Han officials

Chapter 313 Changing Course
As darkness fell, the lights in the study of the Duke of Wei's mansion finally dimmed.

After bathing with the help of four or five maids, Wei Zhe, lying on the bed, couldn't help but let out a comfortable groan.

He's thirty-two years old now, and he's no longer the young man who could play games all night long.

In order to avoid any tragic outcome due to excessive joy, Wei Zhe has consciously started to take care of his health in the past two years.

Unless it is particularly important, he usually doesn't deal with government affairs too late, so as not to exhaust himself.

After all, he was a man who was going to compete with Li Longji in terms of lifespan, so how could he grow old prematurely?

Listening to the chirping of insects and recalling his lectures during the day, Wei Zhe felt exceptionally at ease.

It's just that when men feel comfortable, they tend to think about all sorts of things.

For example, Wei Zhe, despite saying he was taking good care of his health, found his hands unconsciously wandering over the woman's body beside him.

Half asleep, Guan Yan was thus passively subjected to a series of tumultuous events.

After a long while, the wind stopped and the rain intensified. Guan Yan, her delicate body half-exposed and her cheeks flushed, then hummed and lightly punched him.

It's all that bastard's fault! She was about to fall asleep, but he messed her up and now she's wide awake!

Wei Zhe smiled and casually chatted with Guan Yan, his arm half around her.

For example, whether that little rascal Wei Bo has been naughty, or how his parents are doing lately.

To my shame, he has devoted all his energy to national affairs in recent years and has paid little attention to family matters.

Fortunately, Guan Yan was virtuous and never complained, and she managed the household very well.

Seeing Wei Zhe ask about these things, Guan Yan stopped being coquettish and immediately said in a gentle voice:
“Mr. Yuanhua visits the mansion every ten days to diagnose my parents-in-law. Although they have had minor ailments in recent years, they have been treated properly and are now fine. You can rest assured, my lord.”

"As for the cicadas..."

Even Guan Yan, as the biological mother, felt a bit annoyed when talking about her little rascal.

"What?" Wei Zhe asked in surprise, "What trouble has this kid gotten into this time?"

If he remembered correctly, this kid should only be seven years old this year. He shouldn't be capable of doing anything bad, right? After all, his tools for committing crimes haven't even fully developed yet!

However, Guan Yan said bitterly upon hearing this:

"You have no idea how mischievous this kid is. He's so angry that Mr. Yuanhua has come to ask to resign three times."

Although Guan Yan didn't know what a parent-teacher meeting was, she was also very annoyed by the fact that the teacher always skipped it.

You know, there are countless people outside who would love to be Wei Bo's tutor but can't even dream of it, but Hua Tuo avoided this cushy job like the plague. You can imagine how much this little apprentice stimulated him!

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe became interested and asked Guan Yan to explain in detail.

Upon hearing this, Guan Yan immediately launched into a long tirade, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

It turns out that after following Hua Tuo to learn medicine, Wei Bo gradually learned to read and write, and developed a strong interest in medicine, often following Hua Tuo around asking questions.

Hua Tuo did not formally teach Wei Bo medical skills at first; he merely offered casual interpretations to satisfy Wei Bo's curiosity.

As a result, the boy, influenced by what he saw and heard, also began to treat people like Hua Tuo.

Almost every maid and servant around him had been treated by Wei Bo, who also prescribed a lot of medicine.

But he didn't know anything about the principles of ruler, minister, assistant, and envoy, and he couldn't even recognize all the medicinal herbs; he only knew a few.

So he prescribes laxatives for others who are constipated, for others who have gastrointestinal discomfort, and even for those who are dizzy, have blurred vision, or feel weak in their limbs. His main idea is that one laxative can cure all diseases.

Moreover, this kid had a very convincing argument, saying that all kinds of diseases are caused by blocked Qi, and that if one could release all the Qi, then all the Qi would flow smoothly.

A set of unorthodox theories infuriated Hua Tuo so much that he almost went to see the Lord of Mount Tai ahead of schedule.

In Hua Tuo's words, if he continued to teach him, he would probably be ruined.

"Hahahaha~"

After a long while, a burst of hearty laughter came from the bedroom.

To be honest, Wei Zhe really didn't expect his son to be so troublesome.

Upon seeing this, Guan Yan's phoenix eyes widened immediately: "You're still laughing?"

After saying that, Guan Yan angrily pinched Wei Zhe's waist, and then said helplessly:
"The servants were alright; they knew their place and didn't take it seriously. But I didn't expect that the Tao family's son to be so simple-minded. He actually took a whole dose of laxatives and lay in bed for three whole days before he recovered."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe stopped joking.

It should be noted that Tao Wen, the study companion of Wei Bo, was no ordinary person; he was the grandson of Tao Qian.

Before Tao Qian died, Wei Zhe personally promised him that as long as Tao Wen did not make any major mistakes, he would guarantee him a lifetime of wealth and honor.

If Tao Wen were to be killed by this little brat of his, wouldn't that make him lose credibility with the world?
After a moment's thought, Wei Zhe suddenly had an idea:
"Tomorrow I will have someone send a ruler to grant Hua Tuo the right to administer corporal punishment."

"Jade must be carved to become a useful object; this kid needs to be properly disciplined!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yan immediately frowned slightly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

But she suppressed her heartache and nodded with gritted teeth.

At worst... she'll just ignore it when that little brat gets beaten up.

After chatting about family matters for a while, Wei Zhe finally felt sleepy.

Just as Wei Zhe was drifting off to sleep, Guan Yan, who had been silent in his arms for a long time, suddenly said in a muffled voice:

"My husband, please take another concubine!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe instantly sobered up and couldn't help but curiously turn Guan Yan's head towards him.

It wasn't until Wei Zhe saw Guan Yan's innocent, earnest eyes that he realized she wasn't jealous.

He asked in surprise, "Why did you suddenly think of this?"

Guan Yan, however, replied in a serious tone:

"Haven't you been racking your brains lately about how to recruit Cai Gong and others into official positions?"

"Although I am a woman, I have read some classics."

"If my husband were to take Cai Gong's daughter into the household, wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?" As she spoke, Guan Yan, fearing Wei Zhe might not know Cai Yan's merits, quickly added:

"My husband, you don't know how smart Yan'er is. She has so many books in her family, and she can memorize them all. If you take her in, you can entrust the early education of the boys and girls in the manor to Yan'er."

The more she encouraged him, the more doubts Wei Zhe had.

"You two...are very familiar with each other?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Yan immediately avoided eye contact and said, "We're not very close, we just talk occasionally."

Upon seeing this, Wei Zhe immediately understood; it seemed the two indeed had a very good relationship.

As for why the two knew each other, Wei Zhe wasn't surprised. Ye City was only so big, and the upper-class social circle was only so small. Over time, they naturally got to know each other.

So he immediately stopped asking questions and instead inquired about Cai Yan's situation.

Although Wei Zhe had known Cai Yong for several years, he had never met Cai Yan.

After all, he was a local lord, and it was easy for him to cause misunderstandings if he inexplicably asked to meet other people's female relatives.

Besides, he's been busy fighting battles all these years, so he really hasn't had any interest in chasing women.

Especially for veteran ministers like Cai Yong, who were of great significance to him, Wei Zhe would be even less likely to offend them for the sake of women.

After all, there are plenty of beautiful women, but few veteran ministers like Cai Yong who enjoy extremely high prestige throughout the land.

Upon hearing Guan Yan's words, Wei Zhe realized that Cai Yan was born in the second year of the Xiping era (174 AD). Although she was betrothed to the Wei family of Hedong in her early years, she became a widow at the age of 15. Now she is only 21 years old and can be described as being in the prime of her life.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe admitted that he was indeed deeply moved.

But Wei Zhe thought for a moment and then shook his head, saying:
"I'm afraid Lord Cai might not agree to this matter."

Unexpectedly, Guan Yan said with full confidence and smugness:

"Don't worry, I have a solution."

Although Cai Yan hid it well, Guan Yan had long since realized that she had secretly fallen for someone.

Otherwise, why hasn't this pretty widow in her early twenties remarried? It's because she already has someone in her heart!

It was only because Cai Gong was careless and Cai Yan said nothing that this has been delayed until now.

Of course, Guan Yan was not surprised at all by this.

Not to boast, but there are very few men in the world who can compare to her husband.

A husband as outstanding and young as her is truly one of a kind.

Over the years, Guan Yan has been the object of envy and resentment of countless noble ladies, and she is well aware of this.

It's all Wei Zhe's fault, really, because he always liked to live off women.

Therefore, almost all of his women were brought into his household for political purposes.

For example, he took Lady Zhen as his concubine to deal with Yuan Shao, and Lady Mi as his concubine to seize Xuzhou.

Even though Lady Gan came from a humble background, he only took her into his household to appease Liu Bei of Yu Province.

In this situation, even if Guan Yan is the legal wife, she shouldn't go too far, otherwise it could easily affect the political landscape of the previous dynasty.

If it weren't for the increasing pressure and the growing number of relationships to consider, Guan Yan wouldn't have thought of bringing her girlfriends along as helpers.

……

Meanwhile, while Guan Yan was busy arranging for her husband to take a concubine, Wei Zhe's lectures at Zhixing Academy gradually spread through words and letters, and the gentry of Jizhou almost all learned of the news immediately.

The shock felt by everyone was exactly the same as that of the scholars present that day; no one was unmoved.

They had heard about the news of Yecheng's urging for the emperor's ascension, and most of them already had some guesses in their minds.

However, it was only at this moment that they realized they had underestimated that Lord Wei!

Although they did not obtain a copy of "The Great Learning" due to space limitations, Wei Zhe's insights on the "distinction between righteousness and profit" alone were enough to make them admire his academic level!

Not to mention the "Four Lines of Hengqu"—a true game-changer!
It is no exaggeration to say that every single gentry member in the eight prefectures under Wei Zhe's rule was completely convinced of his superiority!

Suddenly, the already popular Zhixing Academy was flooded with applications.

Even the gentry of Yingchuan, who had their own family traditions of learning, lowered their proud heads and came to Yecheng to study.

There's no way around it; any discerning person can see that Wei Zhe has now established his own school of thought in academia.

Although he was greatly influenced by Zheng Xuan in his early studies of the classics, many of his current theories have surpassed Zheng's scholarship.

In this context, the "Great Learning" was no longer simply a subject of study for them.

It should be noted that Emperor Guangwu initially integrated apocryphal and prophetic theology with the New Text School of Confucianism, which led to the birth of apocryphal and prophetic Confucianism.

The first group of Confucian scholars who studied apocryphal texts and classics later became prominent families of varying sizes.

Given this precedent, these deeply ingrained aristocratic families certainly understood what Wei Zhe was doing.

Putting aside the issue of achieving sainthood, he was clearly establishing a new official doctrine to replace apocryphal texts and prophetic texts.

In essence, Wei Zhe's actions were no different from those of Emperor Guangwu back then.

However, judging from the content of his doctrines, they are perhaps a bit more enlightened than those of Emperor Guangwu.

Once this was realized, the already declining school of New Text Confucianism under Wei Jun's rule was completely abandoned.

Many aristocratic families who had traditionally studied the New Text School of Confucianism were even preparing to change their ways and join the Old Text School of Confucianism... no, to be precise, join the school of Wei Zhe.

Just as their ancestors painstakingly studied "apocryphal texts and classics," they now prepare to study the Wei family's scholarship.

They originally intended to follow the example of Zheng Xue and call this new Confucianism "Wei Xue," but considering that the Wei clan had already become one with the state of Wei, some well-meaning people soon started calling it "Guoxue" (National Learning).

Once this name was coined, it quickly spread throughout the land.

However, compared to the widespread praise within the Wei Kingdom, the reactions across the rest of the country were far more intense…

(End of this chapter)