chuntuo's parents had passed away, and she deeply respected her elder brother, so she empathized with Sengzhi's anxious concern for Hu Guozhen. After agreeing to Sengzhi's request, Yuan Chuntuo immediately dispatched warriors to Pingcheng to investigate. These warriors were all trusted confidants left to her by her elder brother Yuan Cheng, and they were both brave and resourceful.

Each of them had three horses and traveled day and night, and had already entered the territory of Hengzhou.

The Yuan family warriors dispersed to inquire about the Hu family's group, and they were able to find clues every day. However, as they followed the information, the clues would all go cold again.

July 21st arrived.

Students gathered in the pastures on the southern outskirts of Pingcheng, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

The state government used ropes to divide the area into several sections, including a lecture hall, a football field, a horse archery field, and a military training ground for explaining martial arts.

The public was only allowed to enter the lecture hall, but these people were all selected by the government. They not only had the basic ability to read and write, but had also read the Classic of Filial Piety or the Book of Poetry.

The horses in the ranch have been released from their stables. They are running freely, wading in the river, or grazing on the grass.

There are also docile deer, peacocks vying to display their plumage, and large, brightly colored birds and pheasants scattered throughout the pasture, for students to observe only and not to shoot.

The students are allowed to practice archery using live targets. There are a great many wild rabbits that roam freely, and a new batch is released from the cages every now and then, so there is no need to worry about not having enough to go around.

Wei Yao walked together with Yuan Jingrong, Guo Yun, Liu Zhenzhu, Cui Ying, and Cui Wanwan. A silly rabbit kept following Wei Yao's feet. Afraid of stepping on it, she simply picked up the little rabbit and walked with it.

Cui Wanwan pointed ahead excitedly and said, "Look, two fawns are fighting."

Xi Jiao, Yuan Zizhi, Yuan Heng, Yuan Yu, and other members of the imperial family came from another direction and also saw the two little deer hopping around, head to head, acting all silly and cute. Xi Jiao suddenly felt that the scene of the deer fighting in front of him was exactly like this, bumping into each other and changing positions back and forth. He seemed to have seen it somewhere before.

Xi Jiao tried hard to recall, but it was strange, and she was sure she had never seen it before.

Zhou Tai arrived. He hadn't seen his companion in a long time and missed him dearly. He nudged Xi Jiao, put his arm around Xi Jiao's shoulder, and asked, "What are you daydreaming about? What are you thinking about?"

Xi Jiao shared her feelings with her friend.

Zhou Tai immediately said, "I thought I was the only one who had this strange feeling! You know, when Wu Zhuo left the city, the way he rode away felt familiar to me. Isn't that strange? I even wondered if it was because I drank less of the Meng Po soup and remembered a little bit of my past life?"

Xi Jiao pinched Zhou Tai's grinning mouth shut and instructed him, "Read less supernatural tales."

Yuan Zizhi, who was standing nearby, was amused by Xi Jiao's actions and said, "I've had this experience too. I think it's because I've had similar dreams, but we've forgotten the encounters in the dreams. What you're seeing now is very likely an overlap with a scene from one of those dreams."

"maybe."

Xi Jiao and his group walked towards the military training ground. After walking about two zhang, Xi Jiao turned back to look at Lu and spotted Wei Yao among the surrounding students. His hand unconsciously gripped the sachet with the fish-shaped ornament at his waist.

Xi Jiao had indeed forgotten the double deer knot from her dream a few days ago, but Wei Yao remembered it clearly. In their past life, she and Xi Jiao both thought that when they argued and sometimes even pushed each other in anger, they looked just like two angry little deer. Once, after they had a fight and made up, they decided to learn how to tie a double deer knot together.

The double deer knot is actually derived from the concentric knot. The two deer are connected by a thread by one of their ears, so no matter how the two deer are shaken, they will separate and then twist back together.

Yuan Jingrong pulled Wei Yao away, interrupting her reminiscing about the past.

"Let's go, let's go. What's so interesting about deer fighting? Let's go watch wolves fight another day. They'll draw blood with every bite. That's what's really interesting."

How bloody! Cui Wanwan was so frightened that she clung tightly to Cui Ying.

Having experienced the great hunt, neither Wei Yao nor Guo Yun were afraid.

There was a horse nearby. Yuan Jingrong mounted it, threw a sentence at the group of girls, "I'm going to take a look ahead," and then rode away.

Liu Zhenzhu admired the other person's excellent riding skills. She gazed into the distance, where the blue sky and green fields were so vast, making her feel even more at ease. "This kind of weather is so nice, neither too cold nor too hot."

Cui Wanwan: "The wind is nice, just like the tips of grass, gentle, but not as soft as the summer breeze." Cui Ying gently pinched Cui Wanwan's round cheek and teased: "But the summer breeze isn't as soft as our Wanwan's cheek."

Guo Yun leaned closer: "Quick, let me pinch it too."

"Haha." The girls laughed in unison.

Liu Zhenzhu: "Have you heard that after winter, our elementary school will add the teaching of the Classic of Filial Piety? Unlike the other three subjects, the Classic of Filial Piety will only be taught in the afternoon."

Wei Yao was overjoyed because she knew that the Imperial Academy in Luoyang included the Classic of Filial Piety in its primary school curriculum, and that other schools that taught this classic all included it in their university curriculum.

Guo Yun replied, "It should be true. It just happens to coincide with the time when we study the Book of Poetry. Let's go listen to it together then."

Then she asked Wei Yao, "A Yao, can you apply to Wei Xueguan to study at Cui Xueguan indefinitely? Otherwise, you won't be able to listen to lectures on the Classic of Filial Piety for half a month out of every month."

"I'll give it my best." However, Wei Yao didn't have high hopes for it. Winter was the time for elementary schools in Pingcheng to recruit new students. The Cui family of Qinghe had made a name for themselves with their Xunyi Academy and by adding new courses. What could the Wei family offer? They could only boast that the top poet was from the Wei Academy.

Therefore, if she is to leave the Wei Academy, it will be at the earliest this winter.

Yuan Jingrong returned. As soon as the horse slowed down, she jumped off, but there was a hoofprint where she landed. She cried out and stumbled forward, startling Wei Yao, who dropped the rabbit to help her.

"Ouch!" The two of them fell to the ground together.

Guo Yun and the other three first lifted Yuan Jingrong, who was lying on top, up. The rabbit that had been thrown away got angry, kicked at Wei Yao's face, and ran away.

"what?"

"Ha ha ha ha--"

Everyone, including Yuan Jingrong, burst into laughter. Guo Yun was so trying to hold back his laughter that tears streamed down his face. He wiped away a mud mark left by a rabbit paw on Wei Yao's face.

Cui Wanwan almost laughed herself to death, and said intermittently, "Just now you... didn't see it, that rabbit was thrown so high, head first, head first, and was covered in mud by my fellow disciple."

Liu Zhenzhu looked at Wei Yao's mouth: "It's okay, there's no mud."

Cui Wanwan: "I said the rabbit's mouth was full of mud!"

Everyone started laughing again. Wei Yao spat out mud and said with a pained expression, "It really did kick me in the mouth with one of its paws."

At this moment, Wei Mao arrived at the ranch because of Wu Ji, who had become a huge burden to him. Wu Ji's running away from home angered his father, who beat Wu Ji so badly that he could barely walk.

Private horses can only stay on the perimeter of the ranch. Wu Ji, shameless as ever, asked Wei Mao, "If you're in a hurry, why don't you carry me on your back?"

Wei Mao snorted, too lazy to engage in a verbal battle with the other party.

Wu Ji felt life was incredibly boring. His favorite playmate had left Pingcheng, and he hadn't even figured out how he felt about his fellow disciple Zhen when she went to Luoyang. If she liked Luoyang, would she never come back?
Overwhelmed with grief, Wu Ji turned his head to the other side and wiped away his tears.

"Sigh." Wei Mao squatted down and said, "Come up."

Wu Ji shook his head: "I was just joking. I can walk."

"If you don't come up now, I'm changing my mind!"

Wu Ji pouted and climbed onto Wei Mao's back. "Mao, there's something I've always been curious about that I want to ask you."

(End of this chapter)